“We think Lalibela would have secured the scroll before then,” Ben said. “I checked with Giovanni and Beatrice. They agree with me.”
“That brings us to the second group of churches.” Daniel re-centered the map on an area south of the river that cut through the town. “There are five churches in this group, and they’re more spread out.” Daniel raised a finger. “They also exhibit a distinctly more Aksumite architecture style than the rest of the churches.”
“When were they built?” Tenzin asked.
“There’s some argument about that, but they’re earlier than Saint George. And this area?” Daniel spread out his hand. “This second grouping is a warren underground.”
Ben looked up. “What do you mean?”
“There are tunnels on top of caverns on top of passages in this section,” Daniel said. “Some of them are marked. More of them are not. There is also a monastery here, as well as a school where they teach a particular type of music that the priests sing. There’s a bakery where they make the holy bread for the churches. There are also a number of architectural digs.” Daniel straightened and put his hands on his hips. “I think if Lalibela hid a treasury chamber somewhere in this town, it’s going to be in this section.”
Ben nodded. “Okay. So this is where we focus.”
“The problem is, it’s a maze. When we went with Mula, we only saw half of these churches. I need to go back.”
“So we go back,” Tenzin said. “You’re the one who said that they’re farther away from the main part of town. It sounds like it’ll be easier to explore without human attention.”
“But a lot of the tunnels will also be closed,” Daniel said. “We don’t have the keys like Mula does.”
Tenzin and Ben exchanged a look. “Dan,” Ben said, “you do realize who you’re exploring with?”
Daniel nodded. “Right. Thieves. So the locks on the churches and tunnels—”
“Not really a problem for us.” Tenzin patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to steal any holy relics.”
“Are you sure?”
“I made a promise.” Tenzin rolled her eyes. “The bone scroll only.”
Daniel still looked unsure.
“What is it?” Ben asked.
“What if we’re not meant to disturb it?” Daniel asked. “If you’re right, it’s been hidden here for centuries. No one has found it. It’s become more rumor than anything else in our world. Why not just leave it alone?”
“Because Arosh is hunting it,” Ben said. “And while I trust that King Lalibela put this scroll someplace safe, I don’t think anything is safe as long as the Fire King is after it.”
Tenzin ran her fingers along the map. “The people in this town don’t know anything about the bone scroll, and they shouldn’t have to. It’s a foreign artifact, and one that would bring nothing but violence and evil to this place. Arosh would flatten this town with no remorse to gain power over all four elements. We have to get it out before he loses patience with the careful approach.”
“The last thing we want,” Ben said, “is for Arosh to have an excuse to unleash his anger when humans are nearby.”
The following night, they went deeper into the second group of churches, walking through a long, pitch-black tunnel connecting the churches of Bêta Amanuel and Bêta Merkorios. When they exited, it was near the partially crumbled church of Merkorios, whose irregular facade marked it as different from the other Lalibela churches, even the more unique ones in the second group.
Daniel said, “I read that they found shackles below this church in the sixties, during an archaeological expedition.”
“Shackles?” Tenzin said. “Doesn’t sound much like a church to me.”
“There is speculation that it was an assembly hall at one point,” he continued. “Or some kind of court.”
“That would fit with shackles.” Ben was staring at the church that seemed dug into the hill beneath the large shadow of the protective cover sheltering Bêta Amanuel. Daniel was right—there was something different about this place. “We need to get inside,” he said. “I want to explore.”
It was simple to break the lock securing the door to the churches, but Daniel pestered Tenzin and Ben until they had their heads covered and their shoes off.
“We’re breaking into the church,” the earth vampire said. “You can at least respect the traditions.” He’d bought more of the rope candles that Mula had given them the first night, and he lit all three of them upon entering.
“Why not a flashlight?” Ben held the candle in front of himself, hoping none of the wax dripped on his toes.
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “Did they have electric light when these churches were built?”
“Obviously not.”
“Daniel knows what he’s talking about; the quality of light matters,” Tenzin said softly, swinging the candle around the interior of the church. “Electric light is static. It doesn’t create the kind of shadows that candles or fires do.”
“And?” Ben was very tempted to reach for the penlight in his pocket.
“So sometimes you see things differently in fire.” Daniel lifted the candle toward the wall. “There was fabric here.”
Tenzin floated up and examined that section of wall more closely. “It covered the walls.”
“According to the guidebook I read, there were tapestries attached to the walls in this church that were taken to a museum in Addis,” Ben said.
“Museum,” Tenzin muttered. “That must make you happy.”
“It does, actually. Very happy.”
Daniel looked at Ben sideways. “How long have you two been together?”
“Ten years,” Tenzin said. “Or something like that.”
Ben shrugged. “It’s complicated.”
“You bicker like an old married couple,” Daniel said. “So I suppose you’re doing something right.”
“Thanks?” Ben’s eyes caught on something near the front of the church. He looked at the holy of holies where a curtain separated the tabot from the church. Then he looked around the interior. “Daniel, do you have a compass?”
“I don’t need one.” He frowned. “What do you want to know?”
“Which way is east?”
Daniel thought for only a second before he pointed over his shoulder.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s one of my strange quirks,” he said. “I always know what direction it is.”
“Even underground?” Tenzin asked, still floating along the ceiling of the church.
“Even in subterranean caves,” Daniel said. “So yes.” He pointed again. “That’s east.”
Ben said, “This church isn’t oriented east to west.”
“Interesting.” Tenzin floated to the floor.
“Ethiopian Orthodox churches are generally oriented along an east-west axis.” Daniel’s eyes lit up. “Unless they used to be something else.”