by Chad Brecher
“What is it?!”
Alex gripped the box in his hands. He turned it over, examining both crests. “You’re a genius!” Without thinking he reached out and placed the palms of his hands against each of Ellie’s cheeks, brought her lips against his, and kissed her. Ellie’s eyes opened wide with astonishment. Alex pulled away with equal surprise and gave an awkward smile.
“Sorry about that,” Alex muttered as Ellie’s cheeks flushed. Alex attempted to change the subject and showed Ellie the box. “These two crests aren’t the same. I can’t believe that I didn’t see it until now, but on this side, all three birds are walking to our right — East. On the other side…” Alex flipped the box over. “…the first two birds are walking east. The final one is walking west! This can’t be an accident. If my hunch is right…
“Ellie, hand me that paperclip, please.” She passed it to him and watched with intrigue as he straightened it out. Alex brought the tip of the now straightened paperclip to the head of the bird facing west and advanced it. A small door pushed backwards as the tip of the paperclip disappeared into the box. It traveled a short distance before meeting resistance.
“It’s a keyhole,” Alex pronounced with a smile. He lifted the metal rod with the matching image of the bird from the table and removed the paperclip from the hole. Alex held aloft the key and brought it flush against the center image of the bird. The key slid effortlessly into the hole. Meeting resistance, he turned the key clockwise and watched as the lid of the box sprung backwards like a music box. Together both Alex and Ellie gripped the box tightly and tilted it towards themselves, held their breath, and peered inside.
29
In the center of the box were two large diamonds, secured in separate metal baskets. Alex reached into the box and plucked one of the jewels out of its casing. It was easily the largest diamond he had ever seen. He held it up to the desk lamp. As the light struck the gem, it sparkled wondrously, sending refracted beams of white light throughout the atrium. Alex twirled the diamond between his fingertips and watched as a seemingly infinite number of dots shimmered, dancing on the walls, tables, floor, and bookcases. They twinkled like stars on the ceiling.
“They’re beautiful,” Ellie pronounced, mesmerized by the magnificence of the jewels. “They must cost a fortune.” Alex handed the diamond to Ellie, who delicately cupped it in her hands. He retrieved the second and held it up to the moonlight. It appeared identical.
“It reminds me of a story most academics have come to consider as an apocryphal tale.” Ellie broke away from inspecting the diamond and peered at Alex. “It involved the return of the Polos to Venice after decades in the East. As the legend goes, the Polos returned to Venice after over twenty-five years away, dressed in traditional Mongol clothing. Having been absent for so long and dressed in such strange attire, they were not recognized by their family and friends. When these apparitions attempted to tell about their marvelous journey to the East, they were accused of being charlatans and frauds. As the story goes, the three men withdrew knives and cut away the lining of their coats. Precious jewels spilled out onto the floor. Needless to say, their story became instantaneously more believable. Maybe the legend was not too far off. The Polos, remember, were primarily traders of jewels.”
The two of them sat in silence staring at the diamonds.
“Is there anything else in the box?” Ellie asked.
“You mean more than just freakin’ huge priceless rocks,” Alex joked. He tilted the box, allowing the light from the lamp to shine into it. There were two lines of writing between the two baskets. Both were written in Latin. Alex transcribed it onto a yellow legal pad and studied the words.
“It says…
Escaping Diocletian Wrath
Not Eternal Sin
“Another riddle,” Ellie complained. She reached for the laptop computer with wireless access to the Internet. “Diocletian was the Roman Emperor famous for the baths…let’s see.” Alex watched as she typed his name into a search engine.
“It says here that he was the Roman Emperor from 284 to 305 AD. He enacted military and economic reforms…blah, blah, blah. It says here the he presided over the mass persecution of Christians. His ‘Edith Against the Christians’ ordered the destruction of Christian places of worship, assemblage, and texts. Over three thousand Christians were killed. This included Pope Marcellinus, Saint Doimus, and Saint Sarah.”
“Saints? Look up…” Alex swiveled the Yule-Cordier version of The Description of the World in his arms. “…Saint Proculus.”
Ellie keyed in the name and pulled up a reference. “It says that Saint Proculus was the Bishop of Verona who was persecuted by Diocletian but managed to survive the ‘Edith Against the Christians,’ ultimately dying of natural causes in Verona in 320 AD.”
“Escaping Diocletian Wrath,” Alex pronounced.
“…Not Eternal Sin,” Ellie finished. “This must be referring to the Biblical sin of man…the legendary fall from grace. Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation and ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge. They were banished from Eden and lost their immortality.”
“We need to see if the Church of San Procolo still exists.” Alex pulled the laptop away from Ellie and started a new search. He sifted through numerous listings that were not helpful, finally settling on a site with a directory of Christian churches in Verona. Navigating through the material, he stopped at a link to the Basilica San Zeno. “It says here that there is a small Church housing the remains of Saint Proculus attached to the Basilica San Zeno. It was built in the sixth or seventh century and was rebuilt after the 1117 earthquake. It’s in Verona. It would have been around during Polo’s lifetime. This has got to be where Polo is leading us! The third symbol must be there!”
Ellie looked over Alex’s shoulder as he scrolled through the screen. He brought up a map of Verona and located the Basilica San Zeno near the west bank of the Adige River. Ellie turned the page of the legal pad she had been using to take notes on and drew a rough map of Verona. She made a small sketch of a church with a cross and marked it C. San Proculus, and circled it. Ellie flipped through the legal pad, surprised by how many notes she had taken over the last couple of hours.
“I don’t trust Redmund,” Ellie declared as she placed the legal pad on the table.
“Neither do I, but he may be onto something here — something of great historical importance. People do not take elaborate steps to hide a secret unless it is significant.”
“Are you trying to say that Marco Polo found the Garden of Eden?” Ellie asked incredulously.
“I’m not a religious person. What I do know is that Marco Polo was gone for a long time. Most of this time remains a mystery. I would love to find out what he was doing during this time and why it was such a secret. I don’t think it is too far-fetched to believe he could have searched for the Garden of Eden during his trip to the East. The legend of the Garden, after all, was commonly believed to have existed by most people during the medieval period.”
“As for Redmund, he did save our lives. He may be eccentric but he is a rich eccentric with a lot of resources. I don’t think we could do this alone.”
“I don’t know, Alex. It’s alluring to have a rich patron bankrolling your research, but you lose your independence. He says that we are free to leave at any time, but did you see all the security around this compound. I can’t help but to feel like one of the doges — a well-cared-for prisoner.” Ellie shook her head with reluctance. “I just don’t trust him.”
Ellie rubbed the balls of her hands against her eyes. She yawned uncontrollably, rose to her feet, and stretched her arms towards the ceiling. “I’m going to turn in. You coming?”
Alex peered up from the laptop that was resting on his knees for a moment. “I just want to check something before I go to sleep. You want me to walk you back?”
Ellie smiled. “I don’t think it’s necessary. I’m sure the guard outside the library will be happy to keep an eye on me.”
30
Her face felt flushed as the door to the library slowly swung shut behind her. The night air was cool and refreshing. She stood in front of the doorway for a moment and peered at the guard stationed by the library door. The man was dressed in a dark, fitted suit. A transparent wire ran alongside his neck and attached to an inconspicuous earpiece. Ex-military, no doubt, Ellie thought, staring briefly at his tightly cropped blond hair and stone-faced grimace. She nonchalantly bobbed her head and gave an uncomfortable smile.
“I’m going to turn in for the night,” Ellie said, uncertain if the explanation was necessary.
“Yes, ma’am. Goodnight,” the guard replied without a hint of emotion.
Ellie shrugged and strolled along the walkway leading back to the house. Small iron pendant light fixtures suspended above the walkway swayed in the breeze, creaking slightly and sending menacing shadows across her path. She glanced over her shoulder and could see the guard watching her while talking into his sleeve.
She left the walkway and began to walk along the grass bordering the rows of grapes. The sky was a brilliant black, lit only by pinpoint stars and a crescent sliver of silver moon. She could hear the wind rustle the vines. She breathed deeply the air and sat down on the grass, drawing her knees close to her chest. Ellie closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, but the past always had a way of sneaking up on her when times were most still.
The sunlight streamed into the room through the broken blinds. Her eyelids fluttered momentarily and lazily opened. She watched the dust float in the brilliant yellow light. The intramuscular injection of morphine left her dulled and content, floating on a warm narcotic tide. Ellie tried to focus her pinpoint pupils upon her hands but could only see huge wads of gauze wrapped around them like a pair of flippers. The white of the gauze was stained with a dull maroon.
The soldier arrived at her bedside with the stealth of a priest preparing to read the last rites. His young face appeared strained and uncomfortable as he held the camouflage cap tightly against his side.
“Ma’am? Dr. Griffin…ma’am,” he muttered, his eyes trying to catch Ellie’s. Her eyes rolled back and forth, finally settling on the soldier. She tried to talk but found her mouth unbearably dry and could only muster a nod.
“We, uh…have something for you. We were going through Dr. Russell’s belonging and uh…ma’am…we believe that this is yours.” The soldier’s right hand shook as he explored his pocket and withdrew a gold ring with a square diamond fastened to it.
“Where?” Ellie’s tongue stuck to her lips.
“It was in Dr. Russell’s pocket.”
“Mistake…” Ellie shook her head and breathed heavily.
The soldier tilted the ring and drew her attention to an inscription on the inner aspect of the band. “It says…’To my beloved, Eleanor, my timeless treasure.’”
Her eyes swelled. The back of her throat burned with bile.
The soldier froze with uncertainty, holding the ring between his thumb and index finger. He looked down at her mummy-wrapped hands. “I’m sorry, ma’am. We all are. I’ll just set it down right here.”
Ellie silently watched as the soldier placed the ring on the nightstand beside her mattress and quickly retreated to the door. She stared at the ring as the door clicked shut. The ring fragmented in a kaleidoscope of color through her tears.
Ellie wiped the wetness from her cheeks with the back of her hand. A soft pop in the distance helped focus her thoughts. She felt disoriented, having lost her sense of time. She pushed herself up, coughed into her fist, and walked back towards the house. Ellie climbed up an incline and found herself on the patio where earlier they had breakfast. She rounded the table and lifted the glass from the surface. The withered ball of brown that was the Resurrection plant was now a vibrant green plant. Amazing, Ellie thought and deposited it back on the table. As she backed away from it, her heel ran up against an object that sent her toppling backward. She caught the edge of the table at the last moment, preventing her from completely losing her footing.
She cursed under her breath and looked at the ground beneath her feet. A darkened form was stretched out on the stone surface. Ellie’s heart galloped as she bent down. The burly man was dressed in the familiar dark suit of Clay’s security service. A black hole was perfectly centered in his forehead, his eyes staring fixed into space. Ellie pulled herself closer to the table, her eyes darting about. She could see a wet spray of blood, brain matter, and bone on a wooden column beside the table. Ellie apprehensively peered out at the darkness of the vineyard. She could hear several faint pops in the direction of a security booth by the entrance to the complex. The lights flickered momentarily and suddenly went out, plunging the patio into darkness.
She froze with fright behind the table. Alex! Ellie thought with panic. She needed to find him. She crawled over to the body of the security guard and blindly reached out into the blackness, searching through the man’s pocket. She came away with a set of keys with a small flashlight attached to them. She clicked on the flashlight and directed it into the palm of her hand, producing a red-orange glow. Ellie made for the walkway and stopped. She thought for a moment and rushed back to search under the man’s coat. Her fingers found the edge of a leather holster, settled upon the grip of a lightweight pistol, and pulled it free. Having never held a gun before, she cradled it awkwardly in her hands before tightly gripping it. She once again made for the brick pathway.
She scampered across the walkway with the gun held by her side. The little moonlight there was delicately illuminated the poles that supported the canopy over the path. In the distance, she could make out the façade of the library and as she maneuvered closer to the door, a darkened form appeared to be sitting beside it. She scurried over to the body, clicked on the flashlight, and directed the beam at the man’s face. The blond-haired security guard’s eyes were rolled back in his sockets. Ellie panned the beam across the man’s body, discovering a partially coagulated puddle of blood trailing away from the guard’s chest.
A rapid burst of machine gun fire broke through the stillness and Ellie swung around. An explosion blew out windows from the house. Her nails clenched the grip of the gun. I need to warn Alex, Ellie thought frantically, her fingers finding the handle to the library door. As she attempted to pull it down, a hand suddenly reached out in the darkness and covered her mouth before she could scream. A vice-like arm wrapped around her torso and pinned her arms against her chest. The flashlight and keys fell onto the ground with the beam directed up. She was able to hold onto the gun and began to struggle, twisting her body. She drove the heel of her shoe hard on her attacker’s foot and felt the grip momentarily lessen. Ellie let her body drop to the ground and found that she was able to escape the man’s grasp. Spinning around she held the gun up and directed it at her attacker. The barrel shook in her hands.
She could hear the man curse and take a step towards her. Ellie responded with a flinch and tightened her grip on the gun. “Don’t come any closer. I’ll shoot.”
“Dr. Griffin. Stick to the books. Guns aren’t your thing, I’m afraid. Leave that to the experts.” Jonas stepped into the light and snatched the gun from her hand with a quick slap. He held the gun up to her by the barrel. “Next time, take the safety off and don’t hesitate if you mean to use it.” Ellie trembled as Jonas slipped the gun into his waistband and then bent down to retrieve the keys and flashlight. He switched it off and tossed it into the darkness.
“This flashlight is going to get all of us killed. They have snipers,” Jonas complained and turned to walk away.
All of us, Ellie thought. She hesitated by the door. Jonas turned around and peered at her impatiently. “You coming?”
Ellie scurried to his side and followed him into the darkness. Jonas silently crept across the grass until they reached the edge of the vineyard. She felt a sense of relief upon seeing Alex crouched behind a row of grape vines. Alex greeted her with a smile and embraced her.
&nbs
p; “I thought they had gotten you,” Alex exhaled.
“I thought the same,” Ellie replied, momentarily burying her head in his chest. She looked sideways and could see Clay kneeling beside Alex. Clay’s blue eyes were silver in the moonlight and strangely calm. He nodded to her briefly before conferring with Jonas in whispers. Jonas shook his head, slipped on night-vision goggles, and crawled to the edge of the vegetation and looked out into the darkness.
“I thought they would come for me, but not this soon,” Clay muttered and shook his head back and forth. “They mustn’t get these items.” He motioned to a leather satchel slung over Alex’s shoulder.
Jonas returned and pulled off the goggles. “We need to go now. Come on!”
They pushed further into the immense vineyard, their shoes digging into the soft soil as they ran along rows of grape vines. They cut across the aisles when an opening permitted and moved southeast away from the complex. Alex could just make out the roof of the library in the distance. A rustle ahead sent the four of them plummeting to the ground. Face down in the dirt, they could hear the sound of footsteps several rows away. Alex tried to place the sound, carefully lifted his face from the ground, and turned his head to the right. He could make out black boots through the twisted vines several rows away. The movement of the boots suddenly halted and he could hear the sound of a cartridge being loaded into a gun.
We’ve been seen! Ellie fought the desire to push herself up from the ground and run. The tendons in her wrist tensed in anticipation as her fingers dug into the soil.
With her cheek against the ground, she could see Jonas shake his head with disapproval. His hand gripped a sleek black gun by his head, ready to spring up and unleash a stream of bullets.
The boots started moving again towards the main house. They waited in the shadows as the footsteps finally faded away.