“True. But it’s worth a shot. If they haven’t yet been there, we might still have a chance to catch up to them. And even if they aren’t at the abbey, it’s possible we can figure out what they were looking for and determine their next destination.”
Han-Jae considered the option for a long moment. “It’s our best lead at the moment. I haven’t heard anything else out of Schultz’s parents. The general has relayed no new information. That means we’ll have to take our chances on the abbey.” He leaned his head back against the glass of an old refrigerator, the white racks within long empty of the soft drinks and juices that were previously sold there. “Get some rest. I’ll take first watch. We sleep four hours, rotating a man each hour. That will give us three hours of sleep. First thing in the morning, we head for England.”
Chapter 23
Sean got out of the car and stretched his legs, working them back and forth to get the blood circulating again. Then he reached his arms to the sky to stretch them out. The other three exited the car and went through a similar ritual.
The flight from Frankfurt to London hadn’t taken long. It was a trip Sean and Tommy had made several times throughout the years. The drive from Bellevaux back to Frankfurt in the early hours of the morning, however, had been exhausting.
By the time they boarded the IAA private jet, all four were ready to collapse on anything that would make do as a bed. Even a carpeted floor would have been acceptable. Luckily for them, the seats on the plane reclined and provided a comfortable place to sleep on the short flight to England.
They didn’t wake up until the wheels touched down at Heathrow, and even then June and Tommy went back to sleep for a few extra minutes while the plane taxied to the private hangar where their car was waiting.
The sun still hadn’t come up over London when the Americans arrived. The lights of the city twinkled in the distance as some of the earlier risers began waking for their day.
After leaving the plane, their driver took them to a hotel where they got another two hours of sleep before leaving for Glastonbury in Somerset. Now they stood outside the abbey grounds, staring at the ruins beyond the perfectly manicured grass surrounding the edifices.
The sun was blunted by a constant haze of gray clouds blanketing the sky above. An occasional raindrop splattered the hood and windshield of the car, which reminded Sean and the others to make sure they had their waterproof jackets with them.
After zipping up their outerwear, the group made their way up a path toward the remnants of the ancient church.
The main structure was like something out of a fairy tale, especially with the early morning mists still lingering around the old stonework and trees. On the far end, two giant structures rose into the sky, both with dramatic sloping sides where time had worn down what was once a glorious entryway into the church. The Gothic frames where windows once hung were still there, giving a sense of what people of medieval Somerset might have once seen when they came to worship.
The Americans approached the entrance to the section of the abbey known as the Lady Chapel. Its structure was in far better shape than the rest. The walls, while worn down, were still mostly complete. The big stones used to tile the floors were still in place. Sean wondered whose feet might have touched those tiles over the years.
The four companions passed through an archway and stopped by a railing overlooking the long, narrow remains of the sanctuary. Steps led down into the bowels of the chapel on either side. The original floor of the main sanctuary was completely gone, allowing visitors to see a stripped-down version of the building.
“Pretty amazing how this part of the abbey has stayed in such good shape,” Tommy remarked.
“Especially when you consider that it and thousands of others like it were effectively shut down hundreds of years ago,” Adriana added.
“Shut down?” June asked.
“Yes. The Dissolution of Monasteries was a major event in the mid-1500s. The king at the time, Henry VIII, essentially disbanded all Catholic religious houses in the country. The government confiscated property, buildings, and money. He used much of it to fund his military campaigns. After that happened, most of the monasteries and abbeys fell into disrepair. This one suffered tremendously. I’m surprised it has remained in such good condition.”
“It doesn’t hurt that they claim it’s the location of Arthur’s tomb,” Sean said.
“Speaking of which,” Tommy said, pointing through an opening in the side of the building, “I think that’s it over there.”
The four wandered through the chapel and back out onto the grass, making their way toward a brown sign propped up on a metal rod. On the other side, they were able to read the words on the placard.
Site of King Arthur’s tomb.
In the year 1191, the bodies of King Arthur and his Queen were said to have been found on the south side of the Lady Chapel. On 19th April 1278 their remains were removed in the presence of King Edward I and Queen Eleanor to a black marble tomb on this site. This tomb survived until the dissolution of the abbey in 1539.
“That’s an interesting bit of history,” Tommy said. “But it doesn’t really help us with the symbols we’re looking for.”
“No. No it doesn’t,” Sean agreed. “Remember what the codex said. In the land where Arthur sleeps.”
“Check,” Tommy interrupted, pointing at the rectangle graveside cut into the grass.
“Right. Then it says whoever seeks the keys and finds the symbols the lady hides will discover the trophies that illuminate the way to the sword bearer’s altar.”
June raised both eyebrows. “You remembered all of that from looking at that codex one time?”
“Don’t get me started,” Tommy answered before Sean could. “He’s some kind of freak when it comes to that stuff. He killed it on tests when we were younger. Most of the kids in our classes always tried to cheat off his paper because they knew he had a ridiculous memory.”
“No, it’s not eidetic,” Sean said, sensing that would be her next question. “I’m just able to paraphrase things really well. Getting exact details is more difficult.”
“He’s being modest. I think he remembers the first twenty-seven digits of pi.”
“Sorry to break up this little Sean-worship session,” Adriana interrupted, “but we should probably get moving. The clue says to find the symbol the lady hides on high. If that’s the Lady Chapel, maybe the codex is talking about that.”
“Good idea,” Sean said.
Back inside the chapel, the four made their way around the interior, scouring the walls for the symbols described in the codex.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any symbols that were out of the ordinary. A few crosses and occasional triads of circles representing the Trinity were all they found.
“How are we supposed to know which symbols are the ones we’re looking for?” Tommy asked.
“I’m inclined to think that these symbols aren’t the ones we’re searching for,” Sean said. “Remember, the codex said that we have to find the ones the lady hides. These don’t seem like they’re hidden.”
“Yes, these are very typical of monasteries from that era, and they’re out in the open,” Adriana said. She crossed her arms and spun around, taking in the entire structure. “Far too obvious to be the ones we’re trying to find.”
“She’s right. Let’s split up and check all the alcoves. Maybe there’s something in one of them that will point us in the right direction. Tommy, you and June check out over there. We’ll take this side.”