God's Lions - The Dark Ruin (8 page)

Standing at the end of the table, Mendoza tapped on his glass. “Cardinal, if you would be so kind as to do the honors.”

“Oh ... yes, of course.” As the unwelcome signal traveled down his tired legs and urged his muscles to move, Leo stood with a grunt and made the sign of the cross over those gathered around the table.
“Let us pray. Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from your bounty. We ask that you watch over those who have gathered here together in your name, and that you open our eyes, for our purpose here has yet to be revealed. We also beseech you to guide us out of the darkness, for we are blind to your wishes, and it is only by your light that we will walk down the true path you have set before us. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.”

Resuming his seat across from Abbas, Leo could hear the man muttering the words,
Bizmillah ar
-
Rahman
,
ar
-
Raheem
. It was a traditional blessing all Muslims said individually before beginning a meal.

“I have to say,” Leo said, shaking out his napkin, “that it’s very heartening to see a group of people from so many different faiths breaking bread together around the same table.”

“It helps when you’re with a group that’s united against a common enemy, Cardinal,” Abbas added. “No matter how profound our ideological differences may be, I think most of us understand that we must place our petty squabbles aside and stand shoulder-to-shoulder against the coming darkness ... a darkness I fear may soon envelop the entire world. If we could all only learn to embrace our differences, a united mankind could be a very powerful force against any threat.”

Leo smiled through the paraffin-infused smoke given off by the candles. “I believe your words match those spoken to us by the Holy Father the day before we left Rome.”

“I’ve heard that the pope is a very wise man, and that his battles against the forces of darkness are legendary. It’s unfortunate that the political and religious rhetoric we’ve been bombarded with on a daily basis seems to advocate violence as the only solution to problems that have plagued humanity for literally thousands of years. If people could just stop for a moment and emulate our little gathering here tonight, our little planet might be able to step back from the brink of a very deep abyss.”

Mendoza retrieved a bottle of Spanish wine from a wooden case and set it on the table. “Unfortunately, politics and religion have always resembled blood sports in my view
. My way or the highway! Death to the unbelievers!
” Mendoza raised his glass in a mock salute. “As a matter of fact, using sports as an analogy isn’t so farfetched,” he continued. “Just throw on some different-colored jerseys and you have a soccer stadium full of people primed to fight one another in the name of team spirit. Every year, all around the world, people die in post-game rioting just because their favorite team lost. It’s all very tribal, and if you can’t expect people to come together for something as benign as a soccer game without killing one another, then good luck in bringing warring religions together around a campfire and expecting them to sing
Kumbaya
. With all the increasing religious tensions that have been building up over the past few years, world peace continues to remain an insurmountable goal that’s dangled before our eyes in a cruel taunt.”

“What about you, Cardinal?” Abbas said. “What are your thoughts on all of this?”

“Well, I’ve always said that if you want to solve a problem you have to go after the root cause, but when you’re dealing with a problem that’s become so global, things tend to get a little confused in the fog of differing world viewpoints. It could be that we’re finally beginning to see some of the darker after-effects of the information age, especially now that we can all disagree with one another at the speed of light from behind the cloak of anonymity provided by the internet. Who knows? But there is one common denominator I think we can all agree on. It seems that most of the unrest we’re seeing now is centered on the Middle East.”

“I agree,” Diaz said. “Who could have foreseen that a bunch of ignorant nomadic sheepherders would have been able to penetrate America’s defenses and mount such a vicious and deadly attack on U.S. soil—an attack that even the military powers of Germany and Japan were unable to pull off in WWII.”

Abbas took a sip of orange-and-cinnamon-laced tea and stared up into the star-filled sky before his dark eyes focused in on Diaz. “Unfortunately, some of those ignorant nomadic sheepherders you refer to were smart enough to turn your own technology against you.”

“I meant no offense, Abbas,” Diaz responded in an uncharacteristic show of empathy, “but I’m a practical man with little patience for political correctness, which in my opinion only serves to get in the way of honest dialogue. I was merely stating a fact. For years now, vast sums of money from oil have been flowing into the tribal hands of a group of people whose minds are stuck in the 14
^th
century. Their newfound wealth has given them the ability to force their beliefs on large numbers of people by funding the radical elements within their religion, and we all know what religion that is.”

“You’re referring to Islam, of course,” Abbas said, “but there have been wealthy Muslims all along, Doctor, and they didn’t let money pervert their religion into something unrecognizable to the rest of us. Before oil, the sultans of old were some of the wealthiest people on the planet due to the spice trade. The word Arab is synonymous with trade, because they’ve been some of the most successful traders in the history of the world. This recent trend toward violence against the west using religion as an excuse is an aberration of our faith, and those who are doing it are about to lead us all down a very dark path. They’ve created some very fertile ground for a very destructive future that has the ring of Armageddon to it.”

Mendoza rubbed his temples before reaching for his glass of wine. “Which begs the point of why Eduardo chose to move to Iraq of all places.”

“Wasn’t there something in the Book of Revelation about Babylon becoming the center of the world after the Antichrist appears on the scene?” Evita asked. “Maybe that’s where we should be looking for answers.”

“I’ve heard that the Antichrist would sit on the throne in Rome.” Mendoza winked at Leo.

“Yes, some have made that interpretation,” Leo said, ignoring his friends playful jab, “but I have to say that I’m not one of those who take everything I read in that book literally. Many esteemed biblical scholars have come up with some vastly differing views of what John was trying to say in his cryptic writings. Regardless, it makes no sense for Eduardo to take his family and move to Babylon at this point. If his son is really who we think he is, then he’s still just a teenager ... hardly an age for someone to be taken seriously when they step onto the world stage.”

“Maybe they’re getting a head start by setting up their power base there now,” Evita ventured.

“Who knows,” Leo continued. “That’s certainly one possibility to consider. But Iraq is still a very unstable piece of real estate, and any foreigner would almost certainly be a target for extremists right now, especially if they’re not Muslims.”

Abbas’s eyes narrowed as he peered over his tea at Leo. “Being a Muslim doesn’t necessarily guarantee your safety there, Cardinal. As a matter of fact, it may even make it more dangerous, especially if, like me, you’re a Sunni Muslim. For years, Saddam and his Sunni ruling class dominated all aspects of Iraqi life, creating fierce enemies within the Shiite majority. Now that he’s gone, a huge power vacuum exists within the country. The war has opened the door to extremists, and it seems like Muslims all over the region are more intent on killing one another right now than they are on attacking the west.”

“Which makes it even more puzzling as to why Eduardo has decided to move there now,” Leo continued. “Unless he knows something we don’t, he and his family are sitting ducks out there all by themselves. The American military has finally pulled all of their troops out of the country, which means there’s only a small private security force left to protect him and his family.”

Abbas spread the buttery mussels on his plate and squeezed a lemon wedge over the fleshy meat. “Are you really that naïve, Cardinal?”

Leo blinked hard at the remark. “Naïve? In what way?”

“Do you really think the crusader army has abandoned Iraq?”

“Crusaders!” Diaz’s eyes flashed in unrestrained anger from his end of the table. “I find it difficult to believe that a progressive Muslim like you, with all of your education and so-called understanding of Christianity, could refer to the American army as a bunch of crusaders. That’s extremist rhetoric.”

“Not really, Doctor, especially when you look at the big picture from an historical point of view.” Abbas’s tone remained calm and measured. “I happen to be one of those people who believe we can all live together in peace, but I’m also a realist, and it doesn’t take a strategic genius to see a plan developing ... one that has probably been in the works since the last Crusader knight rode off into the sunset over the mountains of Turkey after the last Crusade.”

“Ok, Mr. Sadik ... let’s hear it,” Diaz said, frowning.

Abbas stirred his tea before continuing. “OK ... here goes. Before 9/11, most Americans, not to mention the rest of the world, looked upon Islam with about the same passing interest that they gave to the sun coming up every day. But after the terrorist attacks, America found herself at war with a religion ... something that had never happened before in her short but glorious history. America wasn’t attacked by a country; she was attacked by a religion ... a concept so unimaginable that many Americans had a hard time trying to comprehend what had just happened.”

“You’re right about that,” Morelli said. “I’m still trying to come to grips with it.”

“You may find it hard to believe, Bishop, but there are many of us in the Muslim world who are on your side, because almost overnight, Bin Laden and his merry group of terrorists had turned a large part of the world against our religion. What he did was so unimaginably stupid that many of us wondered about his sanity. It was almost as if he was sowing the seeds for the destruction of his own faith ... a faith he claimed to be defending. You don’t go around poking a sleeping dragon for no good reason, especially when the only reward you will receive will be a fiery death when it awakens, which brings me back to the point I was making when I referred to the Americans as crusaders. Just think about it for a moment. Why did the Americans spend billions of dollars building the largest and most fortified American embassy in the world right in the middle of Bagdad before making a big show of leaving? I mean, everyone knows they still have quick-reaction Special Forces teams scattered in secure bases all over the country with stockpiles of men and supplies sitting just across the border in Kuwait. Add that to the fact that they still rule the skies and you can see that they have no intention of leaving the region any time soon.”

“I think we can all agree that there’s a very good reason for a continued U.S. presence in the area,” Leo said, leaning forward on the table. “The country still has a long way to go, and right across the border you have a country like Iran that is becoming increasingly aggressive in its quest for nuclear weapons.”

“Exactly, Cardinal,” Abbas agreed, shoving his plate away. “Please keep in mind that all of this talk is just theory, but some see a larger goal in mind. It’s true that people who claimed to be radical Islamic terrorists attacked America, but they were based in Afghanistan, and many of them were either Saudis or Egyptians. Why then go after Iraq? Hussein was a ruthless dictator, but there are equally ruthless dictators and regimes around the world, so why hasn’t America gone after them? It was common knowledge that Saddam actually kept the terrorists from operating in his country. Most of them were Shiite’s after all, and he was a Sunni like me. Everyone knew he hated the Shiites, and that helped to keep the Shiite radicals in Iran out of Iraq. Also, as proven after the fact, there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, yet America still invaded. Why? Because they needed a base in the Middle East, that’s why.”

“And why would they need something like that?” Diaz prodded.

“So they could take out Iran. A lot of people have suspected that Iran has been the real target all along because they’re the world’s greatest exporter of international terrorism and have been a thorn in the side of the West ever since the Ayatollah and his theocratic regime came into power. By taking down Iraq, America opened the door to Iranian aggression, and the Iranians have fallen right into the trap by behaving just as the American intelligence community predicted they would. They behaved stupidly and began threatening Israel, and this gives the U.S. and their allies a perfect excuse to invade. The Crusaders have returned once again carrying a different flag, and just like before, they have stirred up a hornet’s nest.”

Leo’s attention was drawn to Abbas’s theories with a mixture of curiosity and concern. “I hate to disagree with you, Abbas, but I believe the hornet’s nest existed before America became involved. Rather than lay the blame on some vast CIA conspiracy, I would suggest that the U.S. was only responding to the surprise attacks made by radical Islamic terrorists on American soil.”

“But that’s just my point, Cardinal. I have my own theory that both sides have played right into the hands of someone else who is dealing the cards. I don’t believe America or its allies understand just who it is they’re really fighting against, and neither do their enemies. Personally, I believe we’re all in a war together against an evil that’s greater than any of us realize, and it’s about to lead the entire world to the brink of a very dark abyss.”

“Explain.”

“After the terrorist attacks against America, the world became a religious powder keg, and what better way for the Antichrist to light the fuse for Armageddon than to put a modern day crusader army back into the Middle East surrounded by enemies. Already Russia, the bear to the north, has sided with Iran ... an event, if I’m not mistaken, that was foretold in Revelation. And now, with Iran reaching out to become a nuclear power, Israel is poised to strike. Try for a moment to project forward just a little to see what’s about to happen. What seemed unimaginable only a few years ago is now happening, and anyone who tries to expose a very cunning but evil sleight of hand is at grave risk.”