A/N: Due to popular demand, another chapter. Enjoy.
*
Lara directed Alex to the address that Dr Bailey had given her the previous afternoon, confident that his friend would have the cipher decoded by mid- morning the next day.
"Left here," she instructed, looking up from the map spread across her lap.
Alex slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel to make it into the road they had almost already gone past. "A bit more warning next time, please Lara," he said in irritation.
"Fine. Right in about half a mile."
Alex gripped the steering wheel more tightly but didn't respond as he knew she was just trying to provoke him. However, he breathed a sigh of relief when they finally pulled into the driveway of a large, old-looking house which was covered in ivy and set back from the road. They both hopped out of the Jeep into the warm summer sunshine and Lara rang the doorbell. A friendly looking man of about fifty greeted them.
"Mike Digby?" the man nodded in reply, "I'm Lara Croft, this is Alex West. I believe you are expecting us?"
"Yes of course," he said warmly, welcoming them in to the house and through to a comfortable lounge. Photos of smiling children lined the mantelpiece and a large vase of flowers took up most of the windowsill. A small blonde woman of a similar age to the man stood up from an armchair, folding up the newspaper she had been reading.
"You must be John's archaeologist friends," she said, taking in their appearance. "Don't you make the sweetest couple?"
Lara and Alex exchanged an uncomfortable look. "Uh, we're not a couple," Alex said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His words were like a sword to Lara's heart, but she forced herself to continue looking directly at the woman.
"Right, sorry," she said, embarrassed.
Mike Digby smiled and stepped forward. "This is my wife Sue," he explained. "Honey, this is Alex West," he indicated, "and Lady Lara Croft."
"It's lovely to meet you both. Can I get you tea or coffee? Oh and do take a seat."
"Coffee, thank you," Lara said, sitting down in an armchair. The men joined her.
"Professor Digby, I don't know if you..." Lara began, but he cut her off by raising a hand.
"Mike, please. And John told me you'd want to get straight to the point. But can I just say this is a fascinating code, I've never seen one quite like it."
"Have you solved it?" Alex was unable to contain his eagerness to hear what it said.
"Yes, I think so. But it doesn't make much sense - could you give me some context for it?"
"I'm afraid not," Lara said shortly, "please, may we see the solution?"
Mike smiled in submission and got up. He took a piece of paper off a desk that stood in the corner of the room and handed it to Lara.
"My wife translated it from the Arabic," the professor said, "she is the reader in Classical Languages you know." Lara looked up briefly and smiled politely.
She sat studying the sheet in silence for so long that Alex, unable to contain his impatience, had to get up and go and look at it over her shoulder. Lara could feel his warm breath on her neck and she struggled to concentrate on the document.
They both looked up at the sound of a tray being set down on the coffee table in front of them. "Not a couple eh?" Sue asked with amusement. Alex realised he was resting one hand on Lara's shoulder and he quickly removed it and stood up, clearly his throat. Lara smiled privately to herself.
She read aloud to herself. "North is life and South is death. West is the city of the enemy and East the exorcism of the legion. Where all points cross seek again. Life and death both you will find there."
"We're going to need an atlas," Alex said and Lara nodded in agreement.
"And possibly a Bible," she added.
"I'm sure I can find those for you," said Mike, getting up.
Lara held up a hand to stop him. "No, no. I wouldn't want to put you to any more trouble. We have everything we need at home," she said, looking at Alex pointedly.
"Yes of course," he continued for her, understanding her desire for secrecy, "but, uh, thank you for everything you've done."
"No problem," Mike said, throwing his hands up in resignation, "it was an interesting challenge."
"They didn't drink their coffee," said Sue with a hurt expression as the door clicked shut.
*
Lara directed Alex to the address that Dr Bailey had given her the previous afternoon, confident that his friend would have the cipher decoded by mid- morning the next day.
"Left here," she instructed, looking up from the map spread across her lap.
Alex slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel to make it into the road they had almost already gone past. "A bit more warning next time, please Lara," he said in irritation.
"Fine. Right in about half a mile."
Alex gripped the steering wheel more tightly but didn't respond as he knew she was just trying to provoke him. However, he breathed a sigh of relief when they finally pulled into the driveway of a large, old-looking house which was covered in ivy and set back from the road. They both hopped out of the Jeep into the warm summer sunshine and Lara rang the doorbell. A friendly looking man of about fifty greeted them.
"Mike Digby?" the man nodded in reply, "I'm Lara Croft, this is Alex West. I believe you are expecting us?"
"Yes of course," he said warmly, welcoming them in to the house and through to a comfortable lounge. Photos of smiling children lined the mantelpiece and a large vase of flowers took up most of the windowsill. A small blonde woman of a similar age to the man stood up from an armchair, folding up the newspaper she had been reading.
"You must be John's archaeologist friends," she said, taking in their appearance. "Don't you make the sweetest couple?"
Lara and Alex exchanged an uncomfortable look. "Uh, we're not a couple," Alex said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His words were like a sword to Lara's heart, but she forced herself to continue looking directly at the woman.
"Right, sorry," she said, embarrassed.
Mike Digby smiled and stepped forward. "This is my wife Sue," he explained. "Honey, this is Alex West," he indicated, "and Lady Lara Croft."
"It's lovely to meet you both. Can I get you tea or coffee? Oh and do take a seat."
"Coffee, thank you," Lara said, sitting down in an armchair. The men joined her.
"Professor Digby, I don't know if you..." Lara began, but he cut her off by raising a hand.
"Mike, please. And John told me you'd want to get straight to the point. But can I just say this is a fascinating code, I've never seen one quite like it."
"Have you solved it?" Alex was unable to contain his eagerness to hear what it said.
"Yes, I think so. But it doesn't make much sense - could you give me some context for it?"
"I'm afraid not," Lara said shortly, "please, may we see the solution?"
Mike smiled in submission and got up. He took a piece of paper off a desk that stood in the corner of the room and handed it to Lara.
"My wife translated it from the Arabic," the professor said, "she is the reader in Classical Languages you know." Lara looked up briefly and smiled politely.
She sat studying the sheet in silence for so long that Alex, unable to contain his impatience, had to get up and go and look at it over her shoulder. Lara could feel his warm breath on her neck and she struggled to concentrate on the document.
They both looked up at the sound of a tray being set down on the coffee table in front of them. "Not a couple eh?" Sue asked with amusement. Alex realised he was resting one hand on Lara's shoulder and he quickly removed it and stood up, clearly his throat. Lara smiled privately to herself.
She read aloud to herself. "North is life and South is death. West is the city of the enemy and East the exorcism of the legion. Where all points cross seek again. Life and death both you will find there."
"We're going to need an atlas," Alex said and Lara nodded in agreement.
"And possibly a Bible," she added.
"I'm sure I can find those for you," said Mike, getting up.
Lara held up a hand to stop him. "No, no. I wouldn't want to put you to any more trouble. We have everything we need at home," she said, looking at Alex pointedly.
"Yes of course," he continued for her, understanding her desire for secrecy, "but, uh, thank you for everything you've done."
"No problem," Mike said, throwing his hands up in resignation, "it was an interesting challenge."
"They didn't drink their coffee," said Sue with a hurt expression as the door clicked shut.