Destiny

EIGHTY-SIX

They waited a few minutes for the dust to settle, and then Bahir handed Marcus the flashlight and extra batteries in a Ziploc bag. He gave Alicia the map.

Marcus turned and stepped onto the top rung of the old ladder. He slowly climbed down, knocking spider webs off the rungs as he went, sending particles of dust drifting through the beam of light. “I’m at the bottom, Alicia. I’ll shine the light on the ladder so you can see.”

“Okay.” She stepped onto the first rung. As she lowered her foot, she looked up into the compassionate eyes of Bahir. He said nothing, only offering a reassuring nod while he softly closed the trapdoor. Alicia listened to him walk away and then turned to her attention to Marcus. “I wish we had a second flashlight.”

When she reached the bottom on the ladder, Marcus slowly moved the light across the small grotto. There were entrances to three tunnels, one to the left, one to the right, and one in the center. The opening to each was a little more than six feet high by about four feet wide. Alicia unfolded the map and said, “Looks like we go to the right. There’s no scale, so I’m guessing we have about a three hundred meter trek, maybe more. The tunnel splits in at least four sections. We just need to follow the line Bahir drew.”

“Let’s go.” Marcus entered the mouth of the tunnel on the right; the smell of dust, mold, water, and damp earth met them just a few feet inside the dark passageway. “Stay close behind me. This place is filled with spiders and some damn big webs.” He shone the light far down the tunnel and began walking.

The air was cool, heavy — the farther they entered, the scent became ancient, mixed with tannins, as if the air had been held hostage in the guts of the tunnel for centuries. An icy drop of water fell from the ceiling, striking Alicia on the back of her neck and running down her spine. “Glad I’m not claustrophobic,” she said, nostrils flaring, wiping the dust from her eyes. “This is like weaving our way through the catacombs of a place time forgot.”

“In about another fifty feet, the tunnel makes a Y and veers to the left and right. Let’s have a look at the map.” Marcus held the light on the map for half a minute, getting his bearings. He continued walking. “Check it out.” He pointed the light to an old torch handle stuck in a crude wooden holder fastened to the curved wall of the tunnel.

“When they excavated, flashlights weren’t invented.”

“I don’t think the light bulb had been around long, if at all.” She followed Marcus another fifty feet.

The earth moved. Alicia was tossed against the side of the tunnel. “Paul!”

“Aftershocks! Cover your head.”

Alicia felt sand trickle out from between the old stones over her head. Then nothing moved, the aftershocks stopping after a few seconds. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m scared out of my freakin’ mind. Here we are crawling around in old tunnels under Jerusalem after an earthquake.”

“We can turn back.”

She looked at Marcus’ face. “Tell me you’re not scared.” She straightened, knocking the sand from her shirt. “Let’s go.”

They walked farther, coming to the turn. Marcus stopped, his foot stepping on something. He aimed the light down at his boot. A human skull, eye sockets hollow and dark as the tunnel, stared up at them from the muck and wet sand. A brown spider crawled from one vacant eyehole.

Alicia inhaled deeply and bit her lower lip. They continued walking, finding another cold and smothered torch mounted on the side of the tunnel wall. Marcus said, “This place is full of those old torches. Can you imagine using one of these to see around down here?”

“No, I can’t.”

Marcus nodded and continued following the tunnel, snaking its way under the heart of the Old City. After another thirty yards, the tunnel narrowed in height and width. Marcus had to lower his head to keep moving. They stepped over fallen rocks and loose sand. Then they came to an area in the tunnel that seemed to stop. Rocks were piled up to his chest. He aimed the flashlight into the center of the pile. “It looks like there’s earth behind it. Hold the light.”

Alicia gripped the flashlight while Marcus inspected the obstacle. He picked up a few large stones and threw them aside. “Maybe this is the end of the road,” she said. “Or maybe we took the wrong tunnel.”

“Bahir said it would be this one.”

“It feels like we’ve come a half mile.”

The ground moved — violently. The aftershock tossed Alicia and Marcus to the floor of the tunnel. The flashlight slammed against a rock and went out. Rocks showered down around them, the tunnel filling with dust and the instant odor of sulfur.

“Paul! Are you hurt?”

“No. Are you okay?”

“Just a few more bruises, but I’m all right. I’ve never been in dark this dark. I have no sense of direction.” Feeling along the base of the wall, she found part of the flashlight. “The flashlight’s broken! Oh shit…we can’t see an inch in front of our faces.” She coughed. “How will we find out way out?”

“Only Bahir knows we’re down here.”

She heard him moving, scraping for something. “What are you doing? Paul, where are you?”

“Here.” A flame flickered from his hand. “I don’t know why I put that old Zippo lighter in my pocket, but I’m glad I did.”

Alicia exhaled deeply, eyes wide, watching the flame dance. “Let’s try the torch on the wall. Maybe it’ll light.”

Marcus stood, stepped over rocks to the torch mounted on the wall and removed it. He sniffed the head of the torch. “I can smell oil and something like tar. Maybe, even after a century, they’re preserved because this place is naturally climate-controlled and has no sunlight.” He touched the lighter to the top of the torch and a flame rose, slowly, and then it grew brighter.

Alicia smiled. “Let there be light….” She pointed to the end of the tunnel. “Look, that last aftershock created a small opening.”

Marcus stepped up to the opening, which was barely the width of his shoulders. He reached through the gap with the torch. “Hold this. Looks like a door to a room. I’ll crawl in, and you can come after me.”

Alicia held the torch while Marcus wormed his way though the cavity. “Give me the light,” he said, reaching back though the hole. He took the torch so that Alicia could follow him. Inside the room, they both stood, astonished, the light from the flames bouncing shadows across ancient religious artifacts.

“I’m speechless,” Alicia said, her eyes taking in the stateliness.

“I think we’re arrived in the place they called the Holy of Holies.”

The room was finished in white marble, inlaid with gold. A table, carved from snow-white marble, was positioned in the center of the room. The table held three gold candelabras, gold goblets and a single place setting with a gold plate. Vases sculpted from white onyx and mother-of-pearl stood on each side of the table. The rear section of the room was hidden behind a ripped veil draped from ceiling to floor.

Alicia said, “That curtain must be at least sixty feet high. Look at the cherubim embroidered on it. It’s beautiful. What’s behind it? Let’s take off our shoes.”

He held the torch and used one hand to pull back the heavy covering. In their stocking feet, Marcus and Alicia stepped through the veil.

Marcus moved the torch, looking from corner to corner. “It appears to be a perfect cube…ten cubits by ten cubits.”

“That is spectacular.

Alicia touched her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “Paul, is it what I think it is?”

“It’s the Ark of the Covenant.” Marcus felt his heart pounding, his eyes moistening.

The Ark, elevated on a slab of pure white onyx, was the size of a footlocker, finished in ornate gold. Two golden angels were perched on either side of the crest. They were kneeling, facing each other, the tips of the wings almost touching. A gold ring was fastened to each of the four corners at the top of the Ark.

“Hold this a second.” Marcus handed the torch to Alicia. He used his right arm, the tip of his finger to his elbow, to measure the Ark. “It’s one and a half cubits wide and high, and two and a half cubits long. It conforms perfectly to the golden ratio.”

“Paul, look at that.” She pointed to a vase, less than two feet in length, positioned to the right side of the Ark.

He knelt down beside it. “Give me a little more light.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure. The top is sealed to the vase in something like candle wax.” Marcus pulled the head of the spear from his pocket. He positioned the tip of the blade at the edge of the wax on the perimeter of the sealed opening.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m opening it.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t.”

“Maybe we should. Maybe that’s why we’re here.” Marcus carefully worked the blade into the old wax, moving around the entire edge. He set the spear on the floor and used both hands to work the cover from the body of the vase. “Bring the light a little closer.” Marcus looked in the aged vase, reached inside and pulled out a rolled up paper scroll. He unrolled it on the floor of the room and used the light from the Zippo to read the words. He said nothing for half a minute, the torch casting shadows across the white room. Then he used his mobile phone to snap a picture.

“Marcus, what is it. What’s on that old paper?”

“It’s written in Hebrew.” With care, Marcus placed the scroll back into the vase. He used his lighter to reseal the wax.

“Marcus, can you read it? What is it…and who wrote it?”

“It may have been written by Daniel…but I think it was dictated by…by someone else. It’s the events of the end of days.”

The room began to quiver, the gold goblets rattling on the table. The tips of the angel’s wings trembled. Marcus grabbed the torch and picked up the spear. “C’mon! Let’s get out of here!” They ran to the opening, Marcus holding the torch while Alicia slipped through the hole. He followed.

The earth shuddered. Sand, pebbles, and larger stones fell like a hard hailstorm on top of them. Marcus grabbed Alicia by the hand and ran through the dark tunnel. A wall of rock and earth crashed down behind them resealing the opening to the Holy Place.