torso. “That way, the map was permanent and could never be lost.”
“Ingenious.”
“They call it the Skin Map, and it takes the form of a very sophisticated symbol code. I have seen some of the symbols, but I don’t know how to read them yet.”
“You have seen this map of skin?”
“Not exactly—I mean, I have seen an imitation of it. My great-grandfather, Cosimo—he had found a portion of the map and kept it under lock and key. But when we went to look at it, we found someone had stolen the original and substituted a poor copy instead. The copy was worthless.”
“You said it was only a piece,” Thomas pointed out. “Do you mean that the map has been apportioned in some way?”
“It has,” confirmed Kit. “Cosimo thought the original map had been divided into at least four pieces. Why it was divided, and who divided it, we have no idea. There was a suggestion that it was cut up to protect the original secret of the map in some way, but I don’t think anybody really knows. Nevertheless, in the years Cosimo spent in the chase, he succeeded in finding one piece. I never learned how.”
“A pity.” Thomas drained his tea and reached to pour another. “I can see this is going to require at least one more cup.”
Kit held out his cup for a refill. “But the map is only the beginning.”
“I daresay.”
“Thing is”—Kit grew earnest—“Flinders-Petrie found something—something incredibly, unimaginably valuable—a treasure of some sort he kept hidden from the rest of the world.”
“Truly,” breathed the doctor, wholly caught up in the tale. “As if the secret of ley travel were not enough!”
Kit nodded solemnly. “Cosimo pledged himself to discovering that treasure, and it killed him in the end. As I’ve explained, we’re not the only ones looking for the map.” He went on to tell more about Lord Burleigh, Earl of Sutherland, and his men, describing how they always showed up at just the wrong time, what they were like, and what he knew about them. He ended his account, saying, “Unfortunately, bad as they are, they aren’t the only ones in competition for the map. After all, someone stole Cosimo’s portion of the map, and it wasn’t the Burley Men.”
The doctor was silent for a long moment, then said, “Am I to take it that the object we hope to find in the tomb is, in fact, a piece of the map?”
“Nothing less,” confirmed Kit. “Cosimo and Sir Henry gave their lives to the quest. The map is part of it, and I have pledged myself to carry on their work. It’s as simple as that.”
Thomas Young pondered what had been said for a moment, then replied, “The scientist in me is begging for confirmation. Can any of this tale of the map be proven factually?”
“I think,” ventured Kit, “that when we excavate the tomb, we’ll find the factual confirmation you need—providing the map exists in this present reality, of course. We won’t know that until we look.”
Thomas considered this. “Please, do not misunderstand. I believe you implicitly. The proofs already in evidence are enough to swing the balance in your favour . . .” He waved a hand at the letter on the table. “That, along with the stamp, the coin, the pages from my book of essays which have yet to be published . . . these have more than satisfied me.” Thomas leaned forward, his voice rising with excitement. “But see here, the implications of what you have shown me—and what we hope to learn from the tomb—are nothing short of world-shattering. If confirmed, this discovery leads directly to a radical new understanding of the universe.”
“You’re telling me,” said Kit quietly, but the scientist was not finished enthusing about the connotations of a universe full of multiple alternative worlds.
“This is perhaps the greatest scientific discovery of all time. We must begin a systematic study of ley travel and determine its driving mechanisms.” He raised a finger in the air as if lecturing. “That is of utmost importance, for when we have gained a thorough mastery of that, we will have gone a very long way towards unravelling the mysteries of the universe—time, space, reality . . .” He smiled as a new thought occurred to him. “Perhaps even the very nature of existence itself.”
Kit was all for advancing scientific knowledge, but allowed himself a slight frown. “It starts with getting our hands on the map.”
“To that end, I will underwrite the venture with funds