Chapter One

As it is written in Shnei Luchot Habrit (Two Tables of the Covenant), 1623 Jerusalem: "And the secret of union is the hues of fire. The white fire is above and it never changes, and it does not burn, thus the attribute of mercy is above and it never changes, it does not burn and it never judges ... And the black fire and the white fire are one in prayer."

Toronto, April 30, 2003

White Fire—Tif'eret

A black veil covered the afternoon sky, and soon afterward, the rain came down with a vengeance. Tila was trying to ignore the apocalyptic lightning and write her weekly article for the Urban Fantasies website when Lou called and asked her to meet him right away at the Habana Bar.

She put on the heavy black raincoat she'd bought years before at the army surplus store and ventured out into the rain. It was her birthday tomorrow, and she was sure Lou wanted to surprise her. She hoped he wasn't giving her another of those old maps he collected. He was obsessed with old maps, especially of old Jewish ghettos from all over the world. He'd spend hours on the web in search of antiques dealers or private collectors and find them in the most unexpected places. Once he had contacted an Iraqi bookstore owner who had offered a rare map of the Jewish ghetto in Krakow. Because the seller refused to or could not use conventional delivery methods, Lou had planned to meet him in Baghdad. It took Tila some effort to persuade him to give up the treasure.

Kensington Market was empty. Tila ran as fast as she could. Her umbrella had broken a few days before, but the Habana Bar was not far away from her house.

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