Treasured Secrets (16 page)

He fell hard. Hit the ground, head first. He struck the stones face-first and when he blinked back the pain, he noticed a white pebble on the stone floor ahead of him. It was a brutal shock to realise it was his own tooth. A scream of pain burst from his throat and warm liquid dribbled down his chin. It was his blood.

‘GO,' he screamed through the pain as he pushed up from the floor. ‘Get them.' But the men before him were pathetic. None of them moved. Not one. Nox gathered his coat from around his ankles and climbed the stairs, two at a time. With every step he took towards the front door, he knew it was pointless.

He ran across the kitchen. As he stood at the back door looking up the street he couldn't see, or hear them. They were gone.

Nox balled his fists, ready to hit anything or anyone that got in his way. His mind was in a spin as he tried to work out why they would have come back. But it didn't matter how many times he rolled the theories around in his head, he kept coming back to one reason. They'd found something. It had to be that book under that man's arm. Ever since he'd discovered that scroll in the statue, he had searched every crack, every hiding space, every hidden passage in this church looking for three things. The Australian's pendant was one.
Did they use it to open something?
His head pounded at the thought of them finding a secret vault before he did. And if that book was another one of the hidden items, he was going to kill someone. It didn't matter whom.

He grabbed a tea towel as he walked back through the kitchen, and as he wiped his mouth and chin, he was shocked to see how much blood there was. Someone was going to pay for this.

By the time he returned to the Esagonale room, the men had fled like the bunch of scared mice they were. Nox strode the halls, not looking for them but searching for what the Australian may have found.

He returned to Robert The Wise. The crypt had a very special place in his history, but what he saw now tipped his already racing heart into overdrive. A door at the end of the crypt was ajar. He was certain the bastards had left it open to mock him. When he bent down and looked into the empty space beneath Robert The Wise's tomb, his eyes fell on something that nearly drove him to hysteria. He'd been around this very crypt for decades and not once had he noticed the necklace around the lion's neck. Now though, it stood out as if it had been slathered in fluoro paint.

He looked and felt like a fool. They'd found the secret vault, hidden within his reach all this time. Not knowing what was in the book gnawed at his sanity. But if it was the one detailed on the scroll, it was of huge significance.

Getting that book back was now of the highest importance. The words written within it could expose the secret the church had managed to contain for nearly seven hundred years. And then every fool would be after the treasure. His treasure.

Nox fell to his knees and screamed until fresh blood poured down his chin.

Rosalina was exhausted. The crazy events of the day were catching up to her, as was her throbbing headache. But she forced back her growing exhaustion with a quick shower. She dressed then swallowed a couple of painkillers. She had no intention of missing out on looking through the diary with the men. She still couldn't believe what they'd done. Never in her life had she attempted, let alone completed, anything remotely as scary and illegal as that. But as she pulled out a chair and sat between Archer and Alessandro her reservations evaporated. Their excitement was palpable. ‘I hope it was all worth it.' Archer's eyes glittered and he was staring at Alessandro with a look of expectancy.

Alessandro had managed to acquire a pair of white cloth gloves from somewhere, probably his car, and it was with a very delicate touch that he turned over the pages of the book they'd stolen from the crypt. As much as she didn't want to admit it was stealing, it was.

‘It dates from 1325 to 1348.' Alessandro's voice was cloaked in awe.

‘That's a long time,' she said.

‘Does it say anything about the pendant?' Archer was an impatient man.

Archer deserved Alessandro's subsequent glare. ‘I've only just started reading it. Give me time.'

Alessandro's gaze was intense; his already dark eyes had darkened even further. His brows were drawn but not quite together. He turned the yellowed pages, each one covered in decorative cursive, very slowly, as if he feared they'd crumble under his touch. Rosalina studied the pages and noted how much care had been taken with the delicate calligraphy. Intricate designs coloured in pinks, greens and blues adorned the page borders.

Alessandro skipped forward to the last page. The left-hand side had writing on it, but the right-hand side was blank. ‘This is the last entry.' He cleared his throat.

Rosalina wouldn't be surprised if he did that before every one of his lectures at the university.

Alessandro looked up from the page.

‘What were they dying of?' Rosalina asked.

‘The plague,' Archer said.

Rosalina cocked her head at Archer.

‘Alex gave me some history lessons while you were in the shower.'

Archer wiggled his eyebrows, and Rosalina tried to picture how those history lessons were received, but couldn't. Archer was impatient and Alessandro had the patience of a saint.

Alessandro shrugged. ‘In 1348, the plague ripped through Europe like a tornado. More than twenty million people died. At that time they had no idea what caused the disease.'

Rosalina cupped her mouth. ‘My God. That's huge.'

Archer tapped the book. ‘Go back and see if we can work out why he hid the book.'

As Alessandro turned over the pages, reading in silence, Rosalina hugged her mug to her chest and deliberately avoided Archer's gaze.

‘Listen to this,' Alessandro said.

‘Nasty, but not helpful. Keep going.' Archer shook his head and rolled his eyes at Rosalina.

She chose to ignore his impatience. It helped that she couldn't stop picturing a world where an unknown disease was killing her loved ones. It was a horrifying thought. ‘It would've been terrifying.'

Alessandro jabbed his finger at the table, tapping for their attention. ‘Actually, it wasn't until the early 1900s that the cause of the plague was discovered —'

‘Focus!' Archer interrupted and pointed to the book.

Alessandro glared at him and turned another page. ‘Mmm, this may be interesting,' he said after a while.

‘What treasure?' Archer sat forward in his seat.

‘Do you remember me telling you about the great wealth in the Arte della Calimala guild?' Alessandro looked over at Archer.

‘Yes.' Archer extended his palm towards Alessandro.

Alessandro nodded. ‘During the thirteenth century, Florence was dominated by three powerful guilds. One of the guilds, the Arte della Calimala bought many properties around the church. They were so paranoid about one of their rival guilds, who were bankers, that they hid their valuables rather than giving them to the bankers.'

‘So,' Archer interrupted, talking to Rosalina, ‘here we have these three guilds all dripping with money, and then the plague rolls in and spoils everyone's day.'

‘And…' Alessandro drew in her eyes and continued up the conversation again, ‘…that meant all the governors and lawmen were either dead, or trying not to die. So Florence became a lawless city.'

‘So…' Archer nodded at Alessandro, ‘…the people trusted the church to watch over their valuables during this time of uncertainty.'

‘But our priest here' — Alessandro tapped the book — ‘took the treasure instead.'

Rosalina felt like the prize in a jousting match as one man sought her attention then the other.

‘And somehow
this
' — Archer reached for his necklace — ‘ended up in the middle of the ocean.'

Rosalina rolled the statement around in her head as she sipped her hot chocolate. Archer's eyes were distant, consumed with thoughts, as if he was reliving the moments when he'd found the pendant.

Alessandro scrolled through the diary, his finger skipping down pages as he read in silence. After several pages, he sat up. ‘This is interesting.' He read from the diary again.

‘So you were right,' Rosalina said.

‘What earthquake?' Archer frowned.

‘The same year the plague roared through Florence, a powerful earthquake hit the region.'

‘That's a little unfortunate,' said Archer.

‘The earthquake hit in January and coincided with the beginnings of the plague. These two events fuelled apocalyptical fears. They believed they were acts of God. People abandoned everything and literally ran for their lives,' said Alessandro. ‘Leaving their valuables with men they trusted the most.'

Rosalina nodded. ‘Men who should've guarded the treasure with their lives.' She tried to stifle a yawn. Her eyes were heavy and it was time for sleep. ‘I'm sorry, but I'm too tired. Can we take this up tomorrow?' She stood up and both Archer and Alessandro rose at the same time. The look of hope on both of their faces made for an awkward moment.

Thankfully, Archer nodded and discreetly winked at her before sitting back down. She diffused the expectancy by walking to the sink and washing her mug.

Alessandro gave her a gentle hug and kissed her forehead. ‘See you tomorrow,
mio dolce
.'

‘Goodnight.' Rosalina tightened her robe around her waist and left the kitchen. She trod lightly as she climbed the grand staircase to her bedroom, hoping to hear any conversation from the men. But she only heard silence. According to the town clock it was two o'clock in the morning and with each step she took, the weight of exhaustion sunk deeper into her bones. After a brief refresh in her bathroom, she wriggled under the soft covers of her bed and listened to the never-ending sounds of the ancient building as she drifted off to sleep.

***

Archer watched Rosalina leave the table, then his eyes fell on Alessandro. The man was obviously in love with Rosalina, but it was hard to say if she loved him back. She clearly had feelings for him, but was it love?

Today could've ended in disaster, but with the help of Rosalina's lover, it had finished well. It was an awkward situation, sitting with a man who was also in love with your woman.

But was Rosalina
his
woman? He'd driven her away. And now he regretted it. Alessandro seemed like a good man — someone who was safe, reliable, and someone who Rosalina could trust. Maybe he was worthy of Rosalina.
Maybe
.

Alessandro turned towards him, running his fingers through his hair. ‘So will I have to fight you for her?' He raised his chin in a move Archer registered as bravado.

Archer laughed. It seemed Alessandro was also a mind reader. ‘You mean a real fight with fists and grunting?'

‘If necessary.' Alessandro held an aggressive glare.

‘She's worth fighting for.'

‘You had your opportunity already, Archer. You failed!' A mirthless smile curled Alessandro's lips.

‘I know.' Archer reached for his pendant. ‘But things have changed.'

‘For you, maybe…but not Rosalina.'

‘Then, may the best man win.' Archer held his hand across the table and he could've sworn Alessandro prepared for an arm wrestle before he returned the shake.

Archer wondered what to do now. It was very late, but he had no intention of strolling off to his room, knowing Alessandro was here in the kitchen and Rosalina was just two floors above. If there was one thing he'd learnt during his years in the orphanage, it was to study your enemy before you challenged them. Now may be the perfect time to get to know Alessandro. ‘Fancy a glass of wine? Celebrate our successful rescue.'

For a moment Alessandro seemed lost for words, then he nodded. ‘Sure. I shall choose the wine.'

Alessandro disappeared down a set of steps and Archer rummaged through the fridge. He removed a selection of cheeses and olives and had them presented on a plate by the time Alessandro returned carrying both white and red wine bottles.