Mac’s eyes squinted. He saw Sean was trying to bail the new girl out. “Okay, Sean. Okay. We’ve got it tucked away in a safe place. Give me a minute, and I’ll bring it out.”
Mac disappeared up the staircase to a loft and into one of two bedrooms on the upper level.
“Would y’all like something to drink?” Helen asked. “We have some Cokes and bottles of water.”
“Water would be great,” Tommy said. “You want one?” he asked June.
“Sure.”
Helen got four bottles out of the refrigerator and set them on the counter.
Tommy took one and handed it to June.
Mac’s boots clomped on the steps and he descended, carrying a rolled-up piece of plastic.
“We went ahead and sealed this so it wouldn’t take any more moisture or air damage,” he explained. “This thing is definitely old, one of the older vellum pieces I’ve seen.”
He laid the rolled-up plastic out onto the table and flattened it, holding it down on four corners with books he’d left nearby.
“You laminated it?” June asked.
Mac grinned. “No, ma’am. You don’t want to do that with something like this. No, we heat sealed it around the edges of the plastic, but kept the heat away from the vellum. That way we don’t hurt it. The trick is making sure you get all the air out of the plastic before you seal it. That takes a bit of work.”
“Nearly drove him crazy doing it,” Helen remarked from behind the kitchen counter.
“It’s a painstaking task, okay. And I’m not the most patient person in the world.”
“You can say that again.”
“Anyway,” Mac got back on topic, “this piece is really interesting. You can see these designs are definitely from the medieval period.” He hovered his finger over a flower, a cross, and three intertwined circles like the ones Sean and his companions had seen in Cologne. “I think they were added later. Everything about this document suggests it’s older than the medieval era.”
“See that, Schultzie?” Sean asked.
“Yep. Exactly like what we saw at the Cologne rathaus.”
Mac nodded even though he wasn’t sure what they were talking about. “What’s really fascinating, though, is what’s written here.”
“Latin,” Adriana said.
“Indeed,” Mac confirmed. He leaned over the sheet and ran his finger along the plastic surface. “It says here that whoever seeks the keys to the kingdom must first seek the symbols in the land where Arthur sleeps.”
Sean and Tommy exchanged a knowing glance.
“Glastonbury Abbey,” Tommy said.
Mac nodded. “Possibly. It goes on to say that he who seeks the keys and finds the symbols the lady hides on high will uncover the trophies of the fallen that illuminate the way to the sword bearer’s altar.”
“Trophies of the fallen?” June asked. “What’s that mean?”
“We have no idea,” Helen said. “Been trying to figure that out.”
“Trophies of the fallen,” Sean repeated. “I wonder if that means some kind of loot that was taken after a war.”
“To the victors go the spoils,” Tommy said. “It’s one of the oldest traditions in history. Winning armies take all kinds of plunder with them when they conquer another country.”
“Yeah, but which army and which country?”
“Maybe we have to visit Glastonbury to figure that out,” Adriana offered. “It sure seems like the riddle is left for the next piece of the journey.”
“Right,” Mac said. “Problem is, Glastonbury is one possible place where King Arthur is buried. It’s possible his tomb is at Tintagel.”
“True,” Tommy said. “He makes a good point. It’s long been believed that what may have been the birthplace of Arthur is also where he’s buried.”
“Except for the fact that — according to legend — Tintagel has no connection to the sword.”
Mac stood up straight and ran a thumb and forefinger through his beard. “I still can’t believe y’all are looking for Excalibur. I mean, it’s an ambitious thing to take on. That’s for sure. Just not sure how much of this stuff you can take as legend and how much is real, concrete evidence.”
The four guests fell silent for a long moment, causing Mac to feel like he’d said something inappropriate. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just that the whole King Arthur thing, Excalibur, the Camelot story… seems like it’s half history and half fairy tale.”
“The North Koreans don’t seem to think so,” Sean said. “That’s who came after you earlier tonight. They’re trying to find the sword, too.”
Helen padded around the counter and leaned up against it with her side, placing an elbow on top. “North Korea? What do they want with that sword? And since when did they take an interest in historical artifacts?”
“I asked the same exact question,” Tommy said. His voice drifted, like he was floating in a void. “It seems that they have some prisoners who know about the sword. Those prisoners have been feeding them information for the last few decades, giving them leads, always keeping away the most vital of details.”
“Prisoners?” Mac said. “How’d you know about that?”
“It’s a long story. But we have strong reason to believe that they are holding… that my parents are in North Korea.”
He may as well have hit Mac and Helen upside the head with an iron skillet.
“What?” Mac said in disbelief. “Your parents?”
Tommy nodded slowly. “Seems that way.”
“How did you find this out?” Helen asked.
“We were apprehended by a secret society who call themselves the Brotherhood of the Sword. They believe it’s their mission to protect the location of the sword and keep it secret for all time.”
“And this… Brotherhood,” Mac said, “they told you the North Koreans had your parents?”
“Yeah. They showed us pictures. Said my parents contacted them through an encrypted message.”
No one said anything for a long minute. Tommy stared at the vellum sheet spread out on the table. “You know, this hunt for the sword was just another adventure to find the hidden treasure, to bring something of historical importance back to humanity. Now, though, it’s personal.” He locked eyes with Mac. “We have to go to Glastonbury and find the symbols this codex mentioned. It’s the only chance I have of saving my parents.”
“And these men… this Brotherhood,” Helen interrupted, “you think you can trust them?”
“They’re well funded,” Sean said. “Said they’re actually priests trained in the arts of hand-to-hand combat, among other things, I’m sure. If they wanted us dead, they’d have done it already. I think they’re going after the North Koreans. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Mac and Helen exchanged a knowing glance.
“What can we do to help?” she asked.
Sean crossed his arms. He had a mischievous look on his face, the one he had when he was up to something. “I don’t know how they’re doing it, but the Brotherhood has been keeping tabs on us. It’s a good bet that they’ll have tracked you guys here, to Thonon-les-Bains. Unless I miss my guess, they’re probably headed here as we speak.”
“So you want us to throw them off course, tell them you went to South America or something?”
“Their deal with us,” Tommy cut in, “was that we drop the pursuit of Excalibur and leave.”
“Leave?” Mac said. “You mean, like leave and never come back?”
“No, nothing like that. They just wanted us out of the way for the time being.”
“Okay, so we tell them you were never here.”
Sean shook his head. “Actually, no.”
“No?”
Sean and Tommy flashed a quick look at each other.
“No. We want you to tell them exactly where we’re going.”