Stones of Fire

41

‘In early-fourteenth-century art a chest or box of any sort was always depicted as a flat, two-dimensional square.’ Making no attempt to hide his condescension, the bespectacled scholar glanced at Boyd Braxton. ‘Once perspective was introduced into the artist’s grab bag during the Renaissance, all of that changed, of course.’

Arrogant little piss ant, Stan silently fumed as he stared at the archaic verses projected onto the dining-room wall. Had the lank-haired weasel been under his military command, he would have kicked his scrawny ass between his narrow shoulders. At the moment, however, he needed the scholar’s expertise. And cooperation. Although he suspected it would take a full measure and a half of self-control to keep his temper in check.

‘To Galen of Godmersham’s mind a flat two-dimensional square would have been no different than the three-dimensional medieval chest your consortium is hoping to uncover. You guys following?’

Stan thought of how the Ark of the Covenant would have been illustrated in a church or cathedral during the fourteenth century. The weasel was right: more than likely, it would have been depicted as a plain four-sided square.

‘Carry on,’ he ordered, not about to reply to the other man’s question. Nor did any of his men say so much as a word. He’d told them point blank that he’d shaft each and every one of them with a steel reinforcing rod if just one let the words ‘Ark of the Covenant’ pass his lips.

‘Now I think the phrase in the first quatrain “Salomon’s cite” refers to Galen being in Jerusalem on Crusade. And in case you guys haven’t figured it out yet, the first quatrain is also the first side of our metaphorical square.’

Again Stan remained silent. In truth, he didn’t give a rat’s ass about the first quatrain, assuming it referred to Shishak not Galen of Godmersham. That part of the story he was well acquainted with, since it was written in the Old Testament, Kings I, Verse 14 that Shishak ‘came up against Jerusalem’ and that he then ‘took away the treasures of the house of the Lord’. What he was interested in were the cryptic messages contained within the next three quatrains. Somewhere in those archaic verses Galen of Godmersham revealed where he hid the Ark, the sacred chest that enabled God to dwell among men. And from which God would lead his holy army against the infidels in the last days.

Feeling his excitement rise, Stan glanced at the watch strapped to his left wrist.

Four days, nine hours and twenty-six minutes until the start of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim holy day.

Which meant he had four days, nine hours and twenty-six minutes to find the Ark of the Covenant.