Yuri ducked away and headed downstairs.
Kowalski pushed out of hiding and stared toward the stairwell. This was going to be a problem—but one that could wait for now. He would alert Gray and leave it to the commander to address.
Not about to wade into that shitstorm.
Besides, he had his own assignment. He returned his attention to the windows and used a set of binoculars to scan the apartment building on the far side of the parking lot. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He spied on people preparing a late dinner, others lounging in frontof televisions, and one naked gentleman who was staring intently at a laptop across his knees.
Nope... enough of that.
He shifted his binoculars down to the parking lot.
He caught sight of a shadowy shape rushing low, heading toward that same apartment building. The figure vanished over the high embassy wall, as if it were a waist-high hurdle.
Kowalski frowned, having recognized the woman.
What is Seichan doing out there?
11
May 11, 9:18P.M. MSK
Moscow, Russian Federation
Gray scowled in frustration at Father Bailey. He had little patience for the priest’s obtuseness, especially as his ankle throbbed with every heartbeat.
“A lost continent?” Gray pressed him. “What are you talking about?”
“Give me a moment to explain,” Bailey said.
The Vatican prefect shuffled through a stack of photos spread across the tabletop, then leaned over and consulted with the bishop and nun from the Russian Orthodox Church. Since arriving here, the trio had been poring over the snapshots taken of the ancient Greek text. They had whispered amongst themselves, sometimes arguing, sometimes nodding.
Like now.
Gray remained wary of these two strangers, especially after witnessing Valya meeting with other members of the Russian Orthodox Church. He had initially balked at including these two in the meeting, but Bailey had insisted, vouching for them. Even Monk had said they were worth hearing out.
Gray had finally acquiesced, but only because he needed answers quickly.
Still, a lost continent...?
Bailey picked out several of the photos and held them up. “Monsignor Borrelli was very thorough in recording anything of note in the oldGreek text. Besides photographing the book’s gilded frontispiece with its sketch of the Trinity Lavra, he also took pictures of several other pages.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Gray said. “I was able to briefly review them on the flight here.”
“Yes, of course. Then you must have noted the pages with sections that had been underlined or boxed off.”
Gray shrugged in agreement.
Bailey continued, “What you must understand is that the Greek book—Herodotus’sHistories—is more of a travelogue than anything else. It describes the lands and peoples of the known world at that time. Some regions Herodotus had experienced personally. Others that he wrote about came from accounts that he had heard while traveling.”
Gray could guess the direction of this conversation. “Like this continent you mentioned? Hyperborea?”
“Precisely, Commander.” Bailey spread the pages that he had picked out. “All of the marked sections are places where Hyperborea is mentioned in the text. Here is one, which Sister Anna helped me translate from ancient Greek. She had studied alongside her brother Igor to be an archivist... until she had a greater calling.”
“I’ve not entirely abandoned my studies,” she added quietly. “Presently, I serve our convent as its librarian. We have a collection that rivals many museums. Igor came often to assist me in cataloging and preserving our books.”
Her voice caught slightly at the mention of her brother.
Bailey interceded, “As I mentioned, the passages she helped me translate all speak about the lost continent of Hyperborea.” He read a couple of the underlined sections. “‘Among the northernmost tribes are the Hyperboreans, whose territories reach to the sea... Concerning the Hyperborean people, neither the Scythians nor any other inhabitants of these lands tell us anything.’”
