Zack returned from the cave. He carefully wrapped Mary in her blankets, then crawled back into his own bed. Mary slept soundly. She was breathing softly and normally as far as he could tell. He checked around the camp to see if anyone was awake. It looked as if everyone was sound asleep.

Still feeling the effects of the potion, Zack could not sleep, especially not after the strange nighttime ordeal he had just put himself and Mary through. He was immensely grateful to know about the potion; though even that made the act itself barely tolerable. Without it, he would not have been able to do such a thing to his niece. It would not be his choice to have sex with such a young woman, really a child. There was no pleasure in the act for him, save the promise of a son.

He wished that the angel would visit to reassure him, or to congratulate him, or something. But sleep did not come, as he lay awake waiting for morning and for the others to stir. The hours passed by as slowly as the stars' movement overhead.

When dawn did appear, he felt fully awake and, despite all of the reassuring self-talk, he felt guilty about what he'd done. He would have to keep his mind focused on preparing for their morning departure, so that he could distract himself about his actions. This was God's plan after all, Zack reminded himself again, drawing only a small amount of relief from the thought.

It took a bit of doing for Liz and Bithia to rouse Mary. She was groggy, unsteady, and complained that her stomach hurt. She seemed to have no recall of her nighttime ordeal. For this Zack was especially thankful; he wished that he could forget what had happened. He was eager to get to the boat slip at Galilee to begin the journey home and to put the events of last night behind him.

The camping gear and supplies had been packed the night before. Ahead was a short mule ride to Tiberias, on the west bank of the Sea of Galilee. The sea measured 80 furlongs wide by 120 long, and at the southern tip it emptied into the Jordan River. From there, the river stretched another 100 furlongs south before emptying into the Dead Sea.

Generous Josh had arranged for their transportation home by boat. The trip home over land by mule or drawn cart was on long country roads to Jerusalem, and then on to Hebron. By land it would have taken them 5 days and would be a dusty, uncomfortable trek. Their river trip was a most welcome luxury. A holiday spent with Josh did have its benefits.

On the trip by barge down river, they could indulge in bird watching, reading, and resting, leaving navigation to a skilled river man. It would take them three days to reach the disembarkation point at the village of En-Gedi on the Dead Sea. From there, it was a day's journey by land to Hebron.

For Eran, Tiberias was the end of the line. The plan had always been for him to accompany the family as far as Galilee. Afterwards, Eran would travel back alone to Nazareth, to the comfort and security of home. Once the small party was safely aboard the barge, he would start his journey back home.

Eran avoided the Rabbi as much as possible all morning. His witness to Zack's depravation left him feeling terribly conflicted. It was as if he'd never even known the man. Zack appeared exhausted, which was no surprise to Eran, considering what had gone down the night before. He found it difficult to make eye contact with Zack or even to spend time with little Mary, who was as cheerful as if nothing had happened.

Did Mary know what happened? Did the Rabbi put some kind of spell on her that made her forget what happened? Or was she so distraught and afraid, that she kept all her pain inside. Eran felt terrible about what happened, but he could not let on that he had any idea what took place. He had to think of himself and his own circumstances first. He would need to put it out of his mind as best he could. Though he could never feel the same way about Zack again.

What a disasterous journey this turned out to be. Eran was grateful that he would have some time alone on his ride back to Nazareth to try and make sense of it all.

(End of Chapter 16)