"Now I hope to be able to stay home longer than just a few
days," said Anne-Christine to her companions as she stood near
the front door of her Castle.
"What a lovely Castle," said Lisabeth. "And you live here all
alone?"
"Not any more, if you will stay with me, as I hope you will,"
answered Anne-Christine, who had now opened her door and entered
first, followed by Lisabeth and Govert Gosseling.
"I will show you the kitchen, Lisabeth, so we can make a good
start today," said Anne-Christine. "If Mr Gosseling would be so
kind as to take the mugs to the study, than we can organize our
different occupations".
The two girls went to the kitchen and Gosseling had no
trouble remaining alone with the Atilla-mugs. He walked to the
study, where he immediately started to decipher the insciptions,
as well as he could. He found paper to make notes, and an inkpot
and quill. Before he started to write, he placed the mugs in an
order, which he presumed to be the best. He then started
investigationing to the message which he was convinced the mugs
would would bear.
"There probably will be a second, and even a third wine-set.
They speak of two or more treasures which could catch the light
on the hill of the battlefield. Two together are more powerful
than an emperor and his entire army, but three together are no
less than all the evil one can think of. That probably will be
the lesson that Atilla learned from his defeat on the Catalaunic
Fields. This all seems to be some kind of a warning," said
Gosseling as Anne-Christine came to him an hour later.
"But he is more precise about the exact site of the battle. It
was fought somewhat north of the crossing of two important Roman
roads. The hill was the highest in the area and therefore easy to
recognise, and his camp was less than an hour away from the
battlefield".
Anne-Christine was full of admiration for the scientist, who
had managed to discover so much in such a short time.
"These mugs in your hands have found their most capable
decipherer. What else have you learned? About a treasure
perhaps?," she asked.
"A treasure?," repeated Lisabeth as she entered the room with
a tray of cups filled with sizzling hot coffee.
"Oh yes, did you not know? We are on the trail of a real
treasure, and if you are nice and kind, perhaps you may help us
find it," Anne-Christine teased her.
Gosseling interrupted her: "I met a big problem. A number of
inscriptions are written in the Kirghese language, which is
somewhat similar to the Hungarian dialect spoken by the upper
class. That raises no difficulty for me, but the other
inscriptions seem Chinese or Mongolian and I cannot decipher
them."
Lisabeth perked up:
"My father has been in Upper-Mongolia. In fact he was born
there during my grandparents' voyage to the court of the Emperor
of Japan".
"Your grandfather, was he a diplomat?," asked a surprised
Anne-Christine.
"A diplomat and a spy. His duty was to monitor the
developments of the growing Japan. He would have been an informer
if he had fulfilled his destiny. But both my grandparents died
somewhere in Siberia and they left only a few relics to me," said
Lisabeth as she proudly showed her necklace with a small travel-icon and searched for coins in her purse at her belt.
"My father brought them here when he arrived in the western
world at the age of eightteen, after a long journey. He did not know any of our languages, just Upper-Mongolian!"
"Did you ever hear him speak?" asked Gosseling.
"When I was young he did teach me some words. I can speak it
a little bit. For instance, on this coin is written: Children may
be blond as gold, but they have no value at all".
Her fingers indicated how the characters had to be read.
"Splendid, magnificent, now we can work on the rest of the
translation, together!" the scientist cried, bringing up a chair
for Lisabeth next to his own.
"Now I am doing chores for my maid," thought Anne-Christine
as she came into the study carrying a heavy pan.
She saw Lisabeth and Gosseling sitting close together as they
worked. They had been trying for a long while to decipher the
inscriptions. He had put his arm around her and they were
studying the large sheets of paper without saying a word, while
Gosseling caressed her back and shoulders gently.
"We have been thinking and guessing for a long time and I
don't think we can go any further. What I presumed to be
'treasure' can be translated as 'blond' too, as Lisabeth's coin
shows us. Perhaps it just concerns some blond women of Atilla's
era. I must have misunderstood it all. Besides, I am tired of
thinking and I'd better take a breath of fresh air after dinner.
Until then, I maintain my conclusion that it is nothing but
wishes and I intend to leave tomorrow morning by coach. I won't
bother you any longer and you may keep the mugs in
remembrance".
While Lisabeth rinsed the dishes and Gosseling stretched his
legs in the park, Anne-Christine took a close look at the papers,
which showed strange characters, often with a probable
translation. For one, Gosseling had written 'blond' and for
another, he had corrected it to "treasure'.
"So 'blond' and 'treasure' are the same? This may indicate
that there are more then one treasure or wine-set. Anne-Christine
wondered. "Those two certainly do know more than I do. Before he
leaves tomorrow, I will question him, and not just because he
pays so much attention to Lisabeth".
But that opportunity did not come. Next morning, just after
breakfast, Gosseling said:
"I am still not convinced after a whole night tossing and
turning. There don't have to be two other wine-sets. The
treasures, mentioned on the mugs, could be blond women as well,
perhaps slaves who accompanied Attila during the battle. Maybe he
always won with two but then lost, with three women at his side.
Yet it is still possible that a treasure really exists".
"That doesn't get us any further!" retorted Anne-Christine.
"What shall we do? Look for a treasure? Who is in favour?"
"Me," said Gosseling and Lisabeth together.
"Me too," added Anne-Christine, laughing. "Just when I hoped
to be able to stay at home for a few days!"
This time, indeed, the Lady of the Castle did stay at
Weezebeecke Castle for a few days. But those days were filled
with preparations for the journey to the river Marne. Steward
Ruyters did what he could to help them.
They were to travel by horse, heading south, and to spend
their nights at inns. Ruyters found a suitable riding horse with
a saddle for each traveller.
Gosseling tried a riding costume belonging to Anne-Christine's father and this fitted him perfectly. Lisabeth had no
problem trying Anne-Christine's clothes for the two girls were
nearly the same size.
Because it was not possible to transport all the food they
needed for themselves and for their three horses, they carried just a small ration. Anne-Christine searched for maps of the
north of France, both old and new maps, as she expected the old
ones to give the most useful information, concerning the treasure
hunt.
After three days of preparation, they were ready to leave,
probably early next morning.
"Ruyters will wave us farewell," Anne-Christine told herself
when she fell asleep that night.
And that was what actually happened. Although the morning was
misty, Ruyters lost no time in saddling the horses.
"Be careful," he warned the three travellers, though Anne-Christine knew he was thinking of her principally.
"We will be back without a scratch, don't worry," she
reassured him, bending down from her horse to kiss him goodbye.
She then spurred on her horse and rode down the lane, turning to
look back only when she had seen the river Marne.
"Shall I tell you how I stole the Muscovite Crystal from Mr
Pennickx?" asked Anne-Christine a few days later, when they found
an inn after a long day's journey.
"As long as I just have to listen, that's all right," said
Gosseling, overcome with fatigue and pulling his chair closer to
the fire.
Anne asked the governor to refill the glasses and then she
told the whole story. She thought Gosseling fell asleep from time
to time but Lisabeth didn't miss a word of it.
"And that's why I have enough money for this expedition now,"
said Anne-Christine ending her long monologue.
"How exciting! I'd like to have taken part in such an
adventure," said Lisabeth.
"That is still possible. Maybe even earlier then you
imagine," said Anne-Christine. "We still have no results from our
efforts. Tomorrow, we will be at the Marne River and my old map
shows the crossing of two Roman roads as the inscriptions
predicted. They are straight as a ship's mast and they cross
perpendicularly so, without doubt, they are of Roman origin. We
probably will be there before sunset if we leave early in the
morning".
Before they went to bed, they asked the governor to take care
of the horses next morning, before sunrise. After that, Gosseling
went to his room, opposite the room of Lisabeth and Anne-Christine, who slept in one bed, as they had done from the day
they met.
Once in bed and close together, Lisabeth repeated: "I want to
be in that kind of Muscovite Crystal adventure".
"Oh, but it isn't funny. When you've been through it, it is,
but when you're in it you'll think quite differently. You will be
used or maybe even abused," said Anne-Christine.
"Can't that be funny as well?" asked Lisabeth.
"You look very much like me," Anne-Christine said, avoiding a
straight answer.
"I do want to help you, with all the men I have, but there
must be some kind of reward in return," said the Officer to Anne-Christine and he looked at her with great expectation as the sun
went down.
They had easily found the hill on which Atilla had lost his
battle. One of the Roman ways led almost over the top of it, but
they were disappointed to find that the field was still used for
a military purpose after all these centuries. The hill was a part
of an exercise site, full of tents. Anne-Christine refused to be put off by anything and she had asked to speak to the responsible
officer. When this request was granted, she had made him think
that her attention was solely centered on historical excavation,
and the officer seemed to be satisfied with her explanation,
except that his eye had an unusual glint when he looked at
her.
"My dear officer, I presume you don't know whom you are
talking to. But you are gentle and willing to do me a great
favour by making your man dig on my behalf. I do understand your
desire so I will be delighted if you will allow me to dispose of
my maid for one night".
The officer laughed at Anne-Christine's outspoken but gladly
accepted the offer.
Once back with Lisabeth and Gosseling, Anne-Christine
said:
"Lisabeth may show her seductive skills. The officer wants to
co-operate if he may sleep with her."
Lisabeth turned red.
"Is he handsome or ugly, I mean.... do I really have to?"
"When did you say you wanted to take part in an exciting
adventure?" asked Anne-Christine. "You have your chance
tonight".
"All right...., then I'd better go. 'Till tomorrow, early in
the morning. Soldiers get up early, they tell me," said Lisabeth,
as she headed for the military camp.
"They also go to bed early," said Anne-Christine to
Gosseling, as she watched the girl disappear. She took the reigns
of Lisabeth's horse and went for to nearby inn.
"Was he nice and kind to you?" asked Anne-Christine when she
spotted her maid in the camp, next morning.
"Don't ask that kind of question," said Lisabeth. "He is
satisfied, I am satisfied and today his men wil dig out the
hill".
"Very good," said Gosseling, who could hardly wait to see the
first spade digging into the earth.
He didn't have to wait very long because the first soldiers
started obeying their orders shortly afterwards.
"They will excavate the hill, one layer after another. That's
because most discoveries will probably be found near the
surface," the officer explained after the three travellers had
taken a seat in his tent.
"Most prudent," said the historian. His thoughts seemed
nearer the hill being excavated than in the comfortable tent but
he didn't want to hurt his host's feelings and so preferred to be
as polite as possible.
"As a matter of fact, I am rather pleased with your request,"
said the officer. "In this way my men remain on the alert and, if
they find something, they may feel they are taking part in an
important event".
Almost immediately, one of the soldiers appeared with what
seemed to be a muddy bundle in his hand. Gosseling couldn't
contol himself any longer. He grabbed the loaf of clay from the
soldier's hand, who was still saluting with his other hand, and
immediately started crumbling away the soil.
"A knife," said the historian. "The Huns wore these knives in
their boots".
He then went with the soldier to the pit. Anne-Christine and
Lisabeth stayed in the officer's tent untill they heared loud,
wild cheering from the excavation site. They went quickly to the
site, where they found Gosseling holding up a shiny object.
"Listen, it is not gold," he said to anyone who would
listen.
"It is just glass but I'm very pleased with it".
Slowly and carefully he wiped off the clay, revealing a
perfect sphere which he could hold in one hand.
"A crystal spere" said Anne-Christine thoughtfully. "That has
something to do with the future".
"And with the past" said Lisabeth.
Together, they walked back to the officers' tent, where they
could wash the sphere in water. The object seemed to be in
perfect shape, although it had been in the soil for over a
thousand years.
"These finds are of no value to me," said the officer, who
had followed the excavation with interest. "It would be different
if you had found gold or gems, but I don't care about rusty
knives and crystal spheres. Nevertheless, it will be good for the
men's moral if you will be so kind as to display all the finds,
revealing the result of their labour".
This seemed a good idea to Gosseling and, with his companions
he spent the rest of the day cleaning the iron objects which were
extracted regulary from the soil. No more glass artifacts were
found, only knives and more arms from another era.
When the bugle brought all the men to their well-deserved
dinner, the entire collection of finds was displayed neatly on a
camp table in front of the officer's tent.
Just after the guests had started their simple meal, they
became aware of a large number of people approaching from the
west.
"I don't like that at all," the officer said. "The king is
paying us a visit, as far as I can see".
And this turned out to be true. The french king was on a tour
to inspect the alertness of his troops and he passed by at an
unusual hour. There was no time to change the situation in the
camp. The king, who had preferred dressing himself simply on this
occasion, headed directly towards the commander's tent, where he
entered without saying a word. The officer followed him, while
guards kept everyone at a distance, so that no-one could overhear
the conversation. Anne-Christine and her company, too, could only
guess what happened in the tent.
After a while the king came out again, followed by the
officer.
"No more strangers in this camp," they heard him say. He went
to the table where all the finds were displayed.
"I take this trinket with me," he said as he put the crystal
sphere in the hands of one of his adjutants.
"Your men can go on digging, that will keep them in good
shape. But let me know if you strike something special. And don't
keep anything for yourself, because that will cost you a severe
demotion," the souvereign assured before he turned and walked
away.
"That was a narrow escape," the officer said a little later.
He wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
"You'd better leave for as long as the king is near. He
certainly would not appreciate a second meeting with
foreigners."
"Come Anne, Lisabeth, we have to go," said Gosseling.
"Would you be so kind as to keep me informed about future
finds," he asked before they said goodbye.
"Oh, yes, that I will do," the officer said, "I know how to
reach you".
No-one spoke a word on their way back to the inn. The loss of
the sphere was clearly in their minds. But that was not the only
problem as became obvious a little later. Just after they had
started their second meal that evening, Anne-Christine broke the silence by saying:
"It's all useless".
"What is all useless?" asked Gosseling. Lisabeth kept
silent.
"Everything is useless. My whole life, with everything around
it. Why can't I ever behave normally? Why am I allways searching
for something? And why don't I ever have any success?" Anne-Christine wondered.
"That isn't true at all," said Gosseling. "You have a lot of
success but, in one way, you have got too used to it. You think
that success falls from a tree like a ripe apple. At this
particular moment, you have to cope with a french king. Bear that
in mind. He is something different from a Mr Pennickx or the
solicitor from Weezebeecke. A king is used to dealing with
intrigants and he must have a sharp eye for detail. It's no
wonder that he takes only the crystal sphere. In a glimpse he
sees it's value."
"I can cope with intrigants as well," Anne-Christine replied.
"I have been at the court of the Grand Duke of Transsyldavia
and the place was littered with them".
"I do not know how life goes on in Transsyldavia" retorted
Gosseling, "but I think you may count your blessings that you are
here and not at the royal palace. Things are very unsettled over
there. There is a revolution in the air, if I may believe the
gossips that reach me".
"For me that's the place to be!" shouted Anne-Christine
throwing her plate at Gosseling, who just managed to avoid the
projectile.
She then stood up and ran out, bursting into tears. Gosseling
followed her. He pretended not to see the other guests, who
certainly would wonder what was going on. She had disappeared
behind the inn, where he found her, sitting in the high grass,
hiding her face in her hands.
"Go away," she cried, when he touched her shoulder. "Get
away, I want to be left alone. I want to disappear, I want to be
dead".
Gosseling was confused for a while, but finally decided not
to leave her and made himself comfortable in the grass. He
watched the sun turn slowly from yellow to red. It's rays made a
fan of light behind Anne-Christine's curly hair. She herself
wasn't concerned with the beauty of nature and, although she had
stopped crying, she still wasn't at ease.
"I'll go to the soldiers," she said after a long pause.
"And what will you do over there?" asked Gosseling.
"I don't care," she replied, "I'll do whatever they want me
to do. I have no desire to live at all".
"Anne, you behave just like a spoiled child. Don't give
things up so easily. The sphere is still there and you even know
where it is".
Anne-Christine sat upright and wiped her hair out of her wet
face.
"Perhaps you may be a tiny little bit right after all," she
said. "It all went very smoothly until today".
"Big girl!," said Gosseling, starting to dry her tears with
the table-napkin which she still had in her hands. "You feel any
better now?"
"Mad! I am completely crazy and you too! Who else is chasing
a crystal sphere?" she asked.
"I don't know either, but the one who says A must say B as
well and you'd better think very carefully how to regain control
over that piece of crystal".
She had to think these words over.
"You are kind to me Gosseling. I don't know you that well,
but you are very gentle to me and I feel better now. You know,
sometimes I just don't know what I know or what I want. I think the best thing to do is to go to the king's court, maybe to hand
over the finds that came out of the hill. Once inside the palace,
I may think of the next step. Does that seem a good idea to
you?"
"That is the best idea that I heard today," said
Gosseling.
"Are you serious or are you mocking?" asked Anne-Christine.
"No, I mean it. You know who you are and you are still
looking for excitement. You want to know if you could survive at
a court that is falling apart through intrigue. On the other
hand, I think you will be cured completely and for always after
you survive without a scratch, as you promised Ruyters. And after
that, you will desperately long for a quiet life at
Weezebeecke.
"You may be quite right," said Anne-Christine after a long
silence. "Come on, let's get in, I'm cold".
Inside, a surprise awaited them. Lisabeth wasn't there any
more. Neither was she in her room. The governor had seen her
leaving. She had stood up, had saddled her horse and had simply
ridden off.
"Oh, if she just doesn't go stealing the Hun's knives. She is
able to do that. And that surely would complicate the whole
affair," said Anne-Christine.
"That's just what I thought. She is as interested in the
epoch of the Huns as I am," said Gosseling. "But tomorrow is
another day, and there is a problem for every day."
That night Anne climbed into Gosseling's bed as if she wanted
to gain strength and warmth for the difficult time ahead.