by Dan Sofer
Jay shifted on his stomach. His eyelids twitched like egg whites in a frying pan but he willed them to open.
“…in Mandy’s bag,” the blond was saying. She held a red lipstick in her hand for the others to see.
Pepper spray!
How had he missed that?
Green crouched over a fallen darkie, his back to Jay. “He’s coming to.”
The gunman with the mustache lay on his side and clutched his arm. “Hurry. I’ll take care of my men.”
“And I’ll handle these bad boys.” The blond trained the red canister on Jay. “Go get Mandy.”
Green looked to the Temple Below. “I think I know what the Teacher is after,” he told Schwarz.
What was the Teacher after?
Green and Schwarz ran toward the Temple.
Jay watched them go, straining his neck to keep his head above the dirt.
The Stone.
The plain rock Schwarz had brought to Qumran along with the scroll jar. The Sons of Darkness needed it.
Jay could use that.
The Teacher had said nothing of the stone. What other details had he left out? And what was he after in the Temple Below?
The blond picked up a machine gun and turned it over.
“Ever use one of those?” he said. “I could show you.”
She slipped the strap over her shoulder, aimed it high, and pulled back on the cocking handle. She glared at him, then sauntered off to the others.
The Harper wallowed on the ground and spat dirt. “Can I have a glass of water?”
No one was listening.
“Hello-o!”
Jay craned his neck toward the back of the cave. Schwarz and Green stepped into the mouth of the Temple.
He let his eyes close, his chin drop to the ground.
A few minutes passed. The remaining Sons of Darkness licked their wounds and forgot him. The fire in his eyes burned low. He blinked them open.
He had not resisted capture. Pain had robbed his strength and gouged his eyes. But he had remembered to hold his wrists side-to-side when the unseen hands had knotted the rope. Now he rotated his wrists and the rope slackened.
On a patch of loose earth nearby lay a handgun.
Jay could use that too.
***
Dave walked between the twin pillars and into the dark unknown. Again.
This time he didn’t need dragging. He would rescue his damsel in distress if he had to crawl through a hundred dank tunnels filled with countless invisible terrors.
Forget roses. Forget chocolates. Forget fluffy bears holding heart-shaped cushions. This was the real deal. Dave had sneaked into an ancient tomb. He had braved machine gun–toting villains. If that didn’t prove him worthy of Mandy’s love and forgiveness, nothing would.
Ben stopped a few steps into the dim passageway and waited.
Dave’s eyes adjusted. He could make out no movement in the blackness, only the slow sway of their shadows and a faint drip-drip of water.
“Hear anything?” Ben said.
“No. Is there another way out?”
“Possibly. Probably. Damn. They’re long gone by now. C’mon.”
Ben’s flashlight cut through the gloom like a laser. The passage widened. On the walls, grotesque faces lit up then faded to black: growling lions, eagles with sharp beaks, all winged and fierce with human bodies.
“What is this place?”
Ben inched further into the dark. “The temple of Jerusalem Below. Before the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple, the Guardians of Jerusalem built a model of the Holy City in the hope of restoring its former glory when the storm passed. They moved the Temple Treasury here for safekeeping. The landmarks in the Copper Scroll refer to Jerusalem Below, not the actual Jerusalem Above. That’s why treasure hunters never found anything. They searched the Jerusalem Above using the scroll as a map, when the Copper Scroll was actually a map of a map.”
Their shoes squeaked on the stone floor.
“So there’s more treasure in here.”
“One item in the list has no location but it’s most likely in the Temple. Which makes sense because it’s—”
A man’s voice completed Ben’s sentence.
“…the most valuable of all.”
Dave had heard that British accent before.
Ben aimed the beam ahead at the source of the words. The light sketched a hunting cap, a goatee, and a girl.
“Mandy!” Dave blurted.
His feet carried him forward.
“Dave! No!” Mandy said.
“She’s right,” the man said. “I’d watch my step if I were you.” A fluorescent light flickered to life and Dave shielded his eyes with his hand. A crevasse sliced the room in two, the jagged edge passing inches from Dave’s shoes.
Mandy stared at Dave across the chasm, her eyes wide and bright in the white light.
This is your last chance, Dave. Tell her you love her. Tell her you’re sorry. You’ll make it up to her for the rest of your life. Tell her! Beg her!
“Mandy,” he cried, overjoyed just to see her again. The words rushed out of him. “I’m an idiot!”
Mandy smiled. “I know!” She seemed to understand. Her chest heaved.
Indications of Interest! She’s happy to see me! Thank you, God!
He had to get to her. The man held her close. Beside him, a rope extended from a stone beam. They must have swung across but the rope was out of his reach.
The Teacher gave a wry smile. “It seems that my escape tunnel has collapsed, and yet again, Ben, you stand in my way.”
Ben inhaled sharply. “Professor Barkley? You’re the Teacher?”
The Teacher pulled at his face and the goatee peeled away. He discarded the disguise.
“You know this guy?” Mandy asked.
“Sort of,” Dave said. “He taught Ben at Hebrew U.”
“And a fine student you were, Ben,” the professor said. “I had thought to win you over that evening when you came by and talked of scroll jars. But then your friend here tagged along and, well, loose lips sink ships.”
“Did you find it?” Ben asked.
“Right here.” Professor Barkley indicated the rounded jar under his arm.
“A scroll jar?” Dave said.
The professor scowled at Dave. “The scroll jar.”
“What?”
“He always talks in riddles.” Mandy spun her finger next to her ear, the universal crazy sign.
Dave laughed. “Yeah. Ben does that too.”
“Yes, yes,” the professor said. “You’re both very happy to see each other. Now be quiet. This is the most important discovery in archaeological history. Do you understand?”
Dave shook his head.
“Tell him, Ben.”
“The first Torah,” Ben said. “The original scroll of Moses.”
“Or a copy of a copy,” the professor said. “But the earliest full manuscript. The source of all others.”
Dave’s confusion must have been written on his face.
Ben explained. “According to the Bible, Moses stored his scroll alongside the Ark of the Covenant.”
Ben’s words came slow and deliberate and Dave almost heard the cogs turning in his friend’s mind. Ben was playing for time. He eyed Dave meaningfully.
Keep him talking.
Ben continued. “The Copper Scroll mentions a Copy of the Text. That could mean a copy of the Copper Scroll itself. Or it might be a reference to the Original Text.”
“Very good,” the professor said.
“And why is that so valuable?” Dave asked.
“Why?” The professor almost frothed at the mouth. “The original scroll of Moses? Or is it scrolls? Before generations of redactors merged and edited the separate and contradictory legends. The ultimate proof of the Documentary Hypothesis. Think of it. Religious laws and beliefs, pillars of faith, based on a copying error. Entire stories and characters exposed as late additions and amalgams of pagan myths. The Dea
d Sea Scrolls merely chipped the surface; this scroll will topple the entire edifice. The end of Western religion.”
“And,” Ben added, “revenge against your Christian detractors.”
The professor bit his lip. “I dared to question their doctrine in my writings and they destroyed me. My tenure lost. My name ruined. This seems like a fitting comeuppance. And the world will thank me. No more religious wars. An age of pluralism and tolerance.”
A shiver scuttled down Dave’s spine. The Teacher had spent too much time with his nutcase followers.
“So this is your End of Days?” Mandy said.
The professor chuckled.
“The Sons of Light aren’t going to like that,” she said.
“I did what I had to. To acquire the other scroll jars I needed men with certain skills. The idea of reviving the Judean Desert Cult came naturally. We got carried away, I’ll admit that. Kidnapping was never part of the plan.”
“Then let her go, Professor,” Dave said.
“And leave me to your SWAT team?” The professor leaned away from Mandy. In his hand, a silver gun glinted in the white light. “I don’t think so. Here’s what’s going to happen. You two turn around. Tell your friends that you found nothing. The Sons of Light worked alone. Those lunatics ran amok; let them pick up the bill. They have served their purpose. When the coast clears, this dear girl will return to you while Ben and I announce our find to the world.”
Fair enough, Dave thought. Let him get away with it. I don’t mind. So long as Mandy goes free. And Ben would love the limelight.
“There’s one more thing,” Ben said. “The Stone.”
Dave turned a violent glare at Ben.
“What, this?” Professor Barkley placed the jar on the ground. He slid his hand into his shoulder bag and displayed the Foundation Stone for all to see.
“Lovely, isn’t it? Shiny. Smooth. Desirable. Seems to listen, to suck in everything around it. Could it be your Foundation Stone? Who knows? Either way, you’ll never prove its provenance. The stone is worthless, Ben. A mere artifact. A rock like any other. What really matters is this.” He pointed at the scroll jar. “The written word. The spirit of men long-dead heard across the millennia.”
“All the same,” a voice behind Dave said. “I’ll have them both.”
Not again.
Jay padded down the passageway and into the circle of light. He had a gun and he pointed it at the professor. At Mandy.
“Lunatics, you say? Served our purpose?”
Oh, crap.
Dave edged out of the line of fire. The gunman did not seem to see him.
“You.” Jay’s voice quavered. “Teacher. You said you believed in me. My time had come. I was The One. Did you tell all of us that? Keep us out in the wop-wops, play us against each other while we kept our vows of silence?”
Dave looked around for a gun, a spade, anything. He met Mandy’s frightened gaze. She stepped away from the former Teacher.
“It’s not what you think,” the professor said. “Put that down.” He had lowered his voice to a commanding tone but the sway he had held over this particular Son of Light had evaporated.
“Thought you’d pull a swiftie, did ya? And by-the-by, the cave’s a skinner. Not a skerrick of your gold or silver. Don’t act surprised. You knew it all along. That’s why you came in here for the real treasure.”
“This is all part of our plan. I’ll explain later.”
“Not this time, Teach. My eyes are open. For the first time, I see things the way they really are. Not the lies you fed us.”
Dave studied Jay.
Their main opponent had shrugged off his delusions. Jesus had been unstoppable; Jay would respond to reason. A peaceful end glimmered on the horizon.
The Teacher feigned insult. “I never lied to you, my son. We must defeat the Sons of Darkness with deception. Surely you understand?”
Jay shook his head. “I trusted you but in the end you were from Darkness.”
Hope fled Dave like air from a balloon. So much for a peaceful solution.
“I thank you for one thing,” Jay continued. “Whatever your intentions. You showed me The Way. But now you’ve served your purpose. Put the stone down next to the jar.”
Professor Barkley glanced at the stone, shocked. “What? This old rock?” His tone became nonchalant. Reckless. He tossed the Foundation Stone lightly in his hand. Dave remembered the careful respect with which Ornan had handled the stone, like a technician defusing a bomb. The hairs on the back of Dave’s neck stiffened.
He flashed a look at Mandy and tipped his head to the side.
Get as far away as you can.
Mandy nodded, then shifted her glance to the rope beside her. She had a point. The rope was the only way over the abyss.
“This stone means nothing, Jay. Don’t let them fool you.”
“All the same.” Jay waved the barrel of the gun. “Drop it.”
The professor smiled. His eyes glittered. “As you wish.”
The Foundation Stone slipped from his fingers, bounced once on the stone floor, and rolled over the edge.
“No!” Ben said.
Dave’s stomach convulsed with each clink of the stone against rocky outcrops, each softer than the one before, until the sound faded away.
“That’s a long way down,” Professor Barkley said.
“What is it?” Jay asked. Fingers of muddy sweat trickled down his face. “What does it do?”
“What did it do?” the Teacher said. “The same as all religious artifacts and relics. Nothing.”
The Teacher stepped sideways. He wrapped an arm around Mandy’s waist and aimed his gun past his human shield.
“Now my turn. Put the gun down, Jay. I’ll only ask once.”
Mandy stared at Dave. Her chest rose and fell quickly. Her eyes shouted Help! Or was it Goodbye?
Dave’s throat dried up. He had no weapon; he had lost the element of surprise. He stood no chance against Jay.
His feet moved as if they had a will of their own. He took one step forward, then another, along the edge of the crevasse until he cast a weak shadow over Jay.
Dave stared down the barrel of the gun. It jiggled irritably.
“Out of my way, Schwarz.”
Dave swallowed hard but shook his head. “Not Mandy. Please.”
The gun stayed on target. At this range Jay had no way of missing. One squeeze of the finger and it was game over.
Dave had his back to Mandy now. At least she wouldn’t see the fear on his face. He braced himself for the blast and pain in his chest. The earth seemed to shudder beneath his feet.
“Did you feel that?” Ben asked.
The ground trembled again.
Jay lowered his gun. “It’s happening.” He was actually smiling; his face glowed under the sheen of grimy sweat. “The End of Days is upon us. Teacher, prepare to meet your Judgment Day.”
A low hiss and a swish. A stormy sea crashing over rocks. The sound grew louder. The room danced like an airplane shifting through air pockets.
Dave turned around as a huge column of white erupted from the crevasse. The force knocked him off his feet. He landed hard on his back. Darkness. Cold spray covered his face and drenched his shirt and jeans. The roar of rushing water blotted out all sound.
He shot to his feet.
Mandy. Have to get to Mandy.
He stepped forward, his eyes closed against the spray.
The chilly water seeped into his shoes, splashed at his ankles, then climbed his calves. He waded on, against the torrent, toward the deafening jet; a mouse trapped in a water pipe. The fountain floored him again. When he rose, the waters sucked at his waist. A loud crack. A tall wave broadsided him. Dave tried to find his feet. Blackness all around. He was floating. The mighty swells swept him back, back, back.
“No!”
He paddled fiercely but the current swept him away. His body spun. Then a watery hand dashed his head against a wall. Pain flared in his sk
ull. He sank beneath the surface and knew no more.
***
The ground teetered beneath Mandy. She closed her hand over the hanging rope. For a split-second, a white jet of water shot from the crevasse like lightning. Then the fluorescent light shattered and plunged the Holy of Holies into darkness.
The blast wave shoved her backward, into the Teacher, whose arm slipped from her waist.
She clung to the rope for all she was worth. Jets stung her arms. The white noise of ferocious waters surrounded her. She swung sideways, then forward in the dark, buffeted by the powerful flow of an upside-down Niagara Falls. Then her forward movement slowed. Her legs dipped in water and found the floor of a knee-deep river.
She sensed that she had rounded the fountain and crossed back over the gaping crack.
“Dave!” she cried.
She could barely hear her own voice.
A clap of thunder and then a large swell lifted her off her feet and urged her forward.
Mandy heard her father’s voice. They were swimming in the sea at Galveston.
“If a wave sweeps you out,” he said, “don’t fight it. The ocean is stronger than you. You’ll tire fast and sink.”
“What should I do, Daddy?”
“Just float. Keep your head above water. Breathe. The current will bring you back in the end.”
Mandy lay back. She drifted feet first. Her sopping clothes stuck to her body and made floating difficult. She spread her arms, feeling for obstacles. A window of yellow light rushed at her. Then she dropped off a cliff and splashed into a pool of water.
She got to her feet and swept the damp strands of hair from her face. She stood in a large pond of shallow, muddy water. Flaming torches burned along the walls.
The cave!
Water gushed from the Temple behind her and from other holes along the walls, like faucets over an immense bath.
“Mandy!” Shani waded toward her and stumbled over a sunken house. “Thank God, you’re OK. We have to get out of here. Now.” She pointed at the entrance tunnel behind her.
The waters lapped at the steps. In a filthy sleeveless undershirt, his hands tied behind his back, Sol ducked his head and staggered into the dark mouth. A small, mustachioed man in army fatigues assisted him. Mandy squinted at him in the flickering flame light. He looked like the manager of the restaurant in the City of David.
