The Seventh Scroll

know.

Question him."

She began gently, chatting softly to the boy. Occasionally she stroked

his head and petted him as though he were a puppy- She spoke to him of

the previous night's banquet, the beauty of the underground church, and

the antiquity of the murals and the tapestries, and then at last

mentioned the abbot's crown.

"Yes. Yes. That is the stone of the saint," he agreed readily. "The blue

stone of St. Frumentius."

"Where did it come from?" she asked. "Do you know?" The boy looked

embarrassed, "I do not know. It is very old, perhaps as old as Christ

the Saviour. That is what the priests say."

"You do not know where it was found?"

He shook his head, but then, eager to please her, he suggested, "Perhaps

it fell from heaven."

"Perhaps." Royan glanced at Nicholas, who rolled his eyes upwards and

then pushed his hat forward to cover his face.

"Perhaps St.. Frumentius gave it to the first abbot when he died." Tamre

warmed to the subject. "Or perhaps it was in his coffin with him when he

was placed in his tomb."

"All these things are possible, Tamre,' Royan agreed.

"Have you seen the tomb of St. Frumentius?"

He looked around him guiltily. "Only the ordained priests are allowed

into the tnaqdas, the Holy of Holies," he hung his head and whispered.

"You have seen it, Tamre," she accused him gently, stroking his head.

She was intrigued by the boy's guilt. "You can tell me. I will not tell

the priests."

"Only once," he admitted. "The other boys. They sent me to touch the

tabot stone. They would have beaten me if I had not. All the new

acolytes are made to do this." He began to babble with the horror of the

memory of his initiation ordeal. "I was alone. I was very afraid. It was

after midnight when the priests were asleep. Dark. The maqdas is haunted

by the ghost of the saint. They told me that if I was unworthy the saint

would strike me down with lightning."

Nicholas removed the hat from his face and straightened up slowly. "My

word, the child is telling the truth," he said softly. "He has been into

the Holy of Holies-'Then he looked across at Royan, "Keep questioning

him. He may just give us something useful. Ask him about the tomb of St.

Frumentius."

"Did you see the tomb of the saint?" she asked, and the boy nodded

vigorously. "Did you go into the tomb?" This time he shook his head.

"No. There are bars across the entrance. Only the abbot is allowed into

the tomb, on the birthday of the saint."

"Did you look through the bars?"

"Yes, but it is very dark. I saw the coffin of the saint. It is wood and

there is painting on it, the face of the saint."

"Is he a black man?"

"No - a white man with a red beard. The painting is very old. The

picture is faded, and the wood of the coffin is rotting and crumbling."

"Is it lying on the floor of the tomb?" Tamre screwed up his face in

thought, then after careful consideration shook his head. "No, it is on

a shelf of stone in the wall."

"Is there anything else you remember about the tomb of the saint?" Royan

tried to prod his memory, but Tamre shook his head.

"It was very dark, and the opening in the bars is small, he apologized.

"It does not matter. Is the tomb in the back wall of the rrtmdu?"

."Yes, it is behind the altar and the tabot stone."

"What is the altar made of - stone?"

"No. It is wood, cedarwood. There are candies, and a big cross, and the

many crowns of the abbot, and the chalice and staff."

"Is it painted?"

"No, it is carved with pictures. But they are different from the

pictures inside the tomb of the saint."

"What is different? Tell me, Tamre."

"I don't know. The faces are fu

are horses." He looked puzzled. "They are different."

Royan tried for a while to get a clearer description from him, but he

became more and more confused and contradictorywhen she pushed him, so

she changed tack.

"Tell me about the tabot," she suggested, but Nicholas forestalled her.

"No, you tell me about the tabot," he demanded of her.

"Is it similar to the Jewish Tabernacle?"

"Yes, at least in the Egypti She turned to him, an Church it is. It is

usually kept in a jewelled box and wrapped in an embroidered cloth of

gold. The only difference is that the Jewish Tabernacle is carved with

the ten commandments, but in our Church it is carved with the words of

dedication of the particular church that houses it.

It is the living heart of the Church."

"What is the tabot stone?" Nicholas frowned with concentration.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Our Church does not have a tabot stone."

"Ask him!

"Tell me about the tabot stone, Tamre."

"It is so high, and so square." He indicated a height of a little above

his own shoulder, and the width of his spread hands.

"And the tabot stands on top of this stone?" Royan guessed.

Tamre nodded.

"Why did they send you to touch the stone and not the tabot itself?"

Nicholas demanded, but Royan shook her head to silence him.

"Let me do the talking. You are too harsh with him. She turned back to

the boy. "Why the stone, rather than the Ark of the tabot that stands on

top of it?"

Tamre shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. They just did."

"What does the stone look like? Are there paintings on it also?"

"I don't know." He looked distraught at not being able to satisfy her.

He wanted desperately to please her.  don't know. The stone is wrapped

with cloth."

Nicholas and Royan exchanged startled glances, and then Royan turned

back to the boy.

"Covered?" Royan leaned closer to him. "The stone is covered?, "They say

that it is only uncovered by the abbot on the birthday of St..

Frumentius."

Again Nicholas and Royan stared at each other, and then he smiled

thoughtfully. "I would rather like to have a look at the tomb of the

saint, and the tabot stone - in its uncovered state."

"You' have to wait for the saint's birthday," she said, she broke and

have yourself ordained. Only the priests off and stared at him again.

"You aren't thinking of - no, you wouldn't, would you?"

"Who, me?" he gri

"If they caught you in the maqdas, they would tear you to little

pieces."

"The answer, then, would be not to let them catch me."

"If you go, I am going with you. How are we going to manage it?"

"Throttle back, dear girl. The thought only occurred to me ten seconds

ago. Even on my good days, I need at least ten minutes to come up wit a

brilliant plan of action."

They both stared out across the chasm in silence, until Royan whispered

softly, "The covered stone. Taita's stone testament?"

"Don't say it aloud," he pleaded, and made the sign against the evil

eye. "Don't even think it aloud. The Devil is listening."