The Fifth Mountain Part 5

"Hear what I have to say: after the miracle last night, I slept outside the walls because I needed a measure of calm. Then the same angel that I saw on the Fifth Mountain appeared to me again. And he told me: Akbar will be destroyed by the war."

"Cities cannot be destroyed," said the high priest. "They will be rebuilt seventy times seven because the G.o.ds know where they have placed them, and they have need of them there."

THE GOVERNOR APPROACHED, with a group of courtiers, and asked, "What are you saying?"

"That you should seek peace," Elijah repeated.

"If you are afraid, return to the place from which you came," the high priest replied coldly.

"Jezebel and her king are waiting for fugitive prophets, to slay them,"

said the governor. "But I should like you to tell me how you were able to climb the Fifth Mountain without being destroyed by the fire from heaven."

The high priest felt the need to interrupt that conversation. The governor was thinking about negotiating with the a.s.syrians and might want to use Elijah for his purposes.

"Do not listen to him," he said. "Yesterday, when he was brought into my presence to be judged, I saw him weep with fear."

"My tears were for the evil I felt I had caused you, for I fear but two things: the Lord, and myself. I did not flee from Israel, and I am ready to return as soon as the Lord permits. I will put an end to your beautiful princess, and the faith of Israel shall survive this threat too.""One's heart must be very hard to resist the charms of Jezebel," the high priest said ironically. "However, even should that happen, we would send another woman even more beautiful, as we did long before Jezebel."

The high priest was telling the truth. Two hundred years before, a princess of Sidon had seduced the wisest of all Israel's rulersKing Solomon. She had bid him construct an altar to the G.o.ddess Astarte, and Solomon had obeyed. For that sacrilege, the Lord had raised up the neighboring armies and Solomon had nearly lost his throne.

"The same will happen with Ahab, Jezebel's husband," thought Elijah. The Lord would bring him to complete his task when the time came. But what did it avail him to try to convince these men who stood facing him? They were like those he had seen the night before, kneeling on the floor of the widow's house, praising the G.o.ds of the Fifth Mountain. Custom would never allow them to think in any other way.

"A PITY that we must honor the law of hospitality," said the governor, apparently already having forgotten Elijah's words about peace. "If not for that, we could a.s.sist Jezebel in her labor of putting an end to the prophets."

"That is not the reason for sparing my life. You know that I am a valuable commodity, and you want to give Jezebel the pleasure of killing me with her own hands. However, since yesterday, the people attribute miraculous powers to me. They think I met the G.o.ds on the Fifth Mountain. For your part, it would not upset you to offend the G.o.ds, but you have no desire to vex the inhabitants of the city."

The governor and the high priest left Elijah talking to himself and walked toward the city walls. At that moment the high priest decided that he would kill the Israelite prophet at the first opportunity; what had till now been only merchandise had been transformed into a menace.

WHEN HE SAW them walk away, Elijah lost hope; what could he do to serve the Lord? He then began to shout in the middle of the square, "People of Akbar! Last night, I climbed the Fifth Mountain and spoke with the G.o.ds who dwell there. When I returned, I was able to reclaim a boy from the kingdom of the dead!"

The people gathered about him; the story was already known throughout the city. The governor and the high priest stopped and retraced their steps to see what was happening. The Israelite prophet was saying that he had seen the G.o.ds of the Fifth Mountain worshiping a superior G.o.d.

"I'll have him slain," said the high priest.

"And the population will rise up against us," replied the governor, who had an interest in what the foreigner was saying. "It's better to wait for him to commit an error."

"Before I descended from the mountain," continued Elijah, "the G.o.ds charged me with helping the governor against the threat from the a.s.syrians! I know he is an honorable man and wishes to hear me; but there are those whose interests lie with war and will not allow me to come near him."

"The Israelite is a holy man," said an old man to the governor. "No one can climb the Fifth Mountain without being struck dead by the fire of heaven, but this man did soand now he raises the dead."

"Sidon, Tyre, and all the cities of Phoenicia have a history of peace," said another old man. "We have been through other threats worse than this and overcome them."

Several sick and lame people began to approach, opening a path through the crowd, touching Elijah's garments and asking to be cured of their afflictions.

"Before advising the governor, heal the sick," said the high priest. "Then we shall believe the G.o.ds of the Fifth Mountain are with you."

Elijah recalled what the angel had said the night before: only those powers given to ordinary people would be permitted him.

"The sick are asking for help," insisted the high priest. "We are waiting."

"First we must attend to avoiding war. There will be more sick, and more infirm, if we fail."

The governor interrupted the conversation. "Elijah will come with us. He has been touched by divine inspiration."

Though he did not believe any G.o.ds existed on the Fifth Mountain, the governor had need of an ally to help him to convince the people that peace with the a.s.syrians was the only solution.

AS THEY WALKED to their meeting with the commander, the high priest commented to Elijah, "You don't believe anything you just said."

"I believe that peace is the only way out. But I do not believe the top of the Fifth Mountain is inhabited by G.o.ds. I have been there."

"And what did you see?"

"An angel of the Lord. I had seen this angel before, in several places I have been," replied Elijah. "And there is but one G.o.d."

The high priest laughed.

"You mean that, in your opinion, the same G.o.d who sends the storm also made the wheat, even though they are completely different things?"

"Do you see the Fifth Mountain?" Elijah asked. "From whichever side you look, it appears different, though it is the same mountain. Thus it is with all of Creation: many faces of the same G.o.d."

THEY CAME TO THE TOP of the wall, from which they could see the enemy encampment in the distance. In the desert valley, the white tents sprang into sight.

Some time earlier, when the sentinels had first noted the presence of the a.s.syrians at one end of the valley, spies had said that they were there on a mission of reconnaissance; the commander had suggested taking them prisoner and selling them as slaves. The governor had decided in favor of another strategy: doing nothing. He was gambling that by establishing good relations with them, he could open up a new market for the gla.s.s manufactured in Akbar. In addition, even if they were there to prepare for war, the a.s.syrians knew that small cities will always side with the victor. In this case, all the a.s.syrian generals desired was to pa.s.s through without resistance on their way to Sidon and Tyre, the cities that held the treasure and knowledge of his people.

The patrol had encamped at the entrance to the valley, and little by little reinforcements had arrived. The high priest claimed to know the reason: the city had a well, the only well in several days' travel in the desert. If the a.s.syrians planned to conquer Tyre or Sidon, they needed that water to supply their armies.

At the end of the first month, they could still be expelled. At the end of the second month, Akbar could still win easily and negotiate an honorable withdrawal of the a.s.syrian soldiers.

They waited for battle to break out, but there was no attack. At the end of the fifth month, they could still win the battle. "They're going to attack very soon, because they must be suffering from thirst," the governor told himself. He asked the commander to draw up defense strategies and to order his men into constant training to react to a surprise attack.

But he concentrated only on preparations for peace.

HALF A YEAR HAD Pa.s.sED, and the a.s.syrian army had made no move.

Tension in Akbar, which had grown during the first weeks of occupation, had now diminished almost entirely. People went about their lives: farmers once again returned to their fields; artisans made wine, gla.s.s, and soap; tradesmen continued to buy and sell their merchandise.

Everyone believed that, as Akbar had not attacked the enemy, the crisis would soon be settled through negotiations. Everyone knew the governor was chosen by the G.o.ds and that he always made the wisest decision.

When Elijah arrived in the city, the governor had ordered rumors spread of the curse the foreigner brought with him; in this way, if the threat of war became insurmountable, he could blame the presence of the foreigner as the princ.i.p.al cause of the disaster. The inhabitants of Akbar would be convinced that with the death of the Israelite the Universe would return to normal. The governor would then explain that it was too late to demand that the a.s.syrians withdraw; he would order Elijah killed and explain to his people that peace was the best solution. In his view, the merchantswho desired peacewould force the others to agree to this idea.

During these months, he had fought the pressure from the high priest and the commander demanding that he attack at once. The G.o.ds of the Fifth Mountain had never abandoned him; now, with the miracle of the resurrection last night, Elijah's life was more important than his execution.

"WHY IS THIS foreigner with you?" asked the commander.

"He has been enlightened by the G.o.ds," answered the governor. "And he will help us to find the best solution." He quickly changed the subject.

"The number of tents appears to have increased today."

"And it will increase even more tomorrow," said the commander. "If we had attacked when they were nothing but a patrol, they probably wouldn't have returned.""You're mistaken. Some of them would have escaped, and they would have returned to avenge themselves."

"When we delay the harvest, the fruit rots," insisted the commander.

"But when we delay resolving problems, they continue to grow."

The governor explained that peace, the great pride of his people, had reigned in Phoenicia for almost three centuries. What would the generations yet unborn say if he were to interrupt this era of prosperity?

"Send an emissary to negotiate with them," said Elijah. "The best warrior is the one who succeeds in transforming an enemy into a friend."

"We don't know exactly what they want. We don't even know if they desire to conquer our city. How can we negotiate?"

"There are threatening signs. An army does not waste its time on military exercises far from its own country."

Each day saw the arrival of more soldiers, and the governor mused about the amount of water necessary for all those men. In a short time, the entire city would be defenseless before the enemy army.

"Can we attack now?" the high priest asked the commander.

"Yes, we can. We shall lose many men, but the city will be saved. But we must decide quickly."

"We must not do that, Governor. The G.o.ds of the Fifth Mountain told me that we still have time to find a pacific solution," Elijah said.

Even after hearing the conversation between the high priest and the Israelite, the governor feigned agreement. To him, it made little difference whether Sidon and Tyre were ruled by Phoenicians, by Canaanites, or by a.s.syrians; what mattered was that the city be able to go on trading its products.

"We must attack," insisted the high priest.

"One more day," said the governor. "It may be that things will resolve themselves."

He must decide forthwith the best way to face the a.s.syrian threat. He descended from the wall and headed for the palace, asking the Israelite to go with him.

On the way, he observed the people around him: the shepherds taking their flocks to the mountains; the farmers going to the fields, trying to wrest from the arid soil sustenance for themselves and their families.

Soldiers were exercising with spears, and a few newly arrived merchants displayed their wares in the square. Incredibly, the a.s.syrians had not closed off the road that traversed the valley from end to end; tradesmen still moved about with their merchandise and paid the city its tax for transport.

"Now that they have ama.s.sed such a powerful force, why have they not closed the road?" Elijah asked.

"The a.s.syrian empire needs the products that arrive in the ports of Sidon and Tyre," replied the governor. "If the traders were threatened, they would interrupt the flow of supplies. The consequences would be more serious than a military defeat. There must be some way to avoid war."

"Yes," said Elijah. "If they want water, we can sell it to them."

The governor said nothing. But he understood that he could use the Israelite as a weapon against those who desired war; should the high priest persist with the idea of fighting the a.s.syrians, Elijah would be the only one who could face him. The governor suggested they take a walk together, to talk.

THE HIGH PRIEST REMAINED ATOP THE WALL, OBSERVING the enemy.

"What can the G.o.ds do to deter the invaders?" asked the commander.

"I have carried out sacrifices at the Fifth Mountain. I have asked them to send us a more courageous leader."

"We should act as Jezebel has done: put an end to the prophets. A simple Israelite, who yesterday was condemned to die, is today used by the governor to entice the people to peace."

The commander looked at the mountain.

"We can have Elijah a.s.sa.s.sinated. And use my warriors to remove the governor from his position."

"I shall order Elijah killed," replied the high priest. "As for the governor, we can do nothing: his ancestors have been in power for several generations. His grandfather was our chieftain, who handed power down to his son, who in turn handed it to him."

"Why does custom forbid our bringing to power someone more efficient?""Custom exists to maintain the world in order. If we meddle with it, the world itself will perish."

The high priest looked about him. The heavens and the earth, the mountains and the valley, everything fulfilling what had been written for it. Sometimes the ground shook; at other timessuch as nowthere were long periods without rain. But the stars continued undisturbed in their place, and the sun had not fallen onto the heads of men. All because, since the Flood, men had learned that it was impossible to change the order of Creation.

In the past, only the Fifth Mountain had existed. Men and G.o.ds had lived together, strolled through the gardens of paradise, talking and laughing with one another. But human beings had sinned, and the G.o.ds expelled them; having nowhere to send them, they created the earth surrounding the mountain, so they could cast them there, keep vigil over them, and ensure that they would forever remember that they abided on a plane far inferior to that of the dwellers of the Fifth Mountain.

The G.o.ds took care, however, to leave open a path of return; if humanity carefully followed the way, it would one day go back to the mountaintop.

So that this idea would not be forgotten, they charged the priests and the rulers with keeping it alive in the minds of the people.

All peoples shared the same belief: if the families anointed by the G.o.ds were removed from power, the consequences would be grave. No one now remembered why these families had been chosen, but everyone knew they were related to the divine families. Akbar had existed for hundreds of years, and its affairs had always been administered by the ancestors of the present governor; it had been invaded many times, had been in the hands of oppressors and barbarians, but with the pa.s.sing of time the invaders had left or been expelled. Afterward, the old order would be reestablished and the people would return to the life they had known before.

The priests' obligation was to preserve this order: the world had a destiny, and it was governed by laws. The era of attempting to fathom the G.o.ds was past; now was the time to respect them and do their will.

They were capricious and easily vexed.

If not for the harvest rituals, the earth would bring forth no fruit. If certain sacrifices were neglected, the city would be infested with fatal diseases. If the G.o.d of weather were provoked anew, he could cause wheat and men to cease to grow.

"Behold the Fifth Mountain," the high priest told the commander. "From its peak, the G.o.ds rule over the valley and protect us. They have an eternal plan for Akbar. The foreigner will be killed, or return to his own land; the governor will one day be no more, and his son will be wiser than he. All that we experience today is fleeting."

"We have need of a new chieftain," said the commander. "If we continue in the hands of this governor, we shall be destroyed."

The high priest knew that this was what the G.o.ds desired, in order to put an end to the writing of Byblos. But he said nothing; he was pleased to have evidence once again that, unwittingly or not, the rulers always fulfilled the destiny of the Universe.

WALKING THROUGH THE CITY with the governor, Elijah explained to him his plans for peace and was made his counselor. When they arrived at the square, more sick people approached, but he said that the G.o.ds of the Fifth Mountain had forbidden him to heal. At the end of the afternoon, he returned to the widow's house; the child was playing in the street, and Elijah gave thanks for having been the instrument of the Lord's miracle.