THIS PLACE IS EXTREMELY inhospitable, but also wonderfully enigmatic... — thought Antonia, as she assessed the room where they found themselves.
For Sephy, on the other hand, the discovery of new tunnels beneath the Giza Plateau mattered little. He would have preferred to meet the detective and the rest of the Freemasons face-to-face and, after a brutal interrogation, extract from them the route he would have to take to find the Ark.
Now, instead, he would have to face the decision of choosing one of the descending corridors, with one drawback: he could make a mistake. It was a disturbing setback, and one that was beyond his control. Instead of choosing one of the four entrances, he let the expert determine which might be the most correct.
— You! — Antonia challenged sharply, pointing the gun at his head. — Tell me which path we must follow.
The doctor's pale, freckled face grew even whiter. She realized it was her turn. She had to play her cards right if she didn't want to lose her life on the first try.
— If you kill me, you'll never know — he warned her softly. — But if you're patient, I'll take you to the place where the Ark is hidden... — He swallowed hard, before continuing. — ...can you see these inscriptions over the various entrances?
He showed them one by one, with the flashlight:
— I believe they are part of a secret code, which, in turn, is linked to this other phrase... he illuminated the back of the gallery, where some words in Latin were inscribed.
— What does it say there? — Sephy asked.
— I am animal, vegetable and mineral and under my wings you will find protection.
— And what the hell does that mean?
— Hmm, I think I've read that phrase before... definitely! — she commented, concentrating. — Maybe it was in an old alchemy book.
— You better remember! — The hitwoman was starting to get nervous.
— Wait, I know! — The cryptographer, ecstatic, snapped her fingers. — Nicolas Valois, a Renaissance practitioner of necromancy, speaking about the philosopher's stone, said:
"There is a stone of great virtue and it is called stone and it is not stone, and it is mineral, vegetable and animal..."
— Go on... I'm listening.
Antonia forgot about Sephy for a moment. She walked from one side of the room to the other, illuminating and reading, one by one, the names of the planets inscribed on the doorposts. Every now and then she stopped to reflect, but only for a few seconds. Finally, she approached the corridor whose petroglyphs belonged to the planets Mercury and Jupiter.
— This is it, I'm sure of it! — She lifted her chin, not hiding her pride, as she addressed the cold reaper of lives, for she needed to judge for herself.
— First, you have to explain to me what you based your decision on. I'm not willing to take any chances.
— Mercury, according to medieval alchemists, is the main ingredient of the philosopher's stone — he said in a restrained tone. — And if it's true that the other planets are also part of the alchemical glossary, Mercury is the only one with wings, albeit on its feet. Therefore, the entry of Mercury and Jupiter is the best option... — He nibbled his upper lip slightly and asked, — ...don't you think?
Sephy had to accept this reflection, as the detail of the wings was crucial. He surrendered to the cryptography's competence. His talent was worthy of admiration.
Then, following Antonia's determination, he gestured for her to get off first. However, it wasn't an act of deference at all: he continued to point the gun at the girl.