The 13th Tablet (46 page)

 

She was suddenly brought out of her reverie by a light tap on her shoulder and a familiar voice from the past. She couldn't quite put her finger on who it belonged to and yet she did recognise it.

‘Hi Mina,' the voice said quietly again, ‘your parents told me I'd find you here.'

Mina was afraid to turn around. She was frozen to her chair. A few seconds passed before she could summon up her courage. She slowly turned round, raised her eyes and saw her dear friend Liat. Mina had tried contacting her many times since she'd returned from Thailand, but Liat had made it clear she needed time and space, while she recovered from her wounds. Mina thought Liat would never want to speak to her again. She'd suffered greatly at the hands of Oberon's henchmen in their attempt to make her reveal anything she knew about Mina's tablet. Another wave of guilt swept over Mina.

 

As Mina looked at her friend, the fine-tuned speeches she'd prepared in the unlikely case she'd meet her again, all the words of explanation and justification vanished. Tears began to stream down her face. Liat's face still carried the thin scars of her ordeal. They didn't make her less attractive. On the contrary, they made her look wiser.

‘Liat, I'm so, so sorry,' whispered Mina, her gaze dropping to the floor.

Liat stroked her hand, trying to soothe her sobbing friend. Slowly lifted Mina's chin with her hand and looked into her eyes.

‘It's over, Mina,' said Liat softly, by this time also weeping profusely, ‘I forgive you, but this time I want the whole story,' adding ‘and a cigarette!'

Mina burst out laughing amid her tears. She stood up clumsily and gave Liat a long hug.

‘I can't believe you've taken up smoking!' said Liat, ‘Miss my-body's-my-temple!' she grinned and snitched a cigarette from Mina's packet.

 

They sat down and Mina ordered two drinks. Liat watched her friend smile. It was odd, as if all the smiles that had been locked away had been bundled together. She wasn't far wrong. Mina beamed, unbelievably happy to be reunited with her friend. She also smiled because she knew that this time she could take Liat on a shopping spree in New York – Oberon's grant money was still being credited to her account every quarter. And last, but certainly not least, Mina smiled because she'd finally be able to properly introduce Liat to Jack that evening.

Acknowledgements

 

 

 

I would like to thank first my agent Sharon Galant from Zeitgeist Media Group for her constant support and creative input.

My learned, energetic and efficient team at Haus Publishing for all their wonderful work.

My brother Ben who encouraged me to write a work of fiction on that fateful day in 2009 standing in front of Hannah Courtoy's mysterious funerary monument in Brompton cemetery; my friend Bernard Gowers for reading and discussing early versions of
The 13th Tablet
sometimes at three in the morning in his awe-inspiring flat in Oxford; my parents and particularly my father Irving Mitchell for his unflinching courage in (re-) reading my work and making suggestions.

I am indebted to Rabbi Avi Tawil from the European Jewish Community Centre in Brussels for his precious time and expertise in Hebrew and kabbalist lore; James A. Matthews, the talented and good-willed sculptor who produced a faithful copy of
The 13th Tablet
; Anne-Sophie Reinhardt my great friend and Parisian film director for making the book trailer and Geraldine Beskin from The Atlantis bookshop on Museum Street for letting us film on location. Special thanks to the staff at the University Library in Cambridge and the Sackler Library in Oxford (a library I miss from the very moment I set foot in another: may its collections prosper!) for their kind help while I was researching this novel.

And last but not least, my beloved Lila who is always on my mind and inspires me daily.

 

Haus Annex
is a carefully selected combination of visual and textual extra material which complement a Haus hybrid book. It is downloadable for
free
in pdf, epub and mobi formats.

In the case of
The 13th Tablet
, the additional information provided in the Annex focus on the archaeological research which underpins the plot, and explore the universality of the Flood Story. The Annex also recounts stories which are related to the main theme and includes a wealth of photographs featuring the places which appear prominently in the story.

To download the Annex for
The 13th Tablet
visit:

www.alexmitchellauthor.com