“I know,” said Piedad. “Logistics is always a problem. However, Rome is easy. It can be reached by air or sea. That will be the third target.”
“And the others?” asked Hana.
“I know this will seem an odd choice, but Yakub’s suggestion to punish the Ottoman Empire was accepted, and the first target will be Mecca.”
Gilberto frowned. “That city doesn’t matter to more than one-sixth of the combined imperial populations.”
“True,” said Piedad, “but remember, we’ll also be striking at the heart of Christendom. It’s probable that the entire religion will collapse, and we don’t want them to have an alternative to run to.”
“What is the other target?” asked Gediminas.
She risked a wary glance at Yakub before replying, “Jerusalem.”
“What?” said everyone.
“I was told you wouldn’t like it, and the original idea was that none of you should hear it today, but the preparations ahead of us rely on so much coordination that I insisted all parties needed to know.”
Yakub jumped to his feet. “Piedad, tell me this is a mistake. The Alliance can’t pretend to not know what Jerusalem is to us.”
“That’s exactly why they didn’t want to reveal this part of the plan.”
“But what are they thinking? Do they imagine we’d let them hit Jerusalem as if it were nothing? Did no one else object? There are plenty of other tribes in our faction. What did the Ashkenazim have to say about this? Or the Mizrahim? We have the Mizrahim living in the target area, and no one thought that could be a problem?”
Piedad sighed. “I think I don’t need to explain why the Alliance preferred discretion. We’re also keeping Mecca a secret from our Muslim tribes.”
“No, no, no, no. I’ve been involved in this project as much as everyone who voted for it. Why didn’t anyone think I deserved to be notified of this?”
Piedad closed her eyes and took a breath to calm herself. “I told you. Your people’s connection to the target was considered incompatible with early disclosure of the plan of attack.”
Yakub pointed a finger at her. He was shaking with fury. “No, you won’t do that. We the children of Israel have suffered the calumny of every nation we’ve lived in. Time after time, they’ve smeared our sacred covenant and held it against us as proof of treachery. I won’t permit the Alliance to treat us the same way.”
Throughout the discussion, Hana had been paying attention to the translator and choosing her own words with painstaking care until she was able to say, “I can’t presume to understand fully, or even mostly, the special nature of your people’s connection to Jerusalem. What I can say on the matter stems from my effort at empathy, even if it’s not informed by any experience that we share. It’s clear that you care about that place. It’s valuable to you. So one thing you can do is take the shock that you’re feeling and place yourself in the position of the people for whom your other targets are just as valuable.”
Yakub didn’t even hear her. He started pacing in circles, breathing in quick gulps. “Gilberto, show me your proposal. Jerusalem is off the table. We have to destroy some other city.”
“To tell you the truth,” he replied, “we didn’t come prepared with a specific list of targets, because we didn’t know yours. But now that we’re on the same page—”
Gediminas let out a screech of despair. “Please, you don’t need to use this punishment! What you’ve done today will be enough.” Tears covered his face and he fell to his knees. “I’ll talk to all the kings if you want; I’ll tell them to set you free, but I beg you, spare the world from your wrath.”
Piedad looked at Gilberto. “What’s wrong with him? Since he arrived in here, he’s done nothing but squirm. Where did you find this man?”
Gilberto embraced Gediminas while he continued crying. “I forced him to come.”
The translator spoke to Hana, and she asked Gilberto, “Is there something I should know?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry that I had to bring him here, but he’s going to help us win our freedom without using the bomb.”
Yakub snatched Gediminas away from Gilberto and snarled, “Who are you?”
“Gediminas Kalnietis,” he stuttered between tears, but Yakub caught the way the man didn’t lose sight of Gilberto, and turned to him. “Why is your secretary so afraid of you?”
“Because I told him I’d kill him if he said more than he ought to.”
Piedad took Yakub’s arm and forced him to look at her. “Let go of the poor man.”
Hana listened to the translator and turned to Gilberto, “I don’t appreciate you going behind my back and issuing threats that compromise the Alliance.”
“You’re right, you’re completely right, and I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about this.”
“We’re waiting for an answer,” said Piedad.
“Well, he’s seen the bomb, so I guess his job is done. I was counting on how few people out of Europe have seen his face, but you know him by the name of His Holiness Michael II.”
Yakub’s jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”
Gilberto attempted a half smile, but was too nervous to make one. “The attack on Rome? That was me. I captured this man to show him what the bomb was capable of, so he’d spread word of our strength and force the kings to listen without us having to harm one soul.”
Piedad leaped at Gilberto and punched his face. “You damned traitor, you exposed us!”
Yakub tried to hit him too, but Hana restrained him. Her eyes questioned the translator, and he hurried to tell her what was going on. “Both of you, let him explain himself!”
“What’s there to explain?” yelled Yakub. “He betrayed us to the Pope! We should kill both of them!”
Hana still struggled to keep him from joining the fight. Piedad had thrown Gilberto to the ground and was kicking his ribcage. Hana screamed, “Please, listen! This is the best idea any of us has had in years.”
Yakub stopped resisting and turned toward her. “What?” Even Piedad looked at her in disbelief.
Hana let go of Yakub and helped Gilberto stand. “I swear I didn’t know about this, and I don’t like it, but it’s better than your plan.”
“No, we’ve worked too hard on this,” said Yakub, before running into his tent. When he came out, his hand was holding a pistol. “I’m not going to let the Pope, of all people, warn our enemies of what’s coming for them.”
He raised his arm and Hana ran to place herself in front of Gediminas. “No one will die here.”
“You don’t fool me,” said Yakub, aiming the pistol at her. “Move aside. I know your people aren’t fighters.”
“If you kill him,” said Hana very slowly, “we’ll lose the opportunity to save more than just ourselves.” Piedad and Gilberto were petrified; Michael II was covering his face with his hands; Hana’s face showed no trace of fear. “I can see where Gilberto got this idea. You were worried that Neema’s voice was too respected. Here we have the most respected voice in the world, and we can use it.”
Yakub shook his head. “You talk about respect? Can you even name the last pope who wasn’t a murderer of Jews?”
“You carry a wound. We share that with you. I could tell you stories of what Lutheran ministers have done to my people, and surely everyone on this desert has something to add. We don’t need to treat each other as enemies.” Gilberto wanted to speak, but his ribs hurt too much for him to take enough air in.
“I’m telling you for the last time. Move aside.”
“No. You don’t know what you’re planning to do, and you need to be shown what it is. Maybe you don’t care about killing all the inhabitants of Rome as long as you hurt one who deserves it. If I refuse to move, it’s because you need to learn what your way entails. The Alliance may have decided that thousands of nameless corpses don’t matter. So I’m forcing you to see, at a scale that you can grasp, the face of the innocents you’ll be stepping over on your way to your victory. And if you still haven’t decided to shoot me, I’m betting my life that it’s because, when the dilemma is presented to you at this scale, you’re able to understand that this way is wrong.”