“Find the scroll and negotiate Saba into a corner until she is forced to ‘give’ it to us?” Tenzin actually used air quotes when she spoke. “Well, we’ve taken on more difficult jobs. This should be easy.”
Ben looked at her. “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.”
Tenzin narrowed her eyes. “I’m not entirely sure either.”
Ben shook his head and turned to Beatrice. “Why do you think the scroll is in Lalibela?”
Beatrice pointed at Giovanni. “Because Hirut asked for his help with the writings of King Lalibela.”
“Who was a Zagwe emperor, right?” Ben asked. “But you two were sure the scroll was in the possession of the Aksumite dynasty.”
“Ah,” Giovanni said. “But in some accounts, the first Zagwe emperor was chosen by Yodit—”
“You mean by Saba?” Tenzin asked.
Giovanni nodded. “And that emperor was eager to reestablish the Solomonic dynasty that stretched back to the Queen of Sheba, so he married a noblewoman from an Aksumite royal family, Terde’a-Gabez. Most accounts say she was the daughter of the last Aksumite king and that she was instrumental in the establishment and acceptance of the new dynasty.”
“So the Zagwe emperors became the heirs of the Aksumites,” Beatrice said. “It’s not impossible that some of their treasure went with them.”
Ben was nodding. “Okay, so the Zagwe emperors might have had some Aksumite treasure, but that doesn’t mean they had the scroll.”
“Except that Hirut asked me to help with this newly discovered manuscript,” Giovanni said. “And there’s no real reason for me to do that. I am not an expert in Ge’ez scriptures. I didn’t understand why she would even ask me until the priest I’m working with made a small note about a passage in this new copy of the Gadla Lalibela that he hadn’t seen in other versions.”
“Which was?”
“Mention of a scroll,” Beatrice said. “This new manuscript mentions that Lalibela’s royal scribes had recently finished translation of a strange scroll of wisdom that had been passed to Lalibela by his mother. The scribe notes that the scroll was very old, made of ivory, and came from Persia.”
“Ivory?”
“But it was written in an unknown language,” Giovanni said. “According to this passage, an angel came and whispered the translation to the scribes in their sleep. When they woke, they could understand the language, and so they transcribed the scroll into Ge’ez on the back.”
“That’s it,” Tenzin said. “That must be the bone scroll. What year was this written?”
“It would have been in the early thirteenth century,” Giovanni said. “I’m not certain of the date.”
“So the scroll was in the possession of King Lalibela,” Ben said. “And you think it’s still here?”
Giovanni seemed to waver in his certainty, “If you wanted to hide something, there aren’t many places better than this city. There are secret tunnels that no living person has ever been in. There are ancient chambers dug into bedrock and hidden passageways. This city is full of secrets, and all of them are guarded by priests, monks, and nuns who cannot be bribed.”
The optimism Ben had started to feel died a quick death. “Is that it? Okay, great, so it’s here, but it’s probably in a tunnel somewhere that no one even knows exists?”
Giovanni and Beatrice exchanged a look.
“Listen, we’re just researchers,” Beatrice said. “You two are the thieves.”
Tenzin cleared her throat. “Excuse me—we are not thieves, we are retrieval specialists.”
“Right.” Beatrice nodded. “That’s totally different.”
“Obviously it is.” Tenzin was staring at the wall. “None of the priests can be bribed?”
“No.” Doug piped up from the corner. “I really don’t think you should try bribery; that would not go over well. This is the second most holy city in the oldest Christian country in the world.”
“Unless you ask the Armenians,” Giovanni said quietly.
“I’m not touching that debate.” Doug looked at Tenzin. “Please don’t try to bribe priests.”
“What about—?”
“Or influence them with amnis,” he added. “There’s no guarantee that any of them would know anyway. A lot of these passages may be lost to time. They’re rumors, if anything.”
“So…” Ben pursed his lips. “Daniel?”
Giovanni nodded. “Daniel seems to have a very real affinity for the stone in this place. I think he’s your best option. And” —Giovanni glanced at Tenzin— “he was raised by a priest. He understands reverence.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to say I do not?”
Before Giovanni could speak and dig a brand-new hole, Ben decided to pipe up. “What about a tour?” he asked. “Maybe we should start there. Just a general tour to get a lay of the land.”
Beatrice and Giovanni both looked at Doug. “A night tour?”
“Is it possible?” Tenzin asked.
“It might be.” Doug put the magazine away. “I think I know a guy.”
They waited two nights so Daniel would be able to join them. Doug had arranged for a tour from a local guide whose brother was a priest and had good relationships with the church. He met them at the top of a hill overlooking the largest complex of churches.
“I have been given permission to allow you inside,” their guide, Mula, said. “But you must understand that you may only go in the public areas of worship. I respectfully request you do not touch the altar while the priest is not there, nor may you ever cross into the holy of holies within the church.”
“Of course.” Ben took Mula’s advice seriously. “Thank you for this. My friend’s condition makes day trips impossible.” He put a hand on Tenzin’s shoulder. “But we’re all very excited.”
Tenzin looked up. “Yes. Very excited.”
Her head was covered in a white scarf typical of Ethiopian Orthodox women. When Mula insisted that Tenzin’s head would need to be covered to enter the churches, Ben thought she might protest, but when Mula pulled his own white wrap over his head, Ben saw her shoulders relax.
Their guide provided both Ben and Daniel with thick white kuti that mimicked his. They both covered their heads and cut the chill in the night air.
“I am glad we are able to accommodate you in this,” Mula said. “Douglas is a friend, so I am accustomed to some… unusual requests.”
Meaning they weren’t the first vampires to visit. Interesting.
As they walked from the hilltop overlooking Saint George Church, the massive monolith carved directly into bedrock, Ben was suddenly glad that flying was an option. The edge of the rock dropped into black nothingness even as the carved top of Saint George appeared in the moonlight.
“My God.” Daniel crossed himself. “The centuries of love and reverence here…”
“Yes, this is a very holy place.” Mula handed both of them long yellow rope candles that smelled of smoke and beeswax. “Very sacred. Take these. There is a ramp just over here that will lead us to the foot of the church. There you must take off your shoes. It is holy ground here.”