5Q

5Q

Jemuel moved toward the captive with his blade arched to decapitate him. And Remiel, without touching the man, twisted the blade out of his hand and hurled it out of reach. "We have no power of our own but that which is given by God," Remiel told him. "Now you are disarmed by that same power, Jemuel. Do you hold yourself answered that killing the Lord Belphegor is not the will of our God?"

Neither Jemuel nor Elam made reply, but they kept their place, as Gabriel and Remiel were armed and stood fast against them. Gabriel was angered almost beyond speech. Che said, "I thought to leave Lord Belphegor in your keeping, to be treated well until such time when he could leave of his own power, but I see the faithfulness of Lael was not passed to his sons. We will take the Lord ourselves. A curse lies upon you, Jemuel, for you would do a thing to make the name of our God a reproach among elohim and angels and nephilim and men. On the shoulder of Mount Naratha the sword of your foes shall go through the camp, and you shall be cut down in the flower of youth. And you shall remember this doom, and beg Elam to steer the Remnant far from Mount Naratha where the Ark wills not to go, but pestilence and famine and the threat of enemies shall drive the people thither, where you shall perish before your sons take wives.

"Also a curse lies on you, Elam, for you ordered your captive be slain out of hand, which thing is hateful to God, whether the captive be a seraph or one of the ishim. You crave to lead the Remnant, yet you shall be driven into Eliath Wood to wander for a generation. There you shall yearn to be free yet your enemies shall hem you in, and you shall die never seeing the sons of your sons. The third son of Lael shall lead the Remnant to a land which is choice above all other lands in Haaretz, and the people shall be known by his name."

Then Gabriel and Remiel, who would have preferred to leave the Remnant with farewells rather than curses, knelt once again close to Belphegor. A fold-door materialized to port the three of them to Nyduly Wood, leaving only a hole in the ground.

After Gabriel and Remiel departed with an injured Belphegor, the Table of the Covenant led the Remnant out of Shaula Wood to skirt along the northern shore of Lake Enkaa. In time the Remnant and their flocks reached outskirts of the city of Mizal, but the Director did not indicate they should stop, but rather to continue ever west.

Indeed, the land around that city seemed overgrazed, and there was in evidence much other livestock.