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was on their side, they grabbed it and smashed it to the ground. Desperate to
see what would happen in front of the temple, Buck scampered up a tree and saw
Viv Ivins meet Carpathia near the entrance. Something kept the rioters
outside, and Buck guessed it could be only their reluctance to assassinate a
man in the temple, despite what he had done there.
Nicolae looked petrified while trying to appear otherwise and kept looking
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back to find the rest of his entourage. They finally caught up, but simply
remaining upright seemed to take the last vestiges of strength from Fortun-ato
and Moon and many others. Carpathia pointed and shouted, and someone found him
a microphone that was connected to loudspeakers in the outer court.
Like a madman choosing the wholly wrong approach to winning back the crowd,
Carpathia held the mike in one hand and raised his other for attention, crying
out, "You have breached the covenant!
My pledge of seven years of peace for Israel is rescinded! Now you must allow
me and my-"
But the rest was drowned out by the mutinous multitude. While they would not
cross the threshold of the temple, they pressed right up to it, creating a
human barrier between Carpathia and his freedom to step out. Suddenly they
quieted and began to chuckle, then laugh, then roar with pleasure at what they
had accomplished. It was as if they had cornered a helpless pest and now
didn't know what to do with him.
"My brothers and sisters of the Global Community," Carpathia began again, "I
will see that you are healed of your sores, and you will again see that it is
I who love you and bring you peace!"
"You'll not leave here alive, pretender!" someone shouted, and others took up
the cause.
Then, crystal clear in the early afternoon air, came the piercing voice of the
little man in the brown robe, and all eyes and ears turned toward him. "It is
not the due time for the man of sin to face judgment, though it is clear he
has been revealed!"
The crowd murmured, not wanting to be dissuaded from killing Carpathia.
Chaim strode slowly toward the bulk of the group, and they respectfully,
silently parted. "As was foretold centuries ago," Chaim continued as he angled
toward the temple steps, "God has chosen to allow this evil for a time, and
impotent as this enemy of your souls may be today, much more evil will be
perpetrated upon you under his hand. When he once again gains advantage, he
will retaliate against this presumption on his authority, and you would do
well to not be here when his anger is poured out."
"That is right!" Carpathia hollered, his voice sounding tinny compared to
Chaim's authoritative tone. "You will rue the day when you dared-"
"You!" Chaim roared, pointing at Nicolae. "You shall let God's chosen ones
depart before his curse is lifted, lest you face a worse plague in its place."
Buck, still wedged in the tree, phoned Chang. "Camera's trashed," he said.
"So I gathered."
"You getting this?"
"The GC's trying to talk over it. It's as if they can't decide whether
Carpathia would want it on the air. Heads are going to roll."
"What'd Carpathia just say?" Buck said. "I missed it."
"Something about his being at the Knesset, available to negotiate or to answer
honest inquiries from his subjects."
"They'll never let him get out of the-"
But they did. The crowd backed away for Nicolae and his people as they had for
Chaim.
"Any chance of tapping into the Knesset?" Buck said.
"Not that I know of," Chang said. "Are you going?"
"If Chaim goes, I go."
"Leave your phone open. I'll patch it to everybody else."
But before Buck could get down from the tree, Chaim raised his arms and gained
the attention of the angry mob. "Let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of
his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes."
"Why should we flee?" someone yelled. "We have exposed the potentate as an
impotent pretender!"
"Because God has spoken!"
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"Now we're to believe you are God?"
"The great I Am has told me. Whatsoever he even thinks comes to pass, and as
he purposes, so shall it stand."
Buck was sure the people would have none of it, but Chaim had apparently
spoken with such authority that they were instantly calmed. "Where shall we
go?" someone asked. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]