She stared pointedly at him. “And Bailey hasn’t informed anyone in Rome about our location here in Sergiyev Posad or our intentions.”
“No. I was adamant with him that we stay dark, and he didn’t disagree—though, plainly our suspicions left him unnerved.”
Seichan shook her head and concluded this discussion with a warning. “Still, watch your back.”
“You do the same.”
With the matter resolved for now, they headed toward the door. He wished he could go with her. After arriving at the hotel, Monk had administered a steroid injection and applied a soft splint to Gray’s ankle. His mobility was much improved, but he was not at his best.
Still, that wasn’t the only issue.
Those remaining behind had their own task to address: to solve a centuries-old puzzle. If the Golden Library was indeed hidden somewhere within the sixty acres of the Lavra, they needed to pin down its location.
But how?
As tired as they all were, no one had the verve to tackle that confounding riddle of ancient scrawls, small pictures, and strange scientificnomenclature. It remained a baffling mystery. But one member of their team had sought to clarify it as best he could, working throughout the night.
Then again, he’s a decade younger than any of us.
Gray reached the door. “Let’s see if Jason has made any headway.”
18
May 12, 7:34A.M. MSK
Sergiyev Posad, Russian Federation
This is going to give me an aneurysm...
Jason ignored the chatter from the main salon as he worked at a desk in a bedroom. He had a laptop open before him, flanked by two digital tablets. Three crushed cans of Yaguár—the Russian equivalent of Red Bull—lay toppled by his elbow.
He tapped a stylus on the desktop as he glared at the laptop’s screen. The image that had confounded him all night glowed in the darkened room.
Earlier in the night, he had managed to strip away more of the frontispiece’s overlaying sketch of the golden book and the Trinity Lavra, enhancing what lay underneath to a slighter degree.
It hadn’t helped.
He took a sip from his fourth can of Yaguár, wishing it was the alcoholic version of the energy drink.
Maybe getting drunk would help make sense of this.
For the thousandth time, he studied the arcane writing, all surrounding a compass rose that might or might not be important. He shook his head, refusing to second-guess himself. He had come to a few conclusions overnight, just not enough to put the pieces together.
A voice cleared behind him. He stiffened in surprise and glancedover his shoulder. Gray stood there, leaning down, scrutinizing his handiwork.
Even with a bum ankle, the guy moved like a shadow.
“I see you’ve made some progress,” Gray noted.
Jason stretched his arms, then let them drop in defeat. “But little else.”
“You’re likely too close to the problem by now. Can’t see the forest through the trees.”
“Maybe.”
Gray pointed to the suite’s salon. “Sometimes it helps to talk it out. To share what you might have discerned.”
Jason groaned, not in refusal, but in exhaustion. He gathered his laptop and tablets and followed Gray into the neighboring room.
