“Heard you the first time.”
The taxi pulled to a stop.
Will’s demeanor toward Bear had relaxed. Bear’s heroics yesterday must have finally earned Will’s trust.
“Let’s go then.”
The instant they departed the taxi, Maddy regretted leaving the cool sanctuary of the cab. The heat was an oppressive force, more intense than the Sacramento heat by what seemed an evil factor of two. Perhaps it was made worse by the head scarf she was wearing to try and fit in with the women in the crowd.
She tried to focus on something besides the heat as they joined the throng and headed for the entry to the Dome, which was through a wooden walkway next to the entrance of the Western Wall called Mughrabi Gate. As usual, she was the tallest woman in the crowd, but today she appreciated the ability to scan for threats.
Israeli security forces checked their bags for weapons, religious artifacts, and anything with Hebrew letters, all which were forbidden in an attempt to keep the peace between Jews and Muslims. They had prepared for the check-point and were allowed through.
Bear looked up. “Pretty impressive building, eh?”
“It is,” Will replied. “How old did you say it was?”
“Old. It was built around 691. The dome was re-plated with gold donated from a Jordanian king in 1994.”
“Real gold, huh? Pricey. What about all that fancy tile?” Will asked.
“That was added around six hundred years ago. It took seven years to do all the tile work.”
“It puts my office tile bathroom in Brazil to shame. Do we have any idea what we’re looking to find here?”
“Based on the clue to listen for the souls of the dead, I suspect we look inside.”
“Sure, but for what?” Will repeated.
Maddy broke in. “Hopefully, we’ll know it when we see it, or hear it--how about we divide and conquer?”
Bear turned to look at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “What do you suggest, Ms. Marshall?”
“How about I look for whatever it is from the ground to head-high? Bear, you can overlap me a little bit from waist-high to above head-high and Will, as the tallest, you get the top section to the ceiling.”
“Sounds good, let’s head on inside.” Bear started walking.
Maddy and Will followed suit.
The first thing she noticed as they walked into the mosque was that the cool interior dampened the furnace of the day down to something bearable. It was still warm, but she no longer felt like a lamb on a roasting spit. She took a deep breath and looked around.
It looked like another world. The sense of open space and stained-glass windows reminded her of cathedrals she had visited, but there was a background noise of tour guides and people talking that had never been present in those churches. Also, the complex symbols, colorful tiles, and rich carpets all distinguished this house of worship as Eastern rather than Western.
There were also inscriptions. Probably Quranic.
Every square inch seemed to have some sort of colorful, lavish pattern highlighting its surface.
In the taxi, Bear had mentioned a mosque takeover attempt that had occurred about a month ago, and as she took a closer look, evidence of an uprising was plain. He touched her arm and pointed out the dark smudges on the carpet.
Was that blood? There were chips in several walls. A hole in the stained glass.
She sighed at the desecration. Such a long-standing feud. It lent a disturbing feel to the space that made the hair on the back of her neck rise.
The three of them nodded to each other and split up to draw less attention while they searched.
She walked around the back of the mosque first, behind the circle of pillars. There was gold inside the building, too, up in the dome, and at the top of the pillars, but nothing looked out of place, or like a clue.
Next, she climbed a set of stairs and peered over the railing to get a good look at the Foundation Stone. It was the rock that Jews believed to be the place on which Abraham had almost sacrificed Isaac, the rock that Muslims believed was the spot from which the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, had ascended into Heaven. And, she’d learned, because it was the site of the original temple, many Evangelical Christians believed that the destruction of the Dome would usher in the End of Days.
Okay, Ramiro, why here, at the intersection of three of the world’s major religions, and what the hell am I looking for? The grim humor of the spiritual juxtaposition made her smile.
Eyes wide open, she continued to look around for any sort of suggestion that they were on the right track. If the clue did lead here, a good number of her ancestors had been here and left empty-handed.
Before she could get too frustrated though, she reminded herself that Isabella, or Ferdinand, had found something, somewhere, and that lifted her spirits. If the clue didn’t lead here, Maddy would keep looking until she found where it did lead.
A bell tolled and she decided that they needed to head downstairs into the Well of Souls. Time was running out for the day.
She looked around, spied Bear, and walked over to him while looking for Will. Will stood twenty feet away, staring down at the Foundation Stone. Why is he looking down, instead of up?
As she and Bear started toward him, Will turned and walked over to join them. “Time to head downstairs?”
“I think so,” Maddy replied. “That bell meant that there’s only fifteen minutes left in this visiting period. They’ll be rounding us up and out soon.”
She didn’t want to go downstairs into what looked like a cramped, low-ceilinged room, but she followed Bear down into the cave-like space. No sounds of dead souls greeted her, not even the ghost of her father’s voice.
The Foundation Stone above, and the area hewn out of rock below, made the space feel crowded. She felt a bubble of anxiety growing in her belly and watched the stairwell as an escape route. The ceiling was way too low for comfort. In spots, she guessed, Will would have to bend his knees to keep from hitting his head.
“There must be fifty people down here,” she whispered to Bear.
“At least,” Bear whispered back.
Scanning the crowd, she was glad she’d worn a head scarf. She realized she might not have even been able to get in without one, as every woman in sight wore some sort of scarf, hijab, or full burka.
In the crowded cave, the three of them again broke apart to scan the walls and floor for any sort of clue. The contrast from upstairs to downstairs was extreme--every inch upstairs was covered in some sort of colorful decoration. Down here was just hand-hewn rock, although she did see a shrine in a corner. There wasn’t much to look at, but she scanned anyway.
After about ten minutes of staring at blank rock walls, guides spoke above and the throng started to head back upstairs. At least there was a little more breathing room as the crowd thinned.
The three of them drew back together near the side of the stairs.
Will scratched his beard. “I give up, what about you guys?”
Maddy wondered why he didn’t just shave his beard off, if it bugged him so much.
“This is so frustrating,” she said.
Bear scanned the room. “I think we’ve looked at every square inch.”
Maddy released an exasperated breath, realizing her shoelace had come untied. “Except under these stairs.”
She squatted down, retied her shoe, and surveyed the space. There was a slight, black stain on the lower part of the wall, behind the stairwell. Is that a stain? Or is it a symbol?
She looked up and around. They were now the last ones in the cave. A sound like a firecracker popped in the distance.
They looked at each other. Will raised an eyebrow and Bear swore under his breath. Another crack echoed through the mosque, and then trampling feet thundered above their heads.
Bear peeked up the stairs.
“That sounds like gunshots,” Will whispered.
Part of her realized they might be in trouble but the other part of her cont
inued to look back at the dark smudge. Focus. It took shape in her mind.
Bear pointed upstairs. “Get down! It’s probably another mosque takeover. Hurry!”
Excited, Maddy ignored him and motioned for Will and Bear to come over. “It looks like a symbol.”
Will used his key-ring flashlight to illuminate the spot and, in the dim light, Maddy recognized it as Ramiro’s signum regis from the castle.
Bear inhaled sharply.
For a moment, she froze. Tentative, she reached out and touched it. As she explored it with her fingers, it seemed to give a little, so she pressed. It gave farther and then something clicked as it released.
Underneath the stairs, where there had, a moment before, been a wall, a low door swung inward. Before she could stop him, Bear ducked down and walked right through it.
CHAPTER 28
2:30 p.m.:
“Bear, wait!” Will exclaimed. But it was a futile request. Bear was already disappearing inside a low door. Where does it lead? Is it safe?
Above the Rock, through the stairwell that led to the mosque above, loud male voices and more gunfire were getting louder. Closer.
Maddy gave Will a look that he knew meant, “Hurry up!”
She grabbed his sleeve and followed Bear.
Will ducked down and allowed Maddy to lead him into a hand-carved tunnel that began at the low opening. As he passed through the doorway, he moved the beam of his flashlight around. There was nothing but dust and a metal lever on the wall by the door.
Maddy looked at the lever, too. “Quick, shut the door!”
“Not a good idea for us to be up there,” Bear whispered.
Will felt like a condemned man about to head to the gallows and could feel Maddy did as well, although her feeling was probably more related to the low ceilings. But he wanted to avoid any more shooting, so he gave in and pulled the lever. The door shut with a solid click.
Shining his small flashlight beam down the meter-wide tunnel, Will followed the light. Bear and Maddy walked behind him. Shadows danced on the stone walls. The ceiling was just tall enough that Will didn’t have to duck, for which he was grateful, as his thighs hurt from bending his knees in that cavern above.
They were silent as they followed the dusty passage through its meandering path underneath the Old City, until they came upon a tunnel opening to their right.
Will’s flashlight beam lit up the opening. “Are we safe now? Enough to talk? What do you think of this tunnel? Do you think we solved the clue?”
Bear replied in his laconic drawl, “Yeah, we’re a little ways away. This is clearly a side tunnel.” Bear pointed. “See how it’s narrow, compared to this main tunnel?”
“Maybe it’s for supplies or ventilation,” Maddy said.
“So, we keep on?” Will asked.
“I think so,” Bear replied.
The three of them headed farther into the passageway.
Nervous, Will tapped his fingers along the wall as they passed, but after Bear had saved his life at the river, he knew he could trust him.
Maddy touched her necklace. “And I think we solved the clue. Remember, it read: ‘Find the center of the world that looms over an abyss, a bottomless pit. Listen and you can hear the souls of the dead.’ That was Ramiro’s sign at the entrance to this tunnel.”
Will couldn’t argue with her logic. As they moved along, he lost track of the number of rounded corners they turned, and he also couldn’t tell how much deeper they were going underground, although they’d been moving at a slight but steady decline almost since they started.
After what could have been ten minutes, or half an hour, a wooden door appeared at the end of the passage. They stopped and stared at it for a minute.
“Do we knock or just go in?” Bear asked.
“Do you think it’s not dangerous?” Will asked.
“Safer than going back,” Maddy replied. “It’s polite to knock.”
Bear rapped on the door three times. “Yes, ma’am.”
Will put his ear to the door and was knocked off balance when it swung inward. He fell through the door, and nearly into, a small-statured, gray-haired woman wearing a white smock, white pants, and tiny white shoes. Her skin was pale, her gray hair long and caught up in a bun at the nape of her neck. Her soft brown eyes registered a wide-eyed look of deep surprise behind her silver-rimmed glasses.
Heart racing in astonishment, Will jumped backward and hit Bear’s chest with a thud.
As the old woman backed away from the door, she started to speak in a language that Will didn’t recognize.
At their blank looks, she tried two other languages before dropping into accented English. “Oh my goodness, come in, come in. It’s been decades since anyone has made it through that door, simply decades. Are you part of the Argones family? You must be, they’re the only ones who would see--come in. Please.” As she gestured for them to come inside, she continued to prattle, “I’m amazed that door still works, I should get Samuel to grease the hinges. And if I hadn’t happened by on my way to the library--”
Darting behind them, she shut the door and then moved in front of them again. Will noticed the old king’s sign carved into the top panel on this side of the dark wooden door.
They were in a broad stone chamber, lit from...could it be?...oil lamps that hung on the walls. Numerous other doors lined the walls in both directions.
Will could feel Maddy’s confusion and excitement, mirroring his own emotions. Bear’s head was swiveling everywhere with what Will was sure was curiosity.
“Follow me, follow me.”
Before he could ask any questions, she shuffled away, so they fell into line behind her.
Her hands gestured all around, “This is the grand entryway. You can see all the other doors from passages all over the city. Yours was the first, of course, but so long. It’s been so long.”
Will had no idea what she was talking about.
“Let’s see if we can find Samuel for a proper welcome,” the woman in white continued.
She sidestepped through a doorway at the end of the entryway and into a dim wood-paneled room, large enough for two old desks, two bookshelves, and multiple antique chairs. Will wondered how the furniture had made its way down here. A man thin as a skeleton, also attired in white garb, sat at one of the desks. His hair, what was left of it, was white and cut so short that he appeared to be bald. His eyes were wide set above a thin-lipped mouth and he had a longish nose, which reminded Will of a lizard.
The lighting was more of the oil lamps he’d seen on the way here. The woman motioned for the three of them to take chairs as she stood near the man.
“What are your names?” But before they could respond, the woman said, fingers fluttering, “I’m Edith and this is Samuel. We’re gatekeepers of a sort, the Guardians of the Jerusalem Testing Society, a thousand-plus-year-old institute established by your ancestor, Ramiro. He is your ancestor, is he not? You two have the look.” She glanced at Will and Maddy then at Bear. “Looks like a bodyguard, but those days are past. A friend or suitor, perhaps?”
Bear blushed. Interesting. Will figured Bear’s feelings to have been a thing long past.
Maddy jumped in, pointing at Will. “Yes, William there and I are descendants of Ramiro. We’re here on a quest that he established. Can you help us?”
Edith smiled and touched the older man on the shoulder. “Ah yes, help. If you can call it that.”
The man, Samuel, also wore glasses, but there was cautious amusement in his eyes. He put his hand on the woman’s forearm in a gesture of intimacy and spoke in a deep baritone. His voice also bore traces of an accent. “Let’s slow down and welcome you first. Would you like a beverage and may I ask your names?”
Since Will had already been announced, Maddy and Bear introduced themselves and said they would like something to drink.
“It’s a pleasure to meet descendants of Ramiro. Such a lovely surprise at the end of our tenure here. We are getting old
, you see, and our eldest will be taking over with his wife soon. We’ve had guests from many other famous families, but yours is the most famous of all.” Samuel shared a guarded glance with Edith. “How are you related to our last Argones guest, Maximillian?”
Will sat up straight. “He was our grandfather but passed away when we were young. Can you explain more about the institute, please?”
“Of course,” Samuel continued in his slow, melodic voice. “You must have many questions. Your ancestor, Ramiro One, had something that he wanted protected, something that he wanted only the worthiest of his descendants to have.”
Worthy? This doesn’t sound good already.
“He established this institute to oversee a series of tests to determine whether his progeny would prove able to handle the power inherent in what he wanted hidden.”
Tests? Dear god.
“Later, after newlyweds Isabella and Ferdinand passed through here flushed with success, they spread word of the institute to other European families who decided similar testing was appropriate for their own goals. Those other families have helped maintain the funding required to keep this place running.”
What other families?
“But we’re not at liberty to discuss those other families with you and if you stay, you must not discuss your situation with other students, nor they with you. This place is a doorway of sorts. For your family, you must pass through here if you wish to find the Aragon Châsse.” Samuel paused.
“We’ve heard of the Aragon Châsse. What do you know of it?” Will asked.
“Young man, I think the better question is what’s inside the châsse. Do you know exactly what a châsse is?”
Will had a rough idea from their conversation with the king and was about to say so when Bear said, “It’s typically a medieval casket with sloping roofs, like a small house.”
Will pressed his lips together.
“That’s right!” Samuel raised his thin eyebrows in a surprised, good-job type gesture. “What else do you know about the little boxes?”
An embarrassed flush crept up Bear’s face, so Will jumped to Bear’s defense, saying, “He has studied history.”
The Lost Power: VanOps, Book 1 Page 11