The Forbidden Tomb (57 page)

His heart pounding in anticipation, Copeland stepped inside the alcove. He didn’t have to wait long to find the item that he sought. Sitting there in the far corner of the room was a large pedestal meticulously carved from a single block of marble. The sturdy construction of the platform was needed to support the weight of the offering that it cradled: a golden sphere encrusted with sparkling gems.

The precious stones caught the beam of Copeland’s light and bounced it throughout the room like a multi-colored disco ball. Ruby red and sapphire blue reflected from the surface, painting the floor. Deep purple hues of amethyst and striking green shades of emeralds danced across the walls. And beneath all the gems, the fiery glow of the polished gold seemed to illuminate even the darkest corners of the space.

Though he was struck by the beauty of the shimmering tribute, Copeland concentrated on the task at hand. He set his flashlight on the marble base and attempted to lift the basketball-sized artifact from its platform. Just as he suspected, the sphere was heavy but not unmanageable.

Rolling it in his hands, he was stunned by the details. Despite being constructed more than two thousand years ago, the globe displayed a likeness of the modern world. North and South America were clearly defined, their basic shapes outlined in gleaming opal and aquamarine. The inclusion of these continents struck him as odd, given that Roman cartographers in the time of Christ had no knowledge of their existence. These lands wouldn’t be discovered for another fifteen centuries.

Besides,
the map shouldn’t be round at all
.

It was built at a time when everyone thought the world was flat!

In an instant, he understood the importance of his discovery.

The object in his hands was the oldest known globe in the world.

One that predated all others by more than a thousand years.

And yet it was merely a vessel for the prize inside.

His research had told him that the sphere was hollow, formed by two halves connected along a hidden seam so well designed it would take an X-ray to spot it.

Like a child examining a plastic egg on Easter, he gently spun the globe in his hands as he poked and prodded, twisting it in every direction, searching for some clue as to how it opened. Yet the gems didn’t budge, and the halves showed no signs of separating.

Desperate to breach the shell, Copeland considered prying loose the magnificent diamond that represented the South Pole, hoping that its removal would allow him to reach inside. But he fought his urge to pull the gem free and pushed it inward instead.

The act was counterintuitive, but it worked.

The stone sank beneath the golden casing.

Righting the orb, Copeland watched as fine, white sand poured from the gap he had created. His eyes flashed with excitement. He somehow knew that each flowing grain brought him closer to his goal, like an hourglass counting down to destiny.

Once the sphere had emptied, Copeland twisted the hemispheres again.

This time, the globe separated at the equator.

As he raised the upper half, Copeland uncovered the core of the device – a secret compartment created to protect the very thing that he had longed to possess.

A smile spread across his face as he lifted the object from the hidden cavity.

His faith and his risks had been rewarded.

He had found the second piece of the puzzle.