The cool evening air wafted in from the open patio, pleasantly scented with the tangy, salt-water fragrance of the sea. Against the inky blackness of the sky, millions of stars shown in brilliant splendor. The night was still, with barely a sound to interrupt the relaxing calm – only the lulling sway of the waves against the shore disturbed the silence. A sense of absolute isolation seemed to linger in the atmosphere.
A lone man sat lounging near the large windows, cigarette smoke lazily hovering above his head. He took another drag from the cigarette, eyes fixed on the panorama of night and sky before him. He was average in build, dark hair, dark eyes. His skin was of an olive complexion, and he possessed the broad forehead and high cheekbones characteristic in those of Mediterranean heritage. He was dressed in a lightweight leisure suit of expensive-looking material, perfectly tailored to his frame. On his right hand, he wore a diamond-studded ring, engraved with what appeared to be a family crest – a bird of prey, surrounded on either side by olive branches.
"I am sorry to intrude, Lorenzo," came a voice from behind the man. He spoke in perfect English, only mildly accented with an Italian inflection. "I have information that will be of interest to you."
Lorenzo Nicosi did not turn around to face the speaker. He waved his free hand towards him. "Come in, Alberti." The smaller man obeyed, stepping out of the shadows to stand directly in front of Lorenzo. Under the pale light of the terrace, a certain resemblance between the two men presented itself – same dark hair and eyes, same olive complexion. Only the slightest of differences could be observed in their faces, and that only through close scrutiny.
"Please, have a seat," Lorenzo offered, directing him to a nearby chair. When Alberti had settled himself into his seat, Lorenzo extended to him a silver cigarette case.
Alberti shook his head. "No, thank you," he politely declined. His dark eyes shown keenly, burning with the important information he had in his possession.
Lorenzo took another slow drag, pausing to study the man sitting across from him. He waited several more seconds before dropping the cigarette to the ground and extinguishing it with the heel of his shoe. "Alright, dear brother," he said at last. "What do you have for me?"
Alberti leaned forward in his chair, unable to contain his impatience. "The translating stone," he answered. "It has gone through a most interesting change of custody."
The older man took in the information with mild interest. "Indeed? Mr. Sageworth has finally been deprived of his most under appreciated artifact?" Lorenzo spoke leisurely, and not without amusement. The eccentric and somewhat insane old billionaire had been the owner of this priceless relic for nearly a decade, without even realizing its importance. "I would say that it is about time someone who has a more, shall we say, 'vested interest' in the piece took possession." He paused slightly. "Anyone I know?"
"Someone you have heard of – a tomb raider by the name of Alex West."
A slow smile crept onto Lorenzo's face. How he loved surprises. "Alex West, is it? This is an interesting new development."
Alberti anxiously leaned forward in his seat. "This will prove to make our task more difficult, will it not? Mr. West and Lady Croft are known to be long-time associates."
"Have been known, Alberti," Lorenzo corrected. "I believe that there are still some trust issues between them that can be used to our advantage." He leaned back comfortably in his chair, pondering the possibilities. There was nothing he liked better than these sorts of twists to spice up the game.
Alberti was not convinced. Lara Croft's reputation definitely preceded her, and the idea that she had allied with a fellow tomb raider of nearly equal renown made him shift uncomfortably in his chair. "Keeping track of Ms. Croft and the Trinity Gems was one thing," he persisted. "But, now she has both the Codes and the translating stone within her reach. It won't be long before she solves the translation."
Lorenzo's smile widened. "That is what I am counting on." Upon Alberti's confused expression, Lorenzo let out an easy laugh. "Come now, dear brother, have a little faith."
Alberti could not understand Lorenzo's unconcerned attitude. After Lady Croft had found the Trinity Gems, accomplishing in mere months what they could not after years of effort, Alberti assumed that Lorenzo would be eager to seize possession of them immediately. Instead, the businessman had wasted time, waiting for her to find the Codes of Amari, as well. Now, with Alex West entering the picture, the tomb raider had all the pieces she needed to find the crown.
Alberti lowered his gaze. "I do not think it is wise to involve them any further," he pressed. "They need to be eliminated."
The smile fell from Lorenzo's face, replaced by a look of displeasure. "You have no patience," he chastised. "You do not know the value of biding your time."
Alberti's eyes flashed. "We have waited long enough!"
Lorenzo regarded him with a look of cold contempt. "We will wait as long as I see fit." The tone in his voice left no room for argument. "Understood?"
A moment of tense silence hung in the air between them. Alberti glared at his half-brother with something akin to loathing, but said nothing further.
Lorenzo nodded. "Good, we wait," he said. He opened his silver case and selected a new cigarette, placing it between his lips before continuing. "You shall see, little brother. Lara Croft is the key to the crown – she will lead us right to our prize."
* * *
"Is this what I think it is?" Lara sat opposite Alex in the media room, examining the artifact sitting on the table between them.
The relic that Alex had produced was a round stone, approximately forty centimeters in diameter. The surface was etched with symbols, arranged in a circular pattern around the circumference. Lara recognized the markings on the outer-most perimeter from her studies of typical Mayan glyphs, almost all of which she could translate. Directly below this level were several more layers of writing, each getting progressively smaller as they approached the center of the stone. The markings closer to the axis were the same as those she had been unable to identify in the Codes.
Alex nodded. "That's right. The Rosetta stone for the Mayan culture." He traced his hand across the surface of the artifact. "Apparently, the language changed so much over the centuries, that some scribe felt it necessary to clarify the meaning of a few widely-used symbols."
Lara looked up at Alex, excitement shining in her eyes. "I had heard of such a thing, but none of my research could actually confirm its existence," she said. Now that she had the missing link right in front of her, solving the mystery locked inside the Codes was only a matter of time.
Alex returned her smile, and a feeling of shared enthusiasm passed between them. Suddenly, everything felt familiar, comfortable. For a moment, the past had been forgotten, and they were both encased in the easy camaraderie of their former partnership.
But, it was only for a moment, and it didn't last long.
"Do I dare ask where you found it?"
Lara's question made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. "I didn't steal it, if that's what you mean." He evaded her gaze. "Well, not technically-speaking, anyway."
Lara raised an eyebrow, suddenly very suspicious. "And what does that mean, exactly?"
"Let's just say I got a great bargain from someone who did not realize what he had in his possession." Alex leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head and a nervous smile on his face.
Lara shook her head and turned her attention back to the artifact at hand. "You will never change, will you, Alex?"
His smile vanished. He hated it when she played self-righteous. "Oh come on, Lara. Don't take the moral high ground with me." He leaned in towards her, eyes fixed intently on her face. "You are a tomb raider, after all."
Lara did not look up at him. "There are certain things that I will not sacrifice for a find," she returned.
Alex chose to ignore the intentional barb. Her harsh disapproval had stirred up his temper, and his resolve to make nice disappeared. "Did you tell that to Mr. Palmer before or after you took off with his merchandise?" He gestured towards the glass-encased Trinity Gems.
"Mr. Palmer was adequately compensated for his disappointment." She turned her gaze to meet his. "I'm sure the same cannot be said for your 'client.'"
Alex stood to his feet, glancing around at the cutting-edge technology surrounding him. iHis"I'm sorry, Lara," he scoffed. "Not everyone has daddy's money to play with…"
As soon as he spoke the words, he immediately regretted them. Lara stiffened visibly, and Alex could not help but feel that he had hit a nerve that even he had no right to attack. "Lara, I'm sorry. I…" he began hastily, silently cursing his own thoughtlessness. What was it about her that always got to him? Why did his cocky need to win always overrule everything else?
Lara was quick to cut him short. "These symbols," she interrupted. "I assume you have the translation for them already." She turned from the translating stone to look at him, and he was suddenly reminded of the way she looked the day she learned that he had crossed her. He could not easily erase that image from his mind – her jaw had been set, her teeth clenched in barely suppressed hatred. There had been more raw fury burning from the fiery depths of her eyes than he had ever seen before, even in the heat of her most passionate fits. But beneath that, so deep that only he could see it, was a pained hurt that had cut him to his very soul. And now, despite all his promises to never hurt her again, that same wounded expression was once again directed towards him.
Alex felt as if he himself had suffered the injury of his own unfair words. He escaped her unbearable gaze by turning his attention to his pack, from which he produced a collection of manuscripts. "It's all there," he said, handing them over to her. "I'm sure you'll be able to translate the rest of the Codes with that."
Lara accepted the documents wordlessly, retrieved the translating stone from the table, and stood to her feet. "I trust you will be staying the night?" It was more of a comment than a question. When Alex nodded, she continued, her voice flat and without emotion. "I will see to it that Hillary has a room made up for you." With that, she turned and left the room.
Alex shook his head in frustration, silently wondering when he would ever learn.
* * *
Lara closed the door to her father's study and leaned heavily on the frame. She felt as if every ounce of energy had been drained from her body. Head lowered, eyes closed, figure slumped over, she was a far cry from the confident combatant and successful "tomb raider" she had become known as. Only one person in the whole world could ever make her feel like this. Why did she continue to allow him to hurt her?
Lara walked over to her father's desk and collapsed into the welcoming arms of the familiar seat. She always felt closest to him when she was in this room, as if his presence were always there, guiding and watching over her. She closed her eyes again, now yearning for that comfort she had come to rely upon.
Alex hadn't meant what he said, she knew that. His temper, and his mouth, sometimes got the better of him – that was just how he had always been. She had accepted that long ago, as he had accepted her aloof, stand-offish attitude. But still, there was something about the way he always knew what would get to her the most. He could break down her defenses like no one else could, leaving her with the one emotion she detested the most – vulnerability.
Lara's gaze wandered to the photograph of her father – her own dark eyes smiling back at her from the still image. That smile somehow soothed her troubled mind. It reminded her of that brief moment in time they had shared together, before she made the choice to destroy the Triangle of Light, along with any chance to reclaim their stolen past. That had been the hardest choice she had ever made, and she had told only one other person about the experience…
She shook her head in frustration. Alex had been so sensitive then. He had understood how hard the decision had been for her and had unconditionally supported her choice. Nothing else mattered – not his love of money, not her anger over the past, not their constant rivalry… For the first time in a long time, things felt right between them. She felt as if she could finally begin to trust him again.
Then again, maybe Alex was right after all. Trust was a highly complicated issue. She very rarely gave the same person a second chance to hurt her. That survival instinct had been engrained into her personality long ago. It had kept her alive more times than she could count. It was the reason why she had been so successful in her career. And it explained why there was still a part of her that refused to let go of the past…
* * *
"I don't trust him." Bryce paced the short stretch of kitchen floor restlessly.
Hillary looked up from where he was preparing dinner. "Neither do I," he stated calmly. "But Lara has seen fit to include him in this project, and I think we should trust her judgment."
Bryce was not pacified.
"He hurt her once, you know."
The butler smiled in mild amusement at Bryce's anxious behavior. "I am aware of it."
"He'll do it again! I'm sure of it."
Hillary put down the knife he had been using. "Were you not the one who wanted to call Mr. West in the first place?"
"Well, yes."
Hillary persisted. "And, did I hear you correctly when, not an hour ago, you were telling Lara that she could trust him?"
Bryce nodded impatiently. "Yes, but that was when I knew she wouldn't listen to me."
Hillary paused. "Let me see if I understand. You wanted Lara to call Mr. West for help, knowing that she would never agree to it, and therefore would not actually receive the help she needed. Now that Mr. West is here, and willing to provide the help Lara needs, you want him gone?"
Bryce considered his words. "Yes," he said at last. "That's exactly what I mean."
* * *
Lara had been starring at the documents for so long that the symbols began to blur and run together. She rubbed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Everyone else had gone to bed hours ago, but Lara refused to sleep until every last line of the Codes of Amari had been translated. She had almost completed the last of the glyph translations, but they still weren't making very much sense. With every piece that fell into place, there always seemed to be more missing.
She glanced at the clock on the desk – 4:20am. Maybe she should take a break after all. The crown of Amari wasn't going anywhere, and she could really use some sleep…
Lara gathered Alex's documents together in a pile and reached for her own digital imaging photos. Just as she was about to slide them all into a file, something caught her eye. It was a photo of one of the three scroll casings that housed the documents. She held the photo closer to the light, suddenly intrigued.
A light flashed in her eyes. Of course! Why hadn't she seen if before? Excited now, Lara shuffled through her photos until she found images of the other two scroll casings. Lying them out on the desk in a triangular pattern, she stepped back to take a look. When fitted together, the patterns on the casings formed the exact same design that adorned the alter in the Temple of Andora.
"Life, death, and the space between," Lara murmured in quiet wonderment.
* * *
Light flooded into Alex's room, and he reacted on pure extinct. Snatching his gun from the nightstand, he had it trained and ready to fire even before he knew what he was firing at.
"Get up," Lara ordered from the doorway, completely unaffected by the weapon aimed at her forehead.
Alex rubbed his eyes wearily and lowered the gun. "Lara? What the hell is it?" His voice carried more than a little irritation.
"The key to the crown," she answered matter-of-factly.
Alex was instantly alert. "You found the location?"
"Almost. I found a riddle." Lara eyed him expectantly. When he did not make a move to get up, she prompted him impatiently. "Are you coming, then?"
Alex smiled roguishly. "If you
insist." He threw back his covers and
swung his legs to the floor. Lara tried
not to notice that he had nothing on.
* * *
"All this time, I had thought that the three scrolls were connected as if in a trilogy – one after another." Lara leaned over the imaging photos laid out on her father's desk. A now fully clothed Alex stood behind her, peering over her shoulder. "And to some extent, they did follow this order. The ceremonial descriptions, the history of the crown and their great ruler Amari…All of the information I had been able to interpret using known Mayan glyphs." She arranged the photos as she spoke so that they once again connected to form the triangular design of the temple alter. "But, even after I used the glyph conversions you derived from the stone, I was still unable to come up with a translation that made sense."
"Like scattered words that didn't make up a full sentence," Alex finished. Lara looked up at him in surprise. "After you left, I did some translating of my own," he explained casually.
She looked at him in mild wonder. "Right." Turning back to the photos, Lara traced her finger along the design. "It wasn't until I saw this that it hit me. Life, death, and the space between." She looked back up at him, the excitement of discovery glowing on her face. "The Mayans believed that all three – past, present, and future, were intermingled…inseparable, if you will. Time was not linear to them, as it is to us. It only follows that their priests would describe the location of their most preciously guarded possession in this same manner, intermingled and inseparable."
Realization dawned in Alex's face. "The scrolls were not meant to be read one after the other, but together."
Lara nodded. "Each line is divided among the three scrolls, so that the text only makes sense when read as one." She pulled a stack of manuscripts out from under the photos. "These markings here," she pointed. "They are not part of any known Mayan writing structure, not even from your translating stones." She gestured towards the stone lying on the corner of the desk. "They simply tell the reader when to continue to the next scroll. It's brilliant, really."
"Brilliant, indeed." Alex could not help but give her a look of admiration. "Nice work, Lara."
She continued. "Once I had solved the key, the translation was easy." She held up a notepad covered with her own handwriting.
Alex took the paper from her hand to read:
"'The power of life is the power of the death
Lesser, nor greater – one is not to the other.
A light shines from the space between
From below, the beginning of all.'"
Lara watched him expectantly. "What do you make of it?"
He tapped the paper thoughtfully against his chin. "'The power of life is the power of death…'" he repeated slowly. "Sounds to me like a reference to the Trinity Gems and Codes of Amari."
Lara smiled in approval, pleased that he had come to her own conclusion. "That's exactly what I thought. The Mayans believed that gems, especially the Trinity Gems, were a source of life. And why were the Codes written in the first place? To reveal information to someone who had already passed over into death." She read over Alex's shoulder. "'Lesser, nor greater – one is not to the other.' I think this means that they were placed in equal relation to each other."
"And equal relation to the crown – the space between," he continued for her. "A triangle. It's telling us to triangulate the location of the crown, using the locations of the gems and Codes."
"And this here." Lara pointed to the final line of the riddle. "'From below, the beginning of all.' The final point to the triangle is below the other two points, existing in the space between." Lara turned to her father's map of the world, which covered nearly all of the wall space above the desk. Alex was already studying it, his index finger quickly finding what he was looking for.
"You found the Codes in Central America," he said, his finger landing on the former Mayan kingdom of the Yucatan Penisula.
"Yes, here." Lara guided his finger to Guatemala, near the city of San Benito. "And the Gems were found in Russia, here." She pointed her own finger to the northernmost area of the vast country.
"Then the space between…" Alex slid his finger down the map.
Lara's finger met his in the middle. "…would be here."
Alex looked up at her, smiling. "Better get packed," he said. "Looks like we're going to Africa."
.