The Doomsday Cipher (An Avalon Adventure Book 3) by Rob Jones

Author:Rob Jones [Jones, Rob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-09-13T16:00:00+00:00

20

“What is it, old man?” Atticus said.

“Look inside this alcove.” Acosta lit it with his flashlight. “It’s another series of glyphs featuring what I’m presuming is the Stormbringer.”

Atticus looked closer and saw what looked like a carving of an ancient Maya capstone surrounded by strange golden rays, as if it were the rising sun. “A capstone?” he said, twisting his head back around to his friend in astonishment. “Could it be the Stormbringer was some sort of capstone?”

“I think it might be!” Acosta said. “And not just any capstone – this image clearly represents the main temple at Xunantunich!”

“The missing capstone at Xunantunich!” said Selena. “Of course!”

Amidst the high fives and excitement, Charlie frowned. “Wait. Just what were these capstones used for anyway?”

Selena calmed down and said, “Most of the bigger Maya buildings, especially those used as temples and palaces, were always very complex and intricately designed. They often had parts of the structure with corbelled roofing, and…”

“What sort of roofing?” Charlie asked. “Soldier here, not architect.”

“Sorry. Corbelled roofing means built in arches.”

“Take the classic corbel vault,” Atticus said. “This is an integral part of Maya architecture which they used all the time to support roofs and upper storeys. We see an example of it here inside this alcove. It’s a more basic technique than proper curved arches, but it worked wonders for the Maya.”

“Got it.”

“Anyway,” Selena continued with a proud smile from her father, “the bigger structures like palaces and temples used the corbelled roofing techniques, which involved overlapping flat stones in such a way they would meet up at the top of the arch. This would then be spanned with a capstone. If you’re interested, you can see a wonderful example in the burial chamber of King Pakal.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Charlie said. “But thanks.” s

“I had no idea the Maya were such intrepid architects,” Diana said.

“Oh yes,” Atticus said, rounding on her and removing his glasses to reveal keen eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “They had it all – vaulted roofs, shady colonnades, multi-story towers, not to mention steam rooms and lavatories. Today we think we created everything. We might give a vague nod to ancient Rome, but everywhere else means nothing.”

He stared back inside the alcove and looked once again at the picture of the capstone. “They even had specially carved doorways, often in the shape of a monster’s mouth. These represented portals into different realms.” The ghost of a smile lingered on his face. “Exciting, no?”

“I guess so,” she said. “But maybe not the part about walking through monsters’ mouths to reach other worlds.”

“They were a very mystical culture,” Atticus said, thrusting his free hand in his pocket and giving a long, soft sigh. “Sometimes, I wish I had a time machine. Then I could go back and actually live among people like the ancient Maya, or the citizens of Mohenjo-Daro, or ancient Athens! Think what that would be like!”

“A world without hot, running water, flushing toilets or deodorant,” Charlie said. “Very mystical.”

Atticus’s smile faded.

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