you are being hunted like this?»
David paused, as if weighing each word before answering.
«We saw ancient symbols there,» he said. «Symbols that unite Islam and Christianity. Symbols that prove that we have common roots, that our religions came from the same source.»
«What kind of symbols?» Alexander craved details. He felt excitement wash over him. Could they have found something that really could turn history upside down?
«It’s a complicated question,» Amir replied, his voice sounding evasive. «We can’t tell you everything right now. It’s too dangerous. But if you want to know the truth, if you really want to help us, you must trust us. And be ready for anything. Because those who hide this truth will stop at nothing to stop us.»
Alexander looked at Amir and David, trying to penetrate their thoughts, to understand what they were hiding behind their mysterious glances. He felt that they were holding something back, that there was much more behind their words than they were willing to reveal to him. But he also understood that they were his only hope of uncovering the mystery that had haunted him for so long. He stifled his doubts, deciding to trust his intuition.
«I trust you,» he said, looking them straight in the eyes. «What’s next? What should we do?»
«Next, we must leave Jerusalem,» David replied, his voice sounding serious and worried. «It’s too dangerous here. We are already being hunted, and staying here is certain death. We need to find a place where we can safely study these symbols, where the agents of the government and religious fanatics will not get to us.»
«Where are we going? Where can we hide?»
«To Syria,» Amir replied, his gaze becoming thoughtful. «There, in one of the ancient monasteries lost in the mountains, lies the key to solving this mystery. This monastery is a real treasure trove of knowledge; its archives contain ancient manuscripts and scrolls that can shed light on the origin of these symbols and their true meaning. The monks of this monastery are the guardians of ancient traditions and secrets; they have been protecting knowledge for centuries that can change the world. But the road to Syria will not be easy. There is a war going on there now, and getting to the monastery will be extremely dangerous. We will have to cross borders, avoid checkpoints, and take shelter from bombings. But if we want to know the truth, we must take the risk. In Syria, we will find not only danger, but also hope. The hope that we can find answers to our questions and uncover the mystery that unites Islam and Christianity.»
They fled, like thieves in the night, leaving behind Jerusalem, the sacred city, which had become a death trap for them. Alexander watched through the taxi window as the night city, like a mirage woven from lights and shadows, gradually melted into the rearview mirror, turning into a memory full of danger and mysteries. Adrenaline, which had recently been surging in his blood like a rushing stream, gradually receded, leaving behind only exhausting fatigue and gnawing anxiety. He felt like a squeezed lemon, exhausted physically and mentally.
Nearby, in the back seat, sat Amir and David, immersed in silence. They seemed detached from what was happening, as if they were somewhere far away, in their own thoughts. Alexander felt their wariness, their hidden tension, as if they were constantly expecting an attack. Who were they really? Allies sent by fate to help him uncover the mystery, or a cleverly laid trap, part of a complex game in which he was just a pawn? He couldn’t trust them completely, but turning away from them now would mean condemning himself to certain death. He found himself in the position of a person walking on thin ice, where every wrong step could lead to disaster.
«We are those who seek the truth,» Alexander repeated to himself, trying to understand the true meaning of this phrase. But what is hidden behind these words? What hidden motives, what personal goals do these two pursue, risking their lives for ancient secrets, for certain symbols found in the catacombs beneath the Temple Mount? Alexander wondered: what is the price of this truth? And is he ready to pay it, even if it costs him his life?
Yesterday’s escape from under the Temple Mount now seemed to him like a wild dream, terrible and incredible. As if in delirium, he again and again scrolled through all the events in his memory, starting from the anxious whisper of Amir at the wall overgrown with ivy, and ending with the rapid escape in the narrow corridors. Alexander recalled the cries of the guards, their angry faces, the narrow, dark corridors, smelling of dampness and mold, and the icy water of the ancient aqueduct, burning his skin. He felt in his memory every heartbeat, every drop of sweat, every breath taken on that day.
And most importantly – those strange, mesmerizing symbols, which they managed to see in the flickering light of the lamps, as if snatched from the depths of centuries, mysteriously shining in the twilight. Symbols, in which, according to David, the key to solving the mystery of a common faith is hidden, a mystery capable of changing the world. Alexander understood that it was these symbols, this mystery, that had now become for him the only goal, the only meaning of existence.
«What symbols?» This question gnawed at Alexander’s brain, like a pesky fly, not giving him a minute’s peace. It was as if he was stuck on repeat in his head, interrupting all other thoughts. He repeatedly tried to imagine what these signs could be, uniting two such different, warring religions. David promised to tell everything later, when they were in a safe place, but his evasiveness, his constant reservations only increased Alexander’s suspicions, making him doubt the sincerity of his companions.
The car sped down the highway, slicing through the night darkness, carrying them away from Jerusalem, a city full of secrets and dangers, into the unknown, into a country engulfed in war. Alexander did not know what awaited him ahead, what trials he would have to go through, what dangers lurked at every step. But he knew one thing: he could not stop, could not back down. He had gone too far, had gotten too close to solving the mystery, to turn back now. He felt that something unknown, but powerful, was pulling him forward, like a magnet, attracting him to the unexplored, to the disclosure of the truth, which might change his life forever.
«Where are we going?» Alexander asked, breaking the oppressive silence that reigned in the car. His voice sounded a little hoarse, betraying fatigue and tension.
«To Damascus,» Amir replied, his gaze fixed ahead, into the darkness of the night. «From there we will go to one of the ancient monasteries, lost in the mountains, far from cities and human eyes.»
«There is a war going on in Syria now,» Alexander reminded, anxiety in his voice. «It’s dangerous. There are constant battles, bombs exploding, people dying.
«We know,» David nodded, his eyes meeting Alexander’s for a moment. «But this is the only way to get to what we’re looking for. There’s no other way. The monastery is located in a remote area controlled by rebels. It is impossible to get there legally.»
Alexander imagined Syria, a country torn apart by war, a country where the ruins of cities coexist with ancient monuments, where despair and hope are intertwined in a bizarre pattern. He saw in his imagination the burnt-out skeletons of houses, the walls riddled with bullets, the tearful faces of women and children who had lost everything. He heard the roar of planes, the whistle of falling bombs, the cries of the wounded and the mourning for the dead. He felt the smell of burning, blood, and death hanging in the air. Syria appeared to him not just as a geographical point on the map, but as a living organism, bleeding, suffering, and fighting for survival. The upcoming journey seemed to him like a road to hell, a journey into the very heart of darkness. Shivers ran down his skin at the very thought of it. He understood that they were facing not just an adventure, but a real struggle for survival in a world where there is no place for mercy and compassion.
Alexander did not argue, although anxiety and fear squeezed his heart in an icy fist. He understood that he, in essence, had no choice. He had voluntarily linked his fate with these two people, trusted them, trusted his intuition, which suggested that they knew the answers to the questions that tormented him. He trusted, in the end, his faith that he was on the right track,