3V

3V

"He is listening, Lord Belphegor, yet I cannot use that fact to summon a fold-door home to Earth. Bat-El insists we do that only from Nyduly Wood. So I must now take my leave. But you and Malphas shall be honored guests in this house until such time you wish to depart."

"I bid you farewell, Jashen, but certainly Bat-El will be wroth that you destroyed one relic and plot against the other."

"Milord, Bat-El can do nothing to punish me. B'nei Elohim are immune to torment and we surmount even death. But I counsel that you tarry not. Should the Kemenly temple be completed here in Adjara it would be difficult to seize it and Bat-El, thus forewarned, would simply remove the tablet to Earth."

Then with suitable words of obeisance Jashen left Belphegor and Malphas to dwell in the safe house for the seven days it would require for Chemah to accumulate sufficient dark energy to allow their departure by fold-door.

On the edge of Shaula Wood, northeast of Adjara, Lael of the tribe of Levi and a small remnant of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and Simeon tended their flocks of animals and slowly wandered east into the hills until they were come to the face of the Wall of God, two miles high, and could go no further.

Lael withdrew the tablet from the Ark and turned in a slow circle, as he had been instructed by Bat-El himself. When he faced in the direction desired by God Most High the Tablet sounded with a blast akin to that from a shofar, a ram's horn trumpet. Lael believed that by means of the ark Bat-El would never fail to lead them to good grazing grounds for their little herd of livestock.

As they trundled along they frequently met friendly parties who journeyed south from Sastrom. They used the paths at the foot of the Wall of God to reach Fatho where they could find river passage on the Sabik downstream to cities in Alodra. But few words were exchanged, as Hebrew was little known to them.

One evening when Lael's group reached a precipitous bench along the face of the Wall and decided there to make camp they encountered a party of seven Brown Beards. Lael was delighted to learn that one among them named Marsayas spoke excellent Hebrew much as Jashen could do, and could easily be understood by them.

Marsayas begged Lael to grant his travelers leave to make overnight camp nigh to Lael's group.