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returned to the sleeping mat, relieved, as she was once again surrounded by the circle of the brazier’s light.
    It bothered her to sit so idle. Before, she had always had something to do to occupy her thoughts. Now, they threatened to burst forth from the confines of her mind that had always firmly held them in check. She did the only thing that she knew to do, the only thing that always seemed to help calm her mind: she prayed.
    * * *
    Andronicus gave his orders to his centurions, who then passed them on to his troops. He looked around him at the looming walls of Jerusalem and realized what a daunting task this was going to be. Building siege walls was always a tedious and time-consuming business, but what it took in time, it saved in countless lives.
    Titus was right about one thing, though: it would certainly keep the men from becoming bored with waiting out the holed-up zealots. They were fighting men and not used to being idle. When not in battle, they were either training or carousing. Sitting still was something they thoroughly detested.
    The men set to with a will that surprised Andronicus. They were not particularly enamored of the more mundane physical tasks they were often asked to perform. Still, the sooner the project was completed, the sooner the city would become weakened. And the sooner the city became weakened, the sooner they would be able to scale the walls with less resistance. And then the battle would truly begin.
    He wasn’t certain if it was the desire for battle that spurred the men on, or the knowledge that the sooner this city fell, the sooner they would return home.
    But to what? A brief respite before they were sent out to battle more enemies? The life expectancy of a soldier of Rome was very short. It was one of the reasons that soldiers couldn’t be taller than a certain height. It saved in the cost of uniforms to be able to pass them along once a soldier died. The thought made Andronicus suddenly ill. He looked around at the faces of his men and wondered how many of them would never make it home. For that matter, would he?
    This thought brought Tapat vividly to his mind. He had to get her someplace safe before the fighting began. If he didn’t survive...
    He pushed the rest of the thought away. It didn’t bear thinking about. He surprised his men by grabbing a charred timber from the burnt siege engines and helped to lift it onto the growing wall of debris.
    Sweat poured from their faces in the hot summer heat, yet each man worked industriously without complaint. The walls that Titus had originally thought would take weeks would be finished far sooner.
    Andronicus decided that he was not needed here any longer and so removed himself to his tent. His heartbeat accelerated with each step that brought him closer to his destination. He paused outside, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves before entering. The thought of the coming invasion didn’t stir his nervous tension as much as the woman who awaited him inside.
    He found her curled up on his sleeping mat. Her even breathing told him that she was sound asleep.
    Stepping quietly, he made his way to her side and knelt next to her. He reached out a hand to touch her but stayed the impulse, not wanting to awaken her. It was much easier to study her with her guard down.
    One small, calloused hand was curled under her cheek, the other clutching his pillow against her chest. The innocent picture she made caused such a surge of protective instinct he could barely breathe.
    Although he had always seen her as a rather plain little thing, her face in repose had a peace that transcended the mere physical. Perhaps that was what had always drawn him to her. He hungered for such peace himself but, as a soldier of Rome, that was something he had never been able to find. He knew that it had something to do with the religion she embraced. He had seen that same peace time and time again, even with people facing roaring lions. Even his friend Lucius