Read Online Trifariam, The Lost Codex (2012) by Diego Rodriguez - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Diego Rodriguez
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text was written using Visigothic script and it piqued my curiosity. I spent a couple of days finding out a little more about the topic.”
Despite fearing that the young woman might think she was faced with a veritable bookworm, he continued.
“From what I can gather, the Visigothic script originated in Spain between the eighth and twelfth centuries and judging by the few examples which remain, it wasn’t used for writing classical texts. I think the author must have been somebody related to the church. If not, I don’t see how they would have knowledge of this kind of script three centuries later, in a place far from Spain. Besides, Trithemius was born in 1462, and he was named Abbot of the monastery where he lived when he was twenty-two years old. It’s highly likely that the author of the book knew of his work and contacted him in search of a trustworthy cryptographic method. When he saw that he was a servant of God, he trusted him and divulged his secrets. In any case, what is clear is that he thought about hiding the content of the book in the best way possible, and what better way than using a script which was unknown in that area?”
“So you know how to decode the content?”
“No, my interests revolve more around the age in which it was used, by whom and for what reason.”
James glimpsed a look of indifference in the woman’s eyes. Meanwhile he searched desperately for his cellphone. “Anyway, I know who can help us. I know the best paleographer in the world and, funnily enough, he’s my best friend.”
Chapter 7
A blue Ferrari slowly cruised by, taking its two occupants through the streets of Florence. A large blue and white logo was plastered on the side of the vehicle, running from the hood to the trunk, and it read Polizia . For some years the Italian police had been infamous for purchasing one luxury sports car after another for their taskforce, in order to catch slippery criminals. However, not content with that, they had also increased their fleet free of charge by bringing in all those Ferraris and Lamborghinis they had seized on special operations. In fact, in a recent mafia sting, they had managed to acquire over a hundred luxury sports cars.
The Ferrari turned right and slowly drove down a cobbled pedestrian road, with few people walking about. At the end of it, the driver turned left onto a highway, but he suddenly braked without warning and gestured with his right hand, pointing out something strange to his companion. “Did you see that car parked there?”
“Yes,” he answered, surprised. “Now that you mention it, it’s strange that it’s parked right there when practically all the spaces in the street are vacant.”
About a hundred yards away, a black all-terrain vehicle with blacked-out windows in the back was parked right in front on the garage door. There was enough space on either side, but its position meant that it was blocking access for other vehicles.
“Let’s go and say something. They probably haven’t realized,” said the agent stoically as he reversed back, making the four-hundred horsepower engine roar. “Besides, with the day we’re having, I bet some driver will call the police later, asking for it to be moved and it will be down to us, you watch.”
Inside the four wheel drive, two men were chatting calmly to each other while one of them was looking at the living room opposite through a pair of binoculars. Suddenly, some flashing lights were reflected in the rear-view mirror, blinding the driver.
“Fuck, we have visitors! Get ready!”
Two young police officers got out of the sports car and, from the way they were talking, they seemed to be a supervisor and his trainee. The pair walked towards the vehicle, positioning themselves on either side. The supervisor let the trainee take the lead.
“Good evening. Could you roll your window down, please?”
It seemed as if they hadn’t heard him at first, so he rapped his knuckles on the window of the
Despite fearing that the young woman might think she was faced with a veritable bookworm, he continued.
“From what I can gather, the Visigothic script originated in Spain between the eighth and twelfth centuries and judging by the few examples which remain, it wasn’t used for writing classical texts. I think the author must have been somebody related to the church. If not, I don’t see how they would have knowledge of this kind of script three centuries later, in a place far from Spain. Besides, Trithemius was born in 1462, and he was named Abbot of the monastery where he lived when he was twenty-two years old. It’s highly likely that the author of the book knew of his work and contacted him in search of a trustworthy cryptographic method. When he saw that he was a servant of God, he trusted him and divulged his secrets. In any case, what is clear is that he thought about hiding the content of the book in the best way possible, and what better way than using a script which was unknown in that area?”
“So you know how to decode the content?”
“No, my interests revolve more around the age in which it was used, by whom and for what reason.”
James glimpsed a look of indifference in the woman’s eyes. Meanwhile he searched desperately for his cellphone. “Anyway, I know who can help us. I know the best paleographer in the world and, funnily enough, he’s my best friend.”
Chapter 7
A blue Ferrari slowly cruised by, taking its two occupants through the streets of Florence. A large blue and white logo was plastered on the side of the vehicle, running from the hood to the trunk, and it read Polizia . For some years the Italian police had been infamous for purchasing one luxury sports car after another for their taskforce, in order to catch slippery criminals. However, not content with that, they had also increased their fleet free of charge by bringing in all those Ferraris and Lamborghinis they had seized on special operations. In fact, in a recent mafia sting, they had managed to acquire over a hundred luxury sports cars.
The Ferrari turned right and slowly drove down a cobbled pedestrian road, with few people walking about. At the end of it, the driver turned left onto a highway, but he suddenly braked without warning and gestured with his right hand, pointing out something strange to his companion. “Did you see that car parked there?”
“Yes,” he answered, surprised. “Now that you mention it, it’s strange that it’s parked right there when practically all the spaces in the street are vacant.”
About a hundred yards away, a black all-terrain vehicle with blacked-out windows in the back was parked right in front on the garage door. There was enough space on either side, but its position meant that it was blocking access for other vehicles.
“Let’s go and say something. They probably haven’t realized,” said the agent stoically as he reversed back, making the four-hundred horsepower engine roar. “Besides, with the day we’re having, I bet some driver will call the police later, asking for it to be moved and it will be down to us, you watch.”
Inside the four wheel drive, two men were chatting calmly to each other while one of them was looking at the living room opposite through a pair of binoculars. Suddenly, some flashing lights were reflected in the rear-view mirror, blinding the driver.
“Fuck, we have visitors! Get ready!”
Two young police officers got out of the sports car and, from the way they were talking, they seemed to be a supervisor and his trainee. The pair walked towards the vehicle, positioning themselves on either side. The supervisor let the trainee take the lead.
“Good evening. Could you roll your window down, please?”
It seemed as if they hadn’t heard him at first, so he rapped his knuckles on the window of the
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