The Boudicca Parchments

Chapter 75

“How much farther?” asked Ted. Despite his general fitness and his regular work-out regime, the long walk and crawl was beginning to take its toll. They had been going for nearly four hours now. If it had been a normal walk for Ted, that would have translated into at least fifteen miles. But this was a staggered walk in fits and starts over uneven ground, partly in high-ceilinged narrow tunnels, partly in stooping passages and partly in crawling “pipes” where the greatest strain was in his knees, as the pressed into and rubbed against the hard stone.

“I’d say we’re very nearly there,” Daniel replied, puffing like a worn-out locomotive. Despite following a fitness regime himself, on the advice of his nephews, he too was feeling the strain.

“Nearly where?”

“I think we’ve passed Abu Tor… well past by now. That means we’re under the promenade that overlooks Jerusalem. The one that leads to the Hill of Evil Counsel.”

Ted looked at his watch.

“You know it’s four in the morning!”

“I know. It’ll be dawn soon. That could be useful.”

“Why?”

“Because if there are any openings, we’ll be able to see them from the light shining through… once there is light.”

“What do you mean if there are any openings? Does that mean there might not be?”

“There are some. I mean I know there’s one at the entrance to the forest near Government House.”

“Government House?”

“The UN Building. It used to be the residence of the British High Commissioner. But it’ll be a lot easier to find if we’ve got some light.”

They crawled on, for a long time, and at some point they saw light streaming in.

“It’s up there,” said Daniel, pointing to an almost vertical shaft.. “How’s your tension climbing skill?”

“Never tried,” said Ted. “But I work out with weights so I reckon I’ve got the upper body strength.

They flipped a coin for who was going first and Daniel won — or lost… depending on how you looked at it.

Ted made an interlocked hand-stirrup for Daniel to enable him to reach the beginning of the shaft. Daniel stepped on it, lifted his other leg clear of the ground and inserted his arms, placing the palms of his hands on opposite sides of the wall of the shaft. Then he raised his free leg and places his foot against one wall. Finally, pressing against the walls with three limbs and his upper back, he lifted his foot from the stirrup Ted had formed and placed it too against one side of the shaft wall, higher than the other foot.

Now, fully supported by the tension of his own limbs against the walls of the shaft, he raised first one hand then the other, to a higher level, placing each one against the wall and pressing hard. Then he released the tension of his lower leg and placed it against the wall in a higher position, again applying pressure.

In this way he was able to climb the short distance up to the top of the shaft from whence the light was entering. But then he came upon a problem.

“It’s not good news,” he said.

“What is it?”

“Stand clear, I’m coming down.”

“What is it?” Ted repeated.

“It’s blocked. Stand clear.

Ted stood clear, while Daniel climbed down part of the way and — when his foot detected empty space — dropped the last few feet. He felt his ankle twisting and regretted doing it that way.

“What are we going to do?” asked Ted.

“I know there’s another exit. But it’s a few hundred yards further up.”

“I can make it.”

“I’m not sure I can,” said Daniel, grimacing as he took a step forward on his twisted ankle.

They carried on, and Daniel felt the pain in his twisted ankle. Ted looked back a couple of times, as if asking if he should wait. But Daniel shook his head, rejecting the sympathy. He noticed that by stretching his foot and walking on the ball of the foot, he could negate much of the pain. In any case it soon became irrelevant as a drastic drop in the ceiling height forced them to resume crawling.

It was maybe fifteen minutes later when they noticed another shaft of light entering the tunnel this time from the side. They had to climb slightly and then squeeze through an aperture that seemed like the birth passage of a new born baby. But with a lot of pushing and twisting and sharp intakes of breath, they managed finally to emerge on the side of a slope overlooking a valley illuminated by the light of dawn.

The valley was silent at this dawn hour, except for the sounds of the muezzin in the distant mosque, calling the faithful to prayer. But it was not an empty valley. It was occupied by a large low building and several others further away of four or five stories, all clad in cream-coloured Jerusalem Stone. As they stood up, looking around and brushing the dust and dirt off their clothes, Daniel was looking in the other direction, up the slope of the hill where they had emerged to a garden with a white painted fence.

Daniel raised his right index finger to his lips and then pointed to the fence. Behind it was not only a garden but a row of buildings that were something between houses and flats — middle eastern style homes attached and in some cases one atop the other, but with separate entrances.

As Daniel approached the fence, Ted followed with some degree of confusion if not trepidation. The white fence was of uneven height, but Daniel selected the lowest part and climbed over. Ted did likewise and found himself in a garden that had potted plants and cacti around the borders, but white tiles occupying the bulk of the surface area. To their right, in the corner was a swinging love-seat on a green-painted metal frame, sheltered by its own awning, as well as by a green-painted wrought iron gazebo, covered in clinging vines.

But that was not where Daniel’s attention was focussed. It was on the house, and in particular the metal garden doors and the shutters behind them that ran down to ground level. As Daniel approached the shutters, Ted sensed movement behind them and wanted to warn Daniel. But he didn’t want to shout and disturb anyone at this time of the morning. In a few seconds, Ted realized what was happening. The shutters were slowly rising. And from the rumbling whirring sound and the slow, steady rate at which they rising, it was clear that they being operated not by a human hand but a motor.

And while they were still rising a sliding glass door was opening behind them to reveal a man in his early eighties, looking at Daniel through the metal garden door, as he inserted a key and open it.

“What are you doing here?” asked the man.

But the voice was not hostile. It was surprised, to be sure, but tinged with a trace of pleasure. Daniel half-turned towards the archaeologist behind him.

“Ted. Meet my father.”