The Celestial Gate by Avital Dicker (red white royal blue txt) 📗

Sual abandoned all the rules of safety and started running to the gate. “Anise! Mor!” she sobbed into the dark. Amalia hurried to put her hand across Sual’s mouth.

“Have you lost your mind? They’ll hear us,” she whispered sternly.

A bullet whizzed past Theo’s head, and all three froze.

“Do not turn around!” The command was shouted in Arabic, and someone grabbed Sual’s arms and cuffed them behind her back. Amalia, who did try to turn, was hit with the stock of a gun. She fell to the ground, Sual choking back a scream at the sight of her friend’s blood. Theo felt hands patting him down. Somebody relieved him of his gun, took his wallet out of his back pocket, and cuffed his hands too.

Now they heard whispers behind their backs. Finally, someone spoke out loud. “Turn around!” This time, the command was in Hebrew.

All three turned to see three men, their faces covered in black balaclavas, pointing rifles at them.

Amalia got up, rubbing the cut on her cheek. “Did you really have to hit me?” she asked. To a confused Theo and Sual, she said, “They’re from a special army unit. Once upon a time, I was a member of this unit too.”

“Is this the Italian ambassador?” asked one of the three, pointing his rifle at Theo.

“Consul,” Theo corrected him.

“Please listen to me. We’re looking for our children. We can explain everything, but you have to let us go,” Amalia said to the soldiers.

After a short consultation with someone on his walkie-talkie, he said, “Sorry, but we can’t do that. Our orders are to bring you back to base.”

“Listen. I’m the Italian consul and I demand that you removed my handcuffs,” said Theo, projecting all the authority he could muster into his voice.

“I’m very sorry, sir, but I cannot. An order is an order,” said the officer. “We can’t uncuff you until we get to the base.”

There was no point in arguing. Together with the soldiers, they trudged through the Valley of the Cross to the Hebrew University. By the time they entered the hastily erected provisional base on the university campus, it was five in the morning. One of the men finally freed their hands. “I’m sorry about hitting you,” he told Amalia. “We had no way of knowing who you were. There are so many terrorist groups around and everybody looks the same.” He walked them into a lecture hall. “Please, make yourselves at home. The commander will be with you in just a few minutes.” The solider left, locking the door behind him.

Theo rubbed his chafed wrists, while Amalia fingered the injury to her face. She could feel her cheek swelling. It’s probably better I don’t look in the mirror in the next few days, she thought, then looked out the window.

The entrance plaza was full of soldiers. How ironic, Amalia thought, to erect an army base at the heart of the symbol of freedom of expression and thought.

She looked at the action outside. Some of the soldiers were loading equipment on trucks, while others were getting ready to leave. “They’re not going to let us go so fast,” she said.

Out of habit, Theo checked his cell phone. “You’re not going to believe it, but there’s reception here,” he said just as the door opened and a brigadier general walked in.

Chapter 29

Just before sunrise, Anise woke Rae, who lay curled up in a ball on the beach. She signaled the creature to stay quiet. Yam and Mor were already up. However, Enochio, sprawled on his back, was snoring loudly, still deep asleep.

Mor stroked the white mare. “Too bad you can’t come,” he whispered in her ear. The mare licked his face with her raspy tongue, showing her affection. Mor knew the horses would make it hard for them to hide and easier to track. Still, it was painful for him to say goodbye.

Yam patted Mor on his shoulder. “We have to go,” he whispered.

Moving out of Enochio’s hearing range, they packed their bags and started to walk toward the mountain hovering before them. Clouds scudded along its foothills, covering the waves surrounding it. They walked carefully along the narrow strip of dry, rocky land leading to it. The bogo wagged both tails. Yam, thinking it needed an invitation, cocked his head in a “follow us” motion, but the bogo shook its snout no.

Rae looked at Mor. “Your arms are back,” she said once they were far enough from the snoring angel. Indeed, most of Mor’s upper body was once again visible; only his legs were still missing.

“You really do look ridiculous with just arms and no legs,” Rae laughed. Mor, waving his fist, approached her.

“Hey, keep it down! We’re not that far from Enochio yet,” Yam scolded them both.

Next to the path grew a low bush, its fruit long and yellow with a round, red tip. Rae picked it, cut off its red tip, and drank the liquid with evident enjoyment. “Want some?” she asked Mor. Mor, who’d had enough of the weird fruit here, shook his head. Rae shrugged and held the fruit out to Anise who, after hesitating a bit, took a small sip.

“It tastes like chocolate milk,” she said, giving Mor a challenging stare.

“Leave me some. I’m thirsty,” asked Yam. Anise passed him the fruit. He drank and licked his lips. Mor ignored them studiously, concentrating instead on the path.

Half an hour later, they stood at the foot of the suspended mountain.

“Rae, are you sure He’s there?” Anise asked, worriedly looking at the enormous, steep mountain whose peak was hidden by clouds.

“Hey, I don’t swear or anything,” said the experienced Rae. “But, up there, on the peak – that’s where the headquarters are. And, rumor has it that that’s where He hangs out most of the time,” she said, looking at Yam with some concern.

Mor tied a rope around Anise’s and Yam’s waists and then tightened the rope to his belt. Anise looked at him and