"What do you two think?" Lev asked, looking across the bar at Morelli and Francois.

"Like your daughter said, it's a long shot worth taking." Francois said.

Watching Lev stare out over the vineyards next to the villa, everyone knew a decision was in the making. "OK then," he said suddenly, "forget the Caribbean. We're going to Spain."

Francois set his glass on the bar. "You mean France, don't you Lev?"

"No, I mean Spain. We're going to El Port De La Selva, the same harbor we dropped anchor in last year. It's closer to the cabins than any harbor in France. I don't know why I didn't think about that area sooner. It's a much better area for us to hide out in. Come on, we need to get moving. I'll send word to Danny Zamir so he'll know where to find us.

CHAPTER 57.

Walking beneath the massive squared doorway, Leo gazed over his head at the intricately carved stonework that framed the main entrance to the castle. Inside, people dressed in vibrant colors made from homespun cloth scurried back and forth with the urgency of industry. Whether it was a workman carrying tools or a child following along behind their mother with a basket full of laundry, everyone seemed to be living with a purpose and barely took notice of the new arrivals.

"Who are all of these people?" Leo asked, following along behind Evita as they climbed a wide set of stone stairs that led to the floor above.

"Cathars," she replied. "Except for you, everyone here is a Cathar. For years Julian kept an extensive list of every Cathar living in this part of the world. When he saw the computers being taken over he saw the handwriting on the wall and began gathering up those who wanted to come so he could move us all here out of harm's way."

"And Julian is?"

"Our leader. He sits at the head of the twelve Perfecti who guide our faith. In Catholic terms, I guess you could say he's kind of like our pope."

"I never heard you mention him before," Leo said, running his hand along the carved stone banister as they continued to climb toward the second floor landing.

"I met him after I left Turkey. You might say I'm a wayward Cathar, Leo. I haven't stayed connected with my faith the way I should have. We've always been a loose-knit community with ties to the past, and like most Cathars I was born into my faith. I received my spiritual education from my grandmother, and after she died I kind of drifted away until I began working with Mendoza and Diaz who began introducing me to other Cathars. I discovered it was a very secretive world. We don't have churches in the traditional sense, so most of the time we would just meet for dinner and sit around talking. It was kind of nice to know that I was part of something bigger than myself and that I could count on them for help if I needed it."

"And this Julian fellow just turned up at your apartment one day and told you to come here?"

"Actually he showed up at my office. To tell you the truth, I was a little frightened when I first met him, but after I got to know him I really liked him. He's not the pushy type, and he seemed to know a lot about what was coming. He gave me a map telling me where to go if things really got bad, and when Javier and I left Madrid and crossed the mountains, Albert found us in the valley below and brought us here."

"That Albert really seems to gets around."

"He's a great guy, Leo. He used to teach philosophy at Cambridge. That's where he and Julian met. You might say he's in charge of finding people."

"I liked him from the moment we first met," Leo said. "I could tell right away that there was a powerful mind lurking behind that smiling facade. I still wonder about the so-called coincidence of him driving by just after I landed."

"He wanted to see who was landing a private jet out at the old airstrip. He thought it might be some of Acerbi's people. Finding you by the side of the road really was a coincidence, but he would have run across you eventually because I asked him to check on the cabins every few days. I don't know why, but I just had a feeling. When he told me that you were alive, they had to physically restrain me from taking one of the cars and racing up to the cabins. I was afraid you would leave before I got there."

Leo reached out and took her by the hand as they topped the stairs and headed down a long corridor to a nondescript wooden door in the east wing of the castle. After knocking only once, the door opened to reveal a smiling Julian Wehling.

"I think I'll let you two get acquainted," Evita said, winking at the two men. "I'll meet you downstairs in an hour, Leo."

Feeling lost in a strange land, Leo hesitated at the doorway as he watched her walk away.

"Please, Cardinal," Julian opened the door wider. "Won't you come in?"

Still feeling hesitant, Leo stepped into the room as Julian closed the door behind them. Right away he was struck by the elegant simplicity of the space. To his left, cream-colored pillars supported a row of arches that served to separate the interior of the room from an outdoor terrace that ran the entire length of the eastern wall of the castle, and a cool breeze pushed thin, floor-to-ceiling curtains against a small wooden desk surrounded by stacks of books on the floor next to the dripping remains of candles. Obviously electricity wasn't a part of this mountaintop world.

In the center of the space, a large, unmade canopy bed sat draped in blue fabric, and to his right, next to a plain stone fireplace, he saw a blue and gold shield hanging above a carved wooden case that held several bows and a leather quiver stuffed with multi-colored arrows. Suffice it to say the room had a definite medieval feel to it.

"Welcome to our little community, Cardinal." Wehling extended his hand. "My name is Julian Wehling."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wehling. It looks like you've created quite a community up here."

"We like it, and we hope you do too. Why don't we go out onto the terrace and have some tea ... or would you prefer coffee?"

"Coffee would be great." Leo studied the intricate carving on the stone pillars as they walked out onto a long terrace that overlooked the manicured grounds. "This is one of the most beautiful medieval castles I've ever seen ... and one of the best preserved."

Wehling smiled as he poured Leo's coffee from a simple clay pot. "Actually, Cardinal, this castle is only fifty years old."

Leo's stunned expression revealed his surprise. "Fifty years! You've got to be kidding. I mean ... the stonework ... the carving. I didn't think people did this kind of work anymore."

"The Cathar masons who built this place took great pride in their work."

"So it was Cathars who built this castle and the complex surrounding it?"

"Yes, Cardinal." Julian threw on a dark blue windbreaker and donned his Scottish tweed rain hat. "Why don't you bring your coffee and I'll take you on a little tour."

"I'd like that, and please, call me Leo. I'm not sure the title cardinal even applies to me anymore."

Julian's gray eyes bored in on him. "What makes you say that?"

"Let's just say that the Church is now in the hands of those who no longer have need of my services."

"You may not be in Rome, Leo, but you'll always be a cardinal. Those who inhabit the Holy City now can never take that away from you."

Leo smiled back at Julian as the two men descended the stairs in silence before walking out onto the towering granite wall that surrounded the complex.

"We were deeply grieved when we learned of Pope Michael's death," Julian said. "He was truly a man of the people, unlike the one who now pretends to come to their aid."

"Then you believe Adrian Acerbi is the Antichrist?"

"There's no doubt in my mind. We've also been studying the signs. The recent movement of the dark star was especially revealing, as was Adrian's sudden rise to power. It's an old trick, actually ... used since Roman times. When Octavian took on the role of Tribune following the death of Caesar, he became the iconic defender ... the protector and champion of the interests of the people. It's a strategy that's been shared by dictators down through history. He stealthily jumped over the heads of the political elite and aligned himself directly with the hearts and minds of the people. Backed by the army, he completed his transition by changing his name to Augustus and became the first true emperor of the Roman Empire. Apparently Adrian has studied his history well."

The two men stopped and looked out over the blue haze covering the valley floor five thousand feet below. From their position atop the thick walls, they could see mountain tops that lay almost a hundred miles away. It was a magnificent sight that matched the surreal vision of the castle behind them.

Sipping his coffee, Leo turned his back to the view and looked back inside the walled complex. "Are you the force behind the creation of this place, Julian?"

"Let's just say I inherited it. Much like your pope, I was elected to my current position as the leader of my faith. Although I am their leader there are eleven other Perfecti scattered about the world, and they're in charge of their own little enclaves of safety that have been built over the years. But I'm especially proud of this one."

"I can see why. You're sitting at the top of the world, so to speak. Does this place have a name?"

"Yes. We call it the Village of the Sun. Some wanted to name it Montsegur II ... an historical reference to the last Cathar castle that surrendered in 1244. But after what happened to the Cathars who surrendered back in the 13th century we decided to give this place a new name."

"From what I could tell on our drive here we must be very close to Montsegur."

"Yes ... very. It's one of the reasons my predecessor chose this location, not to mention the inaccessibility provided by the sheer cliffs and the extensive network of natural caves that honeycomb the area below us."

"I once offered a course on the Crusade against the Cathars to my college history class," Leo said. "The subject of your faith has always fascinated me and I learned quite a bit doing research for the course, but unfortunately we had to cancel the project for lack of interest."

"Then I guess we're kindred spirits, Leo. I was a professor of Medieval European history at Cambridge. I've also been forced to cancel my share of courses due to the lack of interest shown by some of my students. It's a shame, really, especially when you consider the fact that those who refuse to study the past are doomed to repeat history's mistakes."

Leo turned back to look down on the valley below. "I seem to remember something about the peaceful meadow that sat below Montsegur. What was it called?"

Julian's expression darkened. "They call it the field of the burned, Cardinal. It's a reference to the 205 Cathars who were burned alive there after they surrendered. Below the ruins of the old castle, there's a marker in the field to remind us of what happened to them ... another reason to study history."

"But doesn't the proximity of this complex to that site worry you?" Leo asked.

"You mean because this area is known for its Cathar history?"

"Well, to be frank, yes. Even though your castle is located on an isolated mountain top, you're pretty exposed when you consider all of the aircraft and spy satellites passing overhead."

Julian smiled. "Fortunately, the builders of this complex constructed it to look like a natural habitat from the air. This wall we're standing on undulates with the terrain and follows the outline of the cliffs surrounding us, and the roof of the castle is planted with trees and grass. That's one of the reasons we didn't place stone pathways throughout the village. It's more like a giant park. But I'm not fooling myself. If they really want to find us they will, which is why we rely on the network of tunnels beneath us that lead to the surrounding villages. We have safe houses in all of them. Our main objective is to remain hidden in plain sight for as long as possible so that we can all lead normal lives, but if we have to we can disappear inside the mountains."

"So for now you just try to blend in with the locals?"

Julian laughed. "We are the locals, Leo, but yes, that's our plan. We don't see Adrian being too interested in us right now. He has bigger fish to fry, and I can't help but feel sorry for all of those who don't see what's coming. The people who live in the cities are trapped ... dependent on accepting the mark of the Beast to obtain the things they need to survive. That's what this little community on the mountain is all about. We're totally self-sufficient ... all the way down to the clothes on our backs. We won't be affected if the lights go out or the supermarket shuts its doors. We don't need cars to get us to work or even jobs to go to. Our work is here, and everyone pulls together for the common good."

Leo could feel himself beginning to relax as a chilled rain began to fall. Peering over the granite wall, he watched the glistening raindrops hit the sheer rock face of the cliff before coming together in little rivulets that splashed down into the valley below. "Has Evita told you about the compound in Israel?"

"I take it you're speaking of your good friend Lev Wasserman."

"Yes."

"We know all about Lev, as well as the castle all of you escaped from last year before it was destroyed. He's a great man with an enlightened mind. When's the last time you spoke with him?"

"It's been weeks, and now I can't even call the villa to let them know I'm still alive. I'm totally cut off from my friends, even those at the Vatican, because if I so much as pick up a phone my location will be traced by Adrian's computers."

"Which is why you won't find any phones here ... or anything else connected to the outside world for that matter. This entire complex was created with the sole purpose of keeping us detached from the world. As students of the New Testament, especially the writings of John, we have been preparing for the arrival of the Antichrist for some time, and now that he is here we must adjust our thinking. The world as we knew it no longer exists. No longer will I stroll in the sunshine along the pastoral lanes of Cambridge to teach bright young students in my classroom. No longer will I go out to dinner in London with friends or travel to the historical sites that have always fascinated me. Things are different now, and we must learn to live in a new reality. You're right, Leo. You are cut off, and you must remain cut off if you want to go on living."

"But is this really life, Julian ... hiding from the world behind granite walls on top of a mountain? I've always been a fighter. That's what being a Jesuit is all about. Are you saying we should all just hide behind these walls while an unspeakable evil stalks the world?" Leo could feel his heart begin to race in the rarified atmosphere. "You know, Julian, I've probably read the words of Revelation so many times that I can almost recite every passage, and despite the fact that the future may have been foretold, I believe we must still fight. This might not sound very Christian, but I want some payback for what they did to Pope Michael, and I'm not going to lie down without a fight."

As the skies darkened and the rain began to come down harder, Julian took Leo by the arm and began leading him back toward the castle. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Leo, because that's exactly what we're going to do, but we have to be smart about it. Don't worry, Cardinal, you'll get your chance to fight. By the way, I have some good news for you. Your friends just left Israel, and they're headed in this direction."

Leo stopped and stared back at Julian. His mind was spinning as the rain pelted his face. "How do you know that?"

"We're still able to gather information on what's going on in the outside world. Our survival depends on it. Things will be revealed to you in time, Cardinal, but for now I want you to get to know us while we get to know you. If Lev's yacht stays on its present course they'll be arriving in El Port De La Selva the day after tomorrow. Your friends are looking for you, Leo, and we're going to make it easy for them to find you."

CHAPTER 58.

The Carmela's bow sliced through the gentle roll of the blue Mediterranean Sea as it neared the coast of Spain. Below decks everyone was trying to mentally prepare themselves for whatever lay ahead. They all knew they were basically acting on a hunch, and because they had turned off all of their high-tech communications gear they were heading blindly into the unknown.

On the bridge, Alex Pappas steered the big blue and white yacht closer to shore, trying to see if any Coast Guard patrols were getting curious about a large boat that wasn't emitting any kind of electronic signature. So far so good.

Standing next to him, Alon peered at the horizon through a pair of binoculars. "Any sign of trouble?"

"Only if you decide to Bar BQ tonight," Alex laughed. "Actually, I haven't seen another boat for hours, which is strange considering we're just off the French coast. This area is usually swarming with boats this time of year."

"What do you think it means?"

"Could be a storm coming, but we have no way of knowing with all of our electronics shut down. I'd love to turn on just one radio for a few minutes to see what's happening."

"Sorry, buddy, but Lev said to maintain a strict communications blackout ... and that includes any passive monitoring. We're going in the old-fashioned way."

"You mean we're going in the old illegal way." Alex huffed around the wheelhouse before picking up a pair of binoculars so that he could join Alon in scanning the horizon. "I don't like this. This goes against everything a modern sea captain is taught. If we collide with another ship because my radar's turned off they'll jerk my license. And if someone is injured or killed I'll be looking at jail time."

"We'll double the lookouts," Alon said, peering out at the ocean. "Just keep this course and hope the weather holds until we reach the coast of Spain."

"Will do, but I'm still doing this under protest."

"Duly noted," Lev said, entering the bridge. "How far are we from the harbor?"

Alex lowered his binoculars. "According to my calculations it's just over the horizon. I've been zigzagging along the coast trying to see if I could stir up any interest, but so far no one's taken the bait. I haven't even seen any fishing boats out here. It's spooky. You still want to wait until its dark before we go in?"

"I think that would be best. It won't really matter all that much if the military is watching, but at least we'll have a better chance of getting away in the dark if someone comes after us."

"Then they'd better have a fast boat," Alex said. "Since we upgraded the Carmela's turbines there aren't many boats out there that can keep up with us."

Lev grinned back at the captain. "Keep a sharp eye out. I'm going down to the main deck and check on everyone."

As Alex and Alon resumed their scan of the ocean, Lev descended the outside stairs and made his way across a crowded deck filled with families and young college students who had lived on the land surrounding the villa. Including the Carmela's crewmembers and the eight children who had come onboard with their parents, eighty-four people now crowded every nook and cranny of the yacht. Many had just left the only home they had ever known, but the decision to leave Israel in the face of an imminent invasion had been an easy one.

In a television interview after his UN speech, Adrian Acerbi had made it clear to Israel that any perceived threat to world peace would not be tolerated. The handwriting was on the wall. They were being put on notice that he had his sights set on the Holy Land, and those onboard the yacht who had listened to his words had chosen freedom over the specter of living under the boot of a dictator.

Strolling into the main salon, Lev spied John and Ariella sitting at a table with Nava and Moshe.

"Oh, Lev, I'm glad you're here," Nava said, pointing to a map spread out before them. "Could you show us the location of the cabins again?"

Settling into the seat beside her, Lev pointed to a mountainous area south of Foix. "Somewhere up that road, about twenty miles from the village. The cabins are hidden from the air by giant pine trees."

Nava pursed her lips as she re-tied her long black ponytail. "I might be able to set the chopper down on the road, but I wouldn't want to try it at night, even with night vision goggles. This is going to have to be a daylight mission."

"We also need to start thinking of how we'll get all of these people ashore and across the border," Moshe said. "There's no way Nava can ferry that many people over the mountains in the chopper. She'd have to make at least fifteen trips. Even if we could scrape up enough fuel, chances are the chopper will have at least one mechanical failure with that many take-offs and landings, not to mention the fact that we'll have to leave our electronics turned off, making navigation difficult if not impossible ... especially in the mountains at night. Even if everything worked perfectly, we'd still have to worry about radar and the spy satellites that are probably zeroed in on this area."