"So, you have an ambiguous reference to the Resurrection and constant reference to the Apocalypse."
"Christians of that time were obsessed with these issues," Marshall said.
Laura snorted. "They still are."
"Up here." Shavi pointed to a carving of angels rolling away the stone from Christ's tomb. And on the pillar to the right, three figures, one without a head, observing the crucifixion scene.
"No one knows who the three figures are," Marshall said. "Here's one I've always admired." He indicated sixteen figures dancing up and down a ribbed arch; next to each one was a skeleton. "It's the danse macabre, the dance of death, showing death's supremacy over mankind."
"Hey, Happy Jack." Laura wandered away, wishing she was with Church, the two of them on some beach miles away from everyone else. Suddenly she felt a cold flood wash over her, pinpricks dancing up and down her spine. It was as if her subconscious had seen something she wasn't aware of, something exciting, stimulating or important. She looked around, saw nothing. Then, slowly she raised her head and there it was; but there was no way she could even have glimpsed it.
Looking down at her was the biggest, finest example of the Green Man she had yet seen in the chapel. Branches protruded from his mouth like tusks, curling back in an abundance of leaves across his head. The face was darkly grinning, the eyes black slits beneath plunging eyebrows. She couldn't tell if it was supposed to be evil, mischievous or threatening.
Something about the eyes, she thought. Almost as if it were looking directly at her, communicating with her.
"Y'know, maybe this isn't such a good idea," she called out. But Shavi and Marshall were immersed in examining two unusual pillars. The doubts suddenly began ringing through her. The carvings all seemed to suggest something bad, some warning not to disturb what had been sealed there. To release it could bring about the Apocalypse, that was the message, wasn't it? she thought. Why couldn't Shavi and Marshall see it? It seemed so obvious to her. But maybe she was just being stupid. They were both smarter than her, more perceptive. She glanced back up at the face of the Green Man and shivered once more.
"Explain to me about the two pillars," Shavi was saying as she approached. The one on the left stood tall and straight, with intricate carvings rising in tiers from the base. But the one on the right was even more elaborate and sophisticated in its design. Instead of rising in straight lines, the detailed carvings twisted around the column in what must have been a display of the prowess of a master mason.
Yet Marshall indicated differently. "The one on the left is called the Mason's Pillar, the one on the right the Apprentice Pillar. There's a story that goes along with them: in the absence of the Master Mason, his apprentice set about working on the pillar, creating this perfect marvel of workmanship. On the Master Mason's return, instead of being delighted at the success of his pupil, he was so overcome with envy he flew into a rage and killed the apprentice with one blow of his mallet. And of course he paid the penalty for his actions."
"The sacrifice of something good. An act of betrayal sealed in blood," Shavi said. He ran his fingers through his long hair as he tried to read more meaning in the story.
But Laura's attention was drawn by the dragons and vines wrapped around the base of the Apprentice Pillar, binding it with the symbols of the Green and the Earth Spirit. Now her doubts were starting to make her feel queasy.
"This is where we need to look." Shavi indicated the Apprentice Pillar.
"Are you sure?" Marshall said. "People have pondered over the meaning of this place for centuries. You've drawn your conclusions rather quickly, if you don't mind my saying."
"Perhaps. I am simply making an intuitive leap. But here is my reasoning: this pillar cries out that it is unique in its very design-twisted, while all the other pillars remain straight and true. It even has its own legend, which sets it apart as something formed under special circumstances. And myths and legends, as a friend of mine repeats incessantly, are the secret history of the land."
"Then what do you suggest? Digging beneath it?" Marshall looked uneasy at this act both of sacrilege and the destruction of an ancient monument.
Shavi nodded. Laura and Marshall both winced for different reasons.
"This floor is stone. The pillar… Lord! You might bring the whole roof down! As if we haven't had enough structural problems with this place over the last few years."
"Nevertheless. Our need is great. We must find a way."
"And I have no power here," Marshall continued. "I am, I suppose, at best tolerated. Someone will try to stop you. The police will be here in minutes."
Laura glanced at her watch. "The place doesn't open till ten. We've got hours yet."
Shavi looked beyond the Apprentice Pillar to a flight of stairs leading down into the gloom. "Where does that lead?"
"The sacristy. It's believed to be even older than the chapel," Marshall said.
"So the chapel was built around it," Shavi mused.
"It's not so important. I mean, it's completely bare of ornament, unlike this place. It's just a rough rectangle of stone some thirty-six feet long. Records say there are three Princes of Orkney and nine Barons of Rosslyn buried down there."
Shavi went to the top of the stairs and peered down. "Buried where, exactly?"
"Why, no one knows exactly." Marshall gestured as if it was such an unimportant fact it was barely worth discussing.
Shavi rested his cheek against the cold stone of the door frame and weighed the place and dimensions of the room below before glancing back at the Apprentice Pillar. "So," he began with a faint smile, "the burial chamber could be a walled-off extension from the back of the sacristy."
"Possibly."
"Which would put it somewhere beneath the Apprentice Pillar."
Marshall thought about this for a moment, then nodded fulsomely. "You could be right. And of course that would make it a little more accessible from the sacristy."
"Well, I wish we could hang around to hear you explain the big pile of rubble and the hole in the wall," Laura said snidely.
"There are tools available. Near the graveyard there's a store for those who've been working on the repair of the building," Marshall said. He slipped out and returned soon after with two pick-axes and a shovel.
Cautiously Marshall led the way down the treacherously worn steps into the dank, bare sacristy. Shavi followed while Laura took up the rear with a feeling of growing apprehension. "Are you sure about this?" she hissed to Shavi once Marshall was far enough ahead to be out of earshot.
°I am not sure about anything. All I know is we have no alternative. We do not have the power to oppose the Fomorii directly, certainly none that could deflect the Blue Hag."
"Yeah. You're right, I suppose. I just have a feeling this is going to be a frying pan/fire scenario."
Shavi searched her face. She was surprised to see he was taking her views seriously. "Would you like to turn back?" he asked genuinely.
That surprised her even more. "Let's see how we go. We can always pull out if things get too hairy."
They identified the spot on the sacristy wall that corresponded with where Shavi guessed the burial chamber lay. The wall was old stone, sturdy enough, but the cement between the blocks was ancient and would crumble easily. They stood in silence for a long moment, attempting to come to terms with what they were about to do. Then Shavi raised the pick-axe above his head and swung it at the wall.