Chapter 1 – Tip of the Iceberg

North of the Arctic Circle

Computer started beeping loudly. Charlotte leaned over to see the display. They had reached the place where the ship that might contain clue about the treasure should be.
Ben stopped the vehicle, opened the door and stood out. The gazed at the field of snow as others came of the vehicle. Charlotte looked around.
"That's quite a search we have head of us, isn't it?" Ian asked.
"Well, we'd better start then," Charlotte stated.

Ben walked around with a metal detector as did everyone else. They looked like a pack of birds moving to south for winter. Soon the detector found something and Ben dropped to his knees and started digging. Charlotte noticed this from further and came to Ben.
"You found something?" she asked.
Ben didn't need to answer because his pickaxe hit something metal. He wiped the snow and melted it and there it was – the name Charlotte in the bell of the ship.
"We found her," Ben said.

After few hours of work to reveal the ship, they sat on the deck of it – or at least what was left of the deck.
"If you hadn't shown up two years ago, I probably wouldn't have found this," Ben said to Ian as they sat next to each others.
"You would, I'm sure of it. That's why I didn't think it was as crazy investment as everyone said. And anyway, it wasn't me who came to you. You should thank your friend over there for telling me about the whole thing," Ian answered and pointed to Charlotte.
Charlotte turned to them.
"Well, I always thought that Ben needed someone to fund him. It was just a good luck that I ran into you in that fundraising party in New York," she said and smiled.
"Good luck indeed. We have come further than father during his search. But, let's go then!" Ben stated.

Under the deck there was no other light than their flash lights. Not to mention it was colder down there. They circled around until Ben found the door that would lead them to cargo hold. Everyone was excited and they thought they would finally find the treasure. But when Ben opened the door there was nothing. Not a single glitter of gold.
"Do you think it's in the barrels?" Riley suggested.
All but Ben and Charlotte grabbed a barrel and opened them. Nothing.
"Gunpowder," Ian stated.
Ben didn't hear him because he had just found something interesting. Charlotte on the other hand walked around and looked at the structures of the ship. Until she heard Ben saying,
"Why would the captain be guarding this barrel?"
Charlotte looked at Ben over her shoulder.
"I found something!" Ben soon shouted and everyone gathered closer.
"What is it?" Riley asked.
When the package was opened, there was a meerschaum pipe. After studying the pipe, Ben took off the handle. He cut his thumb and covered the handle with his blood. Then he took his notebook and pressed and rolled the handle against a page.
"It's another clue," Ben stated, "The legend writ, the stain affected. The key in Silence undetected. Fifty-five in iron pen, Mr. Matlack can't offend."
He moved so that he could sit down. Charlotte moved closer to door they came in from and thought about the clue. It had been the same for quite a time, since she met Ben.

A few years ago Ben came to Charlotte's office in National Museum of American History. He started to tell her about the treasure of Knights Templar and took a risk by doing that – no one until that had believed him. For some reason, he thought that this woman would believe her. And she did. Mostly because she was interested about secret societies and all related to them but also because she had heard about the Gates family before.
Back then, Charlotte tried to get the museum to fund the search but didn't succeed. She started to study the case with Ben by her own time and money. They even dated for a while but noticed it didn't work because of the obsession of Ben and stubbornness of Charlotte. They remained friends and continued to work together.
Then two years ago she met Ian Howe in fundraising party and became friends with him. On one lunch she told him what she was doing with Ben and Ian became interested and contacted Ben. And now, here they all were, a clue closer to the treasure – once again.

Charlotte woke up from her thoughts when she heard the words Declaration of Independence. She lifted her head and looked at Ben.
"The Declaration of Independence? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. And we are now on a dead end," Ben answered.
"We could borrow it," Ian suggested.
"You mean steal it?"
Ben stared Ian who didn't even blink.
"In other life, I arranged operations of… Questionable legality," Ian continued.
Charlotte met Ben's eyes for a second before he changed his gaze from Shaw, Ian's henchman, and then back to Ian.
"I'd take your word if I was you," Shaw said and stepped in front of Charlotte.
"Ian, I'm not going to let you steal the declaration," Ben said.
Ian stood up and looked at Ben.
"Well, then you're going to be nothing more than a hindrance."
As Ian said that, Shaw took his gun and pointed it to Ben. Riley made a noise further away and Charlotte straightened her back. She knew she could do something since Ian and Shaw were both standing right in front of her but she didn't have the courage to just jump to Shaw's back.
"What are you going to do, Shaw, shoot me? You can't, there's more in the riddle. Information you don't have, I do. I'm the only one who can figure that out, you know that," Ben said and stared at these two men who didn't seem friendly at all anymore.
Ian turned slowly to Ben.
"Tell me what I need to know. Or I'll shoot your friend."
Ian nodded to Shaw who turned the gun to Riley. Charlotte moved a little and thought again about doing something but then Ben lighted a burning torch and opened his mouth.
"Look where you're standing. All that gunpowder. If you shoot me, I'll drop this, we'll all go up."
"Ben?" Charlotte asked quietly.
"What happens when the light burns out?" Ian asked grinning. "Tell me what I need to know, Ben."
Ben gazed around.
"You need to know… If Shaw can catch!"
Ben threw the torch. Charlotte closed her eyes ready to die but there was no explosion. Ian had caught it.
"Clever, really," he said and pointed Ben with it.
That was a mistake. The burning light caught the fabric in Ian's jacket and lighted it on fire. Ian dropped the torch and it fell to the gunpowder. It flamed and forced all three, Shaw, Ian and Charlotte, who was standing behind them, to back off. Shaw tried to shoot Ben but didn't get him.
"Get out, Shaw! And move the woman with you!" Ian shouted.
Shaw turned and grabbed Charlotte's hand, pulling them out.
"No, let me go!" Charlotte shouted to him but lost the fight.
Shaw pulled them out and Ian followed them quickly.
"Come on, let's go!" Shaw shouted to Ian's other men, "It's going to blow!"
Everyone got to their vehicles and Shaw kept dragging Charlotte with him.
"No, I'm not going!" she screamed, "Ben and Riley are still there!"
"Leave her there, then! Come on now!" Ian told to Shaw and climbed to the vehicle.
Charlotte took few steps towards the ship when it blew up. She fell on the ground and protected her head with her hands. The snow dropped back down in little pieces, not to mention the wood.

After a moment Charlotte got up. She could hear the vehicles driving away but didn't care. She ran to the ship.
"Ben! Riley!"
She pushed stuff away so that she could go forward. Soon she heard coughing and followed the noise. Ben and Riley were on the other head of the ship, unharmed.
"Oh, thank God," she sighed and sat next to them. "You are alive."
"Not thanks to Ian," Ben mumbled.

In few minutes they all got up.
"There's an inuit village about nine miles east from here. We can get back to D.C from there," Ben said.
"What will do with Ian? He's going to steal the declaration, Ben," Riley stated.
"We won't let him," Ben said and kept walking.

Further away, Ian and his companions were almost back to where they came from.
"Are you sure it was wise to leave the woman there?" Shaw asked.
"We couldn't drag her with us, so there was no choice," Ian answered and kept staring outside the windows.
"I mean, can she stop us? Or did we just condemn her to her death?"
"She's a clever girl, she'll survive. But not fast enough to stop us," Ian said, "We will get the Declaration of Independence."