Read The Sacred Scroll for Free Online Page B

scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
     
‘The fruit for which thy soul longed has gone from thee, and all thy dainties and thy splendour are lost to thee, never to be found again!’
     
The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
     
‘Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, bedecked with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! In one hour, all this wealth has been laid waste.’
     
And all the shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors andall whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried as they saw the smoke of her burning,
     
‘What city was like the great city?’
     
And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept, and mourned, crying out,
     
‘Alas, alas for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! In one hour she has been laid waste.’
     
Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgement for you against her!
     
     
    Marlow glanced across at Graves, still on the telephone, and read on. Whatever all this was about the destruction of Babylon, it was linked to the disappearances, and the Dandolo Project. The photocopy was of a parchment dating from a good eight hundred years ago – he didn’t need Laura to confirm that.
    He knew who had copied it out, all those centuries ago. But why?

7
     
    Graves watched Marlow as she waited on the phone and he read.
    He was about 1.85m, she reckoned. He looked as if he worked out, but that was unsurprising in an INTERSEC field officer. His body movements were lithe and keen – in a word, she thought again, sexy.
    The face was more interesting than handsome, but attractive. Regular features – straight nose, clean-shaven, chin firm but not chiselled. Dark hair. Guarded eyes, as she’d already noted; but it was there that the attractiveness lay.
    There was also something restless in his attitude as he sat there, brow slightly furrowed, reading with swift concentration.
    She hoped they’d work well together. She was aware she was Sir Richard’s appointment, not his.
    She listened to the voice at the other end of the phone for a few seconds then hung up. Marlow was nearing the end of the file on his lap. From the lab came muted, metallic sounds.
    Marlow flipped the folder shut and glanced at her. She walked over to him.
    ‘Anything?’ he asked her.
    ‘On its way.’
    He handed her what he’d been reading. ‘Take a look at the biblical stuff.’
    She read it quickly.
    ‘It’s from a document the archaeologists turned up in the State Archives in Istanbul. Copied out by a man called Leporo, who had something to do with the doge of Venice. Quite why, since he would have had easy access to a Bible, we’ve no idea.’
    ‘Obviously important to him.’
    ‘The description isn’t far off what the Crusaders did to Constantinople,’ said Marlow.
    ‘Doge Dandolo was one hell of a guy.’
    ‘Dandolo was already an old man, and – some say – blind.’
    ‘How old?’
    ‘For those days, almost supernaturally old. We don’t know exactly, but he was probably around ninety-five.’
    ‘Not possible!’
    ‘Perfectly possible.’
    ‘But if he was doge of Venice, what was he doing getting involved in a Crusade? I thought the Venetians put trade and commerce well above war?’
    ‘And so he did. That’s why he got involved. Constantinople at the time was a big trade rival to Venice.’
    ‘But Constantinople was a Christian city,’ she said.
    ‘Nothing gets in the way of business.’
    Graves looked at him as he smiled sardonically. ‘You’re not going to tell me that he diverted the Crusaders to Constantinople?’
    ‘That’s exactly what he did,’ he