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world. I wish you a pleasant stay, Professor,’ Himmler said, dismissing Levi with a curt nod.

    ‘I want you to depart as soon as possible,’ Himmler ordered von Heißen.
    ‘ Jawohl, Herr Reichsführer . We’ve already started assembling the stores, and I’ve made contact with our embassy in Guatemala City. They’re doing everything possible to clear the diplomatic hurdles.’
    ‘Excellent! Generaloberst Göring has assured me that an aircraft and crew will be made available for the duration of your time in Guatemala. In the meantime watch Weizman carefully, von Heißen. The Jew is as cunning as a sewer rat and is never to be trusted.’
    ‘There was no one else, Herr Reichsführer?’
    ‘No one with the necessary skills in reading the Mayan hieroglyphics, no. But we can dispense with him once the expedition is successful. More importantly, I’ve also met with the papal envoy, Signor Alberto Felici, who plans to visit the expedition. Felici’s arranged substantial sponsorship from Vatican finances, so he’s to be treated well. In return, he’s asked for a Father Ehrlichmann to join the expedition in an official capacity. Amongst other things, Ehrlichmann is an expert on craniometry, so he’ll undoubtedly be useful, but he’s to be trusted no more than Weizman or Felici.’
    ‘There is another agenda, Herr Reichsführer?’
    ‘Perhaps. The Vatican only shows an interest in archaeological digs when they fear what might be found. You’ve seen the cable from our ambassador in Guatemala raising the possibility of a missing codex purported to contain a catastrophic warning for the human race. As to the precise nature of that warning, Weizman and the Vatican will both have their theories … We shall see. But if the codex does exist, the Jew can lead us to it.’

4
    TIKAL, GUATEMALA 1938
    L evi Weizman glanced into the cockpit of the Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 52. The pilot had started his descent and the co-pilot was leaning forward. His leather helmet obscured the instrument panel, but he appeared to be tapping on one of the fuel gauges.
    Levi turned in his seat and looked out of the big square window of the Junkers. Nearly 5000 feet below, wispy grey clouds drifted amongst the thick jungle of the Guatemalan highlands. The Junkers was slow, cruising at only 160 miles per hour, and it was cramped: there were just twelve seats, six either side of the centre aisle. The flight had taken a bum-numbing ten days from Berlin. Having finally crossed the Gulf of Mexico and landed at Mérida, the bustling, wealthy capital of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, it would be ironic, Levi thought, if they were to have a fuel problem now. He glanced at von Heißen sitting opposite, but the arrogant German, whom Himmler had promoted to major, seemed unperturbed.
    ‘Tikal seems a remote place to establish a city, Herr Professor.’ von Heißen said.
    ‘It might seem that way today, but the Maya chose their sites very carefully. Tikal was built on top of a continental divide, astride one of their most important trading routes, one that linked the Gulf of Mexico and the Usumacinta River in the west with the rivers that flow into the Caribbean in the east. So the inhabitants of Tikal, under kings like Great Jaguar Claw, had control over international trade.’
    ‘Reminiscent of the way the Aryans would do things?’
    ‘As an archaeologist, I’m always careful to ensure there is concrete evidence before reaching any firm conclusions, Sturmbannführer.’
    Von Heißen scrutinised Levi’s map of the ancient city. ‘There seems to be a great many ruins,’ he observed.
    ‘Construction took place over many centuries. By the middle of the sixth century, we know that Tikal covered some thirty square kilometres and was inhabited by over 100 000 Maya. It was a huge city.’
    ‘And the pyramids?’
    ‘The stepped pyramids were constructed in the form of the Witz, the sacred mountain of the Maya,’ Levi replied. ‘Other structures served as