THEY WERE THE BASE OF THE COLUMNS at the entrance to the Sanctuary of God and the Throne Room: the titanic foundations of the pyramids of Khafre and Khufu: a phenomenon of antediluvian architecture intended to preserve knowledge and the ancient art of construction or, what is the same thing, the spirit of Wisdom.
— Didn't you say we were on the right path?
Sephy's question was obvious: the corridor ended in a limestone wall, which prevented them from going any further, so their only alternative was to go back up the stairs and try their luck with another entrance.
— I don't understand... — Antonia admitted, confused and thinking aloud. Perhaps the phrase had another meaning, or perhaps the solution lay in the planetary petroglyphs themselves. Sephy regretted the mistake and the fact that Evans and the others had escaped her. She figured there was no time to waste. She must return to the chamber of the four doors as soon as possible and find the correct one. And that's what she told Antonia.
— We'll go up again — she ordered, briskly. — And this time try not to make a mistake, or I swear I'll finish you off!
She wasn't joking, and the cryptographer knew it very well. She would have only one chance. She should think carefully before choosing. With the bitter taste of failure on their palates, they returned from whence they came. Antonia took the time to reflect on the meaning of the sentence. She would have sworn the riddle referred to Mercury, although it had obviously been a mistake. She would examine each word in depth. Perhaps they were mixed up, and the enigma lay hidden behind an anagram, a typical example of Masonic hermeticism.
She was determined: before entering another passage, she had to be sure of everything. The young German woman's patience was beginning to fray. If her companion wasn't useful, she would end up murdering her. And that possibility wasn't part of Antonia's plan.
Since the descent hadn't been very long, they returned to the original room within minutes, but to their surprise, they discovered the surroundings had completely changed. Instead of finding four doors— including the one they had just passed through— and the hidden corridor leading to the Chamber of Chaos, they discovered, to their horror, that there were eight descending passages and that the only exit to the pyramid's interior had disappeared. And not only that! The inscription on the wall and the astronomical inscriptions above the entrance arches were also gone. There was nothing there of what they had left behind. They were in a completely different room.
— What's that? — Antonia asked herself, frightened, unable to shake off her shock.
— Tell me I'm not dreaming... — Sephy said, in a calm voice.
Soon, however, she lost control and became overcome with rage when she felt deceived.
— Damn it! Tell me I don't see what's there!
With a strong shove, he threw Antonia to the ground. Then he lowered the arm holding the gun and fired at point-blank range, before the victim could utter a single word. The bullet slammed into the ground — between the doctor's thighs, very close to where her legs met — and ricocheted toward the ceiling.
— I failed on purpose, but just give me one more reason and next time I swear I'll hit the target — he threatened, as he held out his hand for her to get up.
— No, thanks... — the cryptographer declined the offer, picking up the flashlight from the floor. — I can do it myself.
He stood up without much effort, brushing off the dust that had stuck to his pants.
— I need to hear you say that there is an explanation for all of this and that you will get me out of here as quickly as possible — Sephy waited for a satisfactory answer, but deep down, she knew that there was no logical reason to explain the fact.
— The only thing to do is choose one of these corridors and hope it leads us directly to the Ark.
— What if it doesn't get us there? — the hitwoman asked. — What if it's blocked, like the last one?
— We come back here again.
— It's possible that by the time we do this, the chamber will have shifted again and returned us to the main room.
— It's a possibility — Antonia admitted.
— The other would be to face a different camera.
— We'll take the risk... — He frowned and continued. — What else can we do?
He was right, and that was what hurt Sephy the most: having to accept his failure.
They chose an entrance at random, although in reality, it was Sephy who finally decided. They descended for several minutes. Against all odds, the corridor was unblocked by any wall, and soon they reached another room. This one had five doors, none of which bore signs or carved stone markings. However, there was one detail that set it apart from the rest: the steps went up, not down.
— This is crazy! — exclaimed Antonia, throwing her hair back with both hands, in a reflex action.
Sephy strode through the room, his face transfigured with rage and despair. He muttered a few curses in German and vented his anger by kicking the stone walls here and there. He even fired a few shots into the air, which echoed in his ears like thunder in the stillness of the night.
— Let's go back — he shouted, on the verge of hysterics.
— Let's go back before I lose my mind!
They climbed back up the stairs the way they had come, distraught at the thought of being trapped forever in that labyrinth of underground corridors, but fate had another surprise in store for them: they encountered a new wall, magically created, preventing them from continuing. Terrified, they had no choice but to descend again. Upon doing so, they found another room with only two corridors: one descending, the other ascending. The situation was becoming even more surreal.
With a feeling of abandonment and helplessness, Antonia leaned her back against the wall, slowly sliding to the ground. She looked languidly at Sephy, who was as pale as an addict in the throes of withdrawal.
— We will never leave here — the cryptographer declared, in a markedly funereal tone.