Temple of the Grail(92)

I shuddered, uttering a formula against the evil eye that annoyed my master.

‘This powerful force of which you speak, Eisik, is merely the force of attraction, or magnetism. It is . . . scientific,’ my master asserted.

‘Scientific or not, it is evil. One does not change a thing by denominating it,’ Eisik said dismissively, as he walked.

‘And yet,’ my master argued after him because I suspect he always desired to have the last word (even as death loomed above and below in the way of corpses and ghosts), ‘this science has been useful to many, including mariners who have used it since the beginning of our century to navigate to many countries of the far East and West by using the compass. A force that attracts iron to it, enabling one to find the northerly direction and therefore other directions as we have done. However, there must not be much of this stone in the earth around us, or we would not be able to use the compass as it would spin round and round . . .’

Near the forthcoming shallow tunnel, there was the false door from which we had seen the twelve ghosts. We thus followed in their footsteps, as my master had said, penetrating into the earth before entering what we presumed was the last chamber.

This time, the door behind us was marked ‘Aer’, to our right we read ‘Aqua’, to the left ‘Ignis’, straight ahead ‘Terra’, that is, air, water, fire, earth. No Laodicea!

‘This is the last antechamber,’ my master remarked. ‘This must lead us to what we are looking for, but which door?’

‘Behold I stand at the door and knock,’ Eisik said, ‘if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him. Revelations Chapter 3, verse 20.’

‘Surely you are not suggesting that I knock on the door?’ my master said, pulling at his beard.

Eisik smiled. He often showed the greatest wit at the most awkward moments.

‘Let us think,’ Andre said, almost to himself, ‘what did Daniel say that day? He who follows the seven letters in number and order will enter the kingdom of heaven, remember the words of the hymn for they will baptise you with the nine resonances of water . . . Water!’ He moved forward in an agitated fashion, and opened the door to our right, which read ‘Aqua’. It was appropriately named, for now we could see the source of the water that we had heard and had felt through some of the tunnels.

It sounded like an underground river, but I believe it was the echo resonating from the walls in the narrow cavity that gave one this impression. My master lifted the lamp that was, I noticed, running out of taper. It illuminated a channel of fast-running water, lined with stone on either side, effectively forming a kind of purpose-built conduit. It continued into the darkness, barring our way to the door on the other side of it that, as luck would have it, read ‘Laodicea’.

‘And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,’ Eisik said.

‘How deep would it be?’ I asked.

‘I do not know,’ my master said, vexed, ‘and, as I cannot swim I will not venture to find out. Brother Sacar told us the builders redirected the stream to suit the purposes of the monastery, flowing through channels diverted here and there. Let us not forget that the organ is operated when the water is diverted,’ he said absently, ‘perhaps when it is diverted further up the channel, one is able to pass over to the other side.’

I was about to confess to knowing how to swim when I was gratefully interrupted by a terrible sound whose thunderous roar echoed through the narrow passage. We hastily withdrew into the antechamber, not knowing what this sound would bring. Another sound, a haunting, terrifying screeching, had us rushing out the door through which we had only moments ago entered. Seized by panic, fearing the legions of hell, I ran, holding the parchment to my breast with one hand, and the compass in the other. I could hear Eisik panting behind me. My master carried the lamp ahead of us. We turned sharply to our left, not knowing what we might find ahead of us, and continued for quite some time past the tunnel lined with skulls, making another left turn until we were back in the previous chamber. My master’s taper was almost at its end, so with great agitation, lest we find ourselves without light, we proceeded, according to my map.

When we finally returned to the antechamber where we had left a rock in the way of the door, hoping to light the torches we knew were hung upon the walls, my master’s taper ran out. Thus we were in utter darkness with no possibility of light, and with the antichrist at our heels.

We heard footsteps coming from the direction of the tunnel behind us, but also (alas!), from that which led to the north transept, namely, ahead of us. We were trapped. My first instinct was to try another door, maybe there was a tunnel beyond it in which we could hide? Images of the inquisitor followed by his archers danced before my eyes, and I believe this prospect was infinitely more frightening than whatever might be lurking behind any door. We stood together in the centre of the room. From memory I knew that somewhere to our right lay the false door but that we had not tried the door that must be to our left. I mentioned this to my master and after a moment of deliberation, in which the sound of footsteps seemed closer and indeed louder, he cautiously felt to the left and found the door.