The Trespass(66)
“Close to him?” Sara nodded and caressed her sister’s cheek. She understood. “I will pray for your heart’s desire, sister. Tomorrow is not for us to know; only God knows the future. We both have to trust in Him.” She squeezed Ruth’s thin hand. They were sisters; they had to support each other. “Will you help me?”
Ruth tilted her pale face up to Sara’s and gave a weak smile. “You know I will.”
The women met no one on their way to the stream. They had chosen this time of day for its stillness. Above the deep, the sun would be at its zenith. Sara linked her arm in Ruth’s as they walked. They spoke in guarded whispers until they reached the waterfall, confident that its roar would drown their voices.
“They are dealing in weapons,” Ruth told Sara. “Kadesh is meeting with the enemies of the United States.”
“With insurgents?” Sara gasped. “What is this? We have no need to walk with such people.”
“Protection. Money. Long term. These are the words they use,” Ruth replied.
“Tell me Kadesh hasn’t opened the caverns to men like this.” Sara put her jar down and seized her sister’s arm. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“They have a meeting place – far from here. Their vehicles return laden with guns.”
“But what does Kadesh offer in return?”
Ruth smiled. “Safe passage. Guides, who travel the old routes and assist their comings and goings.”
Sara swallowed. This was all wrong. It could only lead to disaster. “These men will take what they can then destroy us. Kadesh is jeopardising everything.” She had a terrible vision of armed terrorists wandering the tunnels of her home, the staccato of sub-machine gun fire invading the tranquillity of millennia.
“He believes the American intelligence will find us. He is taking necessary steps. This is what he tells the elders.”
“And this company of terrorists are going to help us? I don’t think so.”
“He believes he is safeguarding the Korumak.”
Sara snorted. “He’s mad. And Jassim?”
“He has not spoken against Kadesh. He is biding his time. Perhaps he will act, but I don’t think he has been pushed far enough.”
“Will he help us?”
Ruth shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s not worth the risk.” She glanced round to be sure they were alone. “But all this to-ing and fro-ing may help you – and Natasha.”
Sara nodded. “I’m listening.”
“They have a regular rendezvous each month. But before this takes place there are vehicles – jeeps and lorries – made ready for the journey. They arrive from the city at sunset on the seventh day. They depart the following dawn. If you timed your departure you wouldn’t be missed for hours.”
“Where do they keep the vehicles?”
Ruth smiled. “I will show you.”
Sara was shaking when she reached the solitude of her chamber. At any time she expected to be summoned. And if Kadesh had any inkling where she had been... She shivered and took a deep breath. Now she was committed. It could be done. No, it had to be done. But first, one further task had to be accomplished. Sara found her mobile and prayed that she could get a signal outside. She lifted her robe and tucked the phone under her suspender strap. Then she went to find Natasha.
Chapter 23
Dracup climbed above the town and looked over the ridge to the distant mountains. Carey had left earlier with a cheery wave and a promise to return in two days. Dracup wiped his brow and wondered if he would find what he was looking for in two years, let alone two days. He headed down to his first site – Bet Giorgis, the cruciform church. From there he intended to visit the remaining ten churches in the hope that he could pick up some sign, some nuance of meaning that would lead him to his goal. As he looked down on the scattered collection of huts and watched the inhabitants move about the honeycombed village in their unhurried, typically African amble he considered again the odds of stumbling across Omega, the sister headpiece of Noah’s sceptre.
In the meantime there was a real chance that Alpha’s cuneiform would highlight some hitherto missing but significant detail – perhaps even the Lalibela connection. That being the case, he could expect CIA company any time – not an appealing prospect. Dracup wondered how Charles was progressing with his theories. What was it he had said at the airport? I don’t think Theodore’s sceptre was originally Noah’s at all. Under normal circumstances his professional fascination would be vibrating like a tuning fork, but right now Dracup didn’t care about the sceptre’s provenance as long as it pointed him to Natasha. That was his cue to move. Dracup set his hat squarely on his head and went exploring.