The Theatre of the Apocalypse - Part 3
Page 7
But he suspected that it had something to do with the bookstores vulnerable location in Rome with all the ban lists and the church put its nose everywhere. The maple systems seemed reasonable.
Michele thanked him for his help and went puzzled out of the bookstore. A gruff man took up the street in the dark and bumped into Michele. He apologized and went on into Girolamo´s bookstore.
The next day Michele remained hidden outside the city. He practiced coloring and tested some new pigment in a cave overlooking Porta del Popolo.
When the protective darkness returned, he went to Ponte Sant'Angelo and St. Paul´s statue. A few meters away from him was the crowd outside the citadel and worried about the Nolan.
He stood there for several hours until he finally fell asleep. When he woke up the crowd was gone. He stood up with cloudy eyes and looked at the empty bridge. When he turned around to go to the poorhouse someone took hold of his neck and turned him against the cold stone statue.
41
The Siena Cathedral, Siena
June 16
Michele did not know about the Four-Leaf Clover yet even when he stood propped up against the statue. But he was soon going to get close to it and the code that was in it and it would be shaped by him without him knowing it.
Ludwig was very close to it when he went around the mosaic in the Siena Cathedral. He fingered the Sapphire Box in the bag while he examined the images in the mosaic. After a while, he dropped the box and continued shooting.
In the turnstile was a man with a black coat. The man walked cautiously to the mosaic in front of the main gate. He approached Ludwig. August sat farther away on a bench and thinked about the message. He drew with a pencil across a page in a book. He tried to illustrate the message and find the hidden symbols.
The man stood just behind Ludwig and after a while he felt someone puffing him in the neck. He turned with a jerk.
The swarthy Spaniard backed down and apologized.
Ludwig went to the side and photographed the mosaic from another direction. Just a few seconds later, the man was behind Ludwig again. He turned gently this time, and looked anxiously at the man. They stared at each other for a few seconds. The Spaniard laughed and said in Spanish-influenced English.
”We seem to have common interests. If you permit, I must just check one thing and I leave you to photograph.”
He leaned over the ropes and read the inscription at the base. From the gown he took out a red notebook with a cross on. Ludwig recognized it.
He thought it looked like it was almost or exactly the same type of notebook that the rat Luca Frangipani on the train had. Ludwig glanced on when the Moor wrote the inscription and painted quickly a sketch of the cathedral in two straight lines representing the nave. He designed the mosaics in squares and circled the first.
”Okay. You have nice day. That is all for me. Good bye.”
The man bowed slightly and walked towards the exit. He wore the notebook close to the body. Ludwig looked at the Spaniard as he walked through the turnstile. He smiled at Ludwig.
When he turned his head away Ludwig saw something. The Spaniard had something red on his neck. The cloak obscured the view but some streaks were noticeable. It looked like the legs of a dog. When the man pulled up the door the collar fell off slightly, revealing the body of the dog and its jaw. The rest was not visible.
Ludwig looked at August who sat concentrated over his sketches. it was a remarkable coincidence Ludwig thought. He took more pictures and deleted some that were blurry. He put down the camera in the bag and waved to August to come over.
When August moved towards Ludwig he felt it vibrate in the inner pocket on his blazer. He picked up his cell phone. Stopped. He had received a sms from Loretta again.
What are you doing. Give it back now! You are unofficially wanted. They have arranged with the police of Siena. They have picked up your mobile signal in some way. /L
”August. What is it? August!”
”Ludwig, we must hurry. They'll be here soon.”
He showed the text message to Ludwig that froze in the tanks. He looked away towards the entrance but no one came. The few people who went around the cathedral had been there a while.
”Damn!” said Ludwig and struck his hand over his mouth. He grabbed August´s phone and turned it off. Gave back.
”Keep it off now. Otherwise, they can ping it so they know directly where we are.”
”Come on, Ludwig, we need to resolve this now!”
Ludwig felt the sweat on the back and the temples.
”I keep an eye out as you think, okay, Ludwig?” said August.
August did not wait for an answer. He walked towards the entrance and stood so that he could look out the door.
*
Poggibonsi
June 16
Detective Luigi Frati from Florence had been sitting in his car outside Poggibonsi a few miles from Siena when the call from Nora Smith linked up. He had heard about the news on TV. As soon as he hung up, he stood on the gas and plugged in his hands free. He called to his colleagues in Siena.
Luigi was painfully13 built. His mother had always said he would become a runner because the only thing he did when he was a kid was running around in the courtyard of their house in Florence. He could not sit still for more than two minutes to eat his dinner, but the mother's omen came to naught early.
He was the same age as Wagner, but to his mother's great misfortune, he had no children or wife. He was a football-loving playboy. His big advantage was that he looked like Marcello Mastroianni, which was particularly advantageous in Italy.
He had some aplomb wrinkles around the eyes and a little grey splash in the hair, although I thought he looked a little gooey, in any case he was charming. Luigi worked at the Italian police's special art theft squad. A squad that did not exist in all countries but was need in a country like Italy, which had huge art treasures.
Fifteen minutes later he turned into Siena. He met up with an officer and explained the situation. He said he wanted the men stationed in the city. Little Siena would be covered within five minutes.
*
Ludwig had never been particularly good at calming down, at least not fast but oddly enough he succeeded a tad this day.
He thought for a moment and became convinced that the solution was in the interplay between the law-giver and the receiver. Just like it said in the statement. Insert the most common of symbols in the Four-Leaf Clover.
He struck with his fingers on the paper.
August urged Ludwig to be calm from his post. Tossed his hands against the floor.
Ludwig went to August that kept his eyes on the entrance. Ludwig said.
”August, I can´t come up with shit. It is best that we take off before the police come.”
”Not a chance. Ludwig, remember what I said. Do not test me.”
”But.”
Ludwig interrupted himself. He looked at August and saw that he would not give up.
”Okay, we try to go through this step by step. What is it that Thoth gives Moses?”
”It is the law but it's not a symbol”, said August quiet. ”The Sphinxes that supports the inscription are admittedly symbols but not very common even in Egypt.”
”What is the most common symbol then, August?”
August shook his head again.
”I have not the faintest. I'm sorry.”
Ludwig urged convulsively on himself to think. He thought of symbols: cats, sphinxes, Thoth, caduceus, crosses, road signs, signs, advertising signs in neon. In the end, he said.
”What did you say it was in the book that Moses shows for Thoth?”
”Why do you ask?”
”I just wonder, say now!”
A guard came walking behind them. August released the entrance of a second. The guard walked towards the cashier. August said.
”Calm, calm. It was Cicero's quote, remember? It is about the Egyptian writing system and laws. What are you thinking?�
��
”But there we have it!” said Ludwig. ”Why should it be so difficult.”
”Tell me, Ludwig. While we have time.”
August glanced at one guard who stood at the mosaic. He spoke with someone in his radio.
Ludwig read the message again and then said.
”Though I have no idea what that Egyptian Virgil has to do with it but maybe it doesn´t matter. It says clearly in the code that we are supposed to insert the most common symbols in the Four-Leaf Clover.”
”Yes, what is it?”
”Simple. What is that Thoth gives to Moses?”
”The law of course. That we know but it´s no symbol as we have said. Out with it now! ”
”No, but what does the law consist of? I just want to see that I have it right, if you come to the same conclusion as me.”
”Yes, the law is indeed a collection of legal principles to be -”
Ludwig interrupted him.
”No, I did not mean the legal philosophy. What was the first thing you said to me that Thoth was.”
”I don´t remember”, said August irritated. ”Tell me instead!”
”You said that Thoth was the Writer. Creator of wisdom and writing.”
”What do you mean by that?
Ludwig looked at him. He pointed to Moses and Thoth. Read the message. Repeated what August said to him in the castle in Austria.
”Oh, I see what you mean”, said August, smiling.
”Indeed, old man. The most common of symbols is of course the written language and the code must therefore be the alphabet ... ”
”... Or alphabetum as it is called in Latin. The Four-Leaf Clover´s letters are written in Latin.”
August put an arm around Ludwig. Ludwig looked at him. He felt the touch of August. The arm was hot. A feeling went through him amidst all the stress and anger. He could not quite interpret the feeling except it warmed him.
But it was no problem for me to understand him, or anyone else for that matter that was human. No one had held Ludwig for a long time and even though he stubbornly and stupidly swore that he did not need it, he needed it. That's why the feeling became that strong, although the situation was as it was.
August bent down to Ludwig and smiled. Ludwig fired an embarrassed gaze to the floor as if he were a small child who was praised for the first time in his life.
They went out of the cathedral, looked out for cops but saw none. They went quickly into a narrow medieval street. The street was empty and the shutters facing the street were closed. They found a small deserted piazza with a fountain and a bench. Some windows faced the piazza. In the apertures there were pots of flowers in green and red.
Ludwig picked up the Four-Leaf Clover from his canvas bag. Cautiously he pressed the letters, alphabetum. It creaked a little. The box seemed fragile. A click was heard for each letter. August wiped the sweat from his brow, then said.
”Careful now when you turn the caduceus, Ludwig. As soon as you hear that the needles are in, and that something is about to break, stop immediately, you understand?”
Ludwig nodded. He placed the Four-Leaf Clover in his palm and grabbed the caduceus with the other hand.
”This is it”, he said, looking with wide eyes at August who did not release the Four-Leaf Clover with his eyes.
Ludwig turned the caduceus gently. It spun full circle. The mechanical work squeaked like a toy. Nothing happened. They heard nothing. Something was wrong.
The seconds were long.
So it happened.
One of the clovers opened.
The Sapphire Box sighed like an old grave and trapped air shot out. August gently opened the clover lid until it stopped. A linen paper was folded inside. August took it out. He looked around. They were still alone on the piazza.
Just when August would open the linen paper Ludwig pointed on the Four-Leaf Clover.
”What is that? Did you see where it came from?”
*
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
June 16
While they waited in the central for the Italian police to act Alexander Wagner sought out Lukas Gruber, who was the caretaker of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Following the murder of Victoria and August's unexpected involvement in the theft of the Sapphire Box, he wanted to ask some questions to the man.
He had already inquired with Loretta but she was too busy to talk to him, and some guards he had talked to did not know much. He found him in his office. He introduced himself and went as usual rapidly.
”Do you know of a certain Victoria Iacobi, married to August Iacobi?”
”Of course I do. Why do you ask? ”
Wagner did not answer but continued to question.
”Have you seen her here at the museum?”
To Alexander's surprise the janitor replied yes.
”Yes, Mrs. Iacobi was here often. A delightful woman. Such class, if you know what I mean. She really lit up the room and spoke kindly to all. I feel sorry for her, that she ended up as she did. Cannot imagine that someone wanted to harm her so badly.”
Wagner nodded in an attempt to show sympathy.
”What did she do here?”
”For the most part she was in Saal XIII where you are now. She was very interested in the Sapphire Box of Edfu but who isn´t, it's so beautiful.”
*
August leaned over the Four-Leaf Clover and looked at the clover that they had opened. Behind the clover, against the caduceus, a small icon had appeared. A very small but fully visible piece had been pushed out of the Four-Leaf Clover when the clover opened. The symbol represented a camel.
While investigating the desert ship police sirens began to whiz down at Piazza del Campo.
”Quickly now, we must know where we're going.”
August unfurled the linen paper from the clover. The old code saw the day´s light for the first time in 400 years.
* * *
The old country has more dead than alive, and the wisdom mere god´s eyes see, their sight is hidden in the sacred characters. The road out of the mundane black sight meander like the snake to Castello in the Lion´s den, in the olive grove the academy director give a lesson during the hermetic season. Remember the Savior´s birth and the lighthearted love´s blind backward name and footsteps on the path to the old country and Prisca Sapientia let the wind blow clean.
”Do you understand anything, Ludwig?”
Ludwig shook his head. The sirens came closer. A couple walked up the street and stopped next to the piazza. The girl pulled out a camera and photographed her boyfriend against a wall.
Fast as the eye they got to jump aside when a small police car drove past them. August and Ludwig turned fast inward the piazza. Ludwig ran and looked around the corner. The police had driven on.
”We need not resolve the code but just know where the chamber is”, said August stressed.
Ludwig chiseled out the message. Divided it into strings. Placed its different meanings in tables in his skull.
”If I have to say something”, said Ludwig uncertain. ”Then I would say that we are going to Castello in the Lion´s den. It is on line 3.”
August agreed. They went to one end of the piazza. A scooter was heard in the neighborhood. Sound from a radio crackled nearby. They could not place from where.
”Where is it?” asked August, when he came back.
”No idea.”
The sound of the scooter died out but the radio noise was still there.
”Wait!” said Ludwig.
He pulled the camera out of the bag and flipped through the pictures he had taken of the mosaics. Behind Thoth´s mosaic was another mosaic with a lot of animals and cities, written under each animal.
The picture showed eight animals in a circle around a wolf who nursed two children. Each animal had a city attached to it. In the middle was obviously Siena. Viterbo had a picture of a unicorn, Rome an elephant with a castle on its back.
Ludwig navigated around the image wi
th August over his shoulder.
”There it is!” Ludwig zoomed in a lion and pressed down on the arrow keys to get the city's name.
”No, it´s not true!”
”What is it, Ludwig?”
”Can´t you see. It's way too blurry. I just took pictures of the center with the central focus. Some you can see but that is too far away, no sharpness. Can you see any letter?”
Ludwig enlarged the text below the lion but it was no use. The image was too blurry. They couldn´t even see the length of the name.
”We must return to the cathedral, Ludwig”, said August.
Ludwig laughed.
”Laugh it up, but do you see any other way out?”
In the same second as August asked his question something broke in Ludwig. August had pressed him for too long, he was not going to tolerate it anymore.
”Fuck me if I´m going back.”
”Ludwig, I have one finger on the phone and I can call while I go and talk with the police here. Believe me, I´ll do it.”
Ever since August had put his fist on the table in the bar the anger had bubbled in Ludwig. He escaped from prison not to be held hostage by August.
He could not hold it back anymore.
The situation choked him.
The panic came over him and took away all the shit he had pressed together from Sweden. Suddenly he saw Ella with the ape-fucker, the C-building, the theft. He screamed with a cracked voice, but August still felt the power of his voice.
”FUCK YOU, August, you fucking bitch! What the hell have I done to you? ”
August sat quietly on the bench and said nothing.
Ludwig buckled his arms until he shaked.
He realized he was stuck. Nothing had changed and he had not done anything that would cause it to change.
He walked over to the fountain and splashed water on his face.
He hung over the fountain for a few minutes. The water cooled down the heat in his face. He was powerless. Helpless.
Ludwig pushed out of the straitjacket. He walked briskly to August, who stood up. Without saying anything, they went back to the cathedral.