After my last meeting with Orodes this afternoon, I realized that I had overplayed my hand. He will reveal no more of his plans to me. Could he have guessed that I am spying for my uncle and the Romans. No! Surely not! I have hurt his pride. He is angry because I refused his advances. That is why my well of information has run dry.

But what did he mean by "seeing my lands soon enough?" Does he mean to invade Nabataea? But why should he invade a country that he considers an ally -- one that he thinks will aid in the Parthian conquest of Judaea? That is unless Orodes is even more treacherous than I could have believed. Now that he knows that northern Nabataea is undefended and he has chosen to attack her rather than to attack the Romans in Judaea. Attack an ally? Oh, surely not!

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I spent the rest of the day, pondering these questions. It would be useless, possibly dangerous, to remain any longer with Orodes and the Parthian army. Besides, there are people in Jerusalem who need to know what I have discovered.

Toward evening, I called my associates to share the evening meal in my tent in our encampment in a grove outside the Parthian camp. Quietly, we shared our information so that if any of us were to be captured, the rest could carry the vital information to Jerusalem. They had learned the size and strength of the army and I had learned that the Roman legions in Syria are gone. Even the legion under Marcellus has been destroyed. Our friends will need to know this information. The Parthian camp shows every sign that it will be moving either tomorrow morning or very soon thereafter. Before that happens, we must be gone.

"I know a way through Ituraea and the Galilee," offers one of my associates. "It is mountainous but a rider can make good time on horseback."

"I know where I can obtain some horses." says another.

"Excellent!" I say. "We will wait until the Parthians are asleep and then we will slip away quietly, hopefully unnoticed. Since we do not know which way Orodes will send his army, we will need scouts to observe his movements so that they can report back to Jerusalem."

My associates are trained for this assignment and it is one that they do very well. These men are familiar with the lay of the land in these parts so they will know the best places to watch while not being seen. The plan is that once we are a suitable distance from the Parthian camp we will disperse. An escort and I will go to Jerusalem by way of Ituraea and Galilee while the others will remain in Syria to observe the Parthian army. As soon as they know where it is headed, they will send word to Jerusalem.
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In the darkest part of the night, while the Parthians were asleep, we slipped away from Damascus and dispersed, leaving our tents and our smoldering campfires. By dawn, swift horses had brought my escort and me to the western shores of the Sea of Galilee. We stopped there briefly to rest the horses before pushing on toward Jerusalem.