But Ovadia’s thoughts were elsewhere. “Nothing, nothing is as we thought.”
Batya approached his side. “Tell us what you mean.”
“It is the people. The Holy One’s wrath will fall on all those who have turned to the Baal—and on all those who have been loyal as well.”
Batya took his hand in hers. “But isn’t the Queen the cause of their turning away?”
“Maybe. Yes.” Ovadia shook his head. “It does not matter. Either way, Izevel will be the last to feel the lack of rain. The poorest will suffer first.”
I couldn’t understand why Ovadia was suddenly losing resolve. “But won’t that rouse them against the Queen and the Baal?”
“Perhaps. But the Queen will tell them this is not just a temporary stop to the rains, it is a drought, brought on by Eliyahu, a prophet. She will claim he’s a tyrant and that she has come to rescue the nation from his grip. In their misery, the people could turn against the prophets themselves.”
Tears rolled down Batya’s cheeks. “Then what do we do? Nothing?”
“We have thirty prophets already hidden. We’ll hide as many more as we can.”
“But how will we sustain them? We have sufficient barley for the hidden ones only until the new moon. What will you do then, sell land to buy grain?” Terror lit her eyes. “And you’re being watched. How long can we keep this up before someone discovers what we’re doing?”
“I don’t know.” Ovadia slammed his fist on the table; our bowls bounced with a clank. “But when it is known that a drought is coming, at least buying a store of grain will not appear suspicious. We must continue hiding the prophets—I see now that any battle will not succeed.”
“But why not?” Batya cried.
“Didn’t you hear the boy? Eliyahu evoked the curse of Moses. There will never again be a prophet of Moses’s strength.”
“But shouldn’t that make victory even easier?” I asked, but even as the words left my mouth, I recalled Uriel telling me that the forces of light and the forces of darkness had to exist in balance. The more powerful Eliyahu’s curse, the more powerful the counteracting forces would be. Perhaps if Eliyahu were leading us into battle, our strength could prevail, but with Eliyahu in hiding, could any force we set into motion be strong enough?
As if answering my thoughts, Ovadia said, “If this war is won, it will not be by ordinary men like me, nor even by the prophets of today. If we send the prophets out of the cave now, we send them to their deaths. We just have to do what we can, help as many as we can, for as long as we have bread. If we fail, we fail.”
Ovadia sighed. “We’ll need to find a way to get Uriel and Shimon here without being detected.”
“Bring them here?” The words leapt out of my mouth.
“Yes, here. There’s nowhere else I can sustain them.”
I shook my head. “Master Uriel doesn’t want to hide. He would support your original plan.”
“We can save his life!”
“He said he will spend his last days serving the Holy One in any way he can. I don’t think he’ll go meekly into a cave.”
“Shimon won’t either,” Yonaton added. “He’d rather fight.”
Ovadia slapped his palms on the table and bore into my eyes. “Listen to me—it is crucial that Uriel survive.”
“He won’t want it. He says he doesn’t have long to live anyway.”
“Uriel must live. In the struggle between Eliyahu and Izevel, he may prove pivotal.”
“If Eliyahu fails?”
“No, if Eliyahu succeeds. It may take the wrath of Eliyahu to defeat Izevel. But it will require one like your master to rebuild the nation—and there is none other like him.”
“Why?” Yonaton asked.
But I thought I knew. “Master Uriel believes we must turn to the Holy One from love, not fear.”
“That’s part of it,” Ovadia said. “But Uriel is not the only prophet dedicated to the path of love.”
“Then why?”
“You’re too young to understand what Uriel has been through. Tell him whatever you must, but get him to me.”
“And what about Shimon?” Yonaton asked.
“Shimon is loyal to Uriel. If he thinks that his help is needed to save Uriel, I expect he will do what he must. But once Uriel is hidden, Shimon may do as he pleases.”
“Even if he agrees to come, how will we get him here? You said you can’t travel.”
“No, I cannot. The Queen is investing all her efforts into amassing power. Allegiances shift and swirl around her at all times. Those in her favor are advanced, those who are not…” His expression grew sour. “She distrusts me because I will not bow to her abominations. This is not yet required, but refusal is enough to draw her wrath. The King leans on me for many things, so I am safe at present. But I am watched. If I go to Uriel, it will mean the death of us both.”
“But what can we do without you?” My heart raced at the thought of traveling the King’s Road with the prophet, and I saw my fear reflected in Yonaton’s eyes. We were counting on Ovadia’s authority to get the navi past the soldiers.
“You saw the Queen’s soldiers on the road?”
I nodded.
“Perhaps we can risk it anyway. There are many ways into Shomron. It is not the people we have to fear—they are not yet corrupt enough to hunt a prophet—it is only the foreigners. There are many paths they may not know. No one knows these mountains as Uriel does. It was he who first showed me the cave.”
