The Discovery

The Discovery

The Williams family's private jet descended through a thin layer of clouds as Kraków appeared beneath them.

Jack leaned toward the window.

"So that's Poland."

"VERY OBSERVANT, JACK," Link remarked.

"Thank you, Link."

"YOU ARE WELCOME."

Jasmine looked up from her tablet.

"Are we really going to spend all this money looking for something that might not exist?"

Chas smiled.

"That's what your brother tells me."

"I didn't say it doesn't exist," Jack protested. "I said I don't know what it is."

"Wonderful," Chas replied. "We've flown halfway around the world to look for something nobody knows anything about."

Vicky laughed.

"Chas, you bought the building. You must believe there's something to it."

"I bought the building because it was cheap. If Jack doesn't find anything, perhaps we can turn it into a hotel."

"It's already a hotel, Dad," Jack said.

"A dilapidated hotel. There's a difference."

The aircraft touched down smoothly at Kraków's international airport.

A limousine was waiting to take the family into the city.

Their hotel was one of the finest in Kraków, occupying a beautifully restored historic building near the old town square.

The suite was enormous, with three bedrooms, a sitting room, and windows overlooking the ancient city.

Jasmine immediately claimed the bedroom with the largest bathroom.

"Of course," Jack muttered.

"I'm a princess," she informed him.

"That explains everything."

Dinner was served in the hotel's elegant restaurant, where Chas ordered a bottle of expensive wine.

Jack spent most of the meal studying the decoded message on his tablet.

"Jack," Vicky finally said, "put that away and enjoy your dinner."

"I'm trying to figure out exactly where the compartment is."

"You can do that tomorrow."

"But I think I've figured out the reference to fire."

Chas looked up.

"Fire?"

"Yes. The message mentions three signs of fire."

"Which means?"

"Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. The three fire signs of the zodiac."

Jasmine considered that.

"So we're looking for a sheep, a lion, and a guy with a bow?”

"A ram," Jack corrected.

"Whatever."

"And Sagittarius is traditionally a centaur."

"A horse with a guy attached?"

"More or less."

Chas raised his glass.

"Well, here's to finding a sheep, a lion, and a horse with a guy attached."

The following morning, the family traveled to the old inn.

It stood on a narrow street several blocks from the Vistula River, surrounded by buildings that had been renovated and converted into apartments, shops, and restaurants.

The inn itself had not enjoyed such attention.

Its plaster exterior was faded, the wooden shutters needed painting, and a weathered sign hung above the entrance.

Chas studied the building.

"Well, there it is. My latest real estate investment."

Vicky looked at the cracked plaster.

"It has character."

"That's what real estate agents say when something needs a million dollars' worth of repairs."

The caretaker, an elderly Polish gentleman named Mr. Jedski, was waiting with the keys.

He greeted the family warmly and unlocked the heavy wooden entrance door.

Inside, the inn smelled of old wood, dust, and a building that had been closed for many years.

The entrance hall was small, with a reception counter, a narrow staircase, and a corridor leading toward the rear of the building.

There were nine guest rooms upstairs.

Chas examined the reception desk.

"Not exactly the Ritz."

"CHAS, THE BUILDING WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1894," Link announced through Jack's tablet.

"That explains the plumbing."

Mr. Jedski showed them through the ground floor.

There was a modest dining room, a kitchen that had clearly seen better days, and a small sitting room with an ancient fireplace.

Jack paid little attention.

He was studying the walls.

"Jack," Vicky asked, "what exactly are you looking for?"

"Something that doesn't belong."

Chas glanced around.

"That could describe half the building."

"No, Dad. Something deliberately placed here. Something decorative."

They returned to the entrance hall.

Jack stopped near the staircase.

Along the wall beneath the rising stairs was a series of carved wooden panels. Most were simple rectangles bordered with decorative molding.

But the center panel was different.

It contained a beautifully carved candle.

The candle stood in an ornate holder, surrounded by curling leaves and delicate scrollwork. Above it rose a slender flame, its curves rendered with remarkable precision.

Jack stared at it.

"Well, I'll be damned."

Chas turned.

"What?"

Jack stepped closer.

"Fire."

Jasmine looked at the carving.

"It's a candle, Jack."

"Exactly."

"Congratulations. You've discovered a candle."

Jack ignored her.

He brought up the decoded message on his tablet.

"'Three of fire rest beneath the light that never burns.'"

Vicky moved beside him.

"That's rather poetic."

"It's also an instruction."

Jack examined the carving carefully.

The wooden panel appeared to be part of the original staircase construction. Its surface had darkened with age, and the candle's flame was polished slightly brighter than the surrounding wood.

"Someone's touched this," Jack murmured.

"Probably thousands of people," Chas replied.

"No. Look at the flame. The rest of the carving has accumulated dirt in the recesses, but the tip is smooth."

Jack ran his fingertip along the carved flame.

Nothing happened.

He pressed gently.

Still nothing.

Jasmine folded her arms.

"Maybe you have to light it."

"Very funny."

Jack examined the flame from another angle.

The carving was extraordinarily detailed.

The candle itself was fixed, but the flame appeared to be a separate piece of wood fitted into the larger design.

He placed his thumb against the flame and pushed it sideways.

There was a faint metallic click.

Everyone went silent.

Jack looked at his Dad.

"Did you hear that?"

"I certainly did."

A narrow seam appeared along one edge of the panel.

Jack carefully pulled.

The entire carved section swung outward on concealed brass hinges.

Behind it was a dark rectangular cavity.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Jasmine whispered, "Holy cow."

Inside the compartment sat an old leather suitcase.

Its surface was cracked with age, and the brass fittings were heavily tarnished. On its lid were three embossed zodiac symbols.

Aries.

Leo.

Sagittarius.

Jack stared.

"I found it."

Chas stepped forward.

"Well, I'll be damned."

"YOU HAVE ALREADY USED THAT EXPRESSION TODAY, CHAS," Link observed.

"And I may use it again."

The suitcase was surprisingly heavy.

Jack and Chas carefully lifted it from the compartment and placed it on the reception counter.

The old leather creaked as Jack opened the two brass catches.

Inside, beneath layers of aged cloth, were three individually wrapped objects.

Jack gently unfolded the first covering.

A bronze ram emerged.

It stood approximately twelve inches high, its powerful head lowered slightly, its magnificent curved horns rendered in exquisite detail.

The surface possessed a deep brown patina, almost black in the recesses, with subtle golden highlights along the raised edges.

Jack lifted it carefully.

Nobody spoke.

The workmanship was extraordinary.

Every muscle, every fold of skin, every curve of the horns had been modeled with astonishing precision.

Vicky finally broke the silence.

"Oh, Jack. That's beautiful."

Jack turned the sculpture over.

On the underside of its base were three small initials.

A.R.K.

And beneath them, a date.

1936.

He placed the ram on the counter and opened the second wrapping.

A lion.

Its magnificent mane flowed backward as though caught by the wind. One forepaw rested slightly ahead of the other, giving the impression that the animal was about to move.

The third sculpture was Sagittarius.

A centaur, its human torso twisting as it drew a bow, the powerful body of the horse balanced in a moment of extraordinary motion.

All three possessed the same distinctive patina.

All three bore the same initials.

All three were dated 1936.

Chas studied them.

"Well, son, I think you found your treasure."

Jack shook his head slowly.

"No, Dad."

Chas looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I found the first three."

Jasmine looked up.

"The first three?"

"There are twelve signs of the zodiac, Jazz."

She stared at the sculptures.

"You're telling me there are nine more of these things?"

"That's what I believe."

Chas closed his eyes.

"Of course there are."

Link spoke. “CHAS, I BELIEVE AN APPRAISAL WOULD BE ADVISABLE."

"How much do you think they're worth?"

"WITHOUT EXAMINATION BY A QUALIFIED EXPERT, ANY ESTIMATE WOULD BE SPECULATIVE. HOWEVER, THE QUALITY OF THE WORKMANSHIP IS EXCEPTIONAL."

Chas looked at the three bronzes.

"Well, at least the trip wasn't a complete waste."

Vicky smiled.

"Chas, you know perfectly well you're delighted."

"Of course I am. My son just found three beautiful sculptures hidden in a wall for a hundred years."

Jack was still examining the ram.

"There's something else."

He returned to the compartment.

At the very back, beneath a thin wooden shelf, lay a folded sheet of yellowed paper.

Jack carefully removed it.

The paper contained several lines of numbers arranged in groups of five.

And at the bottom were three zodiac symbols.

Taurus.

Virgo.

Capricorn.

Jack smiled.

"Earth."

Chas looked over his shoulder.

"What?"

"The next three signs. They're all earth signs."

"And where are they?"

Jack studied the numbers.

"I don't know yet."

Jasmine sighed.

"Wonderful. Another puzzle."

Jack folded the paper carefully.

"No, Jazz."

He looked at the three magnificent bronzes resting on the old reception counter.

"Another adventure."

Outside, the morning sunlight illuminated the narrow Kraków street.

Inside the dilapidated inn, three works of art that had remained hidden for more than a century stood in the open for the first time in quite a while.

Their creator had vanished into history.

Their name was forgotten.

But their work had survived.

And somewhere in Europe, nine more masterpieces were waiting to be found.