Day 2.- The Harris Holy Church

"Bookworming," that's how Lara said she'd spend the day. "No more strange expeditions. You can take another round on the yacht, have some fun… you know, couple things." Abby laughs at the proposal, while Jonah thinks Lara's bound to come across trouble. Regular things you'd expect from Lara. But this time she's actually going to a library.

There's not much you'd expect to find but folk tales of slavery, something someone might have written, who knows. And sometimes, answers just come across you, but you ignore them. That's life. Reading, reading, and reading. Until one name crops up: Egwale. "Father Egwale?" Lara asks herself. "A slave christian priest?" She looks at her rusty orthodox crucifix and she can't believe it. "Slave trade from Ethiopia?" Lara thinks. "Something doesn't make sense here."

Lara tries to talk to the local priest about the story, who seems quite open to inquiries on the town's history. "Slaves in this town," he says. "They may have all been in sugar plantations. The Harris estate. They are the main contributors to our community. Though, getting a meeting with Lady Minerva is quite hard. She's Jamaican elite." Lara takes out a rusty crucifix. "What is this?" The priest asks. "It's rusty." "Found it on a shipwreck a few miles away from the coast," Lara tells. "Probably from the eighteenth century. That's why it's rusty. The galleon, I believe it was a Portuguese slave trade ship. But the crucifix is orthodox. I can't fathom there was Orthodoxy in Portugal in that era."

The priest examines the crucifix. "It's indeed Orthodox," the priest confirms. "I don't think they'd grab a priest as a slave. But… if the priest were black…" Lara soon realizes, skin causes confusion. "They'd never know in the first place," Lara says. "It'd be just another slave. A black christian slave. Not converted, but Orthodox raised." The priest smiles and returns Lara the crucifix. "A miracle of God, indeed," the priest says. "But, it could also be a big burden for anyone who bought them… Enslaving a man of God. I'd definitely try to hide it. I wouldn't like to have my image hurt."

The protestant priest is showing some signs of concern, so he shares them. "There's an old chapel at the Harris estate," the priest says. "As old, or even older than this Church. I'd bet they used it to convert the pagan slaves. But… you'd have to ask permission to visit it." Lara's eyes glimmer. "Or… I could trespass," Lara says. The priest gives back a stark gaze. "Troublemaker, eh?" he says. "I'm not stealing," she defends herself. "Only researching. I will leave everything in its place..." The priest makes the sign of the Cross, praying that everything keeps the same.

"Pst…" a voice says. "Got some money?" Lara looks at the black man… "Do you have an exchange house nearby?" Lara answers. The black man laughs. "I'm some sort of guide in here," he says. "Bob." She shakes hands with him. "Lara," she says. "You heard my talk with the priest?" Bob looks lost. "No," he says. "But you're carrying some rusty silver. Have you stolen it?" Lara smiles and answers: "From a dead man. Dived fifty feet to get it. Slave trader. Must have stolen it from an African slave." Then Bob laughs harder. "An African christian slave?" he jokes. "Are you crazy?"

NO.

"I'm an archaeologist," Lara says. "And Africa has a plus thousand year Christian nation: Ethiopia. That's where the crucifix was made." Bob lights a spliff. "You mean business," he says. "Who's the Ethiopian priest?" He shares Lara a bit of the joint, but ends up coughing hard after the first puff. Bob laughs hard. "You are green, white girl," he jokes. "Egwale!" Lara says while coughing. "Father Egwale…" Suddenly, Bob gets serious. "So, the old Harris' Church, huh?" he asks. "You better be armed yourself. Shoot first, ask later."

"Where do I buy a gun?" Lara asks. And now she's getting into trouble again. At least she's actively seeking it. Bob gets her a good deal on a revolver. "You are an interesting white girl," Bob says. "Most of us would reject us, but you embrace our heritage." Lara kinda ignores this phrase. She's just focused on Egwale's mystery. That's the Croft way. And then… an old & smoking van's engine roars. Bob will take Lara to the sugar plantation at the Harris estate.

The night becomes increasingly darker, and the insects make their nice and bright roar. Guards around the plantation will become increasingly higher, especially near the main house. But, for Croft and Bob, their destiny lies on the opposite side of the Harris estate. "Remember, shoot first, ask later," Bob reminds her. "OK," Lara says. "But you better be quiet."

Bugs are having a meal with our two friends, as they near the old Church. "Is that normal?" Lara asks. "The light's on!" Bob looks confused as well. "Praying time?" he suggests. The church's door is covered by two armed black men. "Traitors!" he whispers to Lara. "It looks Protestant on the outside," Lara says, commenting about the church. She then takes out a bow. "Why the bow?" Bob asks. "I got you a nice revolver." Lara doesn't listen, she only moves to the left corner of the Church seen from the door.

First shot, a distraction. A guard goes to look at what's going on. Second shot, at the guard on the entrance. Directly at the head. Third shot, to the scouting guard. Stealth kills. "You did take my advice into account. "Help me up," Lara says. She peeps into the church. Only one woman there. "We're going in," Lara says. "I think we are expected."

The door to the church is opened. "Trespassing, murder, what else should I charge you with?" the praying lady asks. "Are you a police officer?" Lara asks. "Or are you that Minerva lady the local priest warned me about?" The lady keeps praying to an altar. "Come please, Lara," she says. "The priest told me you found a crucifix on a shipwreck, haven't you?" Lara shows her the crucifix. "So, my family memoirs are correct," she says. "The Harris estate has bought a priest as a slave. Can you read the icon carvings?"

"This doesn't look like a church at all!" Bob says. "What are all those strange faces on the roof?" Lady Minerva Harris gets up and stares at Bob. "You are that twelve tribes boy that's always bothering people in my church!" she says. "Haven't seen your name in there Miss…" Bob jokes. "Angels," Lara answers. "We are in an Ethiopian Orthodox Church." Lara starts taking pictures. "If you don't mind," she says. Minerva lets her take the pictures. "One key to seal Babylon," Lara says. "That's the Ge'ez inscription in the main icon carving." Bob kneels and prays, as if he has witnessed a miracle. Lara lends Bob a hand, and he takes it. He would swear he had seen a lioness. "I hope you found what you were looking for, Lady Croft," Minerva says.

YES.

The two leave the church, and Minerva waves goodbye. Back to the van through all those sugar canes. "You could have killed that woman for good," Bob complains. "Do some justice for the world." Lara looks at him seriously. "No one dies in vain," she says. "I've got what I need. We should go back to actual civilization." But the van… it's being guarded by three more Minerva men. "Shoot first, huh?" Lara asks. Bob simply nods. This time, the revolver is the main weapon.

"Let's go," Lara says while bypassing the three random corpses. Bob looks at the black guards with pity. "There's sure too many armed men for a simple plantation," Lara says. "Slave work," Bob says. "It still hasn't ended. That's why there are too many men." The van starts and it's time to go home. Lara cleans the revolver and tosses it to ditch on a side of the road. It'll simply not be found again.