Kismet shook his head. “I don’t know. In the movie, I think he used a stick.”
“The wizard’s staff? The magic wand?” Chiron chuckled, but his eyes were serious. “That’s exactly how he did it. The Staff of Moses was no mere shepherd’s rod. The Midrash Rabbah, an oral argument expounding on the Torah, has a great deal to say about the Staff of Moses. It is said to be made of pure sapphire, weighing hundreds of kilograms—too heavy in fact for a man to lift without God’s power. According to Rabbinic tradition, the Staff was given to Adam by God following his expulsion from Paradise, and was passed down through a succession of holy men until it came into the possession of Jethro, one of Pharaoh’s advisors, who lived in the land of Midian. Jethro incidentally became Moses’ father-in-law. However, I suspect this story was merely a clever invention by Moses himself to conceal the Egyptian origins of the Staff. It is my belief that the Staff was fashioned by Egyptian priests as a key to unlock the energies channeled by the pyramids, and that Moses wrested control of this talisman from them, ultimately turning their greatest weapon against them.”
Kismet finally understood. “So that’s what we’re looking for? Moses’ magic stick?”
Chiron raised a hand. “Is it so hard to believe? At some point the Bible stories do begin to agree with recorded history. The people who named themselves Israelites—descendants of Jacob—did conquer Palestine and establish a kingdom that endured until Roman times. More than that, they established a belief system unique in their time—a religion where there existed only one true God. Some factual incident inspired these accounts. I think that classifies it as more than just a bedtime story.”
Kismet rubbed the sweat from his eyes, trying to hide his exasperation. Philosophical discussions notwithstanding, he could not escape the fact that Chiron had somehow shanghaied him into a war zone for the sake of a treasure hunt. “What makes you so certain that it ended up here?”
“Ah, there’s another story. The Bible does not speak of the disposition of the Staff. In fact, every effort is made in the writings attributed to Moses to minimize its significance. I suspect that he did not want his own acolytes figuring out how to steal the power and seize control, so he couched much of the knowledge inside the rites of the Levitic priesthood. The design of the priestly vestments and the architecture of the holy tent of meeting are consistent with theoretical mechanisms for modulating the earth’s magnetic energy. The fabled Ark of the Covenant is perhaps the best example of such a device.”
Kismet made a sour face at the reference, but he did not comment.
“In any event, the Staff’s fate is unknown. Some traditions hold that Moses placed it inside the Ark. Others believe that it returned to God. One thing is certain, with the passing of Moses, the frequency and magnitude of miracles began to diminish. The Bible tells how Joshua stopped the sun in its tracks and threw down the walls of Jericho, but remember that he was in the company of priests hand-selected by Moses. It is also quite likely that some of these events—stopping the sun, for instance—were embellished to establish Joshua’s legitimacy.
“I tend to believe that the Staff remained in the care of those priests, even though they gradually lost touch with the knowledge of how to use it. As the traditions of their new religion deepened and victory in their wars brought an end to the need for uncanny power, the priests forgot how to utilize the awesome resource that lay at their fingertips. In fact, according to the Bible, the Ark was put into storage until the time of King David.
“I believe that David may have commenced the search to relearn the mysteries that Moses brought out of Egypt, handing them down to his son Solomon, who in turn used this newfound wisdom to acquire extraordinary wealth for his nation and to build a permanent structure which, like the pyramids, would channel the earth’s energies. Evidently his quest for knowledge offended some of the true believers. The Book of Kings records that Solomon left the God of his forefathers. Doubtless he realized the truth that Moses had so cleverly concealed. God was not a wizened old man in a heavenly abode, but an awesome omnipresent force that could be tapped as one might harness the wind in a sail.”
Curious in spite of his skepticism, Kismet volunteered a question. “Are you saying that he found the Staff?”
“Quite likely. Or else he learned how to make one for himself. The alchemists believe that he found or made a ‘Key,’ also sometimes referred to as the Philosopher’s Stone, with which, among other things, he could transmute base metals into gold. Since Moses’ Staff was a whole crystal of sapphire, no doubt a singular occurrence in nature, I’m inclined to believe that he located that original Staff or was given it by his father. But once again, the knowledge fell into disuse as the next generation, spoiled and self-satisfied, saw no reason to continue the pursuit of wisdom. There are a few noteworthy incidents recorded in the Bible that, if true, would suggest that the power was still there to be used: the miracles of Elijah and Elisha; the defeat of an Assyrian army numbering nearly 200,000. For the most part however, the power and certainly the Staff—or Solomon Key—was once more hidden away. When Nebuchadnezzar successfully overthrew Jerusalem, casting down her walls and carrying everything away as spoil, he no doubt took the Staff and likely the Ark of the Covenant along with all of the other temple treasures.
“I suspect that Nebuchadnezzar might also have been adept in the power of geomancy, but evidently he did not recognize the significance of these items, or perhaps feared to use them, and hid them away in a vault deep beneath the ziggurat temple of the chief Babylonian deity.
“That is where you come into the story, Nick. Whatever it was that Samir Al-Azir showed you twelve years ago, it convinced you that at least the last part of my story is true. And the artifacts that have begun appearing on the world market are identical to the utensils used in Solomon’s temple, as described in the Book of Kings. We both know that someone found that vault. Yet the most treasured artifacts have not reappeared on the world scene.”
“Has it occurred to you maybe there’s another very good reason for that? If even half of what you’re suggesting is true, then this is exactly the kind of thing the Prometheus cult would be interested in.” Kismet drew in a sharp breath, still wondering if it was time to tell the old man the whole story. He chose his words carefully. “I can tell you this much—at least one of the artifacts you mentioned was taken by Hauser that night.”
Chiron’s lips moved as if trying to form a word, but no sound was uttered.
“Pierre, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but there’s almost no way that your Staff—or Solomon Key or whatever you want to call it—is still here. If someone had tried to fence it, the Prometheus gang would have pounced on them in about two seconds.”
After the impassioned argument, Chiron seemed to deflate a little, but he stood his ground. “But if we could find the vault, at least that would give us a starting point, and perhaps we would find some clue to guide us on our way.”
“It’s a long shot. Honestly, Pierre, what difference would it make? It’s not going to prove your theory, and even if it did, how is that going to… how will it ease your sorrow at losing Collette? I don’t think the answer’s here, at least not the one you’re really looking for.”
“So that’s it? You’re giving up after only a few hours of searching?”
“Pierre…” Kismet sighed, shaking his head in frustration. “If you had been up front about this, I probably would never have even started looking. A magic Staff? We don’t belong here, Pierre. It’s time to go home.”
Chiron opened his mouth as if to continue protesting, but Kismet did not linger. He rose and headed across the ruin to where Hussein was laboring, pausing only long enough to switch the computer off. The brightly colored display abruptly winked into nothingness; a fitting metaphor for Chiron’s quest and its abrupt end.
***
From a window on the fourth story of Saddam Hussein’s Babylonian palace, the woman calling herself Dr. Rebecca Gault watched the distant figures from the GHC expedition through a pair of 7 X 50 binoculars. The magnification was not good enough to allow her to pick out facial features at this distance, but it was easy enough to determine the identity of each person.
Rebecca, along with her team, had trailed Kismet and the others from Baghdad, finding overnight lodging in Al Hillah to avoid discovery, and ended their travels in the early hours of morning. They had taken a station in the palace complex, content for now, at least, to simply observe. She had little doubt that the search upon which Kismet had embarked would not be quickly resolved. That was why she found the scene unfolding in the circular view-field of the binoculars so disturbing.
After only a few hours of dragging the ruins, the expedition appeared to be packing up and leaving. When there could not longer be any doubt as to their intent, she lowered the glasses. This was one eventuality they had not anticipated. On an impulse she took out her phone, but paused without entering a numeric sequence.
It wasn’t her place to determine their next course of action. Her controller was even more dedicated to the success of their expedition than she. He would know what to do and he would call with the next move. For now, she and her team needed only to stay out of sight. Putting the phone away, she resumed her surveillance.
Although centuries had passed since her fall, the ancient city of Babylon continued to suffer from what seemed like a divinely sent plague: mosquitoes. The marshy banks of the Euphrates teemed with enormous blood-sucking insects, and as the evening shadows began to cool the bricks of the palace, a great buzzing cloud settled in as well. Because looters had smashed every window in the massive edifice, there remained no overall defense against the swarm. The Marines not actively engaged in their duties sought refuge inside tents, which they had pitched in the interior rooms, or in the closed environs of their vehicles. Insect repellant compounds were effective, but in the face of such a constant attack, it made more sense to simply limit exposure.
Kismet however found the small sacrifice of blood preferable to the company of his associates. Since his decision to suspend the survey of the Esagila, Chiron had been alternately contemptuous and desperate, insisting that the truth was there to be found, while Hussein seemed torn between his respect for the old man and the unarguable certainty that Kismet had made the right decision. Marie merely acted irritated that they had endured so much difficulty for no apparent reason, but she at least had not burdened him with reproachful stares. In any case, he was enjoying the seclusion of the open third floor terrace, and as the sky darkened, a slight breeze fluttered across the balcony, driving even the mosquitoes away. Stretching out on the bare marble floor, Kismet closed his eyes and enjoyed the rare moment of peace.
“You made the right decision.”
The voice intruding on his solitude belonged to Marie, and while he did not open his eyes or rise to greet her, he could tell by the sound of footsteps that she was alone. “I know,” was his simple reply.
Her steps grew louder with her approach and when she stopped, it wasn’t difficult to conclude that she had lowered herself to sit beside him. “I have a confession to make. I was eavesdropping this afternoon.”
Kismet slowly opened his eyes. For some reason, his heart had begun beating faster.
“There’s obviously a great deal more to you then I had first believed, Nick Kismet.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he replied, guardedly. “But there are a few things I prefer to keep private.”
“Forgive me. I did not mean to intrude. In fact, I only came here to assure you that I am in full agreement with your decision. I heard what Pierre said…what he’s looking for. It’s crazy. He’s put us all in grave danger for the sake of…of a Bible story.”
“Pierre is a complicated man. I may not agree with what he’s done, but I understand it.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to defend the old man, but the words poured forth unbidden.
“Perhaps. But the Staff of Moses? It’s ridiculous.”
“Probably.”
“Don’t tell me you believed him?”
Kismet finally sat up and looked at her. “I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t believe anyone else does either. But a whole lot of people in the world believe that Moses was a real person, looked a lot like Charlton Heston, and used his stick to part the Red Sea. Who am I to say it didn’t happen that way?”
“You know that’s not what Pierre was saying.”
He thought her argument strange. She wasn’t refuting the basic story, but rather Chiron’s elaborate interpretation. “No, Pierre believes in a slightly different version of events but either way, his belief that the Staff might be hidden here somewhere is not without merit.”
She fixed him with a deliberate stare. “So you do think it’s here? Or that it was?”
“I didn’t say that either. I don’t know.”
“I don’t understand. If you thought it might yet be found, why did you turn away?”
He frowned, and then jumped to his feet. The pleasant solitude was gone, and suddenly the idea of sitting still was anathema. He paced over to the balustrade and gazed out over the dark river. Directly below was an elaborately tiled courtyard with a large square swimming pool, partially drained since the occupation and overgrown with dark moss so that it now resembled a deliberately built mosquito fen. Kismet worked loose a piece of mortar from between the tiles and flicked it out toward the pool as he answered. “Because it was all wrong. I don’t know, maybe I was just mad at Pierre for dragging me out here under false pretenses. I’m no treasure hunter.”
She joined him at the railing, standing close enough that their elbows were touching. “But that’s not what you said out there. You said that if it had been there, it was almost certainly gone…Wait a minute. I remember now. You said something about a cult of Prometheus? Who are they?”
“Just one more unanswered question. And one of those things I mentioned that I prefer to keep to myself.”