Tomb Raider: The Golden Seal

Chapter 23: The Seal's Story

After him arrived a woman whom he'd never seen before, but he immediately recognized her. Graceful and slender, lithe and lovely, she lifted her chin and said: "I'm Lara Croft." With the haughty tone in which she said that, she could've easily meant I'm Helen of Troy or I'm the Queen of Sheba.

Minos stepped forward and smiled: "Nice to finally meet you, Miss Croft."

Lara looked around his black robe and the large crucifix hanging from his neck. She'd recognized his voice at first, but took time to look at the hegumenos before answering: "So you're Minos Axiotis, our phone guide," she said sarcastically. "I hardly could've imagined you like this."

"Times are strange, Miss Croft. Our community has been forced to break some rules and use extraordinary resources for extraordinary situations." Then he looked at Kurtis, who hadn't moved an inch and remained still without saying a word. "I'm really pleased to see you recovered, Mr. Trent."

"I remember you," he said then. "You were at the Strahov. You came to me surrounded by armed monks."

Minos nodded. "There are causes worth the fight and risk."

As he spoke, a monk presented a bundle of black clothes to Lara, which she accepted without questioning. She'd visited hundreds of sacred places throughout the world and had learned that, regardless of the religion, women weren't welcomed unless they follow strict dressing rules. In Meteora, any woman who would venture into that silent world of praying men was required to wear all-black ankle length skirts and long sleeves, to stifle any hint of female beauty which was forbidden in the monastery. But as they could see when Lara came back dressed in those robes, no dark clothing managed to drown out her charming aura.

"Welcome to Meteora," Minos said then. "This is where your journey ends."

"How do you know...?" Lara began, but then the hegumenos stopped her and turned to Kurtis: "If I'm right, the Golden Seal has revealed the latest location. It already served its purpose and the spirit which guided it has vanished."

Kurtis looked then at the ring, and after a moment of surprise, showed it to Lara. There was no longer any map on the golden surface. It had disappeared, giving way to an empty space, a polished square without any sign or imperfection.

(...)

The monastery was a corner for silence and meditation. In that place only the songs of the monks were heard, along with the whispering rush of their sandals on the floor and the whistling of the wind. No other sound came to this peaceful haven, even when other monasteries were packed for sightseeing. Nothing disturbed the daily routine in Ayios Stefanos.

Once the reception ended, Lara and Kurtis were left alone with the hegumenos. He led them to the inner yard and started to answer the barrage of questions with which Lara harassed him, while Kurtis, leaning against the wall, kept to his traditional silence.

"You seem to know much about the Golden Seal and the Periapt's symbols," she said. "More than what the Lux Veritatis and Karel himself knew. You're an Orthodox monastic community, but you're also more than that. Am I wrong?"

"Only partly," Minos said with the utmost courtesy. "In fact, we're monks at God's service, and as such we were born. But we're also warden. At first we had little or nothing to do with the Lux Veritatis, but in time, circumstances made us allies."

"Wardens of what?"

"The Angels' Oracle."

Lara arched an eyebrow, as if asking for further explanation. The hegumenos pointed to the cardboard cylinder hanging over her shoulder and said: "You've shown me many papers, written by the Cabal's archivist and yourself. The studies are brilliant, worthy of skilled people like you. But in ancient times, the world didn't have archaeologists or specialists in deciphering the sacred mysteries. We, as monks of Meteora, are the wardens of an ancient power, stronger than human mind: we're the wardens of those who know the True Option."