Unlike the other entries in the diary, brother Federico had not included any notes about the source of this myth, or about the place and time he obtained it. There were just a few lines written immediately after the text: To professor Paolo Donato: Copy of ‘Dreams from the Old World’, presentable set of photos, accompanying letter. To professor Leo Goodman: Copy of ‘Dreams from the Old World’, a selection from the oral tradition, records, photos of the tablets, letter. This was written in darker ink than that used to write down the text of the myth. This meant that he added the note was some time after he obtained the myth.
Slowly, as if he were handling something fragile, James placed the diary in the middle of the table. “I’ve been deluded. I’ve made a mistake,” he said in a low voice.
Lino looked at him surprised. “What is it?”
“Read the last few pages,” said James, pointing at the diary.
After Lino finished reading, he lifted his head; he was breathing heavily and his cheeks were flushed. He had read the text with such concentration that he had almost stopped breathing. “That’s huge! Assuming it’s an authentic Indian tale,” he said, panting.
“We can’t be one hundred per cent sure. Yet this diary contains only samples of Indian mythology and folklore. We could assume that this myth is authentic.”
“It would appear then that the cult people are pretending to be the successors of those ‘gods’ and worshippers of the so-called Snake-Spirit.” Lino waved his arms and shook his head in disbelief. “What kind of people could kill because of such—?”
James’ strange fixed look halted him in his tracks. In the next second, Lino’s expression changed because an unbelievable thought had flashed through his mind. “Nooo … You don’t think that?”
“I do,” James retorted. “The cult has enormous financial resources. Its followers are ready to give their lives for their cause. God knows how many of their groups exist all over the world. You yourself claim that these people have been working for centuries to achieve world domination.”
“Yes. Although I never imagined they could have been among us for millennia.”
“I assume that they not only pretend to be, but really are successors of those so-called gods,” James continued. “That means that through known human history they’ve tried a number of times to resurrect their kingdom. Of course, they’ve never acted directly, highlighting their own names and goals. We don’t know how many wars, revolutions, or rebellions have been triggered by them under false pretexts. Fortunately, until now they haven’t achieved their objective.”
“So now we’re experiencing another of their uprisings.”
“Not just another one. Probably the most dangerous one.” James’ voice was hard and cutting.
The two men were silent and thoughtful for some time.
“I never anticipated that one day you and I would swap roles,” said Lino. “Now I’m the sceptic, not you.”
“You may think I’ve been led by my emotions, but it’s not true. I want to focus your attention on another important point though. Don Federico wrote in his diary: ‘The gods, their priests and multitudes of servants were marked by the Snake-Spirit so they could see each other’s souls.’”
“Maybe the term ‘marked’ means something like initiation,” Lino suggested.
“Okay. Let’s assume that the initiated ones could ‘see’ each other in a way impossible for others. This makes them a kind of brotherhood, a clan with a special bond. That’s the reason behind their dedication.”
Lino suddenly cheered up. “Yes. This could explain the diligence, the cohesion, the unbreakable secrecy these people have shared and maintained. But we’re still guessing—”
James interrupted. “At this point I’m not seeking proof which could be sustainable in court. It would be a mistake to stick to a pure scientific approach in this investigation. I intend to rely more on my intuition.”
Lino gave him an enigmatic smile. “I’m thinking about destiny’s oddness. What are the chances! As an individual, you’re possibly the worst enemy they could have. Much worse than I could be.”
James paused before responding. “Until recently, I also thought all this had been a matter of fate and chance. But not anymore.” His tone carried a hint of sadness.
“Don Federico’s notes have obviously changed quite a lot for you. It’s not easy for me to move ahead with your speed,” Lino admitted.
“I’ve pursued the wrong path from the beginning. I neglected the obvious and narrowed my range ... I mean the deductions I made after analysing the symbols left around Stefan Costov’s body,” James added on seeing the lack of understanding on Lino’s face.
“I presume you’re talking about the excessively Sumerian slant of your interpretation.”
“Exactly,” James praised his assumption. “This cult is rooted in prehistoric times. There was no separation between the sacred and profane in the life and consciousness of men of that time. Life was religion; religion was a way of life. Many old texts state that in ancient times humankind was united. There were no different states, religious systems. The pantheon of gods was the same everywhere. Viewed in such a context, the symbols left by Costov’s killers can be considered universal. Ningishzida was an echo from the past inherited by the Sumerians. The same goes for the two serpents as his distinctive symbol.”
“Do you think that Don Federico’s tale is an Indian story retold from legends from the old world? That’s to say, an archetypal myth which fed some known ancient myths, like Atlantis’s submergence, for example?” Lino asked.
“Both could have had the same source. Why not?”
“Yes. Theoretically, it’s possible. It’s also possible that this source was a collection of real prehistoric events.”
“This particular myth is not typical for the indigenous population of Ecuador, or for the South Americas,” said James. “Yet I can’t dismiss some coincidences. Like the remarks about the two snakes – of the gods and the people – that lived in peace and harmony, or the settling under the rainbow which the survivors stole from the peak of the Island Mountain. In their chronicles, the Spanish conquistadors described the Inca Empire’s flag as depicting a rainbow, a king’s crown beneath, and a snake at each side. Why not assume that the Indians are descendants of the survivors who escaped the destruction of that Island Mountain? The Inca kings were considered divine, sons of the sun. The castes of the nobles and the clergy in the Inca Empire were clearly separated from the rest of the population. The Empire’s social structure resembled the one of the old world from the myth where gods and ordinary people lived together although separated. The Incas built pyramids, which architecturally resemble the description of that Island Mountain. Why not assume their predecessors passed on to them the social system and knowledge they brought from the old world?” He paused.
Curiosity had visibly overtaken Lino. He looked like he had experienced every passing second like a minute. “All right. One – these are intriguing resemblances. Two – the cult uses a symbol code dated thousands of years back. What can we conclude?” he asked impatiently.
“All becomes crystal clear. It’s simple.” James looked at Lino as if expecting him to figure the answer out by himself.
Excited, Lino urged him to continue. “Go on, James. You don’t want to give me a heart attack!”
“The story repeats itself. The cult kills people who are obstacles in their way. This is exactly what their predecessors did on the Island Mountain. These are not necessarily highly developed minds, as I thought in the beginning. Rather, these people have something in them that can’t be easily seen or perceived. In the myth, there are lines about ‘awakening’ men whose souls ‘shined with new light’, also about the ‘First Truly Awakened One’. You know who was called the Truly Awakened One?”
“Gautama Buddha.”
“I think the myth tells a story about an ancient Buddha and the diffusion of his teaching. Buddhism is just the opposite of the enslaving beli
efs, which dominated the old world. The followers of that Buddha would not want to live a lie and obey so-called gods like lambs.”
“That sounds right. They would not continue to worship the Snake-Spirit, creator of all existence, either. The Buddhists consider the universe to be nobody’s creation. It’s without beginning and without end. However, non-violence is one of the fundamentals of the Buddhist religion. Its genuine followers would not have raised weapons against those gods.”
“Buddhist teaching might be peaceful and perfect. The ordinary Buddhists are not like that. The followers of that Buddha were ordinary men and women, not saints. His teaching sparked them to strive for freedom. The gods, of course, wanted to extinguish this impulse. The people rebelled and defeated them.”
“I’m trying to see all this through the prism of what’s happened recently. This speculation doesn’t explain the murders of the Bulgarian scientist, the German in Algeria and the three bodies in the Indian jungle,” said Lino.
“I’m sorry if I sound like a madman preaching the Apocalypse. But even if I wanted to, I couldn’t think differently—”
“I know the feeling.”
James smiled. “The people the cult has killed so far were ‘illuminating’ souls. I suppose that kind of people somehow restrain the cult’s expansion. One could call them sentinels of the sparks of freedom bequeathed to the world from that ancient Buddha. That’s why the killers carve swastikas on their chests. In eastern symbolism, the swastika is a symbol of the awakened mind.”
“Many statues in the Buddhist temples have swastikas on their torsos, palms, or feet,” Lino added.
“The cult perpetrates ritual killings in the same way as described in Don Federico’s myth—”
“With a horn,” Lino interrupted, his voice croaking slightly because of his excitement. “That means the cult knows who these ‘illuminating’ people are.”
“It’s said in the myth that they were discovered through some device named the All-Seeing Eye. That sphere drawn in the diary could be a depiction of it.”
“If the cult has been in possession of that Eye for a long time, their actions would have been well known to the world. They would have killed many illuminating souls. Such ritual killings couldn’t have stayed hidden.”
“Good argument,” said James. He thought for a moment. “Maybe in the present epoch there are simply not many such souls.”
“No.” Lino was categorical in his objection. “It would mean that the cult people have already achieved their goals. The theory is that these souls are still in their way, isn’t it?”
James articulated his thoughts. “What if that sphere had been lost for centuries?”
“Maybe this Eye only opens during certain periods. The transition of our planet from Pisces to Aquarius could be such a period,” Lino suggested.
James shook his head in disagreement. “The myth states that the priests used the Eye continuously. The dominance of the gods had been sustained due to it.”
“Only when ‘an alien wind blew from the ocean’ was it veiled. Only then did it become possible for the first teacher to wake up and inspire people to fight.”
“I suppose the Eye disappeared amid the turbulence of the riot. It could have sunk together with the Island Mountain.”
“The cult people have discovered it somehow. Let’s say it happened not so long ago. Put it like that and it explains why we’ve seen ritual killings only recently,” said Lino.
“Exactly. Maybe even with that Eye these people can’t be found so easily. The cult may only discover them one by one … or with long intervals between each,” James added.
“That would slow the cult down as well. It sounds logical.”
James pushed his chair back and jumped up. “I think it’s time we drove back to Florence,” he said. “I’ll call Irina to tell her what we’ve found out. I want her to check on the two professors as well, to see if their names are mentioned in Don Federico’s police file.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Italy
This time James was behind the wheel. Lino had propped his knees against the dashboard, his head resting on the seat, his eyes half closed. After leaving the monastery they had travelled in silence, each wrapped up in his own thoughts. They strayed from the route to Florence because Lino had decided to visit his mother. James was going to take him to the place she was staying and then continue alone to Florence. Once there, he was going to wait in the hotel for Irina.
Lino spoke first. He sounded concerned. “I came up with something. I was thinking … about Elizabeth and you. As the cult attacked both of you—”
“Do we belong to the ‘illuminating’ souls?” James finished his question.
“Yes,” Lino confirmed, sounding confused.
James was cheered by his question. “This thought has crossed my mind too. Although it’s clear that I’m not a special person. I wouldn’t say Elizabeth was special either. What the cult thought about us I don’t know.”
“I’d say you’re special … in your own way.”
“The way Elizabeth was killed goes against that assumption.”
“I’m sorry, James. How did it happen?”
“According to the police, her death was most probably accidental. The blow to her head, which killed her, happened because she resisted or tried to escape. I don’t buy their thesis. My guts tell me she was murdered in cold blood.” The rising anger pushed the blood through James’ veins and he had to pause to regain his breath. “Anyhow, we already know that the cult murder their enemies with a horn. They didn’t do this to Elizabeth even though she was their captive.”
“We still don’t have solid evidence to be one hundred per cent sure of anything.”
“That’s true. But I already know enough to make them move. When forced to act, they’ll make mistakes.”
“Have you decided what to do next?”
“I’ll tear down their strongest defence,” said James.
“Secrecy and mimicry,” said Lino quickly.
“Yes. I have enough material to produce a series of articles about the cult. I have a few acquaintances involved in TV programmes. I could appear on some shows. I’ll speak openly about them, disclose who they are, where they come from, what their objective is and what means they use to achieve it.”
“You’ll have to say ciao to your reputation as a serious scholar,” said Lino with conviction.
“That’s a small problem. I will have to take care not to breach the confidentiality declaration I signed with MI5. If they decide that I’m a whistle-blower I may end up convicted. Then the cult would have finished me without lifting a finger. I’d also have compromised Irina.”
“It sounds like you’re trying to dance on a razor’s edge.”
“I’ll manage.”
“A straightforward attack is dangerous. You no longer work for the police. You’d be taking on the cult more or less on your own.” Lino abruptly moved into a normal sitting position and turned to James. The safety belt blocked his movement and he grimaced. “Their plan has entered into its ultimate phase. They’d want to stop you speaking no matter what. And as quickly as possible.”
James’ smile was sad and dangerous at the same time. “I count on it. I’ll wait for them. They’ll have to move against me without much preparation. That’s when they’ll make mistakes and expose themselves. Whatever happens, I hope it’ll open the eyes of the police.”
“Even if the price is your life?”
James ignored the question. “I believe we can stop them.” His eyes met Lino’s for a moment. “I can rely on Irina as well.”
“It looks like she knows what she’s doing. Although she’ll have difficulty convincing Interpol that the cult is a real threat.”
“I’m aware of that. But there’s no going back for me.”
“James, remember – this is my battle, too. I’m with you. I’ll help you any way I can. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that I’ve been preparing myself for
such a situation for my whole life.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Florence, Italy
“Don Federico was attracted to the Indian culture,” said Irina. “Some of the missionaries were discontented because of his passion for their historic heritage. They accused him of spending more time listening to and writing down pagan tales than preaching the Word of God. The subject of Don Federico’s stay in Ecuador is well covered in his police file. It was used by the police to back their hypothesis about the assault on him. Their conclusion was that thieves attacked him because of the valuable Indian artefacts he possessed.”
James was with her in her hotel room. She had arrived from Rome late that afternoon. They had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and then went to her room to discuss their discoveries. During dinner, after having heard his story, Irina had mentioned that she had a big surprise for him. He had asked her if it was bigger than what the contents of Don Federico’s chest had revealed. “The bets could go fifty-fifty. Although I admit that my news sounds more ordinary,” she had responded.
The Gods' Gambit Page 21