Telemachus

The Roman surprise attack scatters Alaric’s army, and the surviving Goths escape north. Alfrick also gets away with his sword, shield, and the silver communion chalice. Months later, winter catches Telemachus and Prudentius in the snowy Apennines as they finish their long journey from Asia Minor to Rome.

The monks share bread with a solitary traveler and learn that he is Alfrick, both a Gothic warrior and a Christian deacon. He has been separated from his army since the Easter battle at Pollentia. Prudentius is puzzled to meet a believer among Rome’s supposed barbarians, while Telemachus welcomes him as a brother.

Armed robbers surround the three travelers and demand their packs. Alfrick prepares to fight, but Telemachus offers a riddle instead. He describes a seed buried alone, rising as many, then being ground, sifted, heated, and transformed into food. When the robbers fail to identify bread, he gives each of them a loaf and offers a choice between leaving peacefully or spilling blood over the rest. They accept the food and depart, allowing Telemachus to protect his companions without violence.

Only afterward does Alfrick reveal the treasure in his bag: the richly worked chalice he rescued from the Gothic worship service. He will fight if necessary to keep it safe. After thanking the monks for their food and ingenuity, he continues alone. Telemachus and Prudentius are left pondering the strange sight of a Christian warrior who is also an enemy of Christian Rome.

General Stilicho’s victory has made him a Roman hero. The Senate invites Stilicho and Honorius to the capital for a triumphal procession and a month of celebrations, including races, staged battles, and gladiatorial games. Honorius is delighted by the festivities but worries first about finding a suitable sitter for his chickens.

When the monks enter Rome, they see hundreds of captured Goths paraded in chains behind the emperor and general. Wagons display plunder from Pollentia, and Honorius drinks from a jeweled Gothic chalice that Telemachus recognizes as Alfrick’s. An innkeeper explains that the prisoners are headed to the Colosseum, where they will serve as gladiators for the grand celebration. Realizing that Alfrick may have been captured after leaving them, Telemachus follows.

The Colosseum dazzles and horrifies the visitors. Dancers, acrobats, jugglers, legionnaires, elephants, and zebras give way to animals and men killing one another for entertainment. The Christian citizens cheer as gladiators wound their opponents and appeal to the crowd for a signal of mercy or death. Telemachus can scarcely believe that followers of Jesus enjoy such cruelty.

At first, he and Prudentius turn to leave, convinced they can do nothing. Then Telemachus sees Alfrick fighting among the captive Goths. The same sick urgency he felt beside the river returns, but this time he refuses to run. Prudentius warns that neither monk can overpower soldiers and gladiators. Telemachus finally understands Father Anthony: prayerful service does not always require winning a fight, but it does require obeying when love calls a person to act.

Telemachus leaps from the gallery into the arena and places himself between the fighters. He pleads with Christian Rome to stop taking pleasure in human slaughter and appeals to Jesus, who laid down His own life instead of committing violence. The crowd responds with anger, demanding that the interruption end and the monk be killed. Telemachus refuses to move, and he dies in the arena he has entered to save others.

The following day, Honorius cannot escape the memory. The Gothic chalice troubles him because it was stolen from a Christian communion service, just as Telemachus’s death exposes the contradiction of Christians cheering murder. Stilicho dismisses the monk as insignificant and warns that the games are too popular to abolish. Honorius learns that Emperor Constantine outlawed them nearly a century earlier and orders that law enforced, regardless of public reaction. From that day forward, no more gladiatorial contests are held in the Colosseum.

Back at Whit’s End, Cody understands that Telemachus’s sacrifice has prevented countless future deaths. Whit connects that courage to loving not only friends but enemies and people one does not naturally like. Cody realizes that Doug and Stuart need that love, while Tad and Jeremy deserve protection even if he finds them annoying. He does not pretend to know exactly what to do the next time the bullies attack. Instead, he resolves to pray for God to show him how to act - and accepts that following Christ may demand a difficult answer.