Some people were actually looking forward to it.
Erecting the Tabernacle on the Temple Mount and placing the Ark of the Covenant inside would, if it became public knowledge, ignite the thousand-year-old powder keg of religious animosity in the Holy Land. Merely the rumor that the true Ark had been found might be enough of a spark to light that fuse.
Saving the world from the Black Knight might very well plunge it into a different kind of darkness.
Maybe Chillingsworth is wrong, Pierce thought. Maybe those prophecies are a warning. Maybe taking the Ark to Jerusalem is what causes the destruction we’re trying to prevent.
Yet, if they didn’t act, Tanaka would figure out a way to use the Black Knight to destroy the planet.
“We have to find a way to do this without anyone knowing,” Pierce said. “Absolute secrecy.”
Chillingsworth offered a cryptic smile. “I told you last night, all our resources are at your disposal.”
“You’ve got a way to get the Tabernacle into Jerusalem without attracting attention?”
“I can do better than that. If you can get the Ark from Ethiopia to Israel, we’ll take care of the rest.” He smiled. “Remember, we’ve been preparing for this for three centuries.”
FIFTY-FOUR
The customs official stopped his cart in front of the open loading door, dismounted, and made his way up the ramp into the belly of the cargo plane, clipboard in hand. The plane, its passengers, and its cargo had been accorded special cultural travel privileges, under the auspices of the World Heritage Commission. They were protected by international law. The official was acting outside his jurisdiction.
Lazarus knew all too well that petty bureaucrats and over-zealous law enforcement agents could throw up any number of roadblocks if they felt they were being marginalized, no matter the actual legal status. And since their actual legal status was a house of cards built on a foundation of half-truths and forged documents, it was best not to antagonize the man.
He stepped forward to welcome him aboard.
The inspector cast a judgmental eye at Lazarus, looked past him to Carter, who still wore her netela scarf, and then scrutinized Abuna Mateos and Abba Tesfa Mariam. He glanced down at his clipboard. “I see that you are transporting a religious relic of some kind,” he said in English.
Lazarus nodded and gestured to a large parcel behind him. It was bigger than a restaurant-sized refrigerator, resting on a pallet, secured to the deck with heavy-duty, nylon cargo netting.
“What is it?” the man asked, with a hint of suspicion.
“A replica of the Ark of the Covenant. For the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem.”
The man raised an eyebrow. “Really? The Ark? It’s a lot bigger than I would have expected.”
Lazarus returned a helpless shrug.
The inspector moved closer, peering through the gaps in the webbing. As he poked a probing finger through, Lazarus held his breath, dreading the moment when a jolt of electricity would strike the man dead.
“What is that? Straw?”
“Papyrus reeds,” Carter said, speaking for the first time. “Cheapest packing material available.”
That was partially true. There was no shortage of papyrus on Tana Qirqos. The reeds were so ubiquitous that the locals bundled them together into small boats and cruised around Lake Tana, like stand-up paddle boarders from another century. But the woven reeds on the cargo served another very important purpose.
Protection.
Not for the Ark, but from it.
While Lazarus and Carter had been busy working out travel arrangements with Pierce, Abba Tesfa had returned to the secret crypt, donned the protective priestly vestments, offered incense, and prayed. Then they packed the Ark with several layers of heavy wool blankets and a shroud of woven papyrus reeds.
Once Abuna Mateos explained the situation to them, the monks of Mitsele Fasiladas monastery were eager to help with the Ark’s removal and transport.
“They understand what is happening,” the bishop had told Lazarus and Carter. “They know that you intend to return the Ark to Jerusalem, just as the Bible foretold.”
“Thank God for prophecies,” Carter muttered.
Mateos just smiled.
Once the Ark was packed, the monks opened the alternate entrance to the hidden chamber, sealed behind a wall in the monastery complex, and brought the Ark out. They had carried the wrapped bundle with the same gold-layered poles that the Levite priests had once used during the time of Moses.
“Are blankets and straw going to be enough to keep us safe from that thing?” Lazarus had asked.
Carter had answered first. “Wool is an excellent insulator. It should be enough to shield us from any electromagnetic radiation.”
“We have done this before,” Mateo had assured them.
Getting out of Ethiopia with the Ark posed no great hardship. Security was lax, and the bishop’s reputation carried a lot of weight. The cover story — that the Ark was just a sacred replica — was more than plausible enough to get them on the plane.
The real challenge was logistical. It had taken two hours to procure a boat large enough to transport the wrapped Ark to shore, two more to get it to the nearest airport large enough to accommodate the cargo plane Dourado had chartered and sent to meet them, followed by a four-hour flight to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
Now, the customs inspector turned away, satisfied with his unauthorized inspection. “Welcome to Israel. Enjoy your stay.”
As he drove off, a white moving truck pulled forward onto the tarmac, backing up so the rear loading door was facing the cargo ramp.
A few moments later, a grinning George Pierce stepped onto the ramp. “I have to say, I’m jealous as hell.”
“I have to say, it was amazing. I had a fedora and a whip, and—” Lazarus began.
“Is that a joke?” Peirce said with a chuckle. “You joke now? Maybe the Ark really does have supernatural powers.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Carter said, coming down the ramp to join them, “it wasn’t where we thought it was going to be either.”
“The important thing is that we’ve got it,” Pierce said.
While Carter introduced Pierce to Mateos and the monk, Lazarus opened the truck, which was equipped with a hydraulic lift gate. He used a pallet jack to transfer the Ark off the plane. Once the truck was loaded, Mateos and Tesfa climbed in the back with the precious cargo, while Carter and Lazarus squeezed into the cab with Pierce. A few turns took them away from the airport and onto Highway 1, the main route connecting Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It was late afternoon, and traffic was heavy but moving.
“Augustina and Fi are on site,” Pierce said, as they settled in for the drive. “The Tabernacle is already set up.”
“That was quick,” Lazarus remarked.
“Chillingsworth contacted a bunch of guys from the local Masonic lodge. They were eager to help. It took us three hours to take the thing down and load the truck in London. They got it back up in half an hour.”