Contents

The Gutenberg Rubric

Thirty-Three

THE BOOK WAS NOT A SCROLL, but a bound codex, and Keith could identify quickly that even though it was a manuscript and not printed, it was nowhere near 2,000 years old. Probably mid-19th century, he thought as he looked at the beautifully illuminated page open in front of him. Maddie was already digging in her backpack for another pair of gloves. “Get the torches back away from it and shine a flashlight over here,” she said. Fry took the torches and retreated a few steps. Keith approached with the flashlight. Maddie carefully tested the quality of the paper to see if it was safe to handle. The paper was high quality and in supple condition. She began to turn pages back toward the beginning of the book.

“I think this is what we were sent here to find,” Keith said. They reached the first page of the neatly written Greek. Keith began to read. “‘In the year that Alexander died, the seven divided his kingdom. We wept that all his conquering was parted, but only Alexander could rule the world. This book is the testament of Ptolemy Soter of Alexandria, heir to the knowledge and lore of the world’s greatest conqueror.’” Keith paused. “I think we’ve come across the book called The Wisdom of Ptolemy. And by the looks of it, it was placed here to be found.”

“You think this is the book that the monastery copied?”

“An ink analysis would verify it,” Keith answered her question. “There aren’t that many manuscripts that were written with cyanide laced ink.”

“If you take the manuscript out of here with us,” Fry said, “you have to have a plan for releasing it, or you have to guarantee that it is going to be kept secret in your Guild. I may not have understood the role of a guardian before, but I know we have to protect this location.”

“I agree, for now,” Keith said. “And I have an idea. Maddie, you may not like this.”

“We have to have a body in order for me to inherit,” Maddie said, already ahead of Keith. “And if we dig him out, we dig Joey out.”

“I see where this is going,” Fry said. “There is a way that it could work. If the Guardians clear the passage to the front door, they will uncover the bodies. It could be done during the winter when there are few people around. We would also want to arrange it so that it is not quite so easy to stumble upon if you happen to walk around the spring.”

“But if the bodies were discovered somewhere in Turkey, say a long ways west of here,” Keith volunteered, “they might have died in a spelunking accident. In a few months, after the will is read and Maddie inherits the estate, she could find this moderately old volume among Derek’s possessions and donate it to the library where authenticating the volume would reveal its history without revealing anything about the location of this archive,” Keith said. “I think this book will reveal Ptolemy’s intent for his library and we can work out how to progress from there.”

“Now that we know what the Guardians guard,” Fry said, “we should be able to keep the site safe. The region is already protected as a national treasure. But if we don’t find our way out of here, none of that will make a difference.” As if to emphasize his point, one of the torches guttered and went out.

“You know the steps,” Keith said. “Maddie, if I didn’t use all the plastic bags to wrap my feet in, let’s get the book prepared to take with us.”

They worked quickly to close the book, wrap it first in cellophane, and then package it in a garbage bag, sucking as much air out of the package as they could with straws before sealing it closed with packing tape. Nonetheless, by the time they were finished, the last of the torches had gone out and Fry held a single flashlight on their work.

“Let’s go,” he said. “Stay close and we’ll use just one flashlight at a time. I’ve no idea how long this will take.”

Fry led them through steps, counting the measures with the ritual words he had learned. When they reached the back of the stone head, they discovered what looked like a fold in the stone headdress concealed a passage inside the head. There, stairs led them still higher. But the maze they entered when they emerged from the passage nearly baffled the agent. He persisted with the steps exactly as he had learned them and eventually they came into a room small by comparison with the scale of the underground pyramid.

“This should be it,” Fry said. “At least, this is where the ritual ends.” All three turned on their flashlights and scanned their surroundings. In the center of the room stood a massive screw press that would dwarf the replica press in the Gutenberg Museum. The massive timbers stretched from the floor to a stone ceiling. Around the room were typecasting equipment, setting stations, and scrivener desks.

“It’s a print shop,” Keith said. “It must be where Gutenberg worked out the details of the printing press.”

“Yes, but there are no other doors,” Fry said. “If this is where the ritual ends, it may be where we end as well. I’m sorry I can’t take us any farther.” The three circulated through the room and examined all the walls. They seemed solid. The only way out appeared to be the way they had come in.

Keith found himself standing back in front of the press, running his hand along the handle. The screw could apply incredible pressure to the platen below it.

“Keith, we need to find a way out, not be examining another old press,” Maddie said.

“I think the press is the way out,” Keith answered. Both Maddie and Fry moved to him to examine the press. “Remember, we couldn’t get in until we’d closed the door at the entrance. This is the same kind of thing. Most presses of the Gutenberg era were so heavy that a pressman could pull on the handle all day and all the pressure would be exerted down onto the platen. But this press has the extra support of floor to ceiling anchors. If I pull the handle, I could still make a great impression, but look.” He pointed to the ceiling. “The top of the screw looks like it goes right through the roof. When I pull the handle, you can see the screw descend from the ceiling.”

“Fascinating, but it could just be a design anomaly,” Fry said. “No doors opened when you pulled the handle.”

“Maybe I’m pulling in the wrong direction,” Keith said. He positioned himself on the other side of the press and pulled the handle so that the screw rose into the air. It stopped after a quarter of a turn with the platen just a few inches from the typebed.

“Still nothing,” Fry said, shining his light around the walls.

“A screw press this size is capable of over half a ton of pressure if you pull hard enough,” Keith said. He propped his feet against the press and heaved against the handle as hard as he could. There was a pop from overhead and the wall opposite the press began to shift. Fry was at the opening shining his light through as the stone moved aside.

“This is it,” he said. “The opening is going to cycle closed again. We need to get through.” Keith and Maddie ran for the exit. As soon as Keith let go of the press handle the stone began to shift again. Maddie hugged the book in front of her as she dashed out the opening with Keith right behind her. Two steps beyond the portal, the stone snicked closed again. They shone their lights around the entry. Paved with smooth cut stones for about ten feet, the floor became rough as they continued down a passage that was similar to the cave they originally entered from. It was cold in this cave, however.

“We’re outside the pyramid,” Fry said. “Let’s hope that’s a good thing because we’re not going back in the way we just came out.” Maddie pointed at the reflection of the light ahead of them.

“Is that more glass?” she asked as they approached.

“No,” Keith said. “It’s ice. No wonder it is so cold.” They searched the area in front of them, the passage blocked by ice formations.

“There’s a passage there,” Keith said looking over Maddie’s shoulder.

“Are you sure?” Maddie asked. “It looks like a little ice cave to me.”

“You were the one who led us up a winding staircase that kept getting narrower and narrower,” Agent Fry said. “Let me check it out.” From somewhere on his person he pulled a flare that he lit with a tug.

“You had these while we were all in the dark?” Keith asked.

“We had other light then,” Fry said. He tossed the flare down the ice passage. They watched it twist and then heard it drop a few feet. It illuminated the base of the passage dimly. “It looks big enough to me,” Fry said. “I’ll make sure the passage is fully open.” With that he went feet first into the passage and they saw the light at the end black out as his shadow came between it and them. There was a muffled crack and crash as ice broke inside.

It took nearly another 30 minutes before the trio had navigated their way to the cave opening, only to find that it was blocked by an iron gate. Fry worked the lock free using more force than finesse to get them through. Finally they stepped out of the cave into the pre-dawn light and looked around.

“It appears we’ve just emerged from the ice caves on the south side of the mountain,” Fry said getting his bearings. Keith recognized a bit of the path they had come up on their first hike up to Mount Nemrud.

“If we head that way we should intersect the processional way and we can head on down from there,” Keith said.

“That means my support team is on the opposite side of the mountain,” Fry said. “I’ll call them around and they can bring a car to meet us at the base,” Fry said. He pulled a satellite phone from inside his shirt and turned it on.

So this is it, Keith thought. We found the library of Alexandria. It is a place where knowledge is kept, not where it is shared. Maybe that is what it means to guard the words.

They followed the agent, lagging farther and farther behind until he had rounded a corner and then Keith turned to kiss Maddie. She melted into his arms with the book sandwiched between them.

“I know this may not be the best timing,” Keith said as he broke the kiss, “but it seems like we’ve kept waiting for right times to tell each other things all week and those times never get here. I love you, Maddie, and I want you to marry me.” Maddie gasped slightly and Keith reached into a side pouch of his backpack. He pulled out a small brown envelope and opened it. A ring shown in the light.

“Keith! When did you ever manage to get a diamond?”

“I confess, it’s not a diamond,” Keith said. “I think it’s more appropriate for us. I had Granddad get it ground and set for me as soon as he got to Mainz. It’s a piece of the glass from the atrium of the Kane Memorial Library.”

“It’s perfect, and yes. Yes, yes, yes,” Maddie said.

They kissed again and then headed down the path the direction Agent Fry had gone. Just before they dropped below the ridge, they looked back and could see the crown of the tumulus over the Western Terrace.

“You know I want to come back here,” Keith said to Maddie.

“After our daughter is born,” Maddie responded. “I think we have enough to keep you busy for a few months right here,” she said, handing him the book she still carried. Keith took the book.

“I can’t start that until I finish cataloging these,” he said, touching a freckle on her nose. They laughed and hurried to catch up with Agent Fry.

The End

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