From there, Dr. Muska postulated that the same symbology could be found not only on the Liber Linteus de Cetamura, but also on the newly discovered fragment. By linking the fragment, the manuscript, and cultural artifacts discovered throughout the Etruscan region, Dr. Muska felt he had made an important breakthrough: All three were connected.
Having successfully connected the ideas of death and success in the Earthly Realm among the codex, the fragment, and the artifacts, he then proceeded to make another leap in logic. Now that Dr. Muska believed he had proven the linen fragment was a missing chapter of the Liber Linteus de Cetamura, the manuscript had become much more important to him, and those that had possessed it, than previously believed. The good doctor theorized that the manuscript as a whole was not just a calendar, but also instructions on how the living could connect with the dead. He continued his analysis, citing more detailed connections to back up his claims, including the wildest of all: Dr. Muska hypothesized that, through a connection with the living, spirits of the dead could have an influence on events in the Earthly Realm.
“So, that’s where I got the ‘Earthly Realm’ phrase,” she mumbled to herself. The sharpness of Jackie’s comments still stung. So many years of reading so many different things. It wasn’t always easy to recall sources. But she remembered now why this stood out to her. It was such a farfetched interpretation of the ancient text. Spirits of the dead connecting with the living? Influence in the Earthly Realm? She sat up and reached for her father’s coin. Martha would often turn it in her fingers as she considered potential interpretations of her often complex readings. After a moment of contemplation, she continued reading.
In summary, Muska concluded that, on their travels, the Egyptians had discovered this pivotal Etruscan manuscript and brought it back to their homeland as a gift for the Ptolemaic ruler of their time. He couldn’t be sure if it had been dismissed or accepted. Maybe it had been inadvertently reused as a shroud or, conversely, so respected it had been taken apart and buried separately so its secrets would be hidden. Dr. Muska ended by insisting his research had led to one question above all the others: Before disassembling the codex, had they been able to translate and put the instructions to use?
Martha sat back, stunned for a moment. The daylight slipped away slowly. The candle cast a warm light on the thick wood of the bookshelf behind her. She took another sip and continued reading. Despite having only what appeared to be a partial understanding of the text, Dr. Muska offered further speculation. As part of an epilogue, Dr. Muska went so far as to infer that the complete codex may explain an extraordinary process. He couldn’t be certain until the remaining chapters were located, but he theorized that a full understanding of the Liber Linteus de Cetamura could empower the living to interact with the dead on a much deeper level than a simple connection. Under certain circumstances, spirits could not only connect with but possibly merge with a person who aligned with the spirit both on an emotional level and focus of intent. Success in death in the Earthly Realm.
Dr. Muska had called this event an amalgamation.
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“Amalgamation,” Martha said out loud, turning her father’s coin slowly in her hand—a meditative habit she was hardly aware of anymore.
She wondered what had motivated Dr. Muska to apparently force the publication of his outlandish opinions. Doing so came with the risk of being ostracized. The article did not appear to be peer reviewed, and she had not found it in any reputable scientific journal of the time. Reading between the lines, Martha thought his explanation seemed contrived, as if he may have been coerced into reaching such an outlandish conclusion at the expense of his career. The many puzzling aspects of his story had motivated her to capture the article by photocopy.
She finished the last few paragraphs summarizing Muska’s musings on the mechanics of amalgamation. A few lines had been posthumously added to the epilogue. Dr. Muska had indeed been widely criticized for his interpretation and subsequently condemned by the scientific community for his reckless conjecture. His peers eventually cast him out of scholarly society for his heretical conclusions and made sure his work would not be published in respected journals. He eventually vanished. Many years after his rumored death, the remaining chapters of the codex had never been found. Tragically, most believed he died alone and penniless—an outcast.
She flipped through the pages again to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. As she did, a folded sheet of paper fell out. She picked it up and unfolded a second letter written by Dr. Muska, addressed to no one. Reading the letter, Martha remembered what may have motivated Dr. Muska to act so irrationally.
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Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, June 1881...
I scarcely wonder if I should be writing this. Perhaps for my own benefit, so I do not forget the instructions so wondrously given to me by Seti I. Just moments ago, he appeared to me.
After searching my pack for my beloved Himbeergeist, I took a long pull and tried to make sense of it all. The following record is the best I could manage.
He seemed to emerge from the golden rays of the setting sun that radiated through my tent. I don’t mean to attempt flights of literary fancy, but the experience moved me deeply. He spoke but not as one normally does. I heard him in my mind! Words I will never forget.
“I am Seti I.
“Man of Set.
“Beloved of Ptah.
“Pharaoh of Egypt.”
I could only look back into the eyes of this great pharaoh. But what was I looking at? This man had been dead for centuries. How could he be speaking to me now? As he hovered before me, a wash of understanding came over me. I was looking at his spirit, his vital energy returned from the afterlife.
Without speaking, Seti communicated to me more than words could convey. I came to understand that I must return to Italy and continue my research at the Lake of the Idols. After some time, he spoke in my head again, telling me that someone will ask me to translate a codex to which I will have the key. That I must be ready to make them understand. Once I comprehended this, Seti said the words that both moved my soul and terrified me.
“The coin you found in the chamber connects us, keep it with you always.
“Our survival depends on you.
“Betray me and I will tear your soul from your body and drag it screaming into the underworld.”
Those were his last words to me in the tent. I can say no more.
Dr. LKM
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So, he had been coerced.
Martha wasn’t sure how much of this could be taken as fact, but now she remembered why she’d been fascinated with what appeared to be an outlandish story with roots Muska had connected to the ancient manuscript.
Riveted by the fact that this had suddenly become relevant, she flipped back to the page with the picture of the ancient manuscript. It was mesmerizing, especially in the candlelight. She touched the paper lightly and moved her fingertips over it. Once again, she could almost feel the texture of the original linen. With the other hand, she smoothed her thumb over the textures of the antique coin. As she did this, Martha discerned a deepening connection with the paper and the coin. She noticed a faint orange glow growing in the figures of the text. Not all, but a few of the symbols became slightly more enhanced in the candlelight. The textures also emanated a soft glow around the well-worn figures of the coin.
Captivated, she felt a rush of coolness in the room along with a sudden vulnerability. All the shades were still open to the fading sunset. The candle flickered and she looked up to see the hazy form of a strikingly beautiful woman come into view beside the desk. She had long straight dark hair and large piercing eyes enhanced with blue Galena eye paint. She wore a close-fitting white sheath. Several bespoke bangles adorned her arms. They seemed to sing like wind chimes on a breezy day as the entity shivered and manifested in front of her. Flecks of orange came to light, then quickly burned out all around Martha and her vision.
She dropped the coin. It fell to the floor with a weight it did not possess. Entranced with the vision before her, Martha didn’t notice how the coin hummed, vibrating insistently on her floor, demanding attention it would not get that night.
The vision moved toward her, emanating pulsations she felt in her bones. The eyes of the woman widened and her mouth opened as if she was attempting to speak. Martha heard nothing. In her mind, the voice came out like words stretched over time—an eerie sound unfamiliar to the living. Grasping the importance of the moment, Martha tried to focus, the apparition appeared to do the same. The features of her form sharpened before Martha. Slowly, the Goddess formed the words Martha heard in her mind.
“He has broken through.”
“They are in danger.”
“Go. Now. I am with you.”
Martha sat, mesmerized, staring into her eyes.
“YOU MUST NOT DELAY!”
The words erupted into her psyche with an urgency and strength she could hardly comprehend. The intensity of it startled her instinctual physical form like a thunderclap. Martha gasped and abruptly pushed back. The desk lurched under her pressure and the mug tipped over splashing to extinguish the flame of the candle. Along with the candlelight, the hazy image vanished. Martha sat stunned in semi-darkness, her reading glasses askew on her face, still gripping the document as the liquid from her mug dripped off the edge of the desk, pistachios scattered about. A dread realization came over her as she shot up from the chair, removed her reading glasses, and ran from the room, clutching the document.