The Dovekeepers

In Masada, Aziza finds it difficult to play a woman’s role, since she has been raised as a warrior. She falls in love with Amram, making love with him without her mother’s knowledge.

After Nahara leaves, Aziza feels distraught. Nahara ignores Aziza’s repeated overtures of sisterly love. Aziza often goes to the Essene settlement to watch her sister submissively following Malachi and doing the bulk of the work. Aziza feels that Nahara, the daughter of a warrior, should not lead this life. Furthermore, as Aziza watches Yael take Nahara’s place in her mother’s affections, she feels bitterly jealous. Matters come to a head when Shirah marches into the Essene section, Aziza in tow, asking the group to return Nahara. Nahara tries to shut the door against her mother and sister, telling them she has already slept with Malachi and belongs to him. She also tells Shirah Aziza has been intimate with Amram. Aziza feels stung at her sister’s betrayal.

Aziza and Shirah return home, and Shirah rents her garments in mourning. As time goes on, Aziza begins to avoid Amram, because she thinks he knows and loves only the feminine, beautiful part of her, and Aziza is so much more. Once again Aziza begins to dress like a boy and finally feels like herself. Wynn, the Man from the North, trains Aziza in archery but is soon taken away. Yael tells Aziza Wynn is so weak he has begun to hallucinate. As the rations in Masada grow scarcer, Aziza wonders how long the asylum-seekers will be able to hold out at the fortress. Masada is supposed to be impenetrable, but news arrives every day of Romans destroying another Zealot settlement.

Meanwhile, Channa, Ben Ya’ir’s wife, has grown overtly possessive of Arieh, keeping the child with her at all times. Yael fears she plans to take Arieh for her own. Aziza decides to intercede with Ben Ya’ir on Yael’s behalf and knocks at his chambers. After she explains her visit, Ben Ya’ir brings out Arieh for her to take to Yael. He pats Aziza’s forehead paternally, and Aziza realizes he too knows he is her father. To gain Ben Ya’ir’s approval. Aziza, dressed as her brother Adir, participates in an archery contest and wins. However, because the warriors now believe Adir is a skilled archer, they take him along on a mission.

The women at the dovecotes pray for Adir’s safe return. Aziza feels guilty that her actions led to her brother being sent into battle. With Ben Ya’ir away, Channa comes to the dovecotes again and takes away Arieh, saying the child is better off with her. She also announces the date on which Wynn’s throat will be slit.

Though Yael must be filled with grief, Aziza notices she does not shut down. She often goes out of the fortress to pray for Wynn at a cave, taking Aziza along, with Aziza dressed in Yosef’s old assassin cloak. The cloak gives Aziza a cover. One day, as per her plan with Yael, Aziza visits Wynn in the prison, drops the cloak, and leaves the gate unlocked. Wynn escapes, dressed in the cloak. Under the cloak, Aziza is wearing boy’s clothes, so she slips away unnoticed as well. Later Aziza learns that Yael gave Shirah’s amulet to Wynn to protect him on his journey.

The Romans are headed toward Masada, with Roman scouts often seen in the valley. News arrives daily of unbearable Roman atrocities on Jewish fortresses, such as Machaerus. The Essenes, who are pacifists, do not plan to fight the Romans, but instead leave the fortress. Aziza exhorts Nahara to stay back and fight, since she has the blood of a warrior. Nahara refuses, saying she belongs to Malachi and his people. The Essenes bury their scrolls in the sand and leave, and Aziza is heartbroken. She asks Shirah if love was to be the undoing even of Nahara. Shirah replies that she twisted the prophecy: Her premonition was that everyone Shirah loved would be doomed. That is why she kept Aziza at arm’s length. Aziza feels betrayed by her mother. Meanwhile, Tamar, Yael’s Essene friend, has left her son Yehuda behind in Masada, tied to a date palm. Yehuda comes to live with Yael.

Yael begs Shirah to help her get Arieh back. Shirah is loath to face Channa, whom she believes is not only heartless but also versed in magic. However, she agrees and takes Aziza along to confront Channa. Shirah and Aziza enter Ben Ya’ir’s house. As Channa approaches them, Shirah chants an exorcism. Aziza chants along. Channa screams that Ben Ya’ir gave Shirah a child, Aziza, and none to her. That is why she cast out Shirah and Aziza in the wild all those years ago, and this is why she has taken Arieh for her own.

Channa holds a knife to Arieh’s throat, and Shirah continues to chant in a trance, her cloak flying open. Channa notices Shirah is pregnant and is distracted. At this moment, Aziza grabs Arieh from Channa and runs. Channa screams that Shirah can have Arieh, but she can never have Ben Ya’ir. Shirah retorts that she has always had him anyway.

A black mastiff dog wanders into the settlement. Aziza adopts him, naming him “Eran.” The party of warriors returns. Adir has been struck by a spear and has a raging fever. While Shirah makes medicines and performs spells to heal Adir, Aziza resolves that she, and not her little brother, will go to war from now on.

Aziza asks Yael for a favor: an introduction to Yael’s father Yosef. Though Yosef has been a cruel father to Yael, he is an affectionate grandfather to Arieh. When Yael takes Aziza to Yosef’s chambers, Aziza privately asks the old assassin to teach her how to be invisible. Yosef agrees. Aziza begins to train with Yosef on the pretext of learning how to clean spears. When Yosef tells Aziza she is a warrior, her heart swells with pride. The next time a raiding party goes out, Aziza rides with 60 warriors, disguised as Adir.

Eran, the dog, follows Aziza in the raid. As the party heads to Ein Gedi, an oasis, Aziza notes that even Amram cannot recognize her—Yosef has taught her well how to disguise herself.

The Zealots set up camp close to the oasis, waiting for the right time to attack. One evening, Aziza notices that Yoav, the Man from the Valley, wounds himself deliberately. His body is covered with scars of self-harm. Like Aziza, Yoav camps away from the other warriors. Yoav and Aziza strike up a silent friendship. When mist covers the oasis, the Zealots take it as a good omen for beginning their raid. Yoav tells Aziza to stay back, but since he does not explain himself, she joins the battle.

The warriors raid the oasis. Ben Ya’ir’s instructions are not to enslave women and children. Aziza notices that in their bloodlust, the Zealots are killing even traders from Moab at the oasis. She can hear them slay women and children as well, and the true meaning of Ben Ya’ir’s injunction not to enslave anyone becomes clear to her. As she stands frozen in disbelief, Yoav pulls her away. Like her, he has refrained from slaughtering children and women. Aziza realizes Yoav has known she is a woman all along and kept her secret. Aziza is sickened by the reality of war. She sees Amram kill a four-year-old boy. She wishes she had been a woman and stayed home. Yoav stands with her in solidarity and she pulls him into the sand so they can lie down together.

By the time the Zealot party returns to Masada, Adir’s fever has abated. Shirah agrees that Aziza should replace her brother in future battles. Ben Ya’ir and Shirah grow reckless, no longer hiding their love affair. Challa begins to perform evil spells against Shirah.

Meanwhile, a group of Roman scouts arrives at the fortress, outfitted with food and rations. It is obvious a Roman army of thousands will come to Masada very soon. Aziza fears for Nahara, as the Essenes are camping in the nearby cliffs. She, Yoav, and Eran go to the Essene camp and Aziza begs Nahara to return. Nahara refuses once again.

Yoav comforts Aziza. He tells her he had sworn never to love a woman except his wife, but he can love Aziza because she is a warrior. Aziza decides to reveal all parts of her identity to the man who is the love of her life and refers to herself by her birth name, Rebekah.