Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore Page 0,26

but it is written that 'when the oil of the lamp is used up, the wanker shall light his own way to salvation.'"

"That is not written."

"It is too. In, uh, Isaiah."

"Is not."

"You need to study your Prophets, Josh. How are you going to be the Messiah if you don't know your Prophets?"

Joshua hung his head. "You are right, of course."

I clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll have time to learn the Prophets. Let's cut through the square and see if there are any girls gathering water."

Of course it was Maggie I was looking for. It was always Maggie.

By the time we got back to Sepphoris the sun was well up, but the stream of merchants and farmers that normally poured through the Venus Gate was not there. Roman soldiers were stopping and searching everyone who was trying to leave the city, sending them back the way they came. A group of men and women were waiting outside the gate to go in, my father and some of his helpers among them.

"Levi!" my father called. He ran to us and herded us to the side of the road.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to look innocent.

"A Roman soldier was murdered last night. There will be no work today, now you both go home and stay there. Tell your mothers to keep the children in today. If the Romans don't find the killer there'll be soldiers in Nazareth before noon."

"Where is Joseph?" Joshua asked.

My father put his arm around Joshua's shoulder. "He's been arrested. He must have come to work very early. They found him at first light, near the body of the dead soldier. I only know what has been shouted from inside the gate, the Romans aren't letting anyone in or out of the city. Joshua, tell your mother not to worry. Joseph is a good man, the Lord will protect him. Besides, if the Romans thought he was the killer he would have been tried already."

Joshua backed away from my father in stiff, stumbling steps. He stared straight ahead, but obviously saw nothing.

"Take him home, Biff. I'll be along as soon as I can. I'm going to try to find out what they've done with Joseph."

I nodded and led Joshua away by the shoulders.

When we were a few steps down the road, he said, "Joseph came looking for me. He was working on the other side of the city. The only reason he was near the Greek's house is that he was looking for me."

"We'll tell the centurion we saw who killed the soldier. He'll believe us."

"And if he believes us, believes it was Sicarii, what will happen to Maggie and her family?"

I didn't know what to say. Joshua was right and my father was wrong, Joseph was not fine. The Romans would be questioning him right now, maybe torturing him to find out who his accomplices were. That he didn't know anything would not save him. And a testimony from his son not only wouldn't save him, but would send more people to the cross to join him. Jewish blood was going to be spilled one way or the other over this.

Joshua shook off my hands and ran off the road into an olive grove. I started to follow, but he suddenly spun on me and the fury of his gaze stopped me in midstride.

"Wait," he said. "I need to talk to my father."

I waited by the road for nearly an hour. When Joshua walked out of the olive grove he looked as if a shadow had fallen permanently on his face.

"I am lost," he said.

I pointed over my shoulder. "Nazareth that way, Sepphoris the other way. You're in the middle. Feel better?"

"You know what I mean."

"No help from your father, then?" I always felt strange asking about Joshua's prayers. You had to see him pray, especially in those days, before we had traveled. There was a lot of strain and trembling, like someone trying to force a fever to break by sheer will. There was no peace in it.

"I am alone," Joshua said.

I punched him in the arm, hard. "Then you didn't feel that."

"Ouch. What'd you do that for?"

"Sorry, no one around to answer you. You're soooooooo alone."

"I am alone!"

I wound up for a full-body-powered roundhouse punch. "Then you won't mind if I smite the bejeezus out of you."

He threw up his hands and jumped back. "No, don't."

"So you're not alone?"

"I guess not."

"Good, then wait here. I'm going to go talk to your father myself." I tramped