taking place inside him to hide his emotions. He fell deep in thought.
None of the other two men dared break the silence and invade Giorgos’ thoughts that seemed before their eyes to transform from emotional strife to inspired flow.
When Giorgos looked up at James and continued his eyes were shining brighter than the Northern Star. ‘I will need to get funding.’
‘Funding? You mean…?’
‘Yes, I’m going back to the dig in Cappadocia. I want to restart the excavation. This discovery changes everything.’
‘I’ll make a few phone calls and see if I can help you with that, but it may take some time which I gather you cannot afford. I can see you are in a rush to get back and I agree with you that it should be sooner rather than later.’
The thefts were a sign. Giorgos was now more determined than ever. He knew he was onto something. He knew continuing with this project could be dangerous, but when had that stopped him before? James beat him to it and put Giorgos’ thoughts into words.
‘It’s going to be dangerous.’
‘I know. If somebody goes to all that trouble to steal something so specific and not the most valuable item in your treasure trove of a place here, then what this person is after is worth risking jail or death for. We are going ahead with the project. Now I’m more sure of it than ever.’
James got out three small glasses and a bottle of rum. He poured them all a drink and raising his glass, proposed a toast.
‘To the bitter end.’
‘To the bitter end.’ Echoed the others.
James’ first call was to Iraklios Symitzis. They had known each other for a few years now and James was aware of Iraklios’ interest in all matters pertaining to Byzantine history. James was also aware of the Symitzis’ family’s prominent private art collection and their huge financial support of archaeological expeditions and of museums and galleries housing Byzantine and Greek related collections.
He only wished he had thought of contacting them before now and bringing to their attention Giorgos’ Cappadocian expedition back when his funding had dried up. Unfortunately at the time James was caught up in too many projects that came all at once, almost drowning him, and clouding his mind.
Iraklios knocked on the door of Elli’s office. She called him inside and gestured to him to sit and wait until she ended her phone call. Five minutes later she gave him her full attention.
‘What’s on your mind?’
‘I received a call from the deputy director of the Metropolitan. It is a request for funding for an archaeological expedition in Cappadocia led by a young archaeologist from Athens. One of my reasons for wanting to fund this is that I would like to control the information flowing out of the expedition, away from the world’s critical eye. I thought this expedition may interest you.’
‘Why’s that? What’s so special about this expedition to make it stand out from so many others?’
‘Apparently they already found something there last year, a chapel dating from 1453 and a sarcophagus which appears to be Byzantine with Imperial insignia.’
‘Has it been dated? And what was inside?’
‘Their funding dried up and they had to stop any further examination. The sarcophagus remained unopened and the tomb sealed. I only wish we knew about it then. I would have stepped in and paid for them to continue.’
‘Iraklios, what do you think they will find? Do you know more about this than you’ve told me so far?
‘I need to tell you a story that I’ve guarded for many years, a story entrusted to me by our mother.’
‘Whatever it is, why was I not told?’
‘I don’t know, but it’s time for you to know. It goes back to the fall of Constantinople on 29 ^th May 1453.’
CHAPTER 18
Athens, Greece
Present day
When Giorgos got back to Athens, a letter was waiting for him. It was from James Calvell. He had found a sponsor for the expedition who wished to remain anonymous.
Giorgos was elated. His apartment could not contain his excitement. He immediately went out to breathe some fresh air and think.
He could not believe he had got another chance. He had a lot to do. He swiftly spurred into action. He had a major expedition to organise, permits to obtain from the Turkish authorities and make arrangements to get a sabbatical and, possibly eventually, leave his job at the University.
He thought he had forgotten what organising an expedition felt like, but it was a great feeling.
He felt like a kid again, dreaming about great excavations and great discoveries and treasures to be found. It was as if a memory, something deep inside him, had been awakened.
He became a pre-programmed machine that was switched on. He didn’t even have to really think of what to do, because it came to him naturally, like riding a bike. He liked this Giorgos who had been hibernating for so long, but no more.
The old team was back in business again. Everyone was stunned when he called them and they all accepted his offer on the spot. How could they resist this chance of a lifetime? He half-expected that would be their reaction, but still he was prepared with an arsenal of weapons — guile, charm and brains — but, eventually, none was required to be deployed. That was a very pleasant surprise.
They landed in Istanbul and took a train to Cappadocia. They set up the sterile laboratory and got down to work. They were back home at last. However, this time they had the money to pay for tight security on the site as well. It was a good start.
When they opened the sarcophagus they came face to face with an embalmed woman’s naked mutilated body. They were horrified. Their faces became white masks and they felt guilty that they were desecrating this body, disturbing its sleep. In silence they mourned the dead person released from its home.
Eventually they carefully lifted the body and below it uncovered a plaque with indecipherable writing on it.
The new discovery changed everything. This excavation indeed seemed bigger than he had imagined. Giorgos took indefinite leave from his job at the University in Athens. He would need to spend a lot more time on their dig in Cappadocia. Who knew what else they would discover, where this discovery would lead them?
It was an exciting prospect and Giorgos relished the challenge. He could feel there was more, a lot more, to this story and prepared himself to be surprised further.
CHAPTER 19
Limassol, Cyprus
Present day
Katerina was standing on the balcony overlooking the old harbour. She was lost in thought. She felt the tremor alright. If she had wanted a ride like that, she would have gone to the theme park down the road or into the washing machine for a few minutes.
