“I saw a lantern in that window. People must live there. Real people.”
“Do you want to stay?” Sapphira asked. “I mean, where would you go? Everyone you ever knew has to be long dead, and the people here won’t even speak the same language you did.”
“I know, but . . .” Elam shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I don’t want to sound mean or anything, but I don’t belong down there with the underborns. Besides, I’d be the only male, and that would be . . . well . . . difficult.”
“Not with you always being such a gentleman. We would all trust you.”
“Trust me or not, it would still be difficult.” He retied his belt, though it didn’t seem to need it. “I guess you wouldn’t understand.”
Sapphira folded her hands in front of her and lowered her chin. “I think I do.”
Elam lifted her chin with his fingers. “That’s actually a compliment, you know.”
She gave a slight nod and whispered, “I know.”
Turning to the side, Elam nodded toward the valley. “Besides, Elohim gave me an important assignment here. Now that you and the other girls are safe, I can do it.”
“Elohim gave you an assignment? When? How?”
“When we were dancing, he sang a song, and the words keep repeating in my mind.
O son of Shem, so brave and true,
Come learn of love’s fulfilling vow.
The land of life calls out to you,
The blood of Christ your refuge now.
’Tis dragons you will find and serve,
But first take care of what you need,
To root and sprout and grow and bloom,
And Lazarus provides the seed.
“Whew!” He wiped his sleeve across his brow. “That’s a lot better than the other song I kept hearing.”
“You’re right,” Sapphira said, nodding. “You have to stay here.”
Elam lowered his head. “It sure looks that way.”
“And I’ll stay with you.” She hooked her arm around Elam’s. “At least we’ll have each other, and I might know the language here. After the tower fell, I had to study a long time to figure out Mardon’s, so Morgan used me as a sort of translator over the years for all the new languages she came across.”
“What about Paili? Who’ll take care of her?”
“Acacia and the other girls are there, and I could go back and visit whenever I wanted to. It’s not like I would be abandoning them.”
“You can’t live up here.” Elam set a finger under her chin again. “I mean, look at you! With your hair and eyes, if the people are anything like what they were before, they’ll think you’re some kind of angel.”
Sapphira touched the ends of her hair. “An angel?”
“Or a demon. Most people I knew were superstitious. They attacked anything they didn’t understand, and they would never understand how someone so different can be . . .” Elam chewed on his lip and shifted his weight again.
“Can be what?”
“Can be . . . so kind . . . so thoughtful.” He lowered his gaze to the ground. “So perfect.”
Sapphira took Elam’s hand. “As long as you’re with me, I don’t think I have anything to worry about.”
A man’s voice shouted from behind them in an odd language.
“What did he say?” Elam asked.
Sapphira whirled toward the source. “He said, ‘Who’s there?’”
Elam stepped in front of Sapphira. “Can you translate for me?”
“Yes. I know this language. Morgan made sure we trained especially hard for this one.”
As Elam whispered to her, Sapphira spoke the translation in a loud voice. “Sir, if we are trespassing, we are very sorry and will leave immediately. Allow us to go our way in peace.”
Lantern light flashed across Elam’s eyes, and the voice calmed. “There are no trespassers in Christ’s courtyard. All true seekers are welcome.” The shadowy form of a man ambled down the slope, keeping one leg stiff to brace against falling. The light revealed a generous smile on his narrow, aged face.
As Sapphira quickly translated, Elam pulled her close beside him. “Hide your eyes,” he whispered.
She jerked out her coif and tied it on, pushing her hair underneath and veiling her eyes.
“Two of you, eh? We can make room. Are you two married?”
Sapphira shook her head, then Elam did the same.
The man pointed at his face. “I was wondering, with the veil, you know, maybe she was a new bride. Are you brother and sister?”
Sapphira whispered the words to say. Elam tried to parrot them, but they came out skewed. “No,” Elam said in the man’s language. “We are just . . . together.”