Summary

As more and more people crowded into Masada, the stored supplies became thin and were rationed carefully. Yael noticed one night one of their neighbors stole firewood from them. Even though Yael cooked for him her father had nothing to do with her. He discouraged the men who asked about her. One night Nahara came for Yael saying Shirah needed her help. Nahara told Yael she had to capture a black female dog and get milk from her, something Nahara could not do because she wasn’t yet a woman. They took the milk to an abandoned part of the palace, an old storeroom. Yael began to hear cries. When they reached the room, she recognized the young woman who had gone to Shirah for a binding spell earlier. The young woman was struggling but her baby would not come. It...