Chapter 33 - A Surprising Revelation
Lara rapped on the door to Mason's suite, rubbing a hand absently across her right side. The tape on her ribs was chafing again. The door opened, and Nicholas Howard stared out at her with glossy eyes. Must be hung over again, she thought, giving him a wan smile.
"Good morning Lady Croft," he said, returning the smile dully.
"Good morning Nicholas. Mason wanted to see me." He nodded, standing aside and motioning her in. The room was filled with warm, golden sunshine flowing in through a large window at the front of the room. Mason sat at a round table beside it, enjoying the last of his breakfast. When he saw Lara, he stood, dabbing at his mouth with a linen napkin.
"Lara! So good to see you up and around once more." Lara nodded, taking the seat he offered across the table. He sat again, refilling a silver cup and saucer with tea from a matching carafe. "Care for something to eat?" he asked politely.
"No thank you. I've already eaten this morning."
"Oh. Very well, then!" he chirped. Lara noticed he seemed to be in quite a fine mood. He sipped his tea, munching elegantly on a piece of buttered toast, dabbing again at the crumbs gathered at the corner of his lips.
"You said it was important, Mason," Lara hinted, crossing her arms over her chest. Mason nodded, his mouth full. He swallowed, motioning Nicholas over to the table.
"Indeed, indeed. We need to discuss our next move." Nicholas brought a slim manilla folder with him, placing it on the table in front of Edmund. "Thank you Nicholas, that will be all." Nicholas said nothing, making his way to the front door and letting himself out. The room fell quiet once more, the only sound Mason ruffling through the pages contained in the folder.
"By our next move, I suppose you mean what we're going to do now that we have both keys," Lara offered, eyeing a silver bowl of fresh strawberries beside her. Mason caught her glance, and chuckled slightly.
"Do help yourself, Lara. I don't know why they brought me those. I hate strawberries." Lara took a large one, red as a stop sign, and popped the entire thing in her mouth. "And yes, I do mean the expedition. We've made incredible progress. I never thought we'd get this far so fast."
"To be sure," Lara replied, resisting the urge for another berry. "I never thought we'd find a thing, let alone come this far. However, I'm afraid we're at an impasse." Mason glanced up from a third cup of tea.
"Really? How is that?"
"Well, for one thing... we may have both keys, but we have no idea where to even begin looking for the Serpent's Gate. And of course, the entire expedition team is on its last legs." Mason smiled slyly, focusing on her with those intent, black eyes. She didn't enjoy it when he looked at her like that. It reminded her of a snake before it struck out at its prey.
"The last report I received was that everyone was having quite a good time here in Cairo."
"They are. And that's because they're resting. We've been at this for weeks, Mason. Everyone's ready to go home. The research team have all called it quits on trying to find any leads on the Serpent's Gate. They've been at it for days now, and none of them are any closer to finding a damn thing."
"Well I wish you'd have told me that sooner..." Mason mumbled, taking a cherry tart from a delightful-looking basket wrapped with linen. The tart was still steaming.
"And why is that?" she asked, taking another strawberry for good measure.
"How do you think they'll react when they hear we're setting out on the last leg of the journey tomorrow?" Mason asked, ignoring her question. Lara cocked a brow.
"I think they'd react the same as I am. Surprised... and a little confused." Mason chuckled again, spreading a little butter over the tart. "Take a look at this if you would, Lady Croft." He pushed the manilla folder towards her, and she picked it up. She looked through it briefly while Mason enjoyed his tart, sipping tea quietly.
"Mason, this is information on the Preah Khan temple in Cambodia. What does any of this have to do with the expedition?"
"Correction... What used to be the Preah Khan temple in Cambodia. You took care of that, didn't you?" Lara flushed, tossing the folder back onto the table in front of him.
"What I do on my own time is my business Mason. What the hell does it matter to you?"
"Now, now, Lara... don't get testy. I was only joking. You really did me a favor by tumbling the whole thing to the ground. In fact, you did us all a favor!" he replied, moving on to his poached eggs.
"Excuse me?"
"Lara, don't you see? The Serpent's Gate was - is - buried beneath the remains of the Preah Khan temple. The temple itself was built atop unholy ground to counteract the manifestation of evil. I would have thought you'd have figured it out by now." Lara's jaw dropped, her mind racing. She thought back to her visit to Cambodia... Bryce's mini-bombs... the strange writing on the temple outcroppings that had puzzled her so. Instantly it all made sense. The temple had been built on top of the Serpent's Gate to keep the evil forces behind it at bay. The temple had been littered with what she now realized had been sacred incantations from the time of the Shankai. Those inscriptions had kept the place safe, secure, untouchable by evil. As long as the ancient forces remained intact, no one could get to the Amulet of Immortality. Unless, of course, they were of Immortal blood. If they were descended from the Shankai priests themselves. And she had leveled the place, making it accessible to anyone and everyone. Suddenly she felt like a fool, and a fleeting fear swept through her mind. What if Mason had planned the whole thing? What if he had known what had happened in Cambodia, and had therefore known she was the key? She pushed the thoughts away, shaking her head and clearing her mind.
"A startling revelation, isn't it?" Mason asked quietly. "No one would have ever guessed it lay buried beneath all that history. It's the last place any serious treasure hunter would look." Lara said nothing, lost in her own thoughts. "I've already made the necessary arrangements. We're leaving tomorrow afternoon for Cambodia."
"Mason... there's something that's been bothering me for quite some time now. I finally realized what it was after my run-in with the Hitu in Dendera."
"Yes. Awful business, that," Mason replied, shaking his head.
"The point is," Lara continued, "That every time we get closer to finding the Amulet, something terrible happens. Like the Leviathan, the Hitu, everything else we've encountered along the way. Even the warnings I've received from friends and enemies alike. It just doesn't sit right with me. I think we're messing with something that should not be trifled with." Mason frowned slightly, looking almost hurt.
"Lara... you can't mean to quit after all this. We've come so far, seen so much! We're so close, Lara, I know it!"
"That's just it. We shouldn't be this close. No one in history has ever been able to find the amulet, and I'm starting to wonder if it's not a good thing. What if all the stories are true, and it somehow has the power to steal one's humanity and replace it with an eternity of torment?"
"Lara, please!" Mason laughed, his black eyes alight. "The only thing the amulet will give anyone is power, glory, and riches beyond our wildest dreams!"
"Like you need more of any of those," she replied crossly. Mason's eyes slitted against the fire burning inside them, and he eyed her with contempt.
"Lara, I will not tolerate failure this close to the end of our journey. We've all worked too hard for this."
"No Mason. We've worked hard. You have not. You're in this for the glory. Everyone else wants to be a part of history."
"As do I, Lady Croft. My interest in this expedition isn't restricted to writing checks, you know." For a moment, Lara glanced something she thought sure was true desire. Maybe he really was in for the long haul, after all.
"Mason, this can't be about the treasure. It has to be about something more."
"It's always been about more, Lara!" he cried. "It's about discovery, passion, adventure, the thrill of the hunt!" Lara felt more than heard the desperation in his voice.
"And if we find the amulet?" she questioned, her arms crossed again.
"When we find the amulet, it will be ours. All of ours. Whether I keep it in my personal collection or not. It will always belong to the people. To us. To those who believe there is still some mystery in this world." Lara looked away, uncertain whether to believe him or not. Sometimes it was almost as if he really was passionate about the whole thing. A suppressed adventurer longing for freedom from his gilded cage. Wasn't that what had ignited her own flame years ago? And yet somehow, it was like he was something else all together. A dark and sinister shape from somewhere where the shadows never ceased. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was certain there was something very wrong with Edmund Mason.
"Fine. We leave tomorrow then," she said quietly, rising from her seat. Mason followed suit, and he walked with her to the front door. "I'll tell the team."
"That would be most helpful Lara," Mason replied, his body rigid. "Thank you for seeing this through to the end. It means so much to all of us."
"One thing I'd realize if I were you," Lara said cooly, making her way out into the hallway beyond the suite, "And that is you can never bullshit a bullshitter. Good day, Mr. Mason." She turned abruptly and walked away, leaving Mason and his icy temper at a near boiling point. He grumbled something, his fists clenched as he watched her walk down the hall. He slammed the door, the gilded room numbers mounted near the top rattling with the force of it.