"I'm afraid we have some bad news. Where's Bishop Morelli?"

"I don't know." Leo looked back at Evita. "Where is Anthony?"

Evita nodded her head in the direction of the kitchen. "He's making bread. He says it relaxes him."

"Maybe someone should get him." Julian handed the paper to Leo. "He needs to hear this too."

Without his reading glasses, the small print blurred in front of Leo's eyes. "I can't read this. What does it say?"

"A few of our people who live in Foix gave that paper to Gael this morning. It seems that Adrian's mother has been arrested, along with the two Muslim men who drove her to Foix a few days ago. They've been found guilty of crimes against the new world order."

"You mean they're here in Foix ... and they're in jail?"

"It gets much worse, Cardinal. They're to be burned at the stake the day after tomorrow in the field below Montsegur."

CHAPTER 64.

In the wake of the horrific news they had just received, Julian called for an emergency meeting in the castle's security office. In the cramped room located near the front gate, Francois was studying a large geographical map on the wall that showed the area surrounding the town of Foix, while Leo and the others huddled with Julian and Gael around a small table in the center of the room.

"Burned at the stake!" Gael's entire body shook when the words spewed from his mouth. "That's barbaric ... even by Adrian's standards! Why would he do that? That's not exactly a way to win the hearts and minds of the locals."

Julian exhaled. "He's trying to draw us out, brother."

"But he doesn't even know we exist," Gael said.

"At least not yet. He's after the cardinal and his Israeli friends. He knows Leo is still alive, and the arrival of the Carmela probably confirmed the fact that they're all here together now. Acerbi figures he has them all trapped in one geographical area, and by arresting Colette and the two Muslims he's hoping they'll be compelled to show themselves in an effort to stop the execution."

"That's exactly what he's trying to do," Francois said, turning away from the map. "The men who just returned from the last patrol around Foix said that roadblocks had been set up on all the roads leading into and out of town, and the place is crawling with Adrian's security forces. They've also set up a base of operations at the old airport. We estimate that there are at least two hundred soldiers at that location alone, and they're bringing in drones and helicopters."

Morelli's face was turning pale. "What are we supposed to do against a force like that?"

"We fight," Lev said in a calm, measured voice. "No one's going to be burned at the stake as long as I'm alive. We're going to rescue those people."

"That's exactly what Adrian wants you to do." Julian stood and fixed his eyes on Lev. "But we're going to have to be smart in the way we go about this. First and foremost we've got to protect the castle here, and the only way to do that is to remain hidden."

"Julian's right," Moshe agreed. His old general's mind was starting to click. "In order to attack Adrian's forces we're going to have to use subterfuge and guerilla tactics like we did in Israel back when we had enemies coming at us from all sides. We were vastly outnumbered, but our tactics turned the tide of the war."

Julian glanced across the table at the Israelis. "We know. We've studied your tactics in great detail. We share a common bond with those who have been hunted in the past, which fires a great resolve within our souls. Like you we've vowed never to become victims again. We're going to save those people ... no matter what the cost."

"Are you seriously considering sending men armed with bows and arrows against a modern, well-armed force that has drones and helicopters?" Alon said, his huge frame filling the doorway. "You know as well as I do that would be suicide."

"We have more than just bows and arrows, my friend," Julian said, winking at Leo and Lev, "but you're right. We're still at a great disadvantage."

Still wearing his favorite lime-green fly-fishing shirt and orange shorts, Moshe looked over his head at the map on the wall. "We've got to divide our forces."

"What do mean, General?" Julian asked.

"Retired general." Moshe laughed as he slapped the table. "I mean that, in order to protect the castle, we must make it appear that our forces are coming from somewhere else. If it looks like any resistance is coming from this area, Adrian's forces will pull out all the stops to find the nest, so to speak."

"That's true," Francois chimed in. "We need another base of operations, but where?"

Moshe put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "Last year, when Rene Acerbi's forces attacked Lev's castle by the Aude River, we all escaped down into the tunnels that honeycombed the area."

"We have a similar escape plan here," said Gael. "What's so different about that?"

"The location." Moshe stood and walked over to the map. "Look," he said, pointing. "This is where we are now, on this mountaintop southwest of Foix. Over here, to the northeast, are the ruins of the castle we escaped from last year."

Gael's eyes widened. "That's at least twenty miles away, and we'll be on foot."

Moshe was in his element as the plan unfolded in his mind. "We'll need that distance to convince them our base lies somewhere to the north. The ruins of the old castle will be our new nest. We're going to give Adrian's men a target, which means that, in order to protect the castle here, we're going to have to lead his forces north after we rescue Colette and the two Muslims in Foix. We're going to make them chase us back to our new nest."

Gael's face was becoming a mask of confusion. "But what happens to us after we retreat back to the old castle? We'll be surrounded by the force that follows us there."

"Exactly, which means we're going to have to be prepared for a fight when they arrive."

"Then we might as well leave those people in jail," Gael said as he paced the length of the room. "Because we're all going to die anyway after Acerbi's forces arrive with their helicopters and rockets."

"Who said anything about dying?" Lev frowned. "If you've studied our tactics you should know by now that we always have a backup plan."

"A diversion?"

Moshe grinned in response. "I'm working on that."

For a moment, in the fatalistic atmosphere permeating the room, no one spoke. For unbeknownst to them, in the great cosmic realm that embraced the best intentions of man, the big diversion they were seeking was already on the way-deep below the rolling waves of the Mediterranean Sea.

CHAPTER 65.

"What do you mean he's gone rogue?" Gwyneth Hastings shouted down the long mahogany table. Along with a dozen other top agency analysts, she had been summoned to a soundproof conference room at MI6 headquarters overlooking the river Thames in London.

"I mean exactly what I said, Ms. Hastings, so please sit down and listen." The man speaking was Sir Christopher Links, the head of the agency who had just come from a meeting with the Prime Minister at Number 10 Downing Street.

"The submarine stopped communicating with us after the last message they sent this morning."

"Where are they?"

"Their last reported position was in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Israel."

"But Captain Moss is one of the best naval officers England has ever produced," Hastings said. "This is completely unlike him, sir."

"I agree, Ms. Hastings. He was due to be promoted to the rank of admiral upon his return from this voyage. Apparently, the order to turn control of our fleet over to the Acerbi Corporation was more than he could bear. He and his crew have vowed to fight on by themselves, to the death if necessary, to prevent the HMS Ambush from falling into the hands of a madman."

"Has he gone mad himself? I mean, doesn't he realize we have no other options at this point; that we're only trying to appease Acerbi until we can locate all of his quantum computers and destroy them? He was supposed to be a part of that plan. The American CIA is working with us on this, and it's only a matter of time before we gain the upper hand and send this Acerbi creature scurrying back into the black snake hole he crawled from."

"Apparently, Captain Moss doesn't see it that way. Personally I'm beginning to have my own doubts, but we've got to go about this the right way. Things could get pretty dicey in the next few hours unless Moss agrees to give up his command and return to port. The Prime Minister has already promised him that there will be no repercussions if he returns to England right away."

"That's a crock, sir, and you know it. The captain's career is now in the toilet. He knows it and we know it. A man like that doesn't make a decision like this without thinking it through. I'm afraid we've got a real problem on our hands unless someone onboard manages to take control of the sub away from him."

Links walked to the window and gazed down at the river. "I'm afraid there's something else."

Gwyneth collapsed back into her chair. "Isn't there always."

"A story came out in a French newspaper yesterday about a woman and two men who have been convicted of crimes against the new world order. Adrian Acerbi has decided that they should be burned at the stake as a lesson to others."

"Burned at the stake!" Hastings rose from her chair and leaned over the table. "Are you kidding me?" Her cheeks turned crimson. "Well, it looks like our peace-loving knight in shining armor is beginning to show his true colors. People who were on the fence post will now see him for what he really is ... a tyrant."

"Yes they will, but they will also begin to fear him. Most of the world's governments are now under his control. His power has grown to a point where he has become almost invincible, and it would take an act of God to stop him. I'm afraid we're all in for a bit of a bad ride, which is why Captain Moss has probably taken the action that he has."

Hastings stared at her boss, her thoughts returning to the meeting in Gibraltar where Eduardo Acerbi and Pope Michael had tried to warn them. "What do we do now, sir?"

"We pray, Ms. Hastings ... we pray."

CHAPTER 66.

All through the night, Gael and his men, along with most of the able-bodied Israelis, had crept through the forest to the ruins of Lev's castle on the other side of the valley. By now the sun was coming up, and they had only twenty-four hours before Colette, Colonel Demir, and Abbas were due to be executed on trumped-up charges designed to draw Leo and the rest of the Bible Code Team out of hiding.

"We never got to see the damage Rene's rockets caused when they hit the walls," Lev said, staring up at the jagged ruins at the top of the hill. "It's beyond repair."

Ariella put her arm around her father. "We'll rebuild it someday, Daddy. Even better than before. Look, the vineyards look great. Someone must have been taking care of them."

"And why not. Someone should benefit from some of the finest vineyards in the valley."

Gael looked amused as he kicked the earth with his deerskin boots. "Actually, we've been taking care of the vineyards. The wine we served you the night you arrived was made from these grapes. We have several other vineyards scattered among the farms here in the valley ... and gardens too. Like Julian said, we're hiding in plain sight. The sight of people working in the fields around here usually doesn't draw much attention from the authorities."

Lev glanced over at the burned remains of a house at the bottom of the hill. "That was Ephraim's house. There should be an entrance to a tunnel somewhere beneath that pile of rubble."

"We've already checked that," Gael said. "The tunnel entrance is blocked, but a small section of the bottom floor of the castle is still pretty much intact."

"Let's go have a look."

The group climbed to the top of the hill and walked through a jagged opening in a partially collapsed wall. The walls of the rubble-filled grand hall were still standing but open to the sky, which meant that at least one entrance to the tunnels and the rooms below was still intact.

"This will work quite nicely," Lev said, stepping over a crushed timber to stare down into the curved stairwell that led below.

Alon nodded his head. "At least it will provide us with some cover for a few minutes." He turned and clapped John on the shoulder as he looked back through the opening in the wall. "Come on, little brother. Let's take a walk along the perimeter and start laying out our fields of fire. I want that road to the west covered in case we become trapped."

While John and Alon headed down the hill, Lev and Moshe walked with Gael past the splintered remains of the tall entrance doors and sat at the base of the stone steps. Picking up a small stone at his feet, Gael tossed it over his head and watched it bounce down the hill. "I'm still a little confused by the plan. Why not just make a quick raid on the jail itself before they take them to the execution site? Once we have them we're pretty good at disappearing into the forest."

Moshe picked up a stick and began drawing in the dirt at the base of the steps. "Because, that's exactly what they think we're going to do, and they'll be waiting for us. Your scouts reported that every building around the jail is full of Acerbi's men just waiting to pounce on anyone who tries to rescue the prisoners, but they probably haven't considered the fact that we'd wait until the last minute to make our move, especially since they plan to carry out the execution in the middle of a field without any cover. That's why we're going to attack there instead of in town."

Gael tossed another rock into the air and stared down at Moshe's crude drawing of a field surrounded by trees. "You do realize that they will probably have over a hundred soldiers with heavy weapons surrounding the site of the execution. We'll be slaughtered before we can even reach them."

"I figure they'll probably have at least two hundred soldiers guarding the field, plus they'll undoubtedly have armed helicopters scouting the area from the air."

Gael looked up at the sun before he rose to his feet. "I sure hope you people know what you're doing, because my men and I will be with you." Without waiting for a response, he slowly began to pick his way back down the hill to supervise the preparations for the coming battle.

"I wonder," Lev asked, watching Gael walk down the hill. "Do we know what we're doing, Moshe?"

Moshe looked out at one of Acerbi's helicopters crisscrossing the valley floor in the distance near the site of the planned execution before he glanced back down at his crude drawing in the sand. "Well, you know what we always used to say before a battle, Lev. Plans are for the here and now. Outcomes are for the history books."

CHAPTER 67.

The morning of the planned execution dawned under a brilliant blue sky. Even the wind was stilled as birds chirped from the trees surrounding the pastoral field where the burning was to take place. Nature, it seemed, showed no emotion to the horrors of man. Nature was but a stage upon which the unworthy actors of humanity played their parts, and like every play, some actors played good parts and some played bad.

Under the blind gaze of Montsegur's towering ruins perched on a nearby cliff, the good actors crept through the forest around the infamous Field of the Burned and waited. To the west was the Village of the Sun, where Julian's castle lay hidden from view on the top of the mountain, and twenty miles to the northeast, the ruins of Lev's old castle slumbered at the top of a rocky hill like a giant beast, apparently abandoned and waiting for another beast to arrive.

In the village of Foix, the houses were shuttered as if a great storm was approaching. No children played in the streets and no mothers shopped in the stores, for everything was closed down tight as heavy armored vehicles drove through the streets and helicopters swooped by overhead.

Blinking in the sunlight, Colonel Demir, his hands tied at the wrists with plastic cuffs, was the first to be led from the tiny jail to the back of a waiting armored personnel carrier. A few seconds later, Abbas stepped from the building followed by Colette, who seemed to be humming some kind of hymn under her breath. Against the background sounds of radio chatter and the casual banter coming from the young troops lining the streets, the procession moved slowly away from the jail under the close scrutiny of snipers stationed on every rooftop along the route.

At the front of the procession, a camouflaged Humvee with a rotating gun turret on top drove ahead of three armored vehicles full of heavily armed troops, and in the middle of the convoy, the armored vehicle carrying the three condemned prisoners was followed by more armored vehicles, including two tanks that brought up the rear. Alon had been correct in his assessment that bows and arrows were no match for the force guarding the prisoners. To those looking on from the cover of the forest, it seemed that this show of strength was designed more to keep them away rather than draw them out as they had been led to believe.

As soon as the vehicles were clear of the town, the commander riding in the lead vehicle began scanning the surrounding countryside. "I would have thought that if they were going to make a move they would have done so by now. Now the fools will have to face us across open ground. It looks like these prisoners are going to burn after all."

The sergeant driving the commander's vehicle studied the wooden structure before looking away. "Don't you think this kind of punishment is a little extreme, Commander?"

"Our job is to escort the prisoners to the place of execution, Sergeant, nothing more. As soldiers, it is our job to follow orders, and I sincerely hope that I'm not forced to remind you that any failure on your part to carry out those orders would be treason ... which is punishable by death."