‘Heil Hitler, Herr Hauptsturmfuhrer!’ The young SS lieutenant snapped to attention and gave the Nazi salute. ‘I am Untersturmfuhrer Bosch. Welcome to Wewelsburg.’ Leutnant Bosch was a centimetre taller than von Hei?en, and his light-brown hair was thick and wavy, brushed straight back off his broad forehead. His deep-blue eyes held an intensity of purpose.
‘I’ve been assigned to look after you while you’re here, Herr Hauptsturmfuhrer,’ Bosch said. ‘Professor Weizman is already in his room and will join you and the Reichsfuhrer for lunch. Please follow me and I’ll take you down to the hall where Reichsfuhrer Himmler is addressing the officers.’
Bosch led the way across a cobblestone bridge. The stone arch spanned the castle’s protective moat. Von Hei?en followed him through the huge arched wooden doors and down a flight of heavy stone steps. Wrought-iron lamps threw an eerie glow against the solid rock walls.
‘This is the Grail room,’ Bosch explained, as they passed a chamber containing a huge, illuminated rock crystal representing the Holy Grail. ‘And in here,’ he said, lowering his voice, ‘is the Obergruppen-fuhrer Hall.’ Bosch eased the heavy wooden door open and led the way to the rear of a hall that was decorated with ancient runes. The inner walls and arches were supported by stone columns and a large black iron wheel hung from the ceiling. It supported seven lamps, and a mirror image of the wheel had been reproduced on the marble floor. About fifty SS officers, all dressed in their black uniforms, were listening intently to their Reichsfuhrer.
‘Breeding will be the basis of our success, gentlemen. In animal breeding one has known it for a long time. If anyone wants to buy a horse, he will sensibly take advice from someone who is a horse expert.’ Himmler had a high-pitched voice, but, like Hitler, his oratory was charged with a hypnotic power. ‘The best bloodlines will always produce champions, but centuries of Christian education have caused us to lose sight of this,’ he said, looking over his gold-rimmed glasses. ‘The Christians regard a shapely human body in a bathing suit as somehow sinful!’ Raucous laughter echoed off the stone walls.
‘It is your duty to breed from sound, shapely Nordic stock. We will have fought in vain if political victory is not followed by births of good blood. The question of multiplicity of children is not the private affair of the individual, but his duty towards his ancestors and our people. The existence of a sound marriage is futile if it does not result in the creation of numerous descendants. The minimum number of children for a good marriage is four. That doesn’t mean I want you or your officers to marry the first girl who might appear to meet our requirements. Without being tactless, you should get the girl to tell you a little about her family. If she discloses that her father shot himself, or an aunt or a cousin is in a lunatic asylum, you must do the decent thing. At all times the SS officer must behave with decorum. He should say openly, “I’m sorry, but I can’t marry you; there are too many diseases in your family.” ’
Von Hei?en nodded approvingly.
‘Now, before we break for lunch, we have time to take one or two questions.’
A tall flaxen-haired major rose to attention. ‘What do you think is the greatest problem facing Germany today, Herr Reichsfuhrer?’
‘Identify yourself.’
‘Sturmbannfuhrer Austerlitz, Herr Reichsfuhrer.’
‘That is an excellent question,’ Himmler said, coming out from behind the lectern. The SS major sat down, beaming at the compliment.
‘Quite apart from the need for Lebensraum – more land for the Third Reich to reach its potential,’ Himmler responded, ‘we must recapture the lost world of the Nordic race. We must restore das Herrenvolk, the master race, to its position of pre-eminence, and to provide a foundation for that, we have to reconstruct the lost history of the Aryans. With that in mind, we are shortly launching several archaeological expeditions to prove the origins and influence of the master race, including one to the highland jungles of Guatemala. Hauptsturmfuhrer von Hei?en, who has now joined us, will be leading this expedition. Perhaps you might like to comment on your mission, von Hei?en.’
‘Certainly, Herr Reichsfuhrer. The source of the pure Aryan race is crucially important, gentlemen,’ von Hei?en explained, unfazed by the more senior ranks in the room. ‘Why? Because ancient Germanic tribes demonstrated far greater intellect and creativity than any other civilisation of their time. If our research can recover this knowledge, it will help the Third Reich to once again excel in science, medicine, agriculture and every other field of human endeavour. The German Nordic race is at the apex of humankind, while races like the Jews, the African Bushmen and the Australian Aborigines are at the very bottom.’
Himmler beamed at his young protege. ‘For the moment, the Africans and the Australians don’t concern us, but the Jews, together with gypsies and homosexuals, are quite another matter. The Fuhrer will very shortly introduce the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring. This will enable us to sterilise the mentally retarded, the blind, the deaf, the schizophrenic – anyone who is likely to impede our glorious progress. The Jews will require special attention, of course.’ Reichsfuhrer Himmler nodded to Obersturmbannfuhrer Manfred von Knobelsdorff, the commandant of the new SS Nordic Academy, indicating to the colonel that it was time for lunch.
Levi Weizman perused Der Angriff. The paper was, he knew, sponsored by the Nazis’ Minister for Enlightenment and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, but it was the only one in his room. To his surprise Levi found a story on Catholics, but his surprise at it appearing in a Nazi paper turned to excitement: Archbishop of Paris Crowns Our Lady of Hope THE CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP of Paris, Cardinal Jean Verdier, has crowned a statue of the Virgin Mary at Pontmain in the north of France. The Virgin Mary appeared to two children in Pontmain on 17 January 1871, during the Franco-Prussian war. The war ended in a crushing victory for the German and Prussian forces, which saw the unification of the German Empire under King Wilhelm I, and the total destruction of the French Empire.
Levi now understood why the article had been approved for publication. The detestable little Goebbels never missed a chance to trumpet a German victory. In a message to the children at Pontmain, the Blessed Mother asked them to pray, giving the war-torn community hope, and the Armistice was signed a few days later in Versailles. The Cardinal Secretary of State, Eugenio Pacelli, in a decree issued from St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, has affirmed the veneration of ‘Our Lady of Hope’ of Pontmain, as the appearance has become known, and declared that her statue be honoured with a crown of gold. Cardinal Verdier crowned the statue of the Blessed Mother in the presence of other bishops and priests. There have been several verified appearances of the Virgin Mary, the most famous of which was at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. Watched by a crowd of several thousand, many of whom confirmed the sightings, the Blessed Mother appeared at Fatima a total of six times, on the thirteenth day of each month, from May until October.
Levi took a deep breath, recalling the stela he’d discovered in Pyramid V in Tikal. Although the Maya had not specified an exact year, the ancient hieroglyphics had indicated that such a series of events would occur on the thirteenth day of each month from May until October – events that would be of great consequence to humankind. Was there a connection between the warnings the Virgin had delivered at Fatima and the Maya Codex, Levi wondered. Could that explain the Vatican’s interest in the ancient civilisation and the presence of a Catholic priest in Tikal? How could the ancient Maya have known these appearances would occur? And what might it have to do with 2012? Levi shook his head. So many questions, but, as yet, so few answers. Levi was convinced there was a great deal more to the ancient Maya than even he had previously thought.