headscompletely and appeared to be midnight blue in color. All faces were obscured, with only narrow slits where the eyes should be. The men sat at a long, rectangular table; the central chair was larger and more ornate, indicating that its occupant was somehow the leader of this strange order.
Maureen’s attacker, still wearing his more modern clothing and sunglasses, presented the book to the central figure, who examined its cover, which was encircled with a heavy leather strap and a lock. The man seemed prepared for this, as he reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled out a dagger. A quick slice of the blade over the strap and the book fell open.
The chamber appeared perfectly still and no one moved as the leader flipped through the pages of the coveted book.
They were blank.
As he turned to the final page, there was one single Latin word scrawled across the parchment. It said simply INLEX.
The leader of the hooded men threw the book with apparent disgust at the henchman who had acquired it. While Maureen did not know what INLEX meant, it was clear that this was not what any of these men had expected.
The little girl’s ubiquitous giggle returned Maureen’s attention to her surroundings. The child stood before her exactly as she had earlier that day, hands behind her back. With another sweet smile, she handed Maureen a canvas bag with a large book.
“It is not what you think it is.”
And she laughed as she ran off around the corner, leaving Maureen to wonder just exactly what her attacker had stolen from her.
The first light of day broke through the window of Maureen and Tammy’s monastic cell. Maureen rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked over to where her friend was still deeply dozing. After the dream last night, she had gotten up long enough to jot down her notes of the experience, focusing on the word INLEX . If it was a Latin word, thenshe was in the right place. Every brother in Orval would have a classical education and should be able to translate a single word for her.
She threw on her clothes and went in search of the helpful Brother Marco, whom she found preparing the dining hall for breakfast.
“Inlex?” He gazed in thought for a moment. “Definitely Latin, but a strange word. Follow me to the library and we’ll look it up to be certain.”
Maureen accompanied the monk into a marvelous room filled with aged tomes. She was grateful that he hadn’t asked her any questions about why she needed the meaning of this particular word. He was simply gracious and accommodating to his guest. Removing a Latin dictionary from one of the shelves, Brother Marco flipped through it until he found what he was looking for.
“Here we are. Inlex. It means decoy. A ruse or a lure. Does that help?”
Did it ever. Maureen resisted the urge to grab him and kiss him on the cheek. She thanked him politely instead and hurried back to the room to wake up Tammy.
“It was a decoy, Tammy!” Maureen burst through the door of their little cell, waking Tammy with her exuberance.
“What?” Tammy sat up, confused.
“The book. The book that was stolen from us yesterday. It wasn’t the real one, it was…”
Maureen stopped. In her excitement to tell Tammy about the meaning of inlex , she had nearly missed it. Sitting in the middle of her unmade bed was a canvas bag.
“What’s that?” Tammy was waking up now. “And…dare I ask where it came from?”
Maureen’s heart was pounding as she shook her head. Where indeed, and from whom? Who was reading her dreams and sending her mysterious heretical relics? Who had access to the very bed that shespent the night in, next to her sleeping friend? And then there was a most disturbing question: Who had robbed them at gunpoint, and what was he looking for?
She walked to the bed and picked up the sack. Opening it, she removed the very heavy book contained within. It was different from the stolen tome in that the crimson leather was more weathered and
Maureen’s attacker, still wearing his more modern clothing and sunglasses, presented the book to the central figure, who examined its cover, which was encircled with a heavy leather strap and a lock. The man seemed prepared for this, as he reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled out a dagger. A quick slice of the blade over the strap and the book fell open.
The chamber appeared perfectly still and no one moved as the leader flipped through the pages of the coveted book.
They were blank.
As he turned to the final page, there was one single Latin word scrawled across the parchment. It said simply INLEX.
The leader of the hooded men threw the book with apparent disgust at the henchman who had acquired it. While Maureen did not know what INLEX meant, it was clear that this was not what any of these men had expected.
The little girl’s ubiquitous giggle returned Maureen’s attention to her surroundings. The child stood before her exactly as she had earlier that day, hands behind her back. With another sweet smile, she handed Maureen a canvas bag with a large book.
“It is not what you think it is.”
And she laughed as she ran off around the corner, leaving Maureen to wonder just exactly what her attacker had stolen from her.
The first light of day broke through the window of Maureen and Tammy’s monastic cell. Maureen rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked over to where her friend was still deeply dozing. After the dream last night, she had gotten up long enough to jot down her notes of the experience, focusing on the word INLEX . If it was a Latin word, thenshe was in the right place. Every brother in Orval would have a classical education and should be able to translate a single word for her.
She threw on her clothes and went in search of the helpful Brother Marco, whom she found preparing the dining hall for breakfast.
“Inlex?” He gazed in thought for a moment. “Definitely Latin, but a strange word. Follow me to the library and we’ll look it up to be certain.”
Maureen accompanied the monk into a marvelous room filled with aged tomes. She was grateful that he hadn’t asked her any questions about why she needed the meaning of this particular word. He was simply gracious and accommodating to his guest. Removing a Latin dictionary from one of the shelves, Brother Marco flipped through it until he found what he was looking for.
“Here we are. Inlex. It means decoy. A ruse or a lure. Does that help?”
Did it ever. Maureen resisted the urge to grab him and kiss him on the cheek. She thanked him politely instead and hurried back to the room to wake up Tammy.
“It was a decoy, Tammy!” Maureen burst through the door of their little cell, waking Tammy with her exuberance.
“What?” Tammy sat up, confused.
“The book. The book that was stolen from us yesterday. It wasn’t the real one, it was…”
Maureen stopped. In her excitement to tell Tammy about the meaning of inlex , she had nearly missed it. Sitting in the middle of her unmade bed was a canvas bag.
“What’s that?” Tammy was waking up now. “And…dare I ask where it came from?”
Maureen’s heart was pounding as she shook her head. Where indeed, and from whom? Who was reading her dreams and sending her mysterious heretical relics? Who had access to the very bed that shespent the night in, next to her sleeping friend? And then there was a most disturbing question: Who had robbed them at gunpoint, and what was he looking for?
She walked to the bed and picked up the sack. Opening it, she removed the very heavy book contained within. It was different from the stolen tome in that the crimson leather was more weathered and
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