Faithful Read online

  FAITHFUL

  Copyright 2018 by Carol Ashby

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means―electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other―except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, 1769 edition.

  Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

  Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

  Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Cover and interior design by Roseanna White Designs

  Cover images from Shutterstock.com

  ISBN: 978-1-946139-06-1 (paperback)

  978-1-946139-07-8 (ebook)

  Cerrillo Press

  Edgewood, NM

  Table of Contents

  Scripture

  Dedication

  A Note from the Author

  Characters

  Cities and Towns

  Chapter 1: Heading Out

  Chapter 2: No Respect

  Chapter 3: The Chieftain’s Daughter

  Chapter 4: Not What She Expected

  Chapter 5: Thieves and Scoundrels

  Chapter 6: Not a Fool

  Chapter 7: Not Where He Should Be

  Chapter 8: Beginning the Hunt

  Chapter 9: Reason to Hope

  Chapter 10: A New Direction

  Chapter 11: Catching Up

  Chapter 12: Roman Justice

  Chapter 13: Backtracking

  Chapter 14: No Better Teacher

  Chapter 15: First Fight

  Chapter 16: Octodurus

  Chapter 17: Surprises

  Chapter 18: Over the Pass

  Chapter 19: Words to Remember

  Chapter 20: Nothing to Worry About

  Chapter 21: Perhaps a Future

  Chapter 22: A Career Opportunity

  Chapter 23: It’s My Pleasure

  Chapter 24: A Day of Rest

  Chapter 25: The Price of a Man

  Chapter 26: An Auspicious Beginning

  Chapter 27: Not the Same at All

  Chapter 28: So Far but Not Enough

  Chapter 29: Worth Dying For

  Chapter 30: It’s Been a Good Life

  Chapter 31: The Only Rich Man

  Chapter 32: Still Not the Time

  Chapter 33: The Perfect Host

  Chapter 34: Not the Same Mistake

  Chapter 35: Gifts for His Son

  Chapter 36: Changing Owners

  Chapter 37: Still More to Learn

  Chapter 38: Invisible Chains

  Chapter 39: Business Partners

  Chapter 40: Three Germans and a Roman

  Chapter 41: Not Worth Dying For

  Chapter 42: Road to Reunion

  Chapter 43: Everything He Wanted

  Chapter 44: A Fight He Can’t Win

  Chapter 45: Crossing the Frontier

  Chapter 46: No Longer Home

  Chapter 47: A Better Place to Be

  Chapter 48: What Sisters Are For

  Chapter 49: The Perfect Man

  Chapter 50: Ready to Listen

  Sneak Peek at True Freedom

  Chapter 1: Ready to Help

  Chapter 2: A Bad Idea

  Historical Note

  Discussion Guide

  Glossary

  Scripture References

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  The Light in the Empire Series

  Scripture

  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

  Galatians 6:2 (NKJV)

  “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

  John 13:35 (NKJV)

  “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

  John 15:13 (KJV)

  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

  Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

  “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

  Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

  Dedication

  To my children, Paul and Lydia,

  for their love, support, and encouragement,

  and especially to my husband, Jim,

  who helps me find the good in everything.

  And most of all, to Jesus.

  Soli Deo gloria.

  A Note from the Author

  A faithful friend. Someone who cares enough to warn us before we do something foolish. Someone who will help us dig out of the mess we created after we ignore that advice.

  That’s something we all long for. It’s someone we treasure once we find them. A faithful friend is the living embodiment of the kind of love we’re called to share as followers of Jesus.

  But Jesus calls us to extend the love we might naturally show a friend to those outside our circle of friendship. Friendship rides atop a shared history, where things we’ve done have earned the trust and affection of our friends. Agape love extends to those we’ve barely met and even to those who have declared themselves our enemies.

  It’s agape love that Jesus meant when He said, “Love one another.” He told His followers that the love they showed for each other would declare to all that they were His disciples.

  In Roman times, that love shared among the believers was surprising and attracted new followers. The love they showed to strangers and enemies amazed even those who wanted them destroyed. The same is true today.

  Obeying the command to love can be challenging. In a world where so many are looking out for themselves at the expense of others, we’re called to consider what’s better for everyone, not just ourselves. It’s not always easy, and it’s certainly not natural, but God doesn’t call us to live natural lives. He calls us to live lives that please Him.

  When we respond faithfully to that call, He gives us His Spirit to help us do it.

  When we try, we can expect certain responses. Some will think we’re easy targets and try to take advantage of us. Some will think we’re fools to make ourselves vulnerable, even though they don’t try to hurt us. Some will consider the idea good in theory but not something to try themselves. But some will long to be part of a community that welcomes them without asking anything in return.

  Faithful tells the story of a man who is so loyal that he refuses to stop searching until he finds his kidnapped friend and risks dying to save him. When that quest exposes him to a mortal enemy, he’s so devoted to Jesus that he’s willing to die before denying his Lord.

  But it’s more than the story of one man’s commitment to his friend and his God. It’s the story of how living his faith in Jesus rescues a stranger, turns an enemy into a friend, and draws both toward his Lord.

  I hope you
’ll enjoy this story of the power of a faithful life to open others to hearing God’s call as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. May God give us all the courage and strength to live and love faithfully so we can see others respond to His love.

  Characters

  Adela’s family

  Adela: (19) daughter of Adalmar

  Adalmar: (40) Adela’s father, chieftain of the Hermunduri tribe

  Hildegard: (34) stepmother of Adela, new wife of Adalmar

  Gunda: (13) Hildegard’s daughter

  Licinius Crassus family

  Galen: (21) Gaius Licinius Crassus, whose father fled Rome to escape execution as a Christian

  Valeria: (27) “Val,” German adopted sister of Galen and Rhoda, wife of Decimus

  Rhoda: (17) Galen’s sister

  Otto’s family

  Otto: (21) “Bjorn,” best friend and trading partner of Galen, fourth son of Baldric

  Baldric: (54) Otto’s father, chieftain of Vangiones tribe

  Adolf: (28) third son of Baldric

  Cornelius Lentulus family

  Tiberius: (55) former governor of Germania Superior, Decimus’s father

  Decimus: (33) “Dec,” Tiberius’s only surviving son, Valeria’s husband

  Publius: (6) older son of Decimus and Valeria, named for Decimus’s mentor

  Gaius: (4) younger son of Decimus and Valeria, named for Galen’s father

  Priscilla: (1) baby daughter of Decimus and Valeria, named for Galen’s mother

  Graecus: chief steward of the Lentulus properties near Rome

  Claudius Drusus family

  Publius: (deceased) Tiberius’s best friend, Decimus’s mentor; executed for his faith

  Other important characters

  Silanus: centurion in VIII Augusta Legion based in Argentorate, Germania Superior

  Gundahar: German who kidnaps Adela and Otto

  Gerlach: German kidnapper, Gundahar’s partner

  Scaurus: a trainer of gladiators (lanista) in Augusta Raurica

  Lothar and Baldwin: German gladiators in Octodurus

  Marcus Antonius Brutus: owner of gladiator schools in Luca, Florentia, and Roma

  Ursus: Thracian lanista who runs Brutus’s school in Florentia

  Quintus: owner of an inn and stable on the outskirts of Rome

  Cities and Towns

  Alpes: the Alps, mountains between Italy, Germany, France, and Switzerland

  Argentorate: headquarters for VIII Augusta Legion; located on Rhine; present-day Strasbourg

  Arretium: Present day Arezzo

  Augusta Praetoria: Present day Aosta

  Augusta Raurica: town on the route from Argentorate to Rome; 20 km east of present-day Basel

  Aventicum: town on the route from Argentorate to Rome; present-day Avenches

  Borbetomagus: garrison town on the Rhine between Mogontiacum and Argentorate; present-day Worms

  Brigantium: town on Lake Constance in Roman province of Raetia; present-day Bregenz, Austria

  Florentia: Present day Florence

  Lacus Brigantinus: Lake Constance, patrolled by a Roman provincial fleet based in Brigantium

  Lacus Valsiniensis: Lake Bolsena

  Lugdunum: Present day Lyon

  Mogontiacum: capital of Roman province of Germania Superior, headquarters of XXII Primigenia Legion; located on the Rhine; present-day Mainz

  Nepete: Present day Nepi

  Octodurus: full name Civitas Vallensium Octodurus, location of Forum Claudii Vallensium; provincial capital of Alpes Graiae et Poeninae; present-day Martigny

  Parma: Present day Parma

  Ticinum: Present day Pavia

  Vivisco: Present day Vevey

  Vindonissa: town between Augusta Raurica and Brigantium, former legion headquarters

  Volsinii: Present day Bolsena

  Modified excerpt of map by Andrei N. – Wikimedia Commons user: Andrein- Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26047281

  Chapter 1: Heading Out

  Land of the Hermunduri, two days north of Germania Superior, AD 122

  Adela felt the daggers as she hung her horse’s bridle on the gatepost and swatted its rump to send it into the corral. When she turned to face the cottage, her father’s new wife spun and stomped inside.

  She rolled her eyes. It was going to be another one of those days.

  It had only been four months since Mother died. Why had Father been in such a hurry to remarry? He had a son, and Adela would marry soon to give him a son-in-law. She’d told him he should take his time. A chieftain of the Hermunduri could have his pick of the maidens whenever he decided to wed.

  But had he listened? Maybe if her brother had spoken, Father might have. All she got was a frown and a flick of a hand to shoo her away.

  They weren’t at war, so why marry the sister of another chieftain to seal an alliance? It made no sense. Especially when Hildegard was meaner than a weasel. She would not call that woman Mother, no matter what Father said.

  She cringed at the thought of another day in the company of Hildegard’s mousy daughter, Gunda. No Hermunduri girl should jump at her own shadow.

  Adela’s gaze flipped over her shoulder when she felt the hand.

  Gunda was holding two baskets. “The wild strawberries are ripe. Olga had some this morning, and Mother wants us to go gather some, too.”

  “I didn’t see any when I was riding.”

  Her stepsister hugged herself as her eyes flicked toward the cottage, then returned to Adela. “But Mother said they were ripe where the stream forks.”

  “That far? We won’t be back in time for supper if we go there.”

  Gunda rubbed her nose and glanced at the cottage again. “I know, but when Mother says go, I’m not going to argue. Neither should you.”

  She held out a basket and gave it a small shake. “Your father already told you to do what Mother says. Do you want her to tell him you wouldn’t go?”

  Adela snatched the basket, jerking Gunda toward her when she didn’t let go fast enough. “The sooner we go, the sooner we get back.”

  She set a fast pace as they entered the woods. Gunda had to scurry to keep up, but it wasn’t Adela's fault that her stepsister was a scrawny little thing, even though she was thirteen. Hildegard spoiled her precious daughter, and spoiling made a person weak.

  Adela squared her shoulders. No one would ever dare call her weak. Father might not value her opinion about remarrying, but she’d heard him brag on her skill with weapons and horses. A daughter fit for a chieftain’s son. That’s what he’d said, and her heart warmed at the thought.

  She was nineteen. Within the year, she would marry, and she knew exactly what kind of man she wanted. Tall, handsome, proud, afraid of nothing and no one―a warrior like Father.

  Already Father was talking with the other chieftains with sons ready to take a wife. Adela’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. Her marriage couldn’t be soon enough to get her out from under Hildegard’s aggravating control. After she was wed, she could tell that woman what she thought of her. That thought broadened her smile.

  “Slow down, Adela.”

  Gunda’s whining heightened the anticipation. One more thing she’d leave behind when she married her warrior.

  When they reached the glade where the stream forked, Adela’s brow furrowed. Lush, green...but no sign of red.

  “I don’t see any ripe strawberries.” She spun on Gunda. “Did Olga pick everything already?” Her lips tightened. “Just like your mother to waste my time like this.”

  Gunda turned in a circle as she scanned the surrounding trees. “But Mother said they were here.” Her eyes caught Adela’s, then flitted away. “Maybe we need to look among the deep grass and ferns.” She pointed across the stream. “You look over there. I’ll look on this side.”

  Adela jumped the stream and shuffled through the grass, pushing it aside with her foot
before each step. No strawberries, not even green ones. Her back was to the stream when she heard hoofbeats behind her.

  Then Gunda gasped. Adela spun. A man on a bay horse stood between her and Gunda, but she could see Gunda’s legs under the horse’s belly. She was backing up as the man leaned toward her. He nudged the horse closer and grabbed Gunda’s arm.

  Adela trotted to the stream bank and leaped across. “Leave her alone!”

  The man turned to face her, and his lips twisted into a sneer as Adela moved closer.

  Gunda strained to pull free and started to cry. “No. Don’t do it.”

  Adela sprinted toward the horseman as Gunda’s tears turned to sobs. A feral laugh escaped his throat as he shoved Gunda away and focused on her.

  Her eyes narrowed as she neared his horse’s head. The man was brawny, and she had no weapon. But she knew horses. She grasped the loose fabric panel that draped the front of her dress and flicked it into his horse’s face.

  With a panicky neigh, the horse reared, launching the man into the air. When the flailing hooves returned to earth, Adela was ready. She scooped up the reins, grabbed a handful of mane, and sprang onto its back.

  Gunda stood like a statue, eyes enormous and hands over her mouth. Adela held out her hand. “Get up behind me.”

  Her stepsister started to move...backward.

  The man moaned behind her.

  “Gunda, now!”

  Hoofbeats...two horses...coming up fast from behind. “Gunda!”

  Gunda spun and ran into the trees and up the hill. Adela whirled the horse. Two men were coming straight for her.

  “Keep running!” Adela bent low on the horse, drove her heels into its flanks, and hurtled forward...toward their attackers.

  She shot between them before they could react. If only they would follow her...Gunda was running toward their home. Perhaps she’d get away.