The Quest: A Novel Part 13

"Yes, but the Ethiopians are a superst.i.tious lot, and they believe if you harm a Falasha you have angered G.o.d-the common G.o.d of Christians, Jews, and Muslims."

"Works for the Falashas."

"For now. The name of this village is Shoan." He suggested, "If you're not being shot or chained up today, you should give it a try tonight."

"I was hoping for a helicopter ride to Addis this morning."

"And I hope you are having a whiskey for me tonight in Addis. But you should have an alternate plan."

"Right."

"And if you should ever find yourself in Shoan, tonight or some other time, they will know a thing or two about the black monastery." He looked at Purcell. "If you are still interested in that."

Purcell had the feeling he'd stepped into Tolkien's Middle-Earth. The mysterious dying priest, the surreal Roman ruin, the fortress city of Gondar, the good Prince Joshua, the evil General Getachu, Sir Edmund Gann, and the black monastery. And the Holy Grail, of course. And now the village of the Falashas. None of this seemed possible or real-but it was. Except for the Grail.

Purcell looked at Gann. "Thanks." He felt he needed to tell Gann about his former employer, Prince Joshua, so he did, sparing no detail.

Gann listened without comment, and Purcell could see he was more angry than he was frightened that this could also be his fate. When Purcell had finished, Gann said, "b.l.o.o.d.y b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"He's insane."

"Yes, but I'm sure you can convince him that a British soldier rates a firing squad, or at least a quick bullet in the head."

"I'll try to do better than that." He reminded Gann, and himself, "I'm not sure what Getachu has planned for any of us."

"He's treading lightly with you and Miss Smith, or you'd be hanging on these posts."

"Good thought."

"Getachu may be insane, but he's not reckless enough to endanger his own position with the Derg." He explained, "They'd like nothing better than to find an excuse to summon him to Addis, and General Andom would be glad to arrest his rival and have him shot."

"That's good."

"Or strangled."

"Even better."

"The Revolution," said Colonel Gann, "eats its own."

"It always does."

"I predict that Getachu will put you and Miss Smith on a helicopter to Addis."

"And Mercado?"

"Getachu will send him off to Addis to be dealt with at a higher level. Probably get expelled." He added, "They're not shooting Western reporters yet."

"Good. Well, you seem to know these people." He informed Colonel Gann, "Getachu hinted that he may want you to train and advise his officers."

"That will not happen."

"Don't turn down that job."

Gann did not reply, and Purcell pointed out, "The war is almost over. You won't be helping him much."

"I won't be helping him at all."

"Don't be stupid."

"I've asked a favor of you. Please do it."

"Do it yourself." He made eye contact with Gann and said, "Look, Colonel, I'm trying to save your life, and you're not helping. Don't take the knight thing too seriously."

Gann didn't reply, but he looked past Purcell and said, "I think it's time to go."

Purcell turned around and saw that Mercado was on his feet without help from the soldiers, and Vivian had awoken and was trying to minister to her lover, who was having none of it-which seemed to confuse the soldiers who'd missed the reason for Mercado's bad behavior toward the lady.

Purcell looked up at the dead Ethiopian, who seemed almost Christlike hanging there with his flesh torn. It occurred to Purcell that the new Ethiopia didn't look much different than the old Ethiopia.

Purcell turned to the rising sun above the eastern mountains, then to the large open field shrouded in morning mist. G.o.d did a good job with the heaven and the earth. Not so good with the people.

The squad leader formed everyone up in a line of march and barked something in Amharic, then shouted, "Avanti!"

Forward.

Chapter 12.

General Getachu sat at his camp desk in his headquarters tent, speaking to an aide in Amharic and ignoring his four guests who were sitting facing him.

Mercado sat on the far right, and Vivian had taken the chair next to him, though Mercado was pointedly ignoring her. Gann had sat himself between Vivian and Purcell, and behind them was a soldier armed with an AK-47 automatic rifle.

Purcell was surprised that Getachu had included Gann in this meeting, but possibly this was a summary court-martial, with the general acting as judge and jury, and the soldier as instant executioner.

The tent was not as dark as it had been at night, and the morning sun shone through mosquito net windows, revealing a dirt floor strewn with cigarette b.u.t.ts. Getachu took a call on his field phone, and spoke as he signed papers for his aide. A busy executive, thought Purcell, but there's always time for fun and sport.

On that subject, Purcell saw that neither Prince Joshua nor his two officers were present, and Purcell wondered if Getachu had sent his royal highness to the women's tent.

The aide left and Getachu looked at Gann and asked, "Do you know that your prince is here?"

Gann did not reply, and Getachu seemed angry at the insolence.

Purcell volunteered, "I informed him."

"Do not speak unless spoken to." Getachu looked at Gann again, smiled, and said, "That is what I learned in the English missionary school." He also informed Colonel Gann, "The prince has confessed that you and he have engaged in war crimes."

Gann had no response.

Getachu saw that this was not productive, so he looked at Purcell and asked, "Who gave you permission to leave the medical tent and walk through my camp?"

"We had no indication that we were under confinement."

"This is a secure military facility."

"As you know, we were looking for our colleagues."

"Yes? And is Colonel Gann your colleague?"

"According to you he is."

"Then you are all guilty by a.s.sociation."

"According to you."

Getachu was sipping water from a canteen cup and Purcell said, "We need something to eat and drink."

"Why should I waste food and water on people who are to be executed? But I promise you a cigarette before you are shot." Getachu thought that was funny and he translated for the soldier, who laughed.

Getachu tapped Vivian's camera, then held up three notepads and said, "There is enough evidence here to condemn you, Mr. Purcell, and you, Miss Smith, and you, Mr. Mercado, to death by firing squad."

Purcell didn't think so, but he also knew that Getachu didn't need any evidence, except maybe to justify an execution to his superiors in Addis.

Purcell said, "I must ask you, General, to return our personal property, including our credentials and pa.s.sports, and to provide us transportation to the capital." He reminded Getachu, "We came here expecting to be treated as journalists, not as criminals."

Getachu pointed out, "I think we have had this conversation."

"I think we need to have it again."

General Getachu looked at Colonel Gann, then said to his other guests, "Before we discuss your status, do you agree that this man deserves what he is to suffer?"

Purcell replied, "No, we do not. Colonel Gann was captured in uniform and he is to be treated as a prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention, which Ethiopia has signed."

"That was the previous government."

Gann said to Purcell, "Save your breath."

"Excellent advice," agreed Getachu.

Mercado cleared his throat and said, "General... if you agree to release us, we will write and sign statements of any wrongdoing that we may have engaged in. We will also write a press story praising your victory and your qualities as a leader. We also agree to have our pa.s.sports held by your foreign office and to stay in Addis writing articles for the duration of this war."

Getachu looked at Mercado. "Well, you are offering less than Mr. Purcell and Miss Smith have already offered." He informed Mercado, "They offered to stay here with me for the duration of the war. I was looking forward to their company."

Vivian took a deep breath, hesitated, then said, "General, if this is supposed to be an inquiry or a trial, it's actually a farce." She concluded, "You are keeping us here unlawfully and against our will, and our press offices and our emba.s.sies know where we are, and they will be making inquiries, if they haven't already. Please provide us with transportation to the capital and please return our belongings."

Getachu stared at her for a long time, then said, "But you look very good in the shamma."

Vivian did not reply, but she held Getachu's stare.

Finally, he said, "The Revolutionary Army came into possession of some interesting equipment which the Americans provided to the Royal Army. One such item was a device called a starlight scope. You know of this? A telescopic sight that allows one to see in the dark, which my sentries use in the watchtower to look for the enemy, outside and inside the camp."

No one responded, and Getachu continued, "So it appeared-to my sentry at least-that you, Miss Smith, and you, Mr. Purcell, engaged in a behavior that did not please Mr. Mercado." He asked, "Or did my sentry misunderstand what he saw?"

Again no one replied, and if anyone thought that Getachu had brought this up solely to amuse himself, Purcell knew otherwise.

Getachu said to Mercado, "So perhaps you will write in your confession that you discovered that Mr. Purcell and Miss Smith were spying for the Royalists." He a.s.sured Mercado, "You need not write that about yourself. That would condemn you to death."

Purcell glanced at Mercado, expecting that Mercado understood that he needed to reply with a firm f.u.c.k you, but Mercado did not reply.

"Mr. Mercado?"

"I... don't know what you're talking about, General."

"You do. And you should consider my offer."

Again, Mercado made no reply.

Getachu glanced at his watch as though this was all taking more time than he'd allowed for it. He said, "To my mind, you are all guilty, but as I said to Mr. Purcell and Miss Smith last night, it is possible to make your punishment less severe." He looked at Gann. "Even you, Colonel, could be spared from death."

"As you spared Prince Joshua?"

"I'm glad to see that Mr. Purcell has told you everything, and I'm glad to see that you speak."

"Go to h.e.l.l."

"There is no h.e.l.l. And no heaven. There is no more than what you see here."

Gann did not reply, and Getachu continued, "They taught me otherwise in the missionary school, but I did not believe them then or now. But I do believe in the use of earthly pain to punish bad behavior, or to make a person confess to his sins." He pulled Gann's riding crop from his pocket and said, "Or simply to give me pleasure." He flexed the crop.

Gann stared at Getachu and they made eye contact.

Getachu stood and said to Gann, "So, the good headmaster beat me in that English school, and he taught me something. But not the lesson he thought. He taught me that some men can be broken with the whip, and some cannot. My spirit was not broken."

Purcell thought Getachu's mind was broken, and he saw what was coming, so he said, "General, we will not sit here and witness-"

Getachu slapped the crop on his desk. "Shut up!" He said to Gann, "I will spare your life if you drop your pants, as I did many times, and allow me to deliver thirty blows to your bare b.u.t.tocks." He added, "Here and now, leaning over this desk, in front of your friends."

"I think it's you, Mikael, who needs another good beating."

Getachu literally shook with rage, then pulled his pistol, aimed it at Gann, and shouted, "I give you five seconds to do what I say!"

"You can give me five years and I will tell you to go to h.e.l.l."