5- Out Of The Blue
After their meeting, Lara and her host spent much of their day taking stock of the information the businessman already had. They sorted through the piles of papers and notes that Khin had kept for years, taking time to reconsider each item and any clues that might be useful. After a long break in the large dining room, where a sumptuous meal was served, they resumed their investigations, this time gathering all the books Khin had on the spot, relating the period during which the Mongols had known their glory days in Burmese lands. This was a long and tedious task, given the number of books the businessman had in his personal library, not to mention all the references he could have had access to by simply contacting third parties.
Lara contacted a few well-placed people at the British Museum - at least, those who were still alive, but only got a vague, doubtful comment from Mr Thomas, the Louvre's director, who was still a bit of a grudge-holder after what happened some years before in his museum. But when she picked up her phone to contact Croft Manor, she stopped. The brief hope of finding the few references she had there that could help her with certain things disappeared in a snap of fingers. She remembered with deep bitterness that no one was waiting for her there, except Father Dunstan, who would not be of much help to her despite all the will in the world. So the aventuress shook her head resignedly, and abandoned her phone.
The next two days were very similar to each other, and in some ways quite monotonous. After the excitement of discovering this mysterious secret employer and what he expected of her, Lara found herself locked in here, condemned to wade through everything she could find in reference to Genghis Kahn. As suggested, Nay took her to the national library in Yangon, the capital, to have a look. She spent several hours there, accompanied by the official archivist, without discovering anything interesting. As Khin had mentioned, everything that could potentially help them in their research had already been put aside and carefully studied by the businessman. This latter had transferred another huge sum of money to her bank account, and was more than ever attentive to his prestigious host, not content to learn more about the legendary Lara Croft, and to be close to her to watch her work.
As soon as the opportunity arose, or as soon as she felt the need to get her head out of century-old parchments and to get out of the dark and gloomy secret basement, the young woman slipped away to enjoy the sports facilities. Early in the morning, as soon as she got up, she would go down to the big pool for a swim, while the day was barely over the jungle and the big villa was still in silence. And after that, Yin the maid would bring her a freshly prepared breakfast. Khin gladly loaned his quad bike, which she used to get some fresh air on the field specially designed for the purpose, but under the doubtful gaze of Nay, who was frightened several times by the young woman's speeding through the garden. All in all, a very quiet mission that could almost have passed for a holiday.
It was in this spirit that the adventuress approached her third day in the depths of the Burmese jungle. And it was on this day the research became a little more concrete. She spent several hours on extracts of translated and retranslated texts, but also on reproductions of frescoes from the Mongolian period. When Khin came down to join her in the secure basement, Lara was sitting at the glass table, focused on the stone tablet and its poem. There was a smoking cup of tea not far from her, at a respectable distance from any fragile paper that might be nearby. Its fragrant smell filled the room. She finally straightened up as she heard her host coming up the stairs.
"If someone had told me one day that the most famous adventuress would set up her HQ in my house's basement, I'm not sure I would have believed it," he said as he discovered the notebooks and countless sheets of paper scattered all over the room, as well as the plans and maps the young woman had cheerfully posted on the glass walls and on which she had written down a whole lot of information in marker.
"I'm really sorry for the mess indeed. Once I get my head around it, I'll be able to sort it all out."
"Don't worry about that, it's far too interesting, really. It's quite exciting to be in the thick of the action like this, and to see how you do it. I almost feel like I'm in a real detective movie, although seeing you work under such conditions gives me a terrible feeling that you're being held prisoner," he added awkwardly and looked around the cramped, half-darkened room. "I hope, at any rate, that is not the feeling you get from staying here."
"My work often goes through these unpleasant stages," Lara replied politely as she sat up and took a long stretch. "Besides, I'm capable of finding a way out of any situation, so don't worry about me," she then said, reaching for her hot tea.
"That, I have no trouble believing," Khin retorted with an amused nod. "How are you getting on?"
Lara took a long breath.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush, Khin: the compendia, notes, books, everything you have in your possession will be of no use to us."
Khin looked at her in surprise, before letting out a small, nervous laugh.
"Alright..." he replied with a pinched smile, hands on his hips.
"All the information I've been able to find in what you've kept has unfortunately yielded nothing concrete."
"What about the national library?" the man asked with a slight flicker of hope in his voice.
"As you suspected, it would seem that you have already collected everything there is to collect on the subject. There were some interesting things in what your contact offered me, but not in terms of what we are looking for."
The Burmese shook his head doubtfully.
"There is absolutely nothing that even remotely resembles a royal tomb," the young woman concluded with a very serious look.
"Yet Genghis Kahn is one of the most famous emperors in the world! How is it possible there is no trace of his afterlife anywhere?"
"He and his heirs obviously made a point of leaving no clues behind. But that was to be expected."
"So the only potential information we have is what's on this tablet, and in the poem written on it if I understand correctly?" Khin grumbled, feeling a wave of disappointment wash over him.
"I can't promise anything, but it seems that everything is now based on these few lines. But we still have to be able to decipher them."
Khin seemed to recover some sense and concentration.
"Well, the text has already been translated by a friend of mine, who is one of the most recognised linguists in the country-"
"I'm not necessarily talking about the translation itself, but rather what's between the lines," Lara interrupted. "It's a good bet that Genghis Kahn, then his son, and the order of the Universals didn't want to leave any trace of their existence for security reasons. It was in their interest to keep their mission secret in order to keep it alive, because I imagine that was the emperor's goal when he created the order. He must have hoped it would continue its mission for years even after his death, perhaps even for centuries. But paradoxically enough, like many such orders-"
She fell silent abruptly, suddenly deep in thought. She couldn't help but make the connection with a certain order that had inherited from the Cathars, and that had similarly survived over the centuries by fighting the forces of evil in the greatest secrecy, hidden from the rest of the world. Until she crossed their -his- path a few years earlier. Just like the Agio Oros, in Greece, or any other secret order she had come across on her way, there was bound to be a written record of their existence and history. A simple matter of logic.
She felt her host's questioning gaze at this sudden silence, and resumed her train of thought.
"It was inevitable for all of them, they needed to pass on a minimum of information to continue existing... rituals, skirmishes, mystical objects, location of sanctuaries or strategic places... it was necessary to have a readable trace of everything, and often in an encrypted way, to be sure that not just anyone would access this secret information. In conclusion, we must always look beyond what is simply in front of us."
Khin nodded slowly, thoughtful.
"So, we must assume Ogedei Kahn has left crucial information in this poem."
"We must hope so. And we must hope there must be a trace of that secret tomb somewhere, if it does exist."
The man frowned.
"Why, do you think that all this could be just hot air, mere affabulations on my part? You think I made it all up?"
"That's not what I said," Lara retorted coldly.
"What about the spear, the shrine in Namibia, the stone? It's all real, isn't it?" Khin snarled in dismay. "You see it as well as I do?" he insisted, pointing to the object.
"I'm just saying it's all supposition, it's all theories at the moment."
The businessman raised both hands in protest.
"Stop me if I'm wrong, but isn't your work all based on theories? Isn't it what your job is made of? Are you expecting me to believe this is the first time in your career you've been faced with a situation like this?"
Lara stared at him for a few seconds. Then, she took a long sip of tea before grabbing the leaves scattered all over the place with her other hand. She gathered them into a rough pile. Khin stepped forward, and realised she had copied the poem over and over again on several sheets, so that she could annotate it as she wished. The elegant lines of the original text were covered with all kinds of lines, erasures, comments... it was difficult for him to understand all this gibberish.
"According to the lines we have here, at first glance it looks like a banal poem related to spring," Lara began to explain with a concentrated expression. "Nonetheless, I'm used to thinking that those poetic images actually hide much more serious subjects..."
"Well, it has been the case with countless poems and writings since then. In fact, it is the essence of many poems in our culture..."
"As are the natural elements used repeatedly in such texts, if I am not mistaken?" the adventuress asked.
Khin absentmindedly rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"Indeed. They are omnipresent elements, sometimes even excessive in some collections, but they often serve to evoke several things indeed."
With a pencil stroke, Lara underlined several parts of the poem.
"The Eastern Wind, the victorious land, the river... In my opinion, all the natural elements actually refer to something else. It doesn't simply describe spring or whatever comes along with it, but rather a very particular place or environment. But…"
She stopped speaking and look straight into Khin's eyes, hoping that he would get her point.
"We need more clues. We won't get to anything with that, right?" he asked, even if he already knew the answer.
"It's not much, but it's a start. But lots of elements are missing. I do think we won't find anything more with the few elements we have here, indeed."
The man let out a deep breath, and took a few steps into the room, hands on hips, head bowed in reflection. He stopped in front of the large blood-red gemstone.
"This part of the tablet was found in Bagan, wasn't it?"
Khin turned around and confirmed with a shake of his head.
"The kingdom's ancient capital. Yet the site has been thoroughly excavated, no trace of a potential tomb has been found there..."
"Yet the tablet was only recently found, and in an area outside the excavation area, right?"
The expression on Khin's face betrayed his frustration.
"If I'm not mistaken, most of the large cities in your country were built on different plots of land, spread over several acres of forest, and themselves containing several types of construction, including temples," Lara added.
"A single city can easily have several hundred different temples."
"But the archaeological site itself is only concentrated in a tiny part of Bagan's city," Lara insisted, pointing to the area in question with her pen.
"Do you think you can find more clues on site?"
"I'll probably be heading over there for the next few days. I need to do some research on the spot."
Khin looked at the Englishwoman, then at the various maps. No search in the area had turned up anything so far... he had complete confidence in the young woman's abilities, but he suddenly felt skeptical that Lara could miraculously find something, when he and his archaeologist friends had spent the last ten years searching for the slightest clue to Genghis Khan's mysterious last home without ever finding anything relevant.
He took a deep breath and sighed resignedly. Something had to be tried, after all.
"All right, then. I'll ask Nay to have some equipment prepared for you, and to give you all the plans you need. I'll pass on the name of a contact on site, a friend of mine who I've worked with for years, he'll probably be able to help you."
Lara thanked him with a shake of her head.
"Do you think everything will be ready for me to leave tomorrow morning?"
She noticed the expression on Khin's face suddenly changed, as if he had been taken by surprise by such haste. The man raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Technically, yes... but I wish you could have delayed your departure by a day."
Lara raised her eyebrows in turn.
"I'm having a reception tomorrow night, here at the villa," he explained at the young woman's scowl. "It will be just a small party with a few friends and acquaintances, during which I want to present my collection of precious stones, and especially our latest find... there will only be a handful of guests."
Silence. Lara didn't react as the idea slowly made its way through her mind. The idea in itself did not seem absurd, but she did not feel particularly in the mood to put on a brave face in front of an army of stuffy businessmen and women who would treat her all evening as an object of curiosity, even of covetousness.
"I'm not forcing you, you are of course free to refuse my invitation. But I must confess I would have hoped you would agree to join us..."
Lara' big hazel eyes continued to scrutinize him.
"I would be extremely honoured," Khin added, leaning forward slightly in a ceremonious manner.
She tried to take a few seconds to think about it, but the imploring look in her host's eyes didn't really leave her any alternative. She shrugged her shoulders slightly.
"If I can find something to wear, then I'll probably agree to join you."
A broad smile lit up Khin's face.
"No problem with that. I'll get Yin on it. She'll have no trouble finding something for you, consider it settled already."
The Englishwoman flashed a perfunctory smile in response.
"I'm absolutely delighted with the way things are going," Khin then said, clasping both hands together. "I'll get Nay up to speed right away and start preparing for your departure."
"Thank you," the aventuress replied in a disillusioned voice.
Khin gave her a small nod, and immediately turned around before she could make any protest. As he passed through the airlock door, Lara let out a long sigh, and turned her head towards the red gemstone still safe in its corner, then lowered it towards all the papers on the desk.
This reception thing was going to take up time, but she bitterly realised she had no excuse not to go. There was no hurry in itself. She could postpone her departure for the former imperial city by half a day, it wouldn't make much difference. No one knew about this mission, and there was no urgency so to speak : there was no infernal countdown, she was not targeted or chased by some kind of madman, or by any dangerous psychopath ready to destroy the world. For once, she had plenty of time.
And then, it was just a simple reception. It was just a formality. Thinking about it, the worst thing that could happen was to die of boredom. Even though she would have preferred to escape without offending her host, she told herself she had survived much worse. And she tried to put things into perspective by telling herself that, logically, there was no reason for it to go wrong.
At least, in theory.
—
As she had feared, the day that followed was not much more exciting than those that had gone before. Stuck temporarily in Khin's villa, Lara kept herself busy as best she could, counting the hours until the trip that would give her some freedom.
It was only in the late afternoon, when she got back into her suite after a long and exhausting sports session, that she realised the fateful evening she had been dreading was already approaching. She had noticed throughout the day the comings and goings of certain servants, the effervescence that the preparations were causing throughout the villa, the agitation and nervousness that filled the air before the arrival of the prestigious and recognised guests. But it was only when she discovered the travel bag carefully placed on her bed, that she realised there was no turning back.
She dropped the sweaty towel covering her shoulders and grabbed the zip of the travel cover. She felt some apprehension she couldn't control as she slid it off. She held her breath, but her stress went down a notch as she discovered the elegant dark muslin inside. She took the garment out and laid it flat on the bed. After one last look at it, she turned around and headed for the bathroom, finally satisfied. She would be sure to thank Yin as soon as she had the chance.
—
Someone knocked on the door. She took one last look at her reflection in the dressing table mirror. The huge diamond necklace around her neck was heavy and imposing, but it combined perfectly with the dress's sequins and asymmetry, which covered all of her arm on one side and completely bared the other. She pushed a lock of hair that had escaped from her low bun back behind her ear, and finally straightened. The long flaps of the dress, split on one side, fluttered around her legs as she reached the door.
When she opened it, Lara found herself face to face with Yin.
"I guess it's too late to turn back now," Lara said grumpily in a breath.
The young woman nodded softly.
"The guests are arriving, everyone is invited to join mister Khin in the main reception room."
The Englishwoman let out a disappointed sigh, and shrugged a shoulder.
"I'm definitely not in the mood for that, but those boring social trivia are also part of my job anyway, aren't they?"
The maid gave her a sympathetic smile.
"If you ask me Miss, the other guests are the ones who will feel out of place when they see you."
Lara let out a small laugh.
"That will be a little thanks to you, Yin."
The woman greeted the Englishwoman with humility and some kind of embarrassment, and invited her to follow. They walked with the same silent step. The sound of Lara's high heels muffled on the carpet. She followed the young maid who led her through the villa's long corridors. They found the main staircase again, and this time headed for the upper floor, which Lara realised she did not know. As they climbed the stairs, a diffuse sound of music reached the Englishwoman's ears. She could hear the muffled sound of laughter and conversation in the distance.
When the two women finally reached the top of the staircase, they found themselves in a gigantic - no surprise there - and absolutely breathtaking room, which roof and walls were all made of glass. The metal structure that supported it all had a particularly romantic style, in the manner of certain French winter gardens, and blended in perfectly with the first light of the deep blue night. Dozen of neon tubes hung from the ceiling, giving the space an ultra modern and chic atmosphere. A classical orchestra was playing enthusiastically in a remote corner.
Right in the middle of the room, and just like in the villa's basement, there were many small showcases, all individual, in which were presented a large collection of priceless objects and various precious gems. Lara immediately recognised the collection Khin jealously guarded in the basement of his villa, as well as the Eye of Fire, which stood out among the other objects with its bright colour. The security apparatus was consequently quite substantial: there were agents in dark clothing all over the room, lurking in the shadows but with their eyes constantly on the alert. Next to her, on either side of the staircase, she recognised Khin's two big guys, who had obviously moved from their front door to here for the evening. After giving her a quick glance, they greeted her with a small shake of the head.
Lara glanced around. The rest of the decoration was relatively sober, not to say non-existent. Only a few round tables with white tablecloths, set up a little further away for dinner stood out from all this dark decor. The room was not full to speak of, but she counted a good fifty guests. They were all strolling quietly between the illuminated cases, with a glass of wine or champagne in their hands. A few people turned their head to her and whispered between themselves as she arrived. She tried to ignore their insistent looks, a bit annoyed.
"It looks absolutely stunning on you, just as if it had been created especially for you."
The adventuress turned around. Khin was striding towards her with two crystal glasses. He was dressed in a smart black suit, complete with a patterned bow tie and an absolutely delighted smile. He greeted her respectfully and handed her one of the glasses.
"One of your collectibles, am I right?"
The businessman's gaze fell on the necklace the young woman wore around her neck.
"One of the most beautiful. Legend has it that it is a war treasure of our esteemed Empress Shin Sawbu. She stood up to her own brothers to take the throne and lead the country's army to victory against the Mongols. A woman of character, who was powerful and determined, and who made her own luck."
"So it couldn't be in better hands, don't you think?" the adventuress retorted wryly as she grabbed the glass Khin was handing her.
He watched her with some amusement, then raised his glass to hers. The two glasses clashed with a clear noise. He then introduced her to a few people who had approached - probably out of curiosity - with whom they exchanged a few brief words and courtesies. Lara inwardly thanked her host for not lingering too much and followed him as he took her around the large reception hall.
It took a long time for the adventuress to relax - not completely, but it was a beginning at least - and not see this long evening as a chore. She contented herself with keeping her host company, who, after making introductions with some close friends and other patrons, gave her a guided and highly commented tour of each of the exhibits in the room. Some people joined them, and then Khin suddenly stopped in the middle of the display cases and signalled to all guests to gather around him. He raised his glass in the air to attract everyone's attention and to obtain silence. The orchestra stopped playing.
In front of the astonished eyes of his guests, Khin then began an impassioned speech, punctuated by wide arm movements and anecdotes that made some of them laugh. Lara feared for a moment he would ask her to intervene and make a little speech herself, but apart from a few glances, especially when he mentioned the Eye of Fire, or when he presented the necklace she wore around her neck, nothing happened. She admired the seriousness of the crowd, which seemed literally caught up in the words of the businessman.
"... but none of this would have been possible without the invaluable help of Miss Croft, whom I would like to thank warmly once again."
The crowd gathered in front of them applauded, and Lara suddenly came to her senses. The Burmese man stepped aside to greet the young woman, and the people applauded even more loudly. Lara bowed slightly forward, a tight smile fixed on her lips. Khin made a final reference to her and turned to his guests.
"Have a very nice evening, everyone!" the businessman concluded, raising his arms enthusiastically.
The applause resumed for a few moments, then gradually died down. The crowd dispersed. Lara discreetly slipped away to take a seat at one of the tables while Khin briefly responded to the solicitations of friends who had rushed to shake his hand or give him a hug. A little further on at another table, Nay, seated alongside Yin and other servants of the villa, greeted her with a slow shake of the head and a petty smile.
The orchestra resumed its recital, the other guests gradually took their places around the other tables. An army of waiters, all dressed in white and black, then discreetly deployed themselves in the room, the smell of food rising suddenly. As the Englishwoman thanked a couple who had come to greet her, Khin appeared again, a delighted smile on his lips.
"I didn't expect so much," Lara said as he took his seat next to her.
"Your work deserved at least this recognition," he replied. "Besides the financial aspect, of course. And people came mostly for you, not so much for my little rock collection..."
Lara smiled.
"I don't mind working in the shadows. It even has its advantages, to tell the truth."
"Like limiting the trouble you can get into?" retorted Khin with some mischief.
"For instance."
"Then we're meant to get along. If you agree to continue working for me, of course?"
"I'm not used to leaving a business unfinished, remember?"
Khin's smile widened a little more. He grabbed his glass and raised it with great enthusiasm.
"To our partnership, then," he said with a broad smile. "And hopefully to our future success together."
Lara delicately grabbed the elegant glass in front of her, raised it to toast her host once more. However, as she raised it to her lips, she abruptly stopped her movement. Her fingers tightened around the object's precious crystal when she suddenly noticed the man strolling a little further into the room.
Dressed in a casual suit, with his hair slicked back, he blended in perfectly with the team of waiters bustling around the room and the various guests. She saw him give an exaggerated smile and a slight bow as he presented some champagne glasses to an aristocratic couple, before turning away. He repeated this manoeuvre several times, acting as if he had always done this. But as he turned around, he suddenly seemed to notice the adventuress. He stopped moving.
His piercing, like-no-other-in-the-world blue gaze fell on her.