feeling as though he had escaped his fate as an outcast and a wanderer, he rather enjoyed his improbable status as a pillar of the establishment. Yet imaginary dialogues with the weather god hardly fulfilled his ambition. His marriage, he felt, was a beginning of a new life, but by no means a final destination.
So it was that he began, with Tutok’s support, to accelerate Nod’s economic vitality. The first venture was corn—a crop that had first been developed by a nearby city. Messengers had brought kernels, and the soil of Nod had received them hospitably. Cain had pointed out the plant’s myriad uses, and Tutok enthusiastically assigned several thousand acres of his estates to the new enterprise. He even offered his son-in-law a large plot of land as a wedding present, but Cain politely demurred.
He could show others how to till the soil, he knew, but he would never be able to do it himself—not since the curse.
The second venture was banking. The inhabitants of Nod had long made loans in kind to their less fortunate fellows in the form of olives, dates, seeds, or animals. But now, upon Cain’s urging, the more wealthy citizens added a premium. Usury in Nod was born, at first amounting to an annual rate of 10 percent, but swiftly climbing to 20 percent and higher.
The third venture was slavery. Nod did indeed have neighbors, and Cain was quick to see that the city’s resources equipped it ideally to dominate the region. Slavery had existed in the city before, but not on the massive scale envisioned by Cain. All it took, he told his compatriots, was a little organization.
While these developments took shape, at home Ushar gave birth to a baby boy at the beginning of the harvest season. In an elaborate ceremony several weeks later, Cain named his son Enoch. He proudly held the boy up for the crowds to see.
“ You , Enoch, are my harvest,” he proclaimed.
CHAPTER 10
Ercolano: Present Day
AS THE BELLS FROM a nearby campanile pealed their summons to the faithful for Sunday mass, Juan Carlos and Silvio shouted Amanda’s name down the crack in the wall through which she had entered. Only echoes came in reply.
“I heard the sound of the bronze doors closing,” said the young Spaniard. “That’s why we have no communication with her.”
“What do you think we should do then, Grandson?”
Juan Carlos checked his watch. “We gave her three hours maximum. It’s now nearly nine o’clock. I say we should call for a government search and rescue team. Maybe one of the rescuers will be small enough to fit in the crack and reach the door. Then they can use a blowtorch to open it. Otherwise, Amanda may run out of breathable oxygen.”
“Let’s not panic. If we are patient, she’ll probably find her way out.”
“But it’ll take some time to get the team here,” Juan Carlos objected. “By the time they go to work, she may be in deep trouble.”
“No, no, don’t worry,” Silvio reassured him. “She’s not going to run out of air. That chamber is vast. Besides, a rescue call will alert the media. You remember why we scheduled this project for a Sunday morning, so as not to attract attention.”
“Yes, but now…” Juan Carlos pressed his case on the older man.
“And besides,” Silvio broke in as he lowered his voice. “There is another concern. The entrance to the crack lies on a site we have full rights to excavate. But according to my calculations, the chamber lies underneath private property. Technically, we are trespassing.”
Juan Carlos thought for a moment. Then he said, “Wait a minute! You said the chamber was vast. How do you know the dimensions?”
With a heavy sigh, Silvio drew a photograph from his jacket pocket. “I want to show you something. Let’s take a walk so we can ensure we’re in private.”
With his arm around his grandson’s shoulders, Silvio ambled casually down the pathway, which paralleled the rock wall through which Amanda had slipped several
So it was that he began, with Tutok’s support, to accelerate Nod’s economic vitality. The first venture was corn—a crop that had first been developed by a nearby city. Messengers had brought kernels, and the soil of Nod had received them hospitably. Cain had pointed out the plant’s myriad uses, and Tutok enthusiastically assigned several thousand acres of his estates to the new enterprise. He even offered his son-in-law a large plot of land as a wedding present, but Cain politely demurred.
He could show others how to till the soil, he knew, but he would never be able to do it himself—not since the curse.
The second venture was banking. The inhabitants of Nod had long made loans in kind to their less fortunate fellows in the form of olives, dates, seeds, or animals. But now, upon Cain’s urging, the more wealthy citizens added a premium. Usury in Nod was born, at first amounting to an annual rate of 10 percent, but swiftly climbing to 20 percent and higher.
The third venture was slavery. Nod did indeed have neighbors, and Cain was quick to see that the city’s resources equipped it ideally to dominate the region. Slavery had existed in the city before, but not on the massive scale envisioned by Cain. All it took, he told his compatriots, was a little organization.
While these developments took shape, at home Ushar gave birth to a baby boy at the beginning of the harvest season. In an elaborate ceremony several weeks later, Cain named his son Enoch. He proudly held the boy up for the crowds to see.
“ You , Enoch, are my harvest,” he proclaimed.
CHAPTER 10
Ercolano: Present Day
AS THE BELLS FROM a nearby campanile pealed their summons to the faithful for Sunday mass, Juan Carlos and Silvio shouted Amanda’s name down the crack in the wall through which she had entered. Only echoes came in reply.
“I heard the sound of the bronze doors closing,” said the young Spaniard. “That’s why we have no communication with her.”
“What do you think we should do then, Grandson?”
Juan Carlos checked his watch. “We gave her three hours maximum. It’s now nearly nine o’clock. I say we should call for a government search and rescue team. Maybe one of the rescuers will be small enough to fit in the crack and reach the door. Then they can use a blowtorch to open it. Otherwise, Amanda may run out of breathable oxygen.”
“Let’s not panic. If we are patient, she’ll probably find her way out.”
“But it’ll take some time to get the team here,” Juan Carlos objected. “By the time they go to work, she may be in deep trouble.”
“No, no, don’t worry,” Silvio reassured him. “She’s not going to run out of air. That chamber is vast. Besides, a rescue call will alert the media. You remember why we scheduled this project for a Sunday morning, so as not to attract attention.”
“Yes, but now…” Juan Carlos pressed his case on the older man.
“And besides,” Silvio broke in as he lowered his voice. “There is another concern. The entrance to the crack lies on a site we have full rights to excavate. But according to my calculations, the chamber lies underneath private property. Technically, we are trespassing.”
Juan Carlos thought for a moment. Then he said, “Wait a minute! You said the chamber was vast. How do you know the dimensions?”
With a heavy sigh, Silvio drew a photograph from his jacket pocket. “I want to show you something. Let’s take a walk so we can ensure we’re in private.”
With his arm around his grandson’s shoulders, Silvio ambled casually down the pathway, which paralleled the rock wall through which Amanda had slipped several
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