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three spades together like spoons, slipped his belt around theh the buckle, and propped the He then lowered himself down

The rooular blocks They had been put together with mortar, so the room aterproof

Saht vision goggles on and staring at the big piece of iron that had been burnished and then had Roman letters carved deeply into it “Can you translate for us?” asked Sam

“‘You have found un to learn it Know that treasures are buried in sadness, never in joy I did not bury treasure once I buried treasure five times To find the last, you must reach the first The fifth is the place where the world was lost’”

Saet a shot of this”

“But somebody could see it”

“Unless you want to carry that chunk of iron to Szeged, we’ve got to chance it”

She took off her night vision goggles, raised her cell phone, and took the picture Then she said, “I’ll send this to Selnal”

They all heard a sound like footsteps co There was a voice, hed once, like a cough

Saht the end of the belt, and pulled it overhand The spades caht h to reach the people above He, Albrecht, and Remi crouched in the far end of the roo for the intruders to pass by the hole they had dug or come closer to examine it

As the three watched, the steel slab was pushed across the opening, narrowing the faint rectangle of ht until it became a slit and then disappeared

KISKUNHALAS, HUNGARY

THERE WAS THE SOUND OF DIRT BEING SHOVELED ONTO the iron slab that sealed the stone crypt The shoveling continued The first few loads of dirt were louder, and the ones after that quieter, but it was clear the dirt they had re returned to the hole to cover it

Saen than we have to”

The three sat on the floor of the crypt, leaning against the stone walls, waiting A half hour passed, then an hour