Salvation

Rosa and I stand in silence as we watch the pegasi quench their thirst. The stallion finishes first and raises his head to look at once more as he waits for the mare to finish. And then, as quickly as they had emerged, they turn and disappear back into the ancient forest.

“I can’t believe that just happened.” Rosa whispers. She looks up at me with a huge grin. “They were magnificent!”

“You wouldn’t see that in the city.”

She leans into me. “Not a chance.”

We stay there for a time just taking in the green dappled atmosphere and burbling song of the river. It was a pleasant change from the harsh direct sunlight and sharp wind of the more arid mountains that lay both behind and ahead in our journey home. Nothing is said, nothing needed to be said, as we enjoy the moment together.

The peace is broken as a group of noisy travelers pass over the bridge. Looking down at us they call out a greeting and wave. We wave back and step apart. The ebbing struggles of the salmon slapping on the stones pull our attention back.

“We can’t eat all that!” Rosa exclaims when she sees the haul.

“I wasn’t about to throw back Silvanus’ gift.”

“Mmm, good point.”

I start picking leaves and twigs out of Rosa’s hair and clothes. In her mad scramble to get to me she had sprinted straight down the bushy slope. “You okay?”

“Are you kidding? After that I am buzzing like a bee!” She smooths out her long hair. “That was amazing.”

I tell Rosa to start gathering firewood and take it to the clearing where she’d been playing her flute as I set to work cleaning the fish here at the bank. Our “breakfast” was going to take us right through until almost lunchtime at this point but I wasn’t about to rush things in a place like this. Before long we have a cooking fire burning with spits of sizzling herb coated salmon above. Beside we have the lemons and other things we’d foraged laid out for our meal.

“This is way too much.” Rosa giggles. “We couldn’t eat all of this in three days!”

I look at her. I look at the bountiful food. Then I think back to generosity of the slaves that had given us a roof in the storm.

“You know what? You’re right.” I say. “We should share our blessing.” I motion off toward the road. “Why don’t you see if somebody else could use a fresh cooked meal while I finish this.”

“That’s a great idea.” She gives me long look. “Too bad though. I was going to tie to that tree and have my way with you after we ate. Ah well.”

“Wait! What?”

With a teasing wink and wiggle of her cute tush she skips off toward the road. Even though I am pretty sure that she was joking, now that she’d brought it to mind…GAH! Curse my good intentions!

The road is close enough I can keep an eye on Rosa’s violet horned head as she waits to greet passing travelers. Two groups pass by, one from each direction, but after a brief friendly conversation with each they politely decline the offer and head on their way. The third group however takes us up on our invitation. Hearing them approach I look and am surprised both by the number as well as the make up of the group. There were eleven of them in total, ten soldiers along with a an old bearded man in simple saffron robe with iron shackles around his wrists. Behind them followed three donkeys laden with supplies.

I stand up immediately to show respect and address the guard commander. “Hail good Captain!”

To my great surprise it is not the officer but the prisoner who steps forward to address me. He motions to me to be at ease, his gravely voice is warm and rich with a thick Eastern accent. “It is I who accepted your gracious hospitality young man. They must watch me however, will this make you uncomfortable?”

I flash a wary look to Rosa who says. “Master Ignatius hails from Antioch. He is being escorted to Rome for sentencing.”

The man gives Rosa a humble smile. “Please, just Ignatius. I am master of nothing.”

The untroubled expression of the soldiers tell me that this was not an unusual situation for them. The captain gives me a nod then motions his men to the other side of the clearing. As one they move to give us space and take rest in the shade of the trees.

I didn’t know what to make of this. Though clearly a prisoner the soldiers did not look the least bit concerned that he might try to escape. While he had a sort of dignified presence about him he was not a large man and posed no threat that I could see. If the slaves could take two rain soaked travelers in at the risk of punishment I certainly wasn’t going to turn away this old man even if he was a criminal.

“Please, sit.” I say. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Bless you.” He says. “I am sustained by the kindness of strangers. We’ve been on the road for many weeks and my escort are under orders not to feed me.”

While slender the man hardly looked malnourished. He must come across such kindness often. I glance toward the soldiers who were setting down helmets and shields to stretch out on the mossy ground. I see a few look longingly at the roasting salmon but none request to partake. This was getting more peculiar by the moment.

“They’re just going wait for you to eat?” I ask.

“Yes.” He says. “My fierce leopards have become lambs as we’ve traveled. Pity for a condemned old man perhaps.”

“Well we’re happy to share.” Rosa says.

“A meal of fish.” He smiles as he looks to the fire. “How could I refuse such a clear sign from above.” He kneels down close to the fire. “It is what my Savior ate after His resurrection.”

“You’re a Christian?” Rosa says with surprise.

“Yes.” He nods and holds up his shackles. “That is my crime.”

I had heard of the cult of Christ but knew very little about it beyond that it was a growing sect of Judaism. A week ago I might have been taken aback at speaking with a man who renounced the official gods but my experience with Rosa had helped open my mind and accept new things.

“I see.” Rosa says in a strangely flat voice. She flashes me an odd look then subtly shifts away from our guest. Picking up her flute she gives it a spin and tells me. “I’m going to see if I can get few coins out of these soldiers, if that is okay with you Master.”

“Yeah sure.” I nod. “Tell them we have enough food to share as well.”

“If you need me Master, I’ll be right over here.” With that Rosa excuses herself and heads off toward the soldiers. My eyes linger on her too long before I can tear them away.

“She is a charming ****.” Ignatius says as he studies me intently. “You are a unique pair the two of you.”

“Yes.” I reply. “It’s a unique story how I got her.”

He smiles. “The best kind of story.”

“Right.” I start moving some of the cooked fish onto the fern leaves we had set out. “So you’re a Christian. I don’t believe I’ve met one before.”

“Don’t be so sure. We are **** to stay hidden, especially this near the heart of the Empire, but there are more of us than you might suspect.”

Looking at his manacles I say. “I’ve heard tales that your cult are willing to die for your beliefs.”

“They are true. I am no doubt bound for the Colosseum simply because of my faith.” He confirms. “Rome is where I will die.”

“Huh.” He seemed weirdly at peace with his coming ****. “But…why? Surely it’s better live on.”

“The Emperor killing me will be a sin that stains his soul. If I denied the truth in my heart the sin would be mine instead.”

“I don’t get you Ignatius. It seems such a foolish thing.”

“Have you nothing in your life you are willing to die for?”

Without meaning to my eyes drift up to look across at my **** speaking with guard commander. I quickly look down again and shake my head. “I mean, I would defend my home and my family. But to die for the gods? I don’t know.”

“What if your gods were willing to die for you?” He says. “What if your gods loved you so much that they were willing to sacrifice themselves for you?”

I laugh and shake my head. “Why would the gods love me? I’m lucky if they notice me at all.”

“My God loves me.” Ignatius says with absolute conviction. There wasn’t a shred of doubt in his confident tone. “My God died on the cross for my sins and was then reborn so that I could truly live.”

“Died for your sins? I…I don’t understand.”

As I place the next three fish over the fire on their own spits Ignatius tells me about marvelous things. How there isn’t many gods, but One. When I object he asks me questions about how one thing seemed to connect to another and then another and another. The way he puts things it becomes difficult to discern where one thing ended and another began. I begin to see how all things are connected and when looked at from afar each thing was really a facet of a perfect unified whole. And that was God. He asks how I can worship beings who might have power but suffer the same petty flaws of mortals. Were such beings worthy of faith? He asks if I would worship the guards simply because they had weapons and training that made them stronger than me. Everything, even the many conflicting gods of Rome and Egypt and the Celts, were simply a part of a larger truth.

The way he asked questions brought my own questions out more and more. To each one he had a direct answer. At times he seemed to pluck the questions straight from my mind to answer them before they are even asked. He then moves on to address questions I hadn’t even thought of, pushing my horizons out into uncharted places. It all just made so much sense the way he was saying it. He was so wise and so insightful and so passionately certain of the things he said that I could sense I was in the presence of somebody very special.

He tells me about salvation. He tells of eternal life. He tell me about heaven and about how God rewarded those who lived a good and honest life regardless of their station or earthly accomplishments. Farmers and slaves and emperors alike entered through the gates to be judged as equals. He tells me about the love God had for me and common people like me. He tells me that God wants the best for me. He tells me about Jesus Christ. A real man who performed miracles! Jesus who defied the will of the Empire and was killed for it yet whose name had lived on among his faithful despite the great persecution they faced. Would so many sacrifice themselves for something that wasn’t true?

“I go to Rome to be killed for the amusement of the masses because of the vain ego of one man. Not a god, a man.” He says firmly. “My true judgment will only come from God himself.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“No.” He looks down to his body. “The Emperor will kill this shell but my everlasting spirit he cannot touch.” He looks to the heavens. “My heavenly father waits of me.”

“Your…father?” I say. “Your father is in heaven?”

“Yes.”

“Is my father in heaven too?”

He tilts his head and looks into my **** eyes. “He has passed on?”

“Yes. He was a soldier. He was…slain.” I normally wouldn’t tell a stranger this, yet Ignatius I knew I could trust. “He went away and I never saw him again. He died in a foreign land…without even a burial! His spirit is lost from…he…”

“Wipe your tears son.” He whispers. “Don’t let the soldiers see you cry.”

I quickly swipe the single tear that was rolling down my cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“Was your father a righteous man?”

“Yes! He was a good man. Such a good man. A brave man. A good father and husband.”

“And you love him?”

“I love him so much!”

“You miss him?”

“Yes! Yes, more than anything.”

“But he didn’t give himself to Jesus?”

“No. It wasn’t taught in my home. We didn’t know about any of these things.” I say. “Is he lost Ignatius?”

“God judges a man by his heart, he would not let a moral man go to hell.” Ignatius assures me as he places a hand on my shoulder. “Since he hadn’t the chance to hear the good word in life, as you have, he will be given a chance in ****. Fear not Quintus.”

“He is not lost?”

“No. He is in purgatory. He will find his way to heaven. You will see your father again Quin, if you accept God’s love into your life.”

My heart leapt with joy! I could see my Dad again! Jesus could help me find my Dad!

The fish, all cooked, lay on the leaves cooling, along with the sliced lemons, as I sit lost in thought at all Ignatius had told me. Across the clearing Rosa played her flute as the men sang along. I watched my beautiful **** perform. She had such life in her. She brought such happiness to everyone she met. She wasn’t a curse, she was a blessing! Living proof of how wrong my beliefs had been. Why had I been taught lies all of my life? If they lied about Amazons, what other falsehoods did they **** into me?

“Can…can an Amazon get into heaven?”

“Of course Quin. Salvation is open to all with a true heart.” Ignatius leans in and looks to Rosa as well. “In my church God will bless any proper marriage of the faithful. Even that of **** and master or Amazon and Roman.”

“Marriage?” I whisper. “Rosa could marry?”

“Not by earthly laws but in the eyes of God. Many of our flock are slaves Quintus. Our church spans through the Empire and far beyond. All with a soul are welcome in God’s love. God doesn’t care about riches or race or status, it is a true heart that really matters.”

“A true heart.” I echo.

He then sighs sadly and shakes his head. “Such a shame that she’s a demon.”