who had been one of the most vital (and frightening) men I'd ever seen, had been reduced to such a pathetic creature in so short a time. Then again, I was discounting the theatrics of it all.
"A great injustice has been done here," said Josh. He moved to the guard and gently put his hand on the blind man's shoulder. "Brother, I am here to relieve your suffering."
"Pity on the blind," said the guard, waving around a wooden bowl.
"Calm now," said Joshua, placing his hand over the blind man's eyes. "When I remove my hand you will see again."
I could see the strain in Joshua's face as he concentrated on healing the guard. Tears trickled down his cheeks and dripped on the flagstones. I thought of how effortless his healings had been in Antioch, and realized that the strain was not coming from the healing, but from the guilt he carried for having blinded the man in the first place. When he removed his hand and stepped away, both he and the guard shivered.
Joy stepped away from us and covered her face as if to ward off bad air.
The guard stared into space just as he had while he had been begging, but his eyes were no longer white.
"Can you see?" Joshua said.
"I can see, but everything is wrong. People's skin appears blue."
"No, he is blue. Remember, my friend Biff."
"Were you always blue?"
"No, only recently."
Then the guard seemed to see Joshua for the first time and his expression of wonderment was replaced by hatred. He leapt at Joshua, drawing a dagger from his rags as he moved. He would have split my friend's rib cage in a single swift blow if Joy hadn't swept his feet out from under him at the last second. Even so, he was up in an instant, going for a second attack. I managed to get my hand up in time to poke him in the eyes, just as Joy kicked him in the back of the neck, driving him to the ground in agony.
"My eyes!" he cried.
"Sorry," I said.
Joy kicked the knife out of the guard's reach. I put an arm around Joshua's chest and pushed him back. "You need to put some distance between you and him before he can see again."
"But I only meant to help him," said Joshua. "Blinding him was a mistake."
"Josh, he doesn't care. All he knows is that you are the enemy. All he knows is that he wants to destroy you."
"I don't know what I'm doing. Even when I try to do the right thing it goes wrong."
"We need to go," said Joy. She took one of Joshua's arms while I took the other and we led him away before the guard could gather his senses for another attack.
Joy had a list of supplies that Balthasar wanted her to bring back to the fortress, so we spent some time tracking down large baskets of a mineral called cinnabar, from which we would extract quicksilver, as well as some spices and pigments. Joshua followed us through the market in a daze until we passed a merchant who was selling the black beans from which was made the dark drink we'd had in Antioch.
"Buy me some," Joshua said. "Joy, buy me some of those."
She did, and Joshua cradled the bag of beans like an infant all the way back to the fortress. We rode most of the way in silence, but when the sun had gone down and we were almost to the hidden road that led up to the plateau, Joy galloped up beside me.
"How did he do it?" she asked.
"What?"
"I saw him heal that man's eyes. How did he do it? I know many kinds of magic, but I saw no spells cast, no potions mixed."
"It's very powerful magic all right." I checked over my shoulder to see if Joshua was paying attention. He was hugging his coffee beans and mumbling to himself as he had for the whole trip. Praying, I presume.
"Tell me how it's done," Joy said. "I asked Joshua, but he's just chanting and looking stunned."
"Well, I could tell you how it's done, but you have to tell me what's going on behind the ironclad door."
"I can't tell you that, but perhaps we can trade other things." She pulled the tail of her turban away from her face and smiled. She was stunningly beautiful in the moonlight, even in men's clothes. "I know over a thousand ways to bring pleasure to a man, and
<<Previous page Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 1 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 2 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 3 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 4 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 5 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 6 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 7 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 8 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 9 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 10 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 11 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 12 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 13 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 14 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 15 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 16 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 17 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 18 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 19 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 20 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 21 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 22 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 23 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 24 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 25 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 26 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 27 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 28 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 29 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 30 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 31 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 32 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 33 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 34 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 35 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 36 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 37 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 38 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 39 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 40 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 41 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 42 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 43 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 44 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 45 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 46 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 47 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 48 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 49 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 50 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 51 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 52 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 53 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 54 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 55 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 56 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 57 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 58 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 59 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 60 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 61 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 62 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 63 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 64 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 65 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 66 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 67 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 68 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 69 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 70 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 71 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 72 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 73 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 74 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 75 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 76 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 77 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 78 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 79 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 80 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 81 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 82 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 83 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 84 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 85 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 86 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 87 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 88 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 89 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 90 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 91 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 92 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 93 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 94 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 95 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 96 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 97 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 98 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 99 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 100 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 101 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 102 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 103 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 104 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 105 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 106 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 107 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 108 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 109 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 110 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 111 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 112 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 113 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 114 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 115 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 116 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 117 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 118 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 119 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 120 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 121 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 122 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 123 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 124 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 125 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 126 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 127 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 128 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 129 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 130 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 131 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 132 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 133 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 134 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 135 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 136 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 137 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 138 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 139 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 140 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 141 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 142 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 143 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 144 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 145 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 146 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 147 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 148 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 149 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 150 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 151 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 152 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 153 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 154 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 155 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 156 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 157 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 158 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 159 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 160 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 161 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 162 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 163 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 164 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 165 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 166 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 167 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 168 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 169 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 170 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 171 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 172 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 173 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 174 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 175 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 176 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 177 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 178 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 179 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 180 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 181 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 182 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 183 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 184 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 185 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 186 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 187 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 188 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 189 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 190 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 191 Lamb The Gospel According to Biff Christs Childho - By Christopher Moore - Page 192
Next page>>