She returned to her work. She was using papyrus, a material that a trader on his way from Egypt had recently brought, asking her to write some commercial letters that he had to send to Damascus. The sheet was not of the best quality, and the ink blurred frequently. "Even with all these difficulties, it's better than drawing on clay."
Neighboring countries had the custom of sending their messages on clay tablets or on animal skins. Although their country was in decadence, with an obsolete script, the Egyptians had discovered a light, practical way of recording their commerce and their history; they cut into strips a plant that grew on the banks of the Nile and through a simple process glued the strips side by side, forming a yellowish sheet. Akbar had to import papyrus because it could not be grown in the valley. Though it was expensive, merchants preferred using it, for they could carry the written sheets in their pockets, which was impossible to do with clay tablets and animal skins.
"Everything is becoming simpler," she thought. A pity that the government's authorization was needed to use the Byblos alphabet on papyrus. Some outmoded law still obliged written texts to pass inspection by the Council of Akbar.
As soon as her work was done, she showed it to Elijah, who had been watching her the entire time without comment.
"Do you like the result?" she asked.
He seemed to come out of a trance.
"Yes, it's pretty," he replied, giving no mind to what he was saying.
He must be talking with the Lord. And she did not want to interrupt him. She left, to call the high priest.
When she returned with the high priest, Elijah was still in the same spot. The two men stared at each other. For a long time, neither spoke.
The high priest was the first to break the silence.
"You are a prophet, and speak with angels. I merely interpret the ancient laws, carry out rituals, and seek to defend my people from the errors they commit. Therefore I know this is not a struggle between men; it is a battle of gods--and I must not absent myself from it."
"I admire your faith, though you worship gods that do not exist," answered Elijah. "If the present situation is, as you say, worthy of a celestial battle, the Lord will use me as an instrument to defeat Baal and his companions on the Fifth Mountain. It would have been better for you to order my assassination."
"I thought of it. But it wasn't necessary; at the proper moment the gods acted in my favor."
Elijah did not reply. The high priest turned and picked up the papyrus on which the woman had just written her text.
"Well done," he commented. After reading it carefully, he took the ring from his finger, dipped it in one of the small vessels of ink, and applied his seal in the left corner. If anyone were found carrying a papyrus without the high priest's seal, he could be condemned to death.
"Why do you always have to do that?" she asked.
"Because these papyri transport ideas," he replied. "And ideas have power."
"They're just commercial transactions."
"But they could be battle plans. Or our secret prayers. Nowadays, with letters and papyrus, it has become a simple matter to steal the inspiration of a people. It is difficult to hide clay tablets, or animal skins, but the combination of papyrus and the alphabet of Byblos can bring an end to the civilization of any nation, and destroy the world."
A woman came running.
"Priest! Priest! Come see what's happening!"
Elijah and the widow followed him. People were coming from every corner, heading for the same place; the air was close to unbreathable from the dust they raised. Children ran ahead, laughing and shouting. The adults walked slowly, in silence.
When they arrived at the southern gate to the city, a small multitude was already gathered there. The high priest pushed his way through the crowd and came upon the reason for the confusion.
A sentinel of Akbar was kneeling, his arms spread, his hands tied to a large piece of wood on his shoulders. His clothes were in tatters, and his left eye had been gouged out by a small tree branch.
On his chest, written with slashes of a knife, were some Assyrian characters. The high priest understood Egyptian, but the Assyrian language was not important enough to be learned and memorized; it was necessary to ask the help of a trader who was at the scene.
"'We declare war,'" the man translated.
The onlookers spoke not a word. Elijah could see panic written on their faces.
"Give me your sword," the high priest said to one of the soldiers.
The soldier obeyed. The high priest asked that the governor and the commander be notified of what had happened. Then, with a swift blow, he plunged the blade into the kneeling sentinel's heart.
The man moaned and fell to the ground. He was dead, free of the pain and shame of having allowed himself to be captured.