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SEVENTY-TWO
SINAI PENINSULA
MALONE APPROACHED THE METAL-CLAD WOODEN GATE SUNBAKED walls of red granite, their foundations resting on giant buttresses, sloped to a terraced foothold where cypress, orange, leuard Grapevines protected the base A ind kicked up sand
No sign of anyone
Above the gate, Malone spotted more Latin, this time Psalm 118, and he read the pronouncement
THIS GATE OF THE LORD,
INTO WHICH THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL ENTER
"What do we do?" Pam asked He’d noticed that the hostility of the terraintemperament
"I assu
High above the gate, an iron bell rested inside an open tower He walked over and yanked The bell clanged several tiate aopened and a bearded younga straw hat leaned out
"How lish
"We’re here to visit the library," McCollum said
"This is but a monastery, a place of solitude We have no library"
Malone had wondered how the Guardians ensured that soate was an invitee It could take a great deal of time to make the journey, and at no point in the quest had any constraints been ie One not stated in the quest
"We’re invitees and have completed the quest," he called out "We seek entrance to the library"
The door to the portal closed
"That was rude," Pam said
Malone wiped the sweat froates to anyone who shows up"
The portal opened again and the young man asked, "Your narabbed his are Haddad"
"Who are those with you?"
"My associates"
The eyes that stared back were fixed, as if trying to determine if he was a man to be trusted
"A question, if I may?"
"By all means"
"Your route to here Tell me"
"First to Bele, and finally here"
Theclosed
Malone heard bars being reate, then the stout wooden panels inched open and the bearded young y pants, tapered at the calf, a russet-colored cloak tucked into his waistband, and a rope belt His feet were protected by sandals
He stopped before Malone and bowed "Welcoe Haddad You have completed your quest Would you like to visit the library?"
"I would"
The young man smiled "Then enter and find what you seek"
They followed hiates into a dark corridor lined with towering stone that blocked the sun Thirty paces, then around a right angle, and they again found daylight inside the walls, a flourishing space of greenery with cypress trees, palrapevines, flowers-even a peacock paraded about
What sounded like a flute cast a soothing melody Malone spotted the source, a musician perched on one of the balconies supported by thick wooden brackets The buildings were crowded together, each one different in size and cos, vaulted arches, pointed roofs, and narroays A miniature aqueduct channeled water fro up by chance He was ree
They followed Straw Hat
Other than the flute player, Malone had seen no one, though the complex was clean and orderly Sunbeams battled with curtains in the s, but he spotted no etable beds loaded with toht his attention Solar panels discreetly fastened to the roofs and a number of dish antennae, each hidden behind either wooden or stone awnings that sees-like Disney World, Malone thought, where necessities went unnoticed in plain sight
Straw Hat stopped before a wooden door and opened its lock with an oversized brass key They entered a refectory, the cavernous dining hall decorated with religious e Ceiling boards alternated between chocolate and butter yellow, interrupted by a diaold stars
"Your journey was surely long," Straw Hat said "We have food and drink"
On one of the tables lay a tray of sand-brown loaves and bowls of tomatoes, onions, and oil Dates were piled in another bowl Still another held three huge poranates A kettle emitted steam and he smelled tea
"That’s kind of you," Malone said
"Real kind," McCollum added "But we’d like to see the library"
The bony face betrayed the young man’s testiness, but only for an instant "We prefer you to eat and rest Also, you "
McCollum stepped forward "We’ve completed your quest We’d like to see the library"
"Actually, Mr Haddad has completed his quest and has earned entry There was no invitation extended to you or the wo these two, your invitation would normally be voided"
"Then why am I here?"
"An exception has been made"
"How do you knoho I am?"
"You knew the route of your quest"
Straw Hat offered nothe door behind him
They stood in silence
Finally Pary"
Malone was, too He laid his rucksack on the table "Then let’s accept their hospitality"
SEVENTY-THREE
MARYLAND
STEPHANIE AND CASSIOPEIA RUSHED FROM THE RESTAURANT Nothing could be done for Larry Daley His vehicle was a charredThe explosion had been confined to the car, doing little daeted strike
"We need to go," Cassiopeia said
She agreed
They hustled to the Suburban and jumped in, Stephanie behind the wheel She inserted the key, but hesitated and asked, "What do you think?"
"Unless the president wired this car with a bomb, we’re okay No one went near it while ere in there"
She turned the key The engine roared to life She drove away just as a police car rounded a corner and wheeled into the parking lot
"What did he tell you?" Cassiopeia asked
She suht he was full of crap Conspiracies to kill Daniels But now-"
An ambulance raced past them in the other lane
"No need for them to be in a hurry," she said "He never knehat hit him"
"A bit dramatic," Cassiopeia said "There are a lot quieter ways to kill him"
"Unless you want attention drawn to the fact The deputy national security adviser being car-bo deal"
She was driving slow, keeping well below the speed lihway She stopped at an intersection and turned south
"Where to now?" Cassiopeia asked
"We need to find Green"