The Curse of the 30 Pieces of Silver

PART 2 THE GATE OF ORPHEUS

Script: Jean Van Hamme Drawing: Antoine Aubin

Laurence Croix Étienne Schréder

Based on the characters of EDGAR P. JACOBS Original title: La malédiction des trente deniers tome 2

Original edition: © Editions Blake & Mortimer / Studio Jacobs (Dargaud – Lombard s.a.) 2010 by Jean Van Hamme & Antoine Aubin Colour work: Laurence Croix Inking of the backgrounds on pages 1 to 29, and inking of pages 30 to 54: Etienne Schréder www.dargaud.com All rights reserved

Translator: Jerome Saincantin Lettering and text layout: Imadjinn Printed in Spain by Just Colour Graphic

This edition first published in Great Britain in 2012 by Cinebook Ltd 56 Beech Avenue Canterbury, Kent CT4 7TA www.cinebook.com

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-84918-130-3

2 INT-B&M-V14_INT-B&M-V14 26/07/12 14:32 Page3

FOLLOWING A RELATIVELY WEAK EARTHQUAKE, A YOUNG GOATHERD DISCOVERED INSIDE, IN ADDITION TO SOME THE RUINS OF A FIFTH-CENTURY CHRISTIAN CHAPEL ON THE MANI PENINSULA, MARVELLOUS FRESCOES, WAS A THE SOUTHERNMOST PART OF THE PELOPONNESE. MANUSCRIPT FROM ONE NICODEMUS. WRITTEN IN ARAMAIC ON LEATHER SCROLLS, IT TOLD THE STORY OF A SMALL CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION’S FLIGHT AFTER THE BURNING OF ROME IN 64 AD, AND OF HOW ITS MEMBERS SETTLED ON ONE OF THE GREEK ISLANDS.

STILL ACCORDING TO THERE WAS ALSO, WITHIN A LEAD RELIQUARY, THE MANUSCRIPT, THE A SILVER COIN BEARING THE PORTRAIT OF RENEGADE APOSTLE’S EMPEROR TIBERIUS. ACCORDING TO NICODEMUS’S ATTEMPT TO COMMIT WRITINGS, IT WAS ONE OF THE 30 DENARII SUICIDE HAD FAILED AND, GIVEN TO JUDAS ISCARIOT BY THE PRIESTS AFTER WANDERING FOR A OF THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON FOR HANDING LONG TIME, HE HAD COME JESUS OVER TO THE ROMANS. TO SPEND HIS LAST DAYS AMONG NICODEMUS’S COMMUNITY. HE WAS THEN BURIED IN AN UNKNOWN LOCATION WITH HIS REMAINING 29 PIECES OF SILVER.

DR MARKOPOULOS, CHIEF CURATOR OF THE NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF ATHENS, AND HIS ASSISTANT AND NIECE ELENI, CALLED UPON PHILIP MORTIMER— WHOSE REPUTATION AS AN AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGIST EXTENDS WELL BEYOND THE BORDERS OF GREAT-BRITAIN—TO HELP THEM SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

MEANWHILE, IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT OLRIK WAS ALREADY FAR AWAY, SAILING A MYSTERIOUS HELICOPTER-BORNE VON STAHL’S GOAL WAS TO BE THE THE ATLANTIC ON BOARD THE ARAX. COMMANDO GROUP BROKE “COLONEL” FIRST TO FIND JUDAS’S GRAVE AND THE YACHT BELONGED TO BELOS BELUKIAN, OLRIK OUT OF THE PENITENTIARY WHERE TAKE THE 30 PIECES OF SILVER FOR A FABULOUSLY WEALTHY ARMENIAN BUSINESS- HE’D BEEN SERVING HIS TIME SINCE THE HIMSELF. HE BELIEVED THEY WERE MAN WHO’D HAD OLRIK FREED IN ORDER TO BUSINESS WITH THE LOS ALAMOS ATOMIC FILLED WITH AN EVIL POWER THAT RECRUIT HIM. BELUKIAN WAS, IN FACT, COUNT BOMBS*. THE ASSISTANCE OF CAPTAIN WOULD ALLOW HIM TO RULE OVER THE RAINER VON STAHL, A FORMER SS OFFICER FRANCIS BLAKE, COMMANDER OF MI5, WORLD. DESPITE A CERTAIN SCEPTICISM, WHO VANISHED DURING THE COLLAPSE OF WAS REQUESTED BY HIS OLD FRIEND OLRIK AGREED TO ENTER HIS SERVICE, NAZI GERMANY IN 1945—AFTER APPROPRIATING JOHN CALLOWAY, HEAD OF THE FBI’S AS MUCH OUT OF GREED AS BECAUSE THE NAZI WAR TREASURE THAT ADOLF HITLER OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT IN WASHINGTON. THE PROSPECT OF ONCE AGAIN FAC- HAD ORDERED HIM TO HIDE IN AUSTRIA. ING HIS OLD ENEMY MORTIMER APPEALED TO HIM.

*SEE THE STRANGE ENCOUNTER. 3 INT-B&M-V14_INT-B&M-V14 26/07/12 14:32 Page4

AFTER ESCAPING A KILLER IN ATHENS SENT BY VON THEIR FIRST OBJECTIVE WAS TO FIND THE MISSING PART STAHL, MORTIMER TRAVELLED TO THE MANI PENINSULA OF NICODEMUS’S MANUSCRIPT, WHICH WOULD GIVE THEM THE WITH ELENI AND HER AMERICAN FIANCÉ JIM RADCLIFF, NAME OF THE ISLAND ON WHICH THE LITTLE COMMUNITY HAD A REPORTER WITH THE PHILADELPHIA CHRONICLE, FOUND REFUGE. MORTIMER SUSPECTED THE YOUNG GOATHERD THE NEWSPAPER THAT WAS FUNDING THEIR RESEARCH OF KEEPING IT IN THE HOPES OF SELLING IT TO A COLLECTOR. IN EXCHANGE FOR AN EXCLUSIVE ON THE STORY.

SUSPICIONS THAT WOULD TURN OUT TO BE THE TRIO ACCEPTED, THUS UNKNOWINGLY CORRECT. OLRIK, DISGUISED AS A PRIEST, WAS THROWING THEMSELVES INTO THE LION’S FIRST TO GET HIS HANDS ON THE PRECIOUS DEN. AND WHILE ELENI AND JIM WERE LEATHER SCROLL. BUT MORTIMER EVENTUALLY DRUGGED AND NEUTRALISED, MORTIMER RECOVERED IT AFTER A MAD CHASE. THE FOUND HIMSELF A PRISONER IN THE PROFESSOR THEN QUICKLY CABLED BLAKE TO COMPANY OF DR MARKOPOULOS,

KIDNAPPED IN ATHENS BY THE GOONS OF LET HIM KNOW THAT OLRIK WAS IN GREECE. : THE FORMER SS STANDARTENFÜHRER.

OUR FRIENDS NOW KNEW THE NAME OF THE ISLAND THAT HOUSED THE CAVE NICODEMUS’S CHRISTIAN GROUP HAD USED AS SHELTER: SYRENIOS, IN THE SEA OF CRETE. VON STAHL, AS BELUKIAN—THE OWNER OF JIM’S NEWSPAPER—OFFERED TO TAKE THEM THERE ON HIS YACHT.

HAVING MANAGED TO CUT HIS BONDS BUT OLRIK, HIS MACHIAVELLIAN MIND Awayžfromžallžseažlanesžas AND LEAVE THE CABIN, THE PROFESSOR HAVING FORESEEN HIS OLD NEMESIS’ wežare,žyoužwon’tžlastžlong, ATTEMPTED TO LEAVE THE ARAX ABOARD ATTEMPT, HAD REMOVED THE OARS AND Mortimer.žGivežmyžbestžto A SMALL INFLATABLE LIFEBOAT. PROVISIONS FROM THE SMALL CRAFT. Poseidon!žHa!žHa!žHa!

4 INT-B&M-V14_INT-B&M-V14 26/07/12 14:32 Page5

AFTER THE NIGHT, AN INTERMINABLE DAY HAS GONE BY. NOT ONE SHIP, NOT EVEN THE TINIEST RAFT, HAS APPEARED ON THE HORIZON.

THEN COMES A … AND A SECOND DAY UNDER SECOND NIGHT… A SCORCHING SUN. HIS LIPS CRACKED, TORMENTED BY AN UNBEARABLE THIRST, MORTIMER FEELS HOPE SEEPING AWAY FROM HIM.

ThatžcursedžOlrikžwas right:žIžwon’tžmakežit anotheržday.

Ažseaplane!!žHowžcanžIžmakežit seežmežinžthisžendlessžblue?!

Smoke!žIžmustžmakežsmoke!žMy BUTžTHEžPROFESSOR’SžLIGHTER,žSOAKED Atžlast!!… shirt,žmyžjacket…žItžshould INžSEAWATER,žREFUSESžTOžCATCH. work!

TSHK TSHK

Comežon,žfor thežlovežofžGod, catch!žCatch!…

TSHK TSHK

5 INT-B&M-V14_INT-B&M-V14 26/07/12 14:32 Page6

Oh,žno!žTheyždidn’tžseežme!

HEY!…žHEY!… OVERžHERE!…

Whatžthe?!…

THEžHEATžFROMžTHEžFIREžHASžCAUSEDžTHEžDINGHY’SžRUBBER Thisžtime,žPhilip,žoldžboy,žitžreally TOžEXPLODE,žTHROWINGžOURžFRIENDžINTOžTHEžWATER. isžthežend.žAllžIžcanždožnowžis…

NO,žTHEY’REžCOMINGžBACK!! THANKžGOODNESS,žTHEY SAWžME!!

Hello,žPhilip!žIžsay,žoldžchap,žwhatža novelžwayžtožtravel!

HURRAH!!

BLAKE?!?

6 INT-B&M-V14_INT-B&M-V14 26/07/12 14:32 Page7

I’mžgladžto But,žbyžwhatžmiracle?… Don’tždrinkžtoožfast,žoldžboy. HowžcouldžIžnot seežyoužsafe You’llžchoke.žIžsupposežyou recognisežthe a n d ž s o u n d , There’sžnožmiracle,žPhilip. rememberžJohnžCallowayžand lovelyžnaiadžwho Professor. Justžthežluckyžbreakžof hisždeputy,žJessiežWingo? savedžmyžlife*? havingžspottedžyou.žWe’re followingžthežtrailžofžone BelosžBelukian,žwhose yachtžwasžsightedžinžGreek watersžbyžouržagents.

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Whichžyouržtelegramžinformingžmežof Olrik’sžpresencežinžthežPeloponnese seemsžtožconfirm.

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*SEEžTHEžSTRANGEžENCOUNTER. 7 INT-B&M-V14_INT-B&M-V14 26/07/12 14:32 Page8

Syreniosžisžinžsight,žCaptain. There!žThežArax!

Perfect.žTakežusžhigher.žNo needžtožspookžouržquarry, shouldžitžbežhere. Don’tžoverflyžit.

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