Michael Cordy - The Source

Torino nodded. 'If it exists, though, its power could restore the Holy Mother Church's standing in the world.'

'It can't,' insisted the Cardinal Prefect. 'It goes against doctrine, undermines the scriptures and threatens the Church.'

'All the more reason why we can't allow anyone else to find it,' countered Torino. He turned to the pope. 'Holy Father, many people currently believe that the Voynich records a harmless myth. But if they knew it had been written by the sole survivor of a mission to find Eldorado, a Jesuit priest who was tortured because of what he claimed to have discovered, then it would, at the very least, embarrass the Church. At worst, it might encourage others to find this garden. Its existence might undermine the Bible and our doctrine. It could erode the Church's already declining relevance. Think about the miraculous healing powers Falcon claimed for his garden. Who needs the Church if people no longer fear death or disease?'

He raised a finger. 'But if we found it, we could mould it to fit our doctrine and bring glory to Rome. We could claim its power as our own. The Holy Mother Church would no longer need to seek out miracles as proof of God's hand on earth. She would control them. Rome would again be a dominant force in the world.'

'Why are you so sure this place exists?' the pontiff asked.

'Because Orlando Falcon wrote directions to his garden in a separate notebook, which, unfortunately, is now in the possession of an atheist, Dr Ross Kelly, the husband of the academic who deciphered the Voynich. Dr Kelly is a geologist and has already flown to Peru to search for the garden.'

'What?' The pope and the Cardinal Prefect sat forward.

'Of course, he may find nothing, but what if he does discover something?'

Torino briefed them on all he knew, omitting any reference to Bazin. He had always kept his assassin half-brother secret and now was not the time to reveal their relationship. He explained that Lauren Kelly had translated the Voynich manuscript, except for one key section, which she believed contained a map. She had been injured in a burglary, jeopardizing publication of a complete translation. He had subsequently approached her husband and gained his verbal agreement to see her notes. 'But the nun changed his mind.'

'What nun?'

'A Sister Chantal. She visited Dr Kelly and convinced him that Falcon's garden wasn't a fantasy and might contain a cure for his wife. She gave him Father Orlando's notebook.'

'How did she get hold of it? Who is this Sister Chantal?'

Torino reached into his box file. He took out a letter and a small carved box. 'A few days ago my office received this request from one of our Aids hospices in Uganda. They want the Institute of Miracles to investigate an apparent intervention. Two of their terminal patients, twin boys, have been cured simultaneously and spontaneously. On the same day, one of the nuns disappeared from the hospice. When questioned, the boys claimed that she had made them tea, using something from this box.' He handed it to the pope. 'Look at the carving.'

'I see flowers.'

'They're not ordinary flowers. You'll see flowers like that in only one place: the Voynich Cipher Manuscript.'

Silence.

'According to our research, the sister who disappeared had been with the hospice for twelve years, and two other hospices before that, but her order has no record of her earlier life. None. Her name? Sister Chantal.' The two men remained silent but Torino had their complete attention. 'All we know with certainty is that she's linked to Father Orlando and the Voynich. Whoever this mysterious rebel nun is, Dr Ross Kelly now has the notebook containing the directions, and is already searching for the garden to find a cure for his wife.'

He powered up his laptop, turned the screen towards them and played scenes of Ross Kelly in his comatose wife's hospital room: explaining that the garden revealed in Lauren's translation of the Voynich might hold a cure for her; telling her that they were going to find the garden; kissing her goodbye and asking for her blessing.

'How did you get this?' demanded Vasari.

'I have an ally, a servant of the Church, who keeps me informed.'

The Holy Father frowned. 'You have someone spying on Dr Kelly?'

'I prefer to see it as watching and listening. He wants only to serve the Church, as we all do.'

'Take care you do nothing to shame Rome, Father General,' said the pope.

'I'd never do anything to harm the Holy Mother Church, but if Kelly finds this garden and tells the world of its existence, he could destroy Rome.'

Vasari leant forward. 'You really think the geologist will find a miracle cure for his wife?'

'I fear he'll find a great deal more than that.'

'Like what?'

Torino narrowed his eyes. 'The miracle of creation. The scientific answer to the Book of Genesis.' He turned again to the pope. 'Holy Father, six months ago you announced the Holy Mother Church's revised position on evolution. You rejected Darwin's theory and embraced intelligent design. You enshrined in doctrine the Roman Catholic Church's belief that God, not evolution, is behind the creation and development of life.'

'Yes.'

'In the Inquisition Archives, Father Orlando spoke of something he called the radix, the source. In the garden its brilliance attracted the gold-hunting conquistadors and got them killed. Falcon was vague about what exactly it was, but he claimed it was the power behind the miraculous garden.'

'Your point is?'

'On the video, Kelly mentioned a theory – a hypothesis – to explain scientifically how Father Orlando's miraculous garden could exist,' Torino said. 'Kelly's theory is even bolder than the one Father Orlando dared in his blasphemous testimony: that this Garden of God and its source might be the origin of all life on earth. Forget Darwin and evolution. If Kelly finds this garden, he won't just be able to save his wife, demonstrating that miracles are independent of any church, he might also be able to show where, when and how life began on earth. He may be able to prove scientifically the theory of evolution – make it fact. Our doctrine will be in shreds. Religion relies on mystery, on faith. These revelations will render the Church as we know it, and all of us, redundant.'

The horror on the pope's face was almost comical but Torino didn't laugh. 'So what do you suggest we do?' demanded the pontiff.

'We turn the threat into an opportunity. We find the garden first and control it.'

'How?'

Torino had considered every option: from kidnapping the nun to stealing the book to threatening Ross Kelly. But he couldn't tell the pope any of this. So he lied: 'My scholars have managed to translate most of the final section of the manuscript. It gives directions to the garden and, with your blessing, I intend to seek it myself.'

'But you have duties.'

'None greater than this. I will set aside two months. No more. I have already arranged for Father Xavier Alonso to fulfil my responsibilities in that time.'

'You intend to race the geologist to the garden?'

'Yes.'

'Let's say you find it,' said Vasari. 'What do we do with it?'

Torino reached into his box file and pulled out three copies of the same document. He handed one to each man and kept the last for himself. 'These are a list of options, depending on what is found.' He smiled as he watched them read the bullet points. Their fear had been replaced with excitement. 'As you can see, the opportunities are limitless. So long as we manage everything carefully.'

The pope's pale eyes locked on to Torino's. 'I demand only one thing, Father General. Regardless of what you find, I as the Holy Father must see and hear nothing that contravenes doctrine. Doctrine must be sacrosanct. I must not be put in a position where I have to deny anything. Papal infallibility cannot be compromised. You understand?'