It was true. While Tara and Alex were highly efficient in finding and delivering information, they weren’t necessarily good puzzle solvers. Their skills, however, were a huge complement to what Tommy and the rest of his organization did.
The laptop on the table dinged, and a new message tab appeared in the top right corner. Tommy clicked it and a second later the email filled the screen.
Sean and the two women huddled a little closer in the booth to get a good look at the images on the monitor.
There were no photos, just drawings.
“We couldn’t find any real images,” Alex explained. “I guess that thing was removed before anyone thought to take a picture. Or maybe it was just so deteriorated that there was nothing left to get a good image.”
“No, this works,” Tommy said as he stared at the screen.
The circular well cover had the same two big circles coming together in a sort of Venn diagram in the middle. To the historical world, it was also known as Vesica Piscis, literally the bladder of the fish.
Outside it were several other symbols. Four lion heads were huddled together on one side. Eight stars surrounded the center where the two circles merged. Then there was a strange collection of what looked like two humps with one hump on top and off to the right. A big sphere was at the top of the well cover, with a smaller one at the bottom.
“What do you make of it?” Tommy asked out loud.
“You talking to me?” Alex asked when no one else responded.
“Oh, sorry, Alex. We’ll take it from here. If we have any more questions, we’ll let you know.”
“No problem. Always happy to help. I will say before I go that we think the spheres on that thing represent the sun and the Earth. Not sure but just thought it might be of some help to you.”
“Actually, that is helpful,” Tommy said. “I’ll be in touch. Thanks again, Alex. You and Tara are awesome.”
After he ended the call, the four continued staring at the screen.
“Vesica Piscis is often used as a symbol for Jesus,” Sean said. “Does that mean we’re supposed to look somewhere in Jerusalem for this thing?”
Tommy wasn’t so sure. “I would have thought there would be a little more detail than this. Kind of leaves things to interpretation, doesn’t it?”
The other three nodded.
“So we think the lions represent England?” Adriana asked. “If so, why are there four instead of three?”
“It’s a good question. It makes me think we possibly might be wrong on that. What is the significance of the sun and Earth, the stars? Where’s the moon?”
“And what about those humps?” Sean asked.
June was biting the tip of her finger as the others discussed the questions. “Is it me, or does it seem like those stars are surrounding the shape in the center?”
The other three reexamined the image.
“Yep,” Tommy said. “You think that has some kind of significance?”
“Maybe,” she said. “What if this thing is a sort of map, and the Vesica Piscis is like the X that marks the spot?”
It was a slightly oversimplified explanation, but June wasn’t completely off base.
“That’s an interesting theory,” Sean said. “That could mean these symbols are locations, right?”
“You mean like landmarks?” Adriana asked.
“Exactly. If those symbols are points of interest, landmarks like you said, they could help us pinpoint the location of the X, as June put it.”
Tommy squinted one eye and tossed his head to one side. “An X that marks the spot? Not sure I’ve ever come across anything like that in the years I’ve been doing this sort of thing. I guess anything is possible.”
“The only thing we have to figure out is what those symbols mean.” Adriana said.
“Or where they are. Anyone have a clue what the stars symbolize in legends surrounding Excalibur?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Me either,” Tommy said with a shrug.
“The two spheres — if they’re Earth and the sun — might have something to do with the connection between heaven and Earth, the people of Earth I mean.” Sean tried to make sense of his own comment after he said it.
“So that would mean that what is between heaven and Earth is the sort of connection point?” June asked.
“Maybe. I’m just kind of thinking out loud right now. This is a tough one.”
Adriana stared for a long, quiet moment. Her eyes opened a little wider as an epiphany hit her. “Wait,” she said. “These symbols. I’ve seen them somewhere before.”
“Stars and lions and planets?” Tommy asked. “Yeah, I’d say they’re all pretty common.”
“No,” she insisted. “I’ve seen them all together before. I just can’t remember where.”
“So you’ve actually seen these things in real life?” June asked.
Adriana nodded. “Sean, what was the last riddle again, the one that said something about the symbols?”
“It said, ‘for he who seeks the keys and finds the symbols, the trophies of the fallen will illuminate the way to the sword bearer’s altar.”
“Trophies of the fallen. That’s what I was trying to remember. What are some of the greatest trophies a kingdom has ever brought back from war?”
The other three fell silent for a moment.
“That’s a big question,” Sean said finally. “Throughout the history of the world, there have been some incredible antiquities removed as a result of war.”
“On the subject of a Judeo-Christian-based theme — like the one we seem to have with this investigation — I guess you’d have to say all the items taken from the Hebrew temple in Jerusalem,” Tommy offered.
“Yes,” Adriana said. “But are those out where anyone can see them?”
“No, but is that a prerequisite?”
“I think it might be.”
“She’s right,” Sean said. “The clue says that the trophies will illuminate the way. That would insinuate that they’re out in the open, possibly even in plain sight.”
“Yeah, unless they’re in a cave,” Tommy said.
“Ugh, I hope not. Had enough caves to last me a lifetime.”
“Right?”
“Boys,” June said, “try to focus. What are some other famous spoils of war from history?”
“The Amber Room,” Tommy said, “but that was from World War II. Probably doesn’t apply here.”
“What about the Greeks, the Persians, or the Babylonians? The Israelites had a ton of trouble with the Babylonians. Did they take something of value?” June asked.
“Yeah, there were many important relics lost during the Babylonian occupation. None that I can think of as being visible in public.”
“What if it doesn’t mean spoils of war?” Sean said. “It could just be trophies that were taken from a fallen civilization.”
“Such as?”
“Think about every major civilization that has existed throughout history. Rome, Greece, Persia, Babylon…”
“The Ottomans,” Tommy added.
“Byzantium,” Adriana said.
“The great Chinese dynasties,” June said.
Sean nodded. “All exceptional examples. But there’s one that stands out above all others. It was one of the first empires in our Earth’s history. It spanned thousands of years. Egypt.”
“What about it?” Tommy asked. “What trophies did they bring back from war?”
Sean had a knowing twinkle in his eye. “I don’t think they were the ones who brought any trophies back.”
He grabbed Tommy’s computer. His fingers flew across the keyboard. When the results came up, he clicked on the first one and then clicked the images tab.
The computer screen filled with pictures of Rome. The center of focus in all the images were Egyptian obelisks.
“Obelisks were brought to Rome by various emperors and leaders of the Roman Empire,” Sean said. “There are more than a dozen obelisks in Rome.”