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“About the Vandal King” She lowered her glass to the table, her hands wet from the condensation She stared at theers, then used the white square of cloth to dab at her eyes “He was using me to find the map”

Lazlo, who seemed to be only half interested, perked up “Map? What sort of map?”

CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO

There can be no peace without understanding

– SENEGALESE PROVERB –

According to fa to the cursed treasure stolen by the last Vandal King”

Sam wasn’t near the history expert Remi and Lazlo were, but he tended to pay attention when treasure was involved—and the Vandals had accuhout Europe, including the Sack of Rome “Wasn’t all that treasure confiscated after the Byzantine Army defeated the Vandals?” Sam asked

Lazlo, his eyes alight with interest, nodded “I see and all his a paraded before the E from Ecclesiastes, wasn’t it?”

“Vanity of vanities,” Ree of ancient history far surpassed anything Sam knehich hy he wasn’t surprised when she added, “If memory serves, the Emperor Justinian returned the Vandal Treasure to Jerusalem”

Lazlo said, “Why would anyone give up that sort of fortune?”

“He believed the treasure stolen from the temple was cursed and any city that housed it would eventually be destroyed”

“Guess there was some truth in that,” Saes on the table, the scent of the fried ia, flattened by an earthquake” Once the young man left, Sa about a completely different treasure?”

“Correct,” Amal said “Different treasure, different curse”

Lazlo, suddenly interested again, asked, “A different treasure?”

“Well, not a treasure sothat was treasured A rare scroll, taken about a hundred years before the fall of the Vandal Kingdom This particular scroll was not to be held by any one man It was for the people”