Centurion Witness: A tale of resurrection and redemption

Dedication

This book is dedicated to five people whose good deeds changed my life:

My social worker Mr. Polly

My foster parents Hilda and Harry Hoseney

My brother Schuyler Mitchell and his wife Carla

Acknowledgements

Iappreciate the encouragement from fans, friends, and family who provided their support through the many months spent crafting this story. The following individuals helped fuel my spirit by offering constructive advice to improve this thriller:

Copy Editor Leora Worthington, whose astute understanding of human motivation and her keen eyes enhanced the story.

Cardinal Theresa Micheletti S.N.S who reviewed my biblical scenes and references.

Coming Soon Readers: Sonja Goedde, Jeffery Kitchell, and Lloyd Nolan who suggested improvements to the opening pages.

Manuscript Readers: Bill and Julie Hood and Colonel Robert C. Brand, US Army Retired who provided their reactions to the draft manuscript.

Major Characters List

Military Units in Province Judea

In 1 st century Syria/Palestine Rome controlled a coastal strip along the Great Sea (Mediterranean) stretching from Asia Minor to Egypt. It bordered the Arabian Desert and Persian empire ~90 miles to the east. That strip was commonly known as the Levant.

Four Legions maintained security within the Levant. However, only one-half of an Auxiliary Legion served within the frontier province of Judea.

The governor of Judea controlled 2,400 infantrymen and 160 cavalrymen. Roman officers (centurions) commanded the Greek-Syrian cavalry and infantrymen.

This limited troop strength stretched 88 miles from the southern border of Galilee to the southern end of the Salt Sea. And it spanned from The Great Sea to the Jordan River.

Protection focused on major transport routes and cities:

>> The largest port in the Levant at Caesarea

>> Road traffic from Egypt to Damascus in Syria

>> Caravan traffic into and out of the Arabian Desert

>> The city of Jerusalem.

Province Judea, 1st Century

Time & Unit references in Centurion Witness

For ease of quick comprehension by the reader, the author avoided cumbersome descriptions of ancient time references such as gauging the time of day by the length of a person’s shadow while facing north. Or by counting the number of fist distances that the sun is above the horizon. Instead, the modern term minutes is used in the text, along with hours instead of horea .

Similarly, the Roman distance of 1,000 paces (mille passus) has been replaced with the modern equivalent of one mile.

Also, Latin words for military units are replaced with modern names for an equivalent sized fighting force. For example, squadron is used instead of turma, while regiment is used instead of ala.

Chapter 1 — Good Deed

Near the Salt Sea

The centurion’s chin kept dropping to his chest, triggering him to shake his head and force his eyelids open. Having ridden for twenty hours to reach the Jordan River and climb above the warm shores of the Salt Sea, he could no longer avoid sleep.

At an oasis beside the road running south to Jericho and Jerusalem, he spotted the most defensible position. It was an instinctive skill drilled into him during his first campaign that had saved his life then, and many times during the subsequent twenty-five years.

While his horse and mule drank their fill, the Roman officer stripped off his tunic and washed the sweat and stench from his body. Finished, he lifted his loincloth and peeled the damp dust-crusted bandage from around his right leg. Each time he shook the linen cloth loose, he grimaced. As he finally uncovered the swollen lump a hand width below his beltline, he yelled Aaaaa!

Using vinegar, as the doctor had told him, he wiped away a slow-moving finger of gray pus. The smell is worse, he thought, stepping back and fanning his arm to chase away the foul odor.

When the animals began jerking their reins, looking for forage, he dressed and guided the mounts beyond the palm trees, limping from the stabbing pain in his right thigh.

Up a short brush-choked path, they passed through a gap in the rock cliff just wide enough for a horse to squeeze through. There, he would only have to confront a single enemy at a time if things went poorly.

With his animals hobbled and fed, he tossed rocks away from the spot where he would rest. Then the Roman positioned his fighting gear, almost like a ritual, in case he needed some of the items in a hurry.

He began by setting down his brass fighting helmet. His belt with sword and battle-ax followed along with his plate-metal shirt. Then he laid his three-foot-long, oval shield face-down on the ground so he could quickly slip his arm into the leather holding straps. Tugging, he verified each metal-piercing javelin was snuggly hooked to the interior sides of the shield. Finally, he set down his bow and quiver filled with arrows.

But he kept his hob-nailed sandal-boots on, including the razor-sharp dagger strapped above his right ankle.

Satisfied, he placed a small clay idol by his rag of a pillow and prayed. Goddess Disciplina, allow your servant a few hours of peaceful rest.

Sleep came quickly but his prayers were not answered. Soon the image returned that had haunted him since the bloody ambush near the Persian camp.

The woman with glowing eyes chased him through dark narrow streets, getting closer with each stride. When she began hurling fire at him and howling, he knew he could not escape.

The centurion jerked awake partially from the nightmare and partially from shouts by people.

Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see two brown and white goats in the gap a few feet from him. He was about as surprised as the animals, staring at him with faces appearing to wonder why he was in their way. Peppered by a handful of pebbles the animals ran back to the oasis.

Careful to not be seen, the army officer slowly raised up and looked over the nearby bushes. Below and off to his right, men were watering a large mixed herd of sheep and goats. Straight ahead, the women and girls had set up a large tent and were unloading cooking implements from a cart pulled by an ox. Several families.

Coming down the road to his left, young boys hurried toward the late-afternoon camp with baby lambs slung across their shoulders. Little ones that had tired and not been able to keep up with their mothers.

Unconcerned, he started to lay down. But he stopped after spotting a nearly transparent smudge of dust drifting out of a gully a half-mile away. When a string of fifteen riders on camels charged out of the dry streambed toward the oasis, the Roman grabbed his fighting gear. Bandits!

By the time he crawled through the gap carrying his shield and battle ax, the sword-waving camel-riders arrived. Three immediately chased the women into the tent. Meanwhile, all but one of the other bandits dismounted and threatened to slash the men if they did not shut up and do as they were told.

Moving silently down the trail to the tent, the centurion considered what he was doing. Better to die doing the right thing than live with what I did in the desert.

The lone rider angled his camel toward the cowering herdsmen. Quiet! Or I will tie you up and let the jackals tear you apart tonight! The apparent leader of the troop pointed his curved saber at the oldest herdsman. You owe my tribe tribute for crossing our land. I will leave you a sheep and take the rest of the animals.

We will starve, the old man replied.

The rider waved his hand. I understand. As a kindness, I will leave you two sheep. The other thieves laughed.

Behind the leader, a pregnant woman was dragged out of the tent. She started screaming as two men forced her onto her back followed by the third one kicking her legs apart.

Take our animals, the old herdsman pleaded. But do not harm my family.

The leader sheathed his sword and looked around. Jews, where are your guards? When the cowering men lowered their heads, the bandit smiled. You should have hired bowmen before moving to new grazing fields.

The old man held up his hands. We are just poor shepherds. My granddaughter is with child. I beg you to set her free.

"Do not try to fool me. You oversee your rich master’s land, assembled from poor bankrupt farmers— yes?

I do what I have to, to protect my family. He dropped to his knees and held his hands toward the leader. I will become your slave. Please release the girl.

The bandit shook his head. You would not make a decent slave. He pointed at one of the boys. But that young one might. So too, the one next to him.

<<< >>>

At the end of the narrow trail, the tent hid the centurion from view by the three men threatening the woman on the ground. Surprise will give me some advantage. He rose and raced around the tent toward the men.

The Roman got within three strides of the rapists before the ones holding down the woman’s shoulders saw him coming. But the bandit standing over her, with his tunic tossed aside and his back to the tent, did not.

When the centurion blasted his shield and his weight into the man’s lower spine it bent and cracked. The harsh scream that followed alerted all in the camp to look toward the tent.

There, the centurion lunged to his right and swung the flat iron-butt of his battle-ax into the second bandit’s face. As the man collapsed, the centurion pulled his left leg under his shield and knelt on his right knee while leveraging his shield upward. An instant later, the third bandit began jabbing and slicing with his sword, trying to reach the startling intruder.

But the centurion blocked the deadly strikes while elbowing the shield off the ground. Through the growing opening he swung the sharp blade of the ax into his assailant’s ankle, severing the foot from the leg.

As the rapist screamed and fell away, the centurion dropped his ax and grabbed the woman under her armpit, and dragged her toward the bushes. Hide! Now!

Then he turned and faced the remaining thieves who were surprised by the swift violent assault. To draw the attention of the mounted leader away from the woman, the Roman moved to his left past the three dying men.

On the road, the centurion raised his shield and bloody hand above his head and hollered, Raaaaaaa! Then he pointed at the mounted leader. You made a bad mistake. I guard these people.

The bandit spit on the ground. Not much longer.

Another mistake. You think I care about living, like your men, hesitating and afraid to charge me.

The leader drew his long saber from its leather scabbard. You are too confident.

Take two sheep and depart, the centurion replied. Then tonight, celebrate with your men that you are all alive.

The bandit spurred his camel forward, gaining speed with each long stride, while he lifted his shining sword above his head.

The centurion started sidestepping left, out of the path of the camel. When the bandit angled his mount more toward his target, the soldier jumped to his right and rolled on the ground. He stopped huddled under his shield. That move forced the bandit and the tip of his weapon farther away as he swung across his chest and down to the ground. The slash only scraped across the wooden shield protecting the Roman’s upper body.

Immediately the centurion jumped up and jerked a javelin off his shield. In a single step, he launched it at the rider’s back. Twenty feet away, it sank in deep. Causing the man to drop the reins and saber as he slowly toppled backward onto the ground.

To check if the remaining bandits were moving his way, the centurion spun around. Your leader and three companions are dead. Leave now or you will not survive this hour.

Several stopped hesitating and mounted their camels and trotted away along the road. After counting the eleventh man riding south, the centurion hurried to his camp and retrieved his sure-footed mule.

As he mounted near the tent with a bow in hand, the head shepherd stopped him and bowed. Roman, you saved three families traveling to our new home. How can we thank you?

This fight is not over. I will follow the bandits to convince them not to counter-attack. Meanwhile, gather the weapons from the dead bandits and post armed guards in case I fail.

After trotting two miles, he spotted the string of camel riders moving along a winding trail dropping downhill toward the Salt Sea. The centurion stopped his horse. On the ground, as the sun set, he took careful aim and lofted an arrow to land just behind the last rider.

The bandit jumped when the arrow ricocheted off a boulder near him. Spurring his animal, the man disappeared around a turn in the trail as darkness swept up the canyon to where the deadly warrior stood.

<<< >>>

When the centurion returned to the camp, he could no longer hide his weariness or his limp. Immediately a guard guided him to the large firepit outside the tent. There, the old overseer, and family members not on guard, cheered. Fine Roman, we thank you for your courage. Tonight, is a joyous sabbath for our families.

The centurion nodded at the old man. I need to get to my camp.

"The guard told me