“Why ‘deliberately’?”
“Because it says it right here: ‘Only those favored by God may follow this map.’ The monks would have made it difficult to follow, to ensure that only those whom God helped could do so. The rest would perish.”
Glinn interjected. “Dr. Brock’s begun feeding the details into the large geographic database we maintain here at EES.”
“But what makes you think they reached the Caribbean?”
“Because from the Cape Verde Islands, where according to the Annales the monks were shipwrecked and had to rebuild their ships, the Canaries Current heads south and southwesterly along the African coast, where it turns west and becomes the Northern Equatorial Current. The trades blow steadily with the current. Our computer models already indicate that the two combined would have taken the monks along the precise route Columbus followed on his third voyage. That would have carried them straight into the Caribbean.”
Glinn pointed at the screen. “As evidence, all these little islands in this part of the map could only be located in the Caribbean.”
“I’ve also identified the starting point,” said Brock.
“Isn’t he a marvel?” Glinn said with evident pride.
Brock shrugged this off. “It’s here, in what would be the eastern Aegean Sea.” He zoomed in on the first picture at the top left of the map, showing four hills in profile, along with a tiny, stylized drawing of a horse.
“Ibi est initium,” said Brock, reading the accompanying Latin inscription. “‘There is the beginning.’ The four hills are a well-known landmark on the coast of Turkey.”
“And the horse?”
“No idea why there is a horse — not yet, that is.”
Gideon’s eye wandered along the route. “What about that inscription at the end?”
“I was just getting to that,” said Brock. “First of all, we can see the phrase Hic sunt gigantes: ‘Here there be giants.’ And then: Respondeo ad quaestionem, ipsa pergamena.”
“Which means?”
“It would appear to be a riddle,” said Brock. “It literally means: ‘I, the very page, answer the question.’”
“And what is the question?” asked Gideon.
“Yes, indeed, that itself is a mystery. I would say the question would be: What is the nature of this cure? Is it plant, animal, insect, or something else?”
Glinn spoke. “It seems to me the answer would be somehow hidden on the page, most likely in one of these little drawings. The map tells us how to get there, but the answer to the riddle tells us what to look for.”
Toggling his wheelchair, Glinn turned toward Gideon. “We’ve made some important deductions in the last hour. But as you can see, there’s still much we need to learn. Even so, there’s no reason to wait — in fact there are many good arguments against doing so. As a result, we’ve already begun work on chartering and outfitting a boat in the Caribbean. You’ll be on a flight the day after tomorrow.”
“Wait, hold on. I’m no sailor!”
“You’ll have a licensed captain on board.”
“I don’t like the water.” Gideon decided not to mention that he was prone to seasickness.
“You’ll adjust,” Glinn said. “You’re just the man for this assignment.”
“I suppose that’s what your computer model tells you?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. A journey like this will take improvisation. You’re the master of improv.”
“I’ll improv my way right into Davy Jones’s locker.”
Glinn looked at him appraisingly. “I’m surprised at you, Gideon. This journey won’t be like your other assignments. You’re going for a cruise in the Caribbean. There’s no danger, no physical challenge.”
“Are you forgetting about the giants?” Gideon asked.
Everyone laughed.
“Our initial estimate is that this Phorkys will be found somewhere in the southern Caribbean,” Glinn said. “If, for example, the Irish monks picked up the Caribbean Current near Barbados, it would have carried them through—” He paused a moment—“the Windward Islands, and then parallel to the coast of Venezuela and Colombia, perhaps even as far as the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua and Honduras.”
“That’s a huge area to cover.”
“Yes. Encompassing hundreds, even thousands, of islands. And of course the map is full of dirty tricks. It’s intentionally misleading.”
Gideon had to admire the speed with which they had deduced so much about a map that was so obviously obscure. “In other words, we might be wandering around for weeks,” he said. “Sipping champagne, sunbathing, and visiting every single island and surveying the beach — just in case.”
“Now you’re getting into the spirit of it,” laughed Glinn. “Trust me, compared with your last assignment, this one’s a walk in Central Park.”
14
Gideon exited the lab into the cavernous space, Garza following behind him.
“Nothing like that good old railroaded feeling, eh?” Gideon asked.
“I wouldn’t complain if I were you. A cruise in the Caribbean? I’ll take the assignment, thank you.”
“He gets on my nerves.”
“Welcome to the Glinn’s-a-pain-in-the-ass club.”
As they walked through the enormous lab, Gideon glanced over at Garza. He knew Garza didn’t much care for him, especially his brash, lone-wolf way of doing things. He in turn found Garza to be uptight and rule-bound. It was true that the two of them weren’t exactly buddies. But maybe it didn’t have to be that way.
“How about a drink?” he asked impulsively as they went through the double set of doors leading to the street.
Garza paused to look at him. The offer had taken him by surprise. “Well…sure.”
Spice Market was crowded, as usual, but they were able to grab a small table in the corner. Gideon ordered a Beefeater martini, Garza an IPA.
As the waitress left, Gideon looked at Garza more closely. He was a small, dark, heavily muscled man, with tightly curled black hair fringed white at the temples. His eyes had an intelligent gleam in them.
“How long have you been working at EES?” he said to break the ice.
“Twelve years. Ever since Eli and I got out of the military.”
“Military?”
Garza nodded. “I was an engineering specialist on Glinn’s team.”
“What kind of team?”
“Special Forces. Came up through Airborne, then the Rangers.”
“What kind of work did you do?”
“We blew things up, mostly.”
“What kind of things?”
“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
Gideon chuckled. “If you’ve tagged along with Glinn all these years, you must enjoy working for him.”
“Enjoy isn’t the word. Let me put it this way: the man’s an honest-to-God genius, and he’s fair. That’s a rare combination.”
The martini and beer arrived and they broke off as each indulged in his respective drink. As Garza raised his bottle, Gideon — out of habit more than anything else — noticed the man’s wristwatch. “Nice watch.”
“Think so?”
“Oh, yeah. Blancpain L-Evolution Flyback Chronograph. With a red-gold caseband.”
Garza eyed him. “Most people don’t know anything about Blancpain watches.”
“With that carbon-fiber bracelet, it’s one of the finest watches made. Worth, what, fifty grand?”
“I wouldn’t know. A grateful client gave it to me.” Garza paused. “What makes you the expert?”