Chapter 8 - Plans, a letter, a discovery….. and an intruder.
Lara had stayed up till 2am, reading through her books. Hilly stayed up faithfully, in case she wanted something.
"Go to bed, Hilly" said Lara for about the 20th time. "I'm OK. Really I am!"
"Lara, I am just doing my job. Your father told my father to look after you, and my father told me to do the same, so that's what I'm doing"
"Ok. Ok. Thanks Hilly. I don't suppose you could get me a cup of coffee then, could you?"
"It's on its way"
"Thank you Hilly. You really are too good to me" She smiled at him. She really did love him in a brotherly kind of way. He wasn't much older than she was, and she felt her treated her like a china doll. Hilly, however, thought he treated her roughly, but she didn't like being mothered. Hilly slipped out of the door. Lara sat back in her chair, feet up in their usual position on her desk. She was thinking about the secret passages that her father had told her about. She stood up, and walked over to the bookshelf. In one of her revelationary moments, she decided to read every single title to see what there was. She got about half way down, when she stopped, for one of the titles had caught her eye: "Secrets passages of the House - Volume 1". She looked about for the other volumes. She reached up, and pulled, but instead of coming out, the book tipped forward, and a grinding noise started from somewhere behind the bookcase. She smiled. So all those hints that her father had given her - they were just to get her looking. The grinding noise stopped, but nothing appeared to have happened. She kicked the bookcase. If Hilly, or her father could have seen that, they would have grimaced. But Lara's un-orthodox ways had, once again, proved useful. The bookcase swung open on rusted hinges. A corridor made its way straight-ahead, but it was too dark to see anything clearly. There appeared to be candleholders on the walls, but no candles.
"Lara!" came Hilly's voice from the kitchen downstairs.
"Lara! Do you want sugar, milk, black or white?"
"Black…and extra strong please"
"Alright. It'll be about 10 minutes. I have to go to the store cupboard"
"No worries Hilly. Take your time"
She heard the kitchen door close. Lara walked back to her father's desk. She knew her father had hidden boxes, and compartments all over his desk. Was there one she didn't know about? With keys? Candles? Anything for this hidden doorway? She tapped all over the desk, listening for hollow places.
"Nope. Know that one. And that one. Hang on!"
"She had come across a hollow sound in a place she hadn't know before. She stuck her head under the gap in the table (the leg hole) well, at least she tried to. She seemed to bash her head on thin air!! Tentatively, she put her hands against the place where she had hit her head. Her hands touched something cold and hard. Glass!
"Well done Daddy. Mirrors. You really were a genius"
She lay on her back, and slid under the table. There, unseen from the outside, lay a hidden compartment, with a key! She turned it, and the side popped open, and another grinding noise started. The table top seemed to rise, allowing the user complete access to the box.
"17 years using this desk and I never found it! My legs are always on top of the desk…never under!!"
She smiled. She looked in the box. Several candles were there, with candleholders. Lord Croft's cigar lighter. A picture of her mother and a bunch of keys. Lara felt around in the bottom of the box. There was also a letter - to Lara.
"I seem to find a lot of these" Lara said to herself. She turned the key again, and the table slid back, now with ease, into its original position, but now minus the possessions it had held for many years. Lara went and closed the bookcase slightly. She put the cover back over. Hilly would be coming back in a minute, and she wanted to explore. She was now wide-awake, if Hilly saw what she was about to do, he would want to come with her, and although she would like company, she worked alone. And who knows what she could find? She decided she would take a gun down with her. She scribbled a note to Hillary:
"Back in a minute"
She wandered out of the study, and down to her gun cupboards. She picked out a simple pistol, and grabbed some extra ammo, and walked back to her study.
Hilly was there, coffee on a silver tray.
"Here you are, Lara. Extra strong. Like tar. Are you sure you wouldn't like to go to bed. I'll clear up"
"Hilly! Go to bed yourself. You're yawning"
"Do you mind Lara?"
"Of course not. Goodnight Hilly"
"Goodnight. Call if you need anything"
"Don't' worry Hilly. I will. I'll think of you as my knight in shining armour if any big hairy spiders come and run along the floor at me"
"You're cheeky you are!"
But they both smiled.
"I know!" said Lara. "It's the influence of my butler"
Hilly tutted, and walked out smiling.
Lara shook her head at the back of the retreating butler, and chuckled to herself. She made a sideways glance at the covered bookshelf, and a look came over her face, like a child who is plotting something naughty, and knows she shouldn't be doing what she is about to do. Lara stuck the gun in her belt, dropped the ammo in her pocket, grabbed the candle, lighter and keys, and then stopped! She looked down at the letter. It was a bulky one. She grabbed it, and opened it. There were 5 envelopes inside, all of them numbered. She opened Number1. Inside, was a piece of paper entitled "Map of Library passage"
"Bull's-eye" said Lara, and threw herself down in her chair.
"Shit!" she called out, as she landed on her gun, jabbing herself particularly hard in the side. She rubbed her side, groaning.
"This is some big passage. It leads under the house! What the hell is down there? Why was I never told about this? Party time!!"
She opened envelope number 2. Inside, the note read, "Do not open Envelope number 3 until at destination at end of passage. DC"
"DC!" Lara said to herself. "Daddy Croft"
Lara stood up. She was almost shaking with anticipation. She walked up to the case, and pulled off the cover. The door was still ajar, so she pulled it open. It's rusted hinges squeaking in protest. She looked in, walked back to the desk, picked up the gun, stuck it in the other side of her belt, at her left hand, and took her first step into the dark passageway. She took out the lighter and picked up one of the candles. She lit it - trust her daddy to keep it filled. She suddenly realised that in her haste, she had left everything else. So she went back into the study, grabbed her bag and everything else, and finally made it into the passage. The light from the candle made eerie shadows dance on the walls of the passage. She followed it straight on until it came to a fork. She looked at the map. An arrow pointed to the right, so she turned right. She came to a set of winding stairs. She could see wetness running down the walls of the corridor - it was cold and it was wet, so she knew that the steps would be slippery. She went down them slowly, carefully, so as not to fall. Hilly certainly wouldn't find her down here, unless she waited till morning.
Lara made it to the bottom in one piece, and continued to follow the corridor. Then, she stopped. Ahead of her, was a huge wooden door. A great old fashioned one - bolted, yet rusty. She looked up..and gasped. She didn't realise how deep she had come. She was in a huge cavern...the doors in front of her imposing, even in the candle light. She walked forward. There was something inscribed on the door. It looked strangely familiar to her - she was sure someone had said something like this earlier, or she had read it. Then, it dawned on her. Inscribed on the door of this, what ever was behind it, was the incantation of the First Guardian!!
"Fuck!! Surely not! Daddy? What is going on? Surely he didn't know about this too? If the map says it's in Egypt, it can't be here? Maybe?"
She looked at the door, and walked up to it. There was one keyhole. She took out the bunch of keys, and chose the biggest one. With some difficulty, she turned the key, and a distinct "Click" could be heard from inside the door. The door swung open, soundlessly. Lara walked in. There was another room. 2 of the walls were covered with books. At the end of the room, was a shrine, and above this, there was a picture, a fresco by the looks of it, of the first Guardian with the Miran, and the city of sapphire appearing. The sword in the picture seemed to shine, as though it were real. Lara looked around, silent. She couldn't say or think anything, apart from:
"Wow!!"
She walked slowly, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere. She held up the candle, and went over to the last wall. There was a desk here - identical to the one in her father's library and study. She sat down. This was her destination. She opened her bag, and took out the 3rd letter. She looked at it, and smiled at the memory of her father's handwriting. She slowly opened it and began to read:
"My dear Lara.
I suspect, or more, I know, that you will already have discovered some information about the Miran. Another part of my work that I never told you about. But before you panic, do not worry. I am not a member of the Miranis. I never could tell you about the Illuminati, but this I can tell you about.
A man came to me in January of 1945 and told to me of a prophecy, and the tale of the Miran. He asked me to go on an expedition with him, but I refused. I heard a few weeks later that he was dead. Killed in Egypt. I was already stuck though. I decided to research what he had told me for myself, and I became completely involved in it. I never told your mother about this cavern. It was my secret place. She knew some of the others, but this place, was placed here by some power. I was left a note telling me what to do..and I used it. All of these books and the files in this place are my research of the Miran, and the Lost Empire. You must use them to find the Miran, and guard it until the next Guardian comes along. The new Guardian, should be a modern man. It is many thousands of years since the last. Take care, my darling daughter. And may you always succeed. X"
Lara stood up, and walked over to the bookcases. Indeed, every book on the shelves was entitled "The Miran" or "The Lost Empire" and other such titles. She sat down again, and realised that her face was wet. She had been crying. She then noticed a scent - of flowers. A warm scent that she recognised. It was her mother's perfume. Lara was very sad, and tears leaked down her cheeks as she took out envelope number 4. Inside this, was a translation of the engraving on the sword. And in envelope 5
"Dream of me, and you will see me in daylight"
"Think of me, and I will see you"
"Blue is my colour, Silver is my light"
"Truth is my love, Day is my night"
"Search for me, you will be blind"
"Do not, and you will find"
"That looking for, is in vain"
"Destruction brings no gain"
"If your heart is true, you'll want for none"
"You will find your goal, and all is done"
Lara took the note, and grabbed a load of books. The she noticed a shaft with a tray going up to the direction of the library. She remembered there was a long box there, which she had never seen open. She though that this probably lead up to that, and was a dumb waiter. So she piled the box and tray high with most of the books and sent it up. Just as she was leaving, she noticed another door, in the corner near the shrine. She went over, and found that this door was locked too. She selected a key, and opened the door. Inside, was the most amazing sight Lara had ever seen. The wall was covered with gems. There were at least 20 chests, and each of these had labels on them. Her Father's conquests. He had never shown her. She opened each one in turn. There were jewels, artefacts, so many things. They were labelled with cards such as "The Knights Treasure, July 1936" and "The Hidden Tomb of Neffitio, Egypt 1966". She walked out. And locked the door again. She had one last look at the room, and headed out again. She locked the great doors, and looked up again. The cavern was huge. She walked back the way she had come, following her footsteps in the ground.
She headed back up the stairs, and finally made it to the fork. She could see the light from the library, but decided she would continue straight ahead to see what was down the other corridor. She followed it. This one was twisty, but she finally came to the end, and in front of her was another door. This one was pretty ordinary. There was only one key left, so she took that, and opened the door. She looked in, and fell to her knees. Inside was a shrine to her mother. She hadn't realised that her father had bens o devoted. Lara could hardly remember her mother, but the pictures on the shrine, among the burnt down candles, brought back memories to Lara. She sobbed silently, but looked up. There were flowers in here, and the same scent as downstairs. On the table, was a bottle of the perfume. Lara took it. It was the one thing she remembered.
Lara headed back to the corridor back to the Library but…
She could see a shadow from under the door.
"Lucky I pulled the book case almost closed" she said to herself.
She took out her gun, and quietly cocked it, ready for action. The person had just sat in her Father's and her chair. She was furious. She walked silently to the edge, and peeped through a crack. The person was kneeling down at the desk, obviously looking for secret compartments and other such things. She couldn't see what this person looked like yet. But boy, when she found out. She was gonna kill them.
