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CHAPTER

49

THE LIBRARY AND THE TUNNEL system would be swarming with authorities soon. Matthew had counted off twenty military officers as they headed down there. He’d already told the men in charge about the artifact and how to open the door to the secondary room to free Reda’s accomplices.

Before they’d arrived, Matthew had sent Alex and Robyn down to collect the shards from the Tablets and put them into their bags. It was one thing that the scrolls were out for the world to see, but it would be best if the Tablets remained a myth. And while it was possible the scrolls contained arcane knowledge, he couldn’t justify destroying everything. As far as the military was concerned, Matthew and his friends had captured conspirators against Egypt while searching for the Emerald Tablets and the Lost Library of Thoth. Given that the artifact was there for the military to see and its inscriptions could be deciphered, Matthew was forthcoming about the Tablets but said they hadn’t found them.

Now Matthew and his friends were standing outside the tunnel entrance, watching as Jasper, Jeff, Seth, Timal, Reda’s two right-hand men, and the police sergeant were carted out in cuffs.

The officer who had already cuffed Reda walked him past Matthew and his friends.

“Good luck getting a new person to fund your dig, sweetheart,” Reda said to Alex.

“Y-you?” Alex stammered.

“And you—” Reda’s nostrils flared when he looked at Matthew “—you’ve ruined everything!”

Matthew waved at him and grinned wildly. “Have a nice life, Former Minister.”

Reda scrunched up his face and hurled spittle in Matthew’s direction, but it didn’t come close to hitting him. It did, however, land on the side of the officer’s face.

Cal winced. “Oh, that’s not good.”

The officer punched Reda in the face. Matthew withheld the laugh he really wanted to bark out. He may not have gotten his hit in, but that had been satisfying as hell to watch.

Another officer came out of the tunnel and announced, “It’s clear down there,” to the commanding officer.

“Good job. Now get them all out of my face,” the commanding officer said, walking toward Matthew.

“We’d like to ask a favor, if we could,” Matthew said.

Cal bumped his elbow. “We do?”

Matthew turned to Cal. “Uh-huh.” He looked back to the officer. “We’d like the honor of going inside one last time.”

The officer seemed to consider Matthew’s request a little too long for comfort. He smiled at all of them. “Take your time,” he finally said, tossing in a smile.

“If we could have our privacy while we’re down there,” Matthew said, hoping he wasn’t pressing his luck, “that would be very much appreciated. We’ve been through a lot and—”

“And you made quite the discovery, which will be carted off to museums. Go—” he smiled “—enjoy your find and take all the time you need.”

“Thank you.” Matthew hesitated. “Speaking of the discovery…”

“Nothing has been touched,” the officer told him. “Well, except what was necessary to open the door.” He walked off.

Matthew turned to his friends. “We need to grab our backpacks and miner hats.”

“I’m not sure I really need to go back—” Robyn’s protest died on her lips. She must have read Matthew’s eyes and seen that he had something specific in mind.

“A little while won’t hurt,” Robyn consented.

They loaded up with their bags and hats, which they’d set aside during the hours that passed from calling the embassies until now. “Cal, you lead the way,” Matthew said.

Matthew let everyone else go ahead of him, though he couldn’t wait to reach the Library.

Robyn turned to him. “You’re thinking about that second switch plate, aren’t you?”

Matthew just smiled and shrugged playfully.

When they reached the room, the artifact was exactly where the officer would have left it to open the main door—in the switch plate on the left. Matthew picked up the artifact and headed straight for the shelving on the right. He set the object down just long enough to expose the second switch plate.

“What do you think it will do?” Alex asked, speaking over his shoulder.

“Guess we’ll find out.” Matthew pushed the artifact into the switch plate. The sound of stone scraping against stone filled the room again.

“There’s another door,” Robyn exclaimed. “It sounds like it’s inside the room where the Tablets were.”

Alex turned to Matthew. “How did you know the one I found would open the door to the first room?”

Matthew shook his head. “I didn’t.”

“Okay, so what do you propose?” Robyn put her hands on her hips, and her eyes lit up. “We have to open the main door, then someone has to go inside and stay there while it closes behind them so we can open the other door,” she said, answering her own question.

“And then go into the next room that opens up,” Matthew finished. His gaze went to Cal.

Cal held up his hands. “Why are you looking at me?”

“You’re not going to send the women in there, are you?” Matthew glanced at the women, certain he’d set the stage for a protest.

“Hey, one of us could do it,” Robyn rushed out, seemingly offended, and she gestured between herself and Alex.

“I wouldn’t want you to break a nail,” Cal teased, stepping toward the room.

“Ooh.” Robyn pushed him, and he lurched forward and caught his balance on the wall.

Cal looked over his shoulder and glared at her. “Watch it.”

“You deserved that,” Alex said in Robyn’s defense, a smile playing on the corners of her mouth.

“I’m just fooling around. Geez.” Cal clawed at the air but shrank back when Alex waved a fist.

Matthew was laughing, as were Robyn and Alex.

Cal indicated the closed door. “Just get on with it.”

Alex removed the artifact from the secondary switch plate and put it into the first one. The door opened. “Get in there, sugar pie.”

Cal squinted at her. “Grr.”

“Just call out when you’re ready for us to open the main door back up. We’ll wait for your signal,” Matthew clarified.

Cal gave a thumbs-up, and Alex removed the artifact. She waited for the door to completely close before inserting the artifact into the second switch plate.

“Cal?” Matthew called out.

There was no response, but it was far too soon to panic that something bad had happened. Besides, Cal was a screamer…

A minute passed, and Alex asked, “Do you think we should open the main door again?”

Matthew shook his head, holding firm. “He’ll let us know.”

A few more minutes passed.

“Let me outta here,” Cal shouted.

Matthew smiled at the ladies, and Alex opened the main door. Cal was standing there with the cheesiest grin Matthew had ever seen. And at his feet were three Emerald Tablets.

Alex was looking from Matthew to the Tablets. “How did you know there was a second set?”

“I didn’t. But something so important would warrant a backup, don’t you think?” Matthew reasoned. “Or maybe the others were decoys, even. It’s also possible all six were different.” He winced at the thought, but really, he’d had no choice but to destroy the first three.

“But you seemed so sure of something when you shattered the other Tablets,” Alex said.

“I was sure I didn’t want them to end up in Reda’s hands—or anyone else’s for that matter. They were meant to remain hidden until humankind was ready for them. And that time certainly isn’t now. Honestly, I don’t think that time will ever come.”

“But you found them, Matthew. Twice, technically,” Alex said softly. “Now what are we going to do with them?”

His mind was on the room within a room and how they’d found that small one in the tomb, too. In Baufra’s tomb, the room had been empty. Were the Tablets moved here or—he swallowed roughly—were there more Tablets out there to be found?

“Matt?” Alex prompted, yanking him from his musings.

“I haven’t thought it all through yet, but we definitely need to get them out of here.” He pointed toward their bags, which were still on the floor. “I figure if we put one in each of them, they won’t be too heavy to carry.”

He realized then that he hadn’t even touched them. He paused and went over to the Tablets. He ran his hands over the smooth green gemstone. All these years of fantasizing about their existence… And he’d found them all right. Now what was he going to do with them?