SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 39

B'Elanna had tossed and turned for half the night before eventually giving up on the idea of sleep. The day she'd spent in the Anawin City had been long and tiring and she'd had very little sleep the night before, but every time she closed her eyes all she could see was an image of Tom shivering outside in the freezing night air.

"Hey Starfleet, you awake? Harry?" She whispered his name, but got no response. His eyes were closed and she was sure the light snoring sound was coming from him.

The ceiling was flaking above her head. There were cracks in the paintwork and she could see tiny paint specks floating down, highlighted by the lantern light.

Sitting up, she reached inside the pocket of her purple robe, pulled out her combadge and looked at it for a moment. The rest of the away team would begin to search for them at sunrise. She had to get a message to the captain before then. She turned the device over in her hand and opened the casing. Somehow she would have to find a way to scatter the signal so Zeron wouldn't be able to easily trace its location.

But hours later, she was still grappling with the badge. With her forehead furrowed, she grew more and more impatient as she struggled to modify the mechanics of her combadge with the few improvised tools she'd found by dissecting one of the lanterns. Then she heard a key rustle in the lock. She planted her foot down on the metal bar and heard the familiar click that represented freedom from their cell.

"Time to go," B'Elanna said, giving Harry a hefty shake.

Startled, Harry looked up, before he leapt out of bed.

Together they walked the length of each dimly lit passage of the priory until they again stood in the entrance. B'Elanna stared down at the floor. She heard Harry mutter something to himself before sighing. They had carefully checked every door in the place. Each one had revealed only countless sleeping quarters, some empty and some occupied, and even a walk through the open cloister hadn't unveiled anything. B'Elanna studied the walls and columns around her, searching for a clue.

"Do you think Chakotay might have got the location wrong?" Harry asked.

B'Elanna had briefly wondered the same but had dismissed the idea, although she did concede their search had covered every plausible section of the priory without finding anything that even resembled a possible entrance to the crypts.

She stared up at the painted ceiling. It had made her feel unsettled the first time she saw it. But during the night, while she stared at the plain white ceiling in the sleeping quarters, she'd revisited the painting in her mind. Again she studied it. Her footsteps were hurried as she walked around the priory entrance, until she stopped moving and signaled for Harry to come over. Pointing furiously up at the ceiling, she felt a sudden need to shout, to cry out, and let him know she'd found the answer.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Harry asked. There was confusion on his face.

B'Elanna again pointed vigorously at a section of the painting just above her head.

Harry began to name a few objects. "I can see some Anawin faces, a flock of birds, a hill, some scattered rocks..."

"Can't you see it?" B'Elanna interrupted him.

"What am I looking for? Why don't you just tell me?" Harry said waving his arms around.

"Work with me, Harry. Follow my finger." She caught Harry's attention and lifted his eyes up to a section of the painting that showed a small stone archway. "Can you see it?" B'Elanna seemed excited by her find.

Harry squinted and craned his neck to get a better look at the image. There was a tiny zigzag line painted across the top of the archway that was part of a small stone chapel.