Elli handed him her private number.
‘Mrs Symitzis, the honour and pleasure is all mine.’
Alexei Sumarov stood and led her to the door and all the way to a back entrance leading to a small courtyard where Elli’s car had been instructed to wait for her. The two men placed the chest on the back seat and sat next to it. Elli sat in the front passenger seat. Alexei Sumarov waved her goodbye and went back inside. The car drove off.
Later analysis back in Cyprus on the body parts contained in the relics and comparisons with the blood of Elli’s family confirmed Iraklios’ story and the truth of the existence of the impostor who was on the throne of Constantinople in 1453 during the siege and the fall of the city to the Ottomans of Sultan Mehmed II.
The book retrieved, actually borrowed, from the Hermitage revealed that the structure was built in Limassol in Cyprus, but did not refer to the exact location, or provided a description or some indication, at least, of the topography. Elli, through the Valchern Corporation mining division, arranged for geological scans through satellite of the subterranean strata of the city.
Elli was still concerned that she hadn’t heard from Aristo and Katerina and sent people to Crete to find out what happened to them.
CHAPTER 46
Limassol, Cyprus
Present day
Giorgos could not wait for the geological scans, but took it upon himself to do some research on the history of the old medieval quarter of Limassol, especially the area around Limassol Castle, the Church of Ayia Napa, the old Turkish Quarter and the old port. He called Katia in Athens.
Katia had been with him during the expedition in Cappadocia and she was excited to help him with the laborious research. The most promising lead was when Giorgos was going through the book on the construction of the structure.
He noticed an obscure entry about a tunnel entrance and an existing disused large pipe which was used for access and which was part of a network of pipes and aqueducts that used to carry water from the surrounding hills and nearby mountains North of the city to feed the city’s water system.
Giorgos checked topographical surveys and unearthed plans that showed a series of catacombs under the Medieval Quarter. A name jumped out of the page. Mount Zalakas near the village of Trimiklini, about a twenty- minute drive North of Limassol. He wondered whether it was just that the water came from that area, it was known for its fresh mountain water after all, or whether that place had further significance.
He found that there used to be a Byzantine church on the site of the Church of Ayia Napa in Limassol, a church that was knocked down to make way for Ayia Napa at the end of the 19 ^th century. The old church was built around 1453 A.D. and was dedicated to Ayios (Saint) Konstantinos and Ayia (Santa) Eleni. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. Giorgos and Katia tried to locate any plans for the old church or any reference to its construction, some clue as to a connection with something underneath, but they drew a blank. Any such records that may have existed would have disappeared, unless…
Giorgos remembered the book of the construction of the structure and he combed through it again with Katia for evidence of the construction of the old church. And, sure enough, there it was staring them in the face, details for the construction of a small building with icons and a holy table and frescos. That sounded like a church to them.
Their only hope of access would be through Limassol Castle about a couple of hundred metres to the West, far enough to hide its connection, if any, but close enough to have provided the access to a possible underground structure. Giorgos and Katia got the plans of the castle and studied them for any unusual previous structures incorporated into it. But the plans of the castle did not indicate anything that resembled what they were looking for.
They had to get on site. They obtained permission from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities within a couple of days and got down to it. Little did they know that their movements were being watched and there was also that elusive traitor to complicate matters.
Giorgos and Katia went to Limassol Castle and studied every surface. They found that materials that looked to have come from another, earlier building, had been used in its construction. They were especially intrigued by a whole wall in the lower part of the castle that seemed to have been much older than the castle itself. It seemed to have been hastily built, perhaps to cover something. The wall stared back with naked intent, challenging them.
They sent bits of the stonework for analysis and it came back as the composition of the particular cement like mortar and stone that the Byzantines used in the construction of the Church of Ayia Sophia in Constantinople. The most interesting part of all was that the wall was dated to the middle of the 15 ^th century, too close to the magic 1453 date to be a coincidence.
The apparent coincidences were stacking up. That could only mean that they were indeed based on fact and led to the truth. Giorgos and Katerina were starting to believe that they were on the right track.
Giorgos had brought special tools and carefully started to drill holes in the wall hoping to hit an open space behind it. He started to sweat. He wiped his face with the palm of his hand and then rested it on the stone next to where he had just drilled. The sweat dissolved the dust that had built up and revealed a symbol.
He stared at it. It reminded him of something. He was sure he had seen it before. And then he remembered. It was the Imperial insignia that was on the Emperor’s ring that was hidden inside the icon that was in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. He made a mental note to ask James Calvell to send him the two items that were still locked up in James’ secret vault near his office at the museum.
He looked at the stone again and started to drill a hole. He knew he had hit a vacant space when the echo of the drilling bounced back at him. Katia had gone outside for a quick smoke. Suddenly a part of the stone started to move revealing a small niche.
He carefully put his hand inside and felt something, a small object. He brought it out. It was a small bust with the likeness of the Emperor. As he was handling it, checking the bottom and the sides for any writing, for a clue, he must have pressed something, because the top opened and a small scroll came out. He was about to unfurl it when he heard Katia’s footsteps and he quickly put it in his pocket to check its contents later.
He didn’t know why he instinctively did that, but it was too late to reveal it now without betraying himself. If he took it out of his pocket, it would be as good as telling her that he did not trust her. Little did he know that he would later be thankful that he put the scroll in his pocket. He held the bust pretending to be studying it.
‘Katia, come over here and have a look at this.’
Katia examined the bust, her brow furrowing in concentration. However hard she tried, though, she didn’t know what to make of it. She stared at the bust, then at Giorgos and then back at the bust. She seemed as perplexed as he was.
Giorgos decided to take advantage of the brief silence to throw her further off the scent, hoping that she wouldn’t notice the hole at the top of the bust that hadn’t closed completely after the scroll came out. In addition to that, he couldn’t resist teasing her.
‘Now, I don’t want to risk your wrath, but I will express my professional opinion and stake my reputation on it.’
‘And we know how little that is.’
Giorgos made a face at her. ‘Anyway, as I was saying, if you look at the bottom here it seems to spell out the name of the last Emperor, Konstantinos XI Palaiologos. And it does seem to be his likeness, if the frescoes at the only surviving room from the Palace of Vlachernae in Constantinople are to be believed. However, although this thing appears to have Byzantine influences, it appears to be too well crafted to have come from any other place than the Imperial Court’s master craftsmen. And yet I cannot see the seal that you would have expected to see under the base. And…’
Katia’s impatience got the better of her and she cut him mid-sentence. Her fiery eyes bearing down on him
