shore from the storm-tossed sea, so that he might bring the true faith
to us?'
The abbot's eyes filled with tears. 'His holy body was entombed here, in
our nwqdas. The barbarians came and stole the relic away from us. We are
children without a father. The reason for the building of this church
and monastery has been taken away,' he lamented. 'No longer will the
pilgrims come from every corner of Ethiopia to i pray at his shrine. We
will be forgotten by the Church. We are undone. Our monastery will
perish and our monks will be blown away like dead leaves on the wind.'
'When St. Frumentius came to Ethiopia he was not alone. Another
Christian came with him from the High Church in Byzantium,' Mek reminded
him in a soft, soothing rumble.
'St. Antonia.' The abbot reached for his tei flask to allay the
intensity of his sorrow.
Mek agreed. 'He died before St. Frumen 'St. Antonia tius, but he was no
less holy than his brother.'
'St. Antonia was also a great and holy man, deserving of our love and
veneration.' The abbot took a long swallow from the flask.
'The ways of God are mysterious, are they not?' Mek shook his head at
the wonder of the workings of the universe.
'His ways are deep and not for us to question or understand., 'And yet
he is compassionate, and he rewards the devout.'
'He is all'compassionate.' The abbot's tears overflowed and ran down his
cheeks.
'You and your monastery have suffered a grievous loss.
The sacred relic of St. Frumentius has been taken from you alas, never
to be recovered. But what if God were to send you another? What if he
were to send you the sacred body of St. Antonia?'
The abbot looked up through his tears, his expression suddenly
calculating. That would be a miracle indeed.'
Mek Nimmur placed his arm around the old man's shoulders and whispered
quietly in his ear, and Mai Metemma stopped weeping and listened
intently.
have obtained your workers for you,' Mek told Nicholas as they began the
march up the valley the next morning. 'Mai Metemma has promised to give
us a hundred men within two days and another five hundred to follow them
within the next week. He is handing out indulgences to all those who
volunteer to work on the dam. They will be spared the fires of purgatory
if they take part in such a glorious project as the recovery of the holy
relic of St. Antonia.'
Both the women stopped in their tracks and stared at him.
'What did you promise the poor old man?' Tessay demanded.
'A body to replace the one that Nogo plundered from the church. If we do
discover the tomb, then the monastery's share will be the mummy of
Mamose.'
'That's a mean thing to do,'
A Royan exploded. 'You will cheat him into helping us.'
'It is not a cheat.' Mek's dark eyes flashed at the accusation. 'The
relic that they lost was not the veritable body of St. Frumentius, and
yet for hundreds of years it served the purpose of uniting the community
