Chapter 15 – Secrets Revealed – Part Two

Lara leaned back in her chair, not sure what to think. Chirnajeet was still staring off into space, and his face had taken on a very ashy grey color. She was a little worried about him. She had known him for many years, and she could never remember once seeing him so distraught. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke again.

""You know the story of the Amulet, I would assume."

"Yes, I do. Very well. At least, as well as anyone can know it anymore. Most of the stories all clash, and nobody knows when to place the amulet in history. Some believe it never even existed." Chiranjeet finally broke his stare, looking straight at her.

"I can assure you Lara, it existed," he said with severity. Lara was shocked by his tone.

"I believe that it did, once," she replied hesitantly.

"It still does, Lara." She blinked, her stomach once again a ball of knots. In a way, she had hoped he would tell her there was no such thing, and that she might as well go home. But she knew he wouldn't say that. She could feel the truth for herself, deep within the recesses of her own imagination. In the dark corners where she dared not venture anymore. The amulet was very real, indeed.

"Where is it?" Chiranjeet laughed. It wasn't his usual, hearty laugh. This laugh sounded strained and a little too loud in the quiet room.

"If I knew that Lara, I'd be dead already."

"Then where should I start looking for it?" she asked, a little impatiently. He was being vague, and Lara needed to know what he was hiding. He looked at her again, very deeply.

"What do you know so far?" he asked. Lara sat back, and told him everything she knew of the history of the Amulet of Immortality, ending with the strange scrolls found in the Nile Delta region. When she had finished, Chiranjeet nodded, rubbing his chin.

"I am impressed, Lara. Though not surprised. You were never one to take your research lightly." Lara had to smile, because it was true. It was something he had admired about her since she first showed up at the temple doors, half-drowned and needing spiritual guidance.

"But there is more to the story, of course," he continued. Lara's heart nearly skipped a beat. She hadn't known he knew anything of the more modern history of the treasure.

"What do you mean? As in, after the scrolls were found?"

"No, before that. Long ago, when the amulet was more of a threat than it is today." Chiranjeet stood, walking quietly over to stand in front of one of the open windows. A cool breeze picked up, swirling his robes around his feet. Lara only listened, her blood pumping excitedly behind her temples.

"His name was Victor. Victor Xavier. He grew up in the streets of Rome, an orphan from birth. He was the one the scrolls spoke of. The dark emperor in a dark period of Roman history. No one knows for certain what happened during his bloody reign, save for the war with Alexandria." Chiranjeet turned to face Lara once again, and found her staring at him with wide, brown eyes.

"What war with Alexandria?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"The Untold War. It was never documented, because by all accounts… it never happened." Lara shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"What… I just don't understand," she stuttered, running a hand over her braided hair. Chirnajeet sat down next to her again.

"Listen to the story, and you will Keshini." She nodded, taking his wrinkled old hand in hers. He began again, and this time he did not stop.

"Victor wasn't a Roman by birth. His mother was a slave from Gaul, and his father was a half-breed Centurion in the emperor's army. He was born in the middle of the night, during one of the most terrible storms in Rome's history. His mother, always a frail woman, died the moment he took his first mortal breath. His father hated the child, and blamed him for his wife's death. However, he named him Victor in memory of her. His last name remained the same as his father's, despite his rejection of him."

"Several weeks later, Victor's father was called off to serve the emperor in the East, and he was killed a few days after deployment. Victor was sent to be raised by one of the emperor's former mistresses, who had at one time been very close to Victor's father. She took marginal care of him until he was old enough to strike out on his own."

"From early childhood, Victor had always shown a deep interest in the lives of the Roman Centurions. He was fascinated by the idea of world domination, and even more intrigued by the idea of one man ruling it all. He began paying close attention to the Centurions, trying to learn everything he could about their way of living. He would sneak into their training camps around the perimeters of the city, watching them train with each other and with superiors. He would go home and practice everything he had seen with sticks until he had it down perfectly. By the time he was old enough to apply for a position with the Centurions, he had become a master swordsman and an expert in combat strategy."

"Of course, there was no question when he did apply for a position with the emperor's Centurions. He was immediately accepted and admired for his brilliance. Even as young as he was, he could still hold his own with the men of the legions. He won their loyalty quickly. Too quickly."

"He was dispatched all over the world, and he saw many of the world's most exotic places. He ended up stationed in Egypt with his men, during a great civil unrest that was tearing its way through the country. He and his men were responsible for ending the battles raging in the great cities that belonged to Rome at that time. Alexandria was a Roman territory, and it had been caught up in the civil war. Victor was there to put an end to that. After defeating the radicals in the city, he was hailed a hero by Rome, and requested to return home immediately for services honoring his victories. However, before he could ever get home, he was lost forever."

"He and his men went hunting in the Nile Delta regions, rumored to be filled with treasure from the tombs of ancient pharos and their families. They happened upon a grand temple hidden in the sand that was cared for by a secret society of monks called the Shankai. They told Victor and his men that under no circumstances were they allowed inside of the sacred shrine. They explained that inside was a weapon of terrible destruction that must never be handled by mortal men."

"Of course, this only stirred Victor's evil mind into scheming. What if he were to steal this great treasure? He could use it to dethrone the current emperor and take the seat of power for himself! With a weapon as powerful as the monks claimed that to be, he could continue conquering territories for the great Roman Empire and eventually rule the globe! Or so he thought. He had no idea how terrible the treasure inside the temple really was."

"That night, he and his men led a raid against the Shankai on the temple grounds. Many of the peaceful monks were slaughtered mercilessly, while the few who could get away gathered in front of the temple doors. They even used their dying breaths to summon spells of destruction in an attempt to bury the temple beneath the sands, where no one could get to the amulet. Eventually, Victor made his way into the temple. The monks shut the door on him, sealing him inside. They continued to summon their spells of destruction, and the temple mysteriously sank beneath the sands, causing a great sandstorm to envelope the entire region."

"After the storm had cleared, the temple was nowhere to be found. And neither were Victor and his men. Rome mourned the loss of a great soldier, and time moved on. Many years later, the great emperor suddenly died, and it was expected that he had been assassinated. But no one complained, for in his place rose up a new and very powerful politician. No one knew who he was or where he came from. His name, however, was Xavier. Or at least, that's what everyone called him. He pushed his way into the emperor's former position nearly overnight with his incredible popularity. The people of Rome seemed to want nothing but Xavier. They wanted him to be the new emperor. The Senate had no choice but to comply with the desires of the people. Xavier was elected and crowned supreme emperor only days after his mysterious arrival in Rome."

"Several years passed, and Rome continued on an unprecedented march towards world domination. Xavier was an excellent leader, and he had the ability to motivate his troops even in the dourest of situations. He was loved by all, and feared by many. Especially members of the Senate. They sensed that something was very wrong with their new leader, even though they couldn't place their fingers on it."

"Eventually Xavier was married. He took a beautiful Roman woman named Julia as his new bride, and never was there a finer woman. She served him faithfully, keeping every rule he ever set for her. But he treated her terribly, and had her locked away in her chambers when she announced that she was expecting a child. When Julia gave birth to a little girl, he was enraged. He had wanted a boy, and heir to his throne. He had them both kept in seclusion during his reign, which wouldn't last much longer."

"It began with the loss of an important stronghold in the West during one of Xavier's many campaigns. He lost a great many men, and his troops returned home defeated. After that, those around him began to see changes in his behavior. He began to waste away, never eating or drinking save for very small amounts. Julia worried for him, and for their daughter Claudia, who was now nearing marrying age herself. Xavier was even more devastated when Julia suddenly died, leaving him and Claudia alone. It was rumored that after his death, he tried to commit suicide, but was somehow unable to expire. More people began to notice that he had started wearing a strange amulet around his neck at all times, constantly touching it and talking to himself. He became skin and bones, wasting away to a mere skeleton."

"Claudia was contacted by a secret society hidden deep underneath the streets of Rome. They were called the Ignis Sacre, or the Sacred Fire. They were remnants of the Order of the Shankai that had taken refuge in Rome after the massacres. They told her that they feared her father had somehow gotten a hold of the legendary Amulet of Immortality. A jewel that could grant its possessor eternal life in exchange for their humanity. However, the amulet was also a terrible weapon. It had the power to end worlds by using humans to destroy it piece by piece, just as her father was doing. They begged her to smuggle the amulet to them if ever she had the opportunity. They said they could take it back to its homeland, where it would be kept dormant and safe by the remaining Shankai."

"Claudia wanted her father dead more than anything else, but the business with the amulet had her fearing for her life. She watched for an opportunity to take the amulet from her father, and finally found her chance. He always took it off for a few moments when bathing before bed, which was a constant ritual for him. She waited until she knew she could get away with stealing it from him, and finally the time came. She took the amulet and raced to the underground hiding place of the Ignis Sacre. When Xavier discovered what had happened, he called out every last Centurion in his legions, ordering them to hunt her down and get back the amulet."

"As far as anyone knows, Claudia was successful in getting the amulet to the Shankai, and it was supposed to have been taken to Alexandria the night she brought it to them. But as for her… well, no one knows for sure whether she survived her father's wrath or not."

Lara leaned back in her chair, stretching a little as she did so. Her mind was racing, and her imagination was filled with pictures of the amulet, of Claudia, and of the last remaining Shankai burying the treasure back in the sands of Egypt… where it belonged. Chiranjeet smiled tiredly at her, patting her hand.

"Lara? Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just… I just never knew there was so much to the story."

"There's always more to every story than meets the eye, Keshini. One only has to look deep enough."

"So where do I go from here? I mean, I can't just start digging holes all over Egypt looking for something the size of a saucer. It could be abywhere." Chiranjeet nodded.

"Yes, you're right. It could." Lara began to stare very hard at her feet, something she only did when she was deep in thought. Chiranjeet began to speak again.

"Lara… You could always start with the river." She jerked her head up, wide eyed.

"What? The river? As in, the river Bhima?" Chiranjeet nodded, and Lara shook her head. "I don't understand."

"When Rome was still in complete power, West India had not yet come of its own. This region all belonged to Rome in theory. Many Centurions were placed here over the thousands of campaigns in the East. The river has always been a holy place. Even the Romans knew that."

"But what does that have to do with the Amulet of Immortality?" Lara asked.

"Before he died, Victor Xavier, or Xavier if you prefer, came here to try and find peace for his troubled and decaying soul. He traveled here, to the sacred river Bhima to pray for forgiveness for his many atrocities. He confided in the monks at the time that he had hidden a piece of his former life deep within the bed of the river. He said that someday, if anyone ever found it, that they must never be told what it meant. With that, he died in bed, very tired and sickly."

Lara jumped up from the table, nearly knocking over everything that was on it.

"Do you realize what this means, Chirnajeet?" she nearly screamed. He nodded solemnly, his eyes tired and dull.

"Yes, Keshini. It means you will find it. And when you find what he hid, the world will be a much more dangerous place." Lara only looked at him, her heart swelling for with love for him.

"I don't make a lot of promises, Chirnajeet. But this one thing I can assure you." She took his hands, closing them inside her own. "I will never let the amulet be used for evil again." Chiranjeet smiled, nodding in agreement.

"I know you won't, Keshini. I know you won't.