The Vanishing Act - 4. Chapter 4

The icy wind whipped at Ethan's face as he stepped out of the train. He could feel the chill seeping through his thick coat, a stark contrast to the warm, sunny streets back home. Beside him, Maxim shivered, his breath fogging in the air. They were about to cross the border into Finland, a safe haven, if they could just get through the Russian border control.

As they approached the official, Ethan couldn't shake that same feeling of someone in the shadows or lost in the crowd of passengers, watching them. He glanced around, his eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of who that might be. Then he spotted him. A tall figure, his face partially obscured by the scarf wrapped around his neck. Ethan was certain he had seen him before, certain it was the same person watching him since he arrived in Moscow.

The border guards were intimidating, the official a little less so. He seemed casual in his demeanor and took their passports, flipping the pages with a cursory glance. He stamped them, handed them back and waved them through. Ethan was stressed and then relieved, but with the tension and emotion he had lost sight of their observer.

His thoughts turned to how they would get back home. Not the easy part, a train, a taxi, a flight, but how could he get Maxim into the country? However, worrying about Maxim was unnecessary, Anya had sorted out all the paperwork in advance, Maxim's passport held the necessary visa. He was taking up a post in their organisation.

***

The rest of their journey went smoothly, but still, as they made their way through Helsinki airport, Ethan kept an eye out for the shadowy figure he was convinced had been following him since his arrival in Russia.

On the plane, Ethan sat by the window, his gaze fixed on the passing clouds. He couldn't concentrate on the in-flight movie. His mind was racing, trying to piece together the puzzle that had brought them to Finland. The wooden box with strange inscriptions and the mysterious scroll—what did they mean? How were they connected?

As the plane descended, Ethan spotted the shadowy figure again. He was standing near the baggage claim, his eyes fixed on them. Ethan exchanged a worried glance with Maxim. He knew they had to be cautious.

"Is there a problem?" Maxim asked.

"I don't know, but that guy."

Maxim looked in the direction Ethan indicated with a slight nod of the head.

"It's just some guy."

The person who had been staring at them moved away and he didn't seem to bother Maxim.

"Maybe he thinks you're hot," he smiled, which irritated Ethan a little.

Their baggage arrived on the conveyer and Ethan picked up his small case and left Maxim to retrieve his own larger cases, without saying a word.

***

The taxi pulled up to the apartment building, an impressive residence in the city centre. As they stepped out, Ethan wasted no time in ushering Maxim inside. His eyes darted to the display cabinet, where a wooden box, adorned with intricate wooden inlay, sat prominently.

“How does this connect with the scroll?” Ethan asked, his voice filled with anticipation. “And what do they mean? Why would Damien risk his life for this?”

Maxim looked blank. "I am not the person to ask," he said almost apologetically."

"No, I know, I'm just so tired of running around chasing shadows."

Ethan opened the cabinet and removed the box. He studied it and held it up, but he saw no clues to either it's value or it's secrets. Maxim took the box from Ethan’s hands. He examined it closely, opened the lid, his eyes scanning the intricate symbols on the inside.

“It’s a puzzle box, that’s for sure,” he said, his voice barely audible. “Whatever is written inside it's not Russian. Maybe the symbols are some kind of hieroglyphics?"

"You're quite the scholar aren't you?" Ethan smiled.

"Not really, but I've seen the movie," Maxim replied enigmatically.

"What movie?"

"Indiana Jones!"

They both laughed.

Maxim handed the box back to Ethan. “The scroll could be a guide, an interpretation of the symbols inside the box, or else simply some old mumbo-jumbo.”

Ethan’s eyes widened. “Interpretation? What kind of interpretation?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Maxim replied, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and trepidation. “But whatever it is, it cost your friend's life.”

***

The story of the little wooden box begins eighteen months earlier, in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg. A team of archaeologists, led by the charismatic and enigmatic Professor Alexi Dumarov, had made a groundbreaking discovery. Amongst the archives of the city archaeology and culture museum was a ledger, in a piteous state, but partially legible. The pages contained information about the displacement of artifacts during the second world war. This was a trail which might lead to discovering what happened to the Amber Room and its treasures. Among these treasures was a scroll, written in a language that had long been forgotten, an ornate wooden box and its contents.

Damien, with his uncanny ability to spot valuable works and antiquities, had met Professor Dumarov and quickly realized the significance of the ledger and more importantly the scroll and box.

Driven by a sense of adventure and a thirst for knowledge, and perhaps just a little self-interest, Damien assembled a small team of experts to embark on a long journey to a monastery in Siberia. The chance of recovering this box, its whereabouts detailed in the book, were not so great. But Damien, with his unwavering determination and a letter of appointment from Alexi Dumarov, pressed on.

Finally, after an arduous journey, they reached the remote monastery which was also a fortress, and they gained entry. Damien was accompanied by Georgio Novikova , a member of the professor's team and a native to the region. Georgio was both guide and assurance that the treasure and anything else discovered would be protected. The rest of the team were left in the nearest town, some one hundred kilometres away.

It was a sight to behold, the remote monastery with its towering structures and intricate architecture. But as they explored the monastery, they soon realized that it was not the depository of any other treasures from the Amber Room. Nevertheless, it was not a wasted journey, they were allowed to leave with the box, but not the scroll which came with it. The monks determined it more prudent to split the items, ensuring a certain security because one was not of the same value without the other. They had also, unbeknownst to Damien, emptied the content of the little box.

The monks had had reason for their prudence because Damien and Georgio were separated from each other when their vehicle was in an accident. A nefarious incident from which apparently Damien managed to escape, but Georgio was badly injured. As Georgio lay bleeding and alone, he realized he might not survive.

Desperate to ensure the wooden box and the secret of the remote monetary were not lost, Georgio entrusted the box to Damien.

Damien, now in possession of the wooden box, was determined to keep it. He knew he needed the scroll to uncover the secret of the treasure, but he was content to smuggle the item out of Russia and tell Alexi that it had been stolen.

***

The buzz of the intercom interrupted Ethan and Maxim's musings. Ethan walked across the room to the entrance hall and picked up the handset. At the same time he glanced at the image on the screen. He was certain the man he saw standing in the entrance of their residence was that shadowy figure who must have followed them from Russia.

The buzzer sounded a second time.

"Yes?" Ethan finally spoke.

"My name is Alexi Dumarov," the man looked up at the camera.