Chapter 48

   Langdon could scarcely believe his own supposition, and yet, considering who had given this stone cylinder to them, how he had given it to them, and now, the inlaid Rose on the container, Langdon could formulate only one conclusion.
   I am holding the Priory keystone.
   The legend was specific.
   The keystone is an encoded stone that lies beneath the sign of the Rose.
   “Robert?” Sophie was watching him. “What’s going on?”
   Langdon needed a moment to gather his thoughts. “Did your grandfather ever speak to you of something called la clef de voûte?”
   “The key to the vault?” Sophie translated.
   “No, that’s the literal translation. Clef de voûte is a common architectural term. Voûte refers not to a bank vault, but to a vault in an archway. Like a vaulted ceiling.”
   “But vaulted ceilings don’t have keys.”
   “Actually they do. Every stone archway requires a central, wedgeshaped stone at the top which locks the pieces together and carries all the weight. This stone is, in an architectural sense, the key to the vault. In English we call it a keystone.” Langdon watched her eyes for any spark of recognition.
   Sophie shrugged, glancing down at the cryptex. “But this obviously is not a keystone.”
   Langdon didn’t know where to begin. Keystones as a masonry technique for building stone archways had been one of the bestkept secrets of the early Masonic brotherhood. The Royal Arch Degree. Architecture. Keystones. It was all interconnected. The secret knowledge of how to use a wedged keystone to build a vaulted archway was part of the wisdom that had made the Masons such wealthy craftsmen, and it was a secret they guarded carefully. Keystones had always had a tradition of secrecy. And yet, the stone cylinder in the rosewood box was obviously something quite different. The Priory keystone—if this was indeed what they were holding—was not at all what Langdon had imagined.
   “The Priory keystone is not my specialty,” Langdon admitted. “My interest in the Holy Grail is primarily symbologic, so I tend to ignore the plethora of lore regarding how to actually find it.”
   Sophie’s eyebrows arched. “Find the Holy Grail?”
   Langdon gave an uneasy nod, speaking his next words carefully. “Sophie, according to Priory lore, the keystone is an encoded map… a map that reveals the hiding place of the Holy Grail.”
   Sophie’s face went blank. “And you think this is it?”
   Langdon didn’t know what to say. Even to him it sounded unbelievable, and yet the keystone was the only logical conclusion he could muster. An encrypted stone, hidden beneath the sign of the Rose.
   The idea that the cryptex had been designed by Leonardo da Vinci—former Grand Master of the Priory of Sion—shone as another tantalizing indicator that this was indeed the Priory keystone. A former Grand Master’s blueprint… brought to life centuries later by another Priory member. The bond was too palpable to dismiss.
   For the last decade, historians had been searching for the keystone in French churches. Grail seekers, familiar with the Priory’s history of cryptic doubletalk, had concluded la clef de voûte was a literal keystone—an architectural wedge—an engraved, encrypted stone, inserted into a vaulted archway in a church. Beneath the sign of the Rose. In architecture, there was no shortage of roses. Rose windows. Rosette reliefs. And, of course, an abundance of cinquefoils —the fivepetaled decorative flowers often found at the top of archways, directly over the keystone. The hiding place seemed diabolically simple. The map to the Holy Grail was incorporated high in an archway of some forgotten church, mocking the blind churchgoers who wandered beneath it.
   “This cryptex can’t be the keystone,” Sophie argued. “It’s not old enough. I’m certain my grandfather made this. It can’t be part of any ancient Grail legend.”
   “Actually,” Langdon replied, feeling a tingle of excitement ripple through him, “the keystone is believed to have been created by the Priory sometime in the past couple of decades.”
   Sophie’s eyes flashed disbelief. “But if this cryptex reveals the hiding place of the Holy Grail, why would my grandfather give it to me? I have no idea how to open it or what to do with it. I don’t even know what the Holy Grail is!”
   Langdon realized to his surprise that she was right. He had not yet had a chance to explain to Sophie the true nature of the Holy Grail. That story would have to wait. At the moment, they were focused on the keystone.
   If that is indeed what this is….
   Against the hum of the bulletproof wheels beneath them, Langdon quickly explained to Sophie everything he had heard about the keystone. Allegedly, for centuries, the Priory’s biggest secret—the location of the Holy Grail—was never written down. For security’s sake, it was verbally transferred to each new rising sénéchal at a clandestine ceremony. However, at some point during the last century, whisperings began to surface that the Priory policy had changed. Perhaps it was on account of new electronic eavesdropping capabilities, but the Priory vowed never again even to speak the location of the sacred hiding place.
   “But then how could they pass on the secret?” Sophie asked.
   “That’s where the keystone comes in,” Langdon explained. “When one of the top four members died, the remaining three would choose from the lower echelons the next candidate to ascend as sénéchal. Rather than telling the new sénéchal where the Grail was hidden, they gave him a test through which he could prove he was worthy.”
   Sophie looked unsettled by this, and Langdon suddenly recalled her mentioning how her grandfather used to make treasure hunts for her—preuves de mérite. Admittedly, the keystone was a similar concept. Then again, tests like this were extremely common in secret societies. The best known was the Masons’, wherein members ascended to higher degrees by proving they could keep a secret and by performing rituals and various tests of merit over many years. The tasks became progressively harder until they culminated in a successful candidate’s induction as thirtyseconddegree Mason.
   “So the keystone is a preuve de mérite,” Sophie said. “If a rising Priory sénéchal can open it, he proves himself worthy of the information it holds.”
   Langdon nodded. “I forgot you’d had experience with this sort of thing.”
   “Not only with my grandfather. In cryptology, that’s called a ‘selfauthorizing language.’ That is, if you’re smart enough to read it, you’re permitted to know what is being said.”
   Langdon hesitated a moment. “Sophie, you realize that if this is indeed the keystone, your grandfather’s access to it implies he was exceptionally powerful within the Priory of Sion. He would have to have been one of the highest four members.”
   Sophie sighed. “He was powerful in a secret society. I’m certain of it. I can only assume it was the Priory.”
   Langdon did a double take. “You knew he was in a secret society?”
   “I saw some things I wasn’t supposed to see ten years ago. We haven’t spoken since.” She paused. “My grandfather was not only a ranking top member of the group… I believe he was the top member.”
   Langdon could not believe what she had just said. “Grand Master? But… there’s no way you could know that!”
   “I’d rather not talk about it.” Sophie looked away, her expression as determined as it was pained.
   Langdon sat in stunned silence. Jacques Saunière? Grand Master? Despite the astonishing repercussions if it were true, Langdon had the eerie sensation it almost made perfect sense. After all, previous Priory Grand Masters had also been distinguished public figures with artistic souls. Proof of that fact had been uncovered years ago in Paris’s Bibliothèque Nationale in papers that became known as Les Dossiers Secrets.
   Every Priory historian and Grail buff had read the Dossiers. Cataloged under Number 4° lm1 249, the Dossiers Secrets had been authenticated by many specialists and incontrovertibly confirmed what historians had suspected for a long time: Priory Grand Masters included Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and, more recently, Jean Cocteau, the famous Parisian artist.
   Why not Jacques Saunière?
   Langdon’s incredulity intensified with the realization that he had been slated to meet Saunière tonight. The Priory Grand Master called a meeting with me. Why? To make artistic small talk? It suddenly seemed unlikely. After all, if Langdon’s instincts were correct, the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion had just transferred the brotherhood’s legendary keystone to his granddaughter and simultaneously commanded her to find Robert Langdon.
   Inconceivable!
   Langdon’s imagination could conjure no set of circumstances that would explain Saunière’s behavior. Even if Saunière feared his own death, there were three sénéchaux who also possessed the secret and therefore guaranteed the Priory’s security. Why would Saunière take such an enormous risk giving his granddaughter the keystone, especially when the two of them didn’t get along? And why involve Langdon… a total stranger?
   A piece of this puzzle is missing, Langdon thought.
   The answers were apparently going to have to wait. The sound of the slowing engine caused them both to look up. Gravel crunched beneath the tires. Why is he pulling over already? Langdon wondered. Vernet had told them he would take them well outside the city to safety. The truck decelerated to a crawl and made its way over unexpectedly rough terrain. Sophie shot Langdon an uneasy look, hastily closing the cryptex box and latching it. Langdon slipped his jacket back on.
   When the truck came to a stop, the engine remained idling as the locks on the rear doors began to turn. When the doors swung open, Langdon was surprised to see they were parked in a wooded area, well off the road. Vernet stepped into view, a strained look in his eye. In his hand, he held a pistol.
   “I’m sorry about this,” he said. “I really have no choice.”

Chapter 49

   Andre Vernet looked awkward with a pistol, but his eyes shone with a determination that Langdon sensed would be unwise to test.
   “I’m afraid I must insist,” Vernet said, training the weapon on the two of them in the back of the idling truck. “Set the box down.”
   Sophie clutched the box to her chest. “You said you and my grandfather were friends.”
   “I have a duty to protect your grandfather’s assets,” Vernet replied. “And that is exactly what I am doing. Now set the box on the floor.”
   “My grandfather entrusted this to me!” Sophie declared.
   “Do it,” Vernet commanded, raising the gun.
   Sophie set the box at her feet.
   Langdon watched the gun barrel swing now in his direction.
   “Mr. Langdon,” Vernet said, “you will bring the box over to me. And be aware that I’m asking you because you I would not hesitate to shoot.”
   Langdon stared at the banker in disbelief. “Why are you doing this?”
   “Why do you imagine?” Vernet snapped, his accented English terse now. “To protect my client’s assets.”
   “We are your clients now,” Sophie said.
   Vernet’s visage turned icecold, an eerie transformation. “Mademoiselle Neveu, I don’t know how you got that key and account number tonight, but it seems obvious that foul play was involved. Had I known the extent of your crimes, I would never have helped you leave the bank.”
   “I told you,” Sophie said, “we had nothing to do with my grandfather’s death!”
   Vernet looked at Langdon. “And yet the radio claims you are wanted not only for the murder of Jacques Saunière but for those of three other men as well?”
   “What!” Langdon was thunderstruck. Three more murders? The coincidental number hit him harder than the fact that he was the prime suspect. It seemed too unlikely to be a coincidence. The three sénéchaux? Langdon’s eyes dropped to the rosewood box. If the sénéchaux were murdered, Saunière had no options. He had to transfer the keystone to someone.
   “The police can sort that out when I turn you in,” Vernet said. “I have gotten my bank involved too far already.”
   Sophie glared at Vernet. “You obviously have no intention of turning us in. You would have driven us back to the bank. And instead you bring us out here and hold us at gunpoint?”
   “Your grandfather hired me for one reason—to keep his possessions both safe and private. Whatever this box contains, I have no intention of letting it become a piece of cataloged evidence in a police investigation. Mr. Langdon, bring me the box.”
   Sophie shook her head. “Don’t do it.”
   A gunshot roared, and a bullet tore into the wall above him. The reverberation shook the back of the truck as a spent shell clinked onto the cargo floor.
   Shit! Langdon froze.
   Vernet spoke more confidently now. “Mr. Langdon, pick up the box.”
   Langdon lifted the box.
   “Now bring it over to me.” Vernet was taking dead aim, standing on the ground behind the rear bumper, his gun outstretched into the cargo hold now.
   Box in hand, Langdon moved across the hold toward the open door.
   I’ve got to do something! Langdon thought. I’m about to hand over the Priory keystone! As Langdon moved toward the doorway, his position of higher ground became more pronounced, and he began wondering if he could somehow use it to his advantage. Vernet’s gun, though raised, was at Langdon’s knee level. A wellplaced kick perhaps? Unfortunately, as Langdon neared, Vernet seemed to sense the dangerous dynamic developing, and he took several steps back, repositioning himself six feet away. Well out of reach.
   Vernet commanded, “Place the box beside the door.”
   Seeing no options, Langdon knelt down and set the rosewood box at the edge of the cargo hold, directly in front of the open doors.
   “Now stand up.”
   Langdon began to stand up but paused, spying the small, spent pistol shell on the floor beside the truck’s precisioncrafted doorsill.
   “Stand up, and step away from the box.”
   Langdon paused a moment longer, eyeing the metal threshold. Then he stood. As he did, he discreetly brushed the shell over the edge onto the narrow ledge that was the door’s lower sill. Fully upright now, Langdon stepped backward.
   “Return to the back wall and turn around.”
   Langdon obeyed.


* * *

   Vernet could feel his own heart pounding. Aiming the gun with his right hand, he reached now with his left for the wooden box. He discovered that it was far too heavy. I need two hands. Turning his eyes back to his captives, he calculated the risk. Both were a good fifteen feet away, at the far end of the cargo hold, facing away from him. Vernet made up his mind. Quickly, he laid down the gun on the bumper, lifted the box with two hands, and set it on the ground, immediately grabbing the gun again and aiming it back into the hold. Neither of his prisoners had moved.
   Perfect. Now all that remained was to close and lock the door. Leaving the box on the ground for the moment, he grabbed the metal door and began to heave it closed. As the door swung past him, Vernet reached up to grab the single bolt that needed to be slid into place. The door closed with a thud, and Vernet quickly grabbed the bolt, pulling it to the left. The bolt slid a few inches and crunched to an unexpected halt, not lining up with its sleeve. What’s going on? Vernet pulled again, but the bolt wouldn’t lock. The mechanism was not properly aligned. The door isn’t fully closed! Feeling a surge of panic, Vernet shoved hard against the outside of the door, but it refused to budge. Something is blocking it! Vernet turned to throw full shoulder into the door, but this time the door exploded outward, striking Vernet in the face and sending him reeling backward onto the ground, his nose shattering in pain. The gun flew as Vernet reached for his face and felt the warm blood running from his nose.
   Robert Langdon hit the ground somewhere nearby, and Vernet tried to get up, but he couldn’t see. His vision blurred and he fell backward again. Sophie Neveu was shouting. Moments later, Vernet felt a cloud of dirt and exhaust billowing over him. He heard the crunching of tires on gravel and sat up just in time to see the truck’s wide wheelbase fail to navigate a turn. There was a crash as the front bumper clipped a tree. The engine roared, and the tree bent. Finally, it was the bumper that gave, tearing half off. The armored car lurched away, its front bumper dragging. When the truck reached the paved access road, a shower of sparks lit up the night, trailing the truck as it sped away.
   Vernet turned his eyes back to the ground where the truck had been parked. Even in the faint moonlight he could see there was nothing there.
   The wooden box was gone.

Chapter 50

   The unmarked Fiat sedan departing Castel Gandolfo snaked downward through the Alban Hills into the valley below. In the back seat, Bishop Aringarosa smiled, feeling the weight of the bearer bonds in the briefcase on his lap and wondering how long it would be before he and the Teacher could make the exchange.
   Twenty million euro.
   The sum would buy Aringarosa power far more valuable than that.
   As his car sped back toward Rome, Aringarosa again found himself wondering why the Teacher had not yet contacted him. Pulling his cell phone from his cassock pocket, he checked the carrier signal. Extremely faint.
   “Cell service is intermittent up here,” the driver said, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. “In about five minutes, we’ll be out of the mountains, and service improves.”
   “Thank you.” Aringarosa felt a sudden surge of concern. No service in the mountains? Maybe the Teacher had been trying to reach him all this time. Maybe something had gone terribly wrong.
   Quickly, Aringarosa checked the phone’s voice mail. Nothing. Then again, he realized, the Teacher never would have left a recorded message; he was a man who took enormous care with his communications. Nobody understood better than the Teacher the perils of speaking openly in this modern world. Electronic eavesdropping had played a major role in how he had gathered his astonishing array of secret knowledge.
   For this reason, he takes extra precautions.
   Unfortunately, the Teacher’s protocols for caution included a refusal to give Aringarosa any kind of contact number. I alone will initiate contact, the Teacher had informed him. So keep your phone close. Now that Aringarosa realized his phone might not have been working properly, he feared what the Teacher might think if he had been repeatedly phoning with no answer.
   He’ll think something is wrong.
   Or that I failed to get the bonds.
   The bishop broke a light sweat.
   Or worse… that I took the money and ran!

Chapter 51

   Even at a modest sixty kilometers an hour, the dangling front bumper of the armored truck grated against the deserted suburban road with a grinding roar, spraying sparks up onto the hood.
   We’ve got to get off the road, Langdon thought.
   He could barely even see where they were headed. The truck’s lone working headlight had been knocked offcenter and was casting a skewed sidelong beam into the woods beside the country highway. Apparently the armor in this “armored truck” referred only to the cargo hold and not the front end.
   Sophie sat in the passenger seat, staring blankly at the rosewood box on her lap.
   “Are you okay?” Langdon asked.
   Sophie looked shaken. “Do you believe him?”
   “About the three additional murders? Absolutely. It answers a lot of questions—the issue of your grandfather’s desperation to pass on the keystone, as well as the intensity with which Fache is hunting me.”
   “No, I meant about Vernet trying to protect his bank.”
   Langdon glanced over. “As opposed to?”
   “Taking the keystone for himself.”
   Langdon had not even considered it. “How would he even know what this box contains?”
   “His bank stored it. He knew my grandfather. Maybe he knew things. He might have decided he wanted the Grail for himself.”
   Langdon shook his head. Vernet hardly seemed the type. “In my experience, there are only two reasons people seek the Grail. Either they are naive and believe they are searching for the longlost Cup of Christ…”
   “Or?”
   “Or they know the truth and are threatened by it. Many groups throughout history have sought to destroy the Grail.”
   The silence between them accentuated the sound of the scraping bumper. They had driven a few kilometers now, and as Langdon watched the cascade of sparks coming off the front of the truck, he wondered if it was dangerous. Either way, if they passed another car, it would certainly draw attention. Langdon made up his mind.
   “I’m going to see if I can bend this bumper back.”
   Pulling onto the shoulder, he brought the truck to a stop.
   Silence at last.
   As Langdon walked toward the front of the truck, he felt surprisingly alert. Staring into the barrel of yet another gun tonight had given him a second wind. He took a deep breath of nighttime air and tried to get his wits about him. Accompanying the gravity of being a hunted man, Langdon was starting to feel the ponderous weight of responsibility, the prospect that he and Sophie might actually be holding an encrypted set of directions to one of the most enduring mysteries of all time.
   As if this burden were not great enough, Langdon now realized that any possibility of finding a way to return the keystone to the Priory had just evaporated. News of the three additional murders had dire implications. The Priory has been infiltrated. They are compromised. The brotherhood was obviously being watched, or there was a mole within the ranks. It seemed to explain why Saunière might have transferred the keystone to Sophie and Langdon—people outside the brotherhood, people he knew were not compromised. We can’t very well give the keystone back to the brotherhood. Even if Langdon had any idea how to find a Priory member, chances were good that whoever stepped forward to take the keystone could be the enemy himself. For the moment, at least, it seemed the keystone was in Sophie and Langdon’s hands, whether they wanted it or not.
   The truck’s front end looked worse than Langdon had imagined. The left headlight was gone, and the right one looked like an eyeball dangling from its socket. Langdon straightened it, and it dislodged again. The only good news was that the front bumper had been torn almost clean off. Langdon gave it a hard kick and sensed he might be able to break it off entirely.
   As he repeatedly kicked the twisted metal, Langdon recalled his earlier conversation with Sophie. My grandfather left me a phone message, Sophie had told him. He said he needed to tell me the truth about my family. At the time it had meant nothing, but now, knowing the Priory of Sion was involved, Langdon felt a startling new possibility emerge.
   The bumper broke off suddenly with a crash. Langdon paused to catch his breath. At least the truck would no longer look like a Fourth of July sparkler. He grabbed the bumper and began dragging it out of sight into the woods, wondering where they should go next. They had no idea how to open the cryptex, or why Saunière had given it to them. Unfortunately, their survival tonight seemed to depend on getting answers to those very questions.
   We need help, Langdon decided. Professional help.
   In the world of the Holy Grail and the Priory of Sion, that meant only one man. The challenge, of course, would be selling the idea to Sophie.


* * *

   Inside the armored car, while Sophie waited for Langdon to return, she could feel the weight of the rosewood box on her lap and resented it. Why did my grandfather give this to me? She had not the slightest idea what to do with it.
   Think, Sophie! Use your head. Grand-père is trying to tell you something!
   Opening the box, she eyed the cryptex’s dials. A proof of merit. She could feel her grandfather’s hand at work. The keystone is a map that can be followed only by the worthy. It sounded like her grandfather to the core.
   Lifting the cryptex out of the box, Sophie ran her fingers over the dials. Five letters. She rotated the dials one by one. The mechanism moved smoothly. She aligned the disks such that her chosen letters lined up between the cryptex’s two brass alignment arrows on either end of the cylinder. The dials now spelled a fiveletter word that Sophie knew was absurdly obvious.
   GRAIL.
   Gently, she held the two ends of the cylinder and pulled, applying pressure slowly. The cryptex didn’t budge. She heard the vinegar inside gurgle and stopped pulling. Then she tried again.
   VINCI
   Again, no movement.
   VOUTE
   Nothing. The cryptex remained locked solid.
   Frowning, she replaced it in the rosewood box and closed the lid. Looking outside at Langdon, Sophie felt grateful he was with her tonight. P.S. Find Robert Langdon. Her grandfather’s rationale for including him was now clear. Sophie was not equipped to understand her grandfather’s intentions, and so he had assigned Robert Langdon as her guide. A tutor to oversee her education. Unfortunately for Langdon, he had turned out to be far more than a tutor tonight. He had become the target of Bezu Fache… and some unseen force intent on possessing the Holy Grail.
   Whatever the Grail turns out to be.
   Sophie wondered if finding out was worth her life.


* * *

   As the armored truck accelerated again, Langdon was pleased how much more smoothly it drove. “Do you know how to get to Versailles?”
   Sophie eyed him. “Sightseeing?”
   “No, I have a plan. There’s a religious historian I know who lives near Versailles. I can’t remember exactly where, but we can look it up. I’ve been to his estate a few times. His name is Leigh Teabing. He’s a former British Royal Historian.”
   “And he lives in Paris?”
   “Teabing’s life passion is the Grail. When whisperings of the Priory keystone surfaced about fifteen years ago, he moved to France to search churches in hopes of finding it. He’s written some books on the keystone and the Grail. He may be able to help us figure out how to open it and what to do with it.”
   Sophie’s eyes were wary. “Can you trust him?”
   “Trust him to what? Not steal the information?”
   “And not to turn us in.”
   “I don’t intend to tell him we’re wanted by the police. I’m hoping he’ll take us in until we can sort all this out.”
   “Robert, has it occurred to you that every television in France is probably getting ready to broadcast our pictures? Bezu Fache always uses the media to his advantage. He’ll make it impossible for us to move around without being recognized.”
   Terrific, Langdon thought. My French TV debut will be on “Paris’s Most Wanted.” At least Jonas Faukman would be pleased; every time Langdon made the news, his book sales jumped.
   “Is this man a good enough friend?” Sophie asked.
   Langdon doubted Teabing was someone who watched television, especially at this hour, but still the question deserved consideration. Instinct told Langdon that Teabing would be totally trustworthy. An ideal safe harbor. Considering the circumstances, Teabing would probably trip over himself to help them as much as possible. Not only did he owe Langdon a favor, but Teabing was a Grail researcher, and Sophie claimed her grandfather was the actual Grand Master of the Priory of Sion. If Teabing heard that, he would salivate at the thought of helping them figure this out.
   “Teabing could be a powerful ally,” Langdon said. Depending on how much you want to tell him.
   “Fache probably will be offering a monetary reward.”
   Langdon laughed. “Believe me, money is the last thing this guy needs.” Leigh Teabing was wealthy in the way small countries were wealthy. A descendant of Britain’s First Duke of Lancaster, Teabing had gotten his money the oldfashioned way—he’d inherited it. His estate outside of Paris was a seventeenthcentury palace with two private lakes.
   Langdon had first met Teabing several years ago through the British Broadcasting Corporation. Teabing had approached the BBC with a proposal for a historical documentary in which he would expose the explosive history of the Holy Grail to a mainstream television audience. The BBC producers loved Teabing’s hot premise, his research, and his credentials, but they had concerns that the concept was so shocking and hard to swallow that the network might end up tarnishing its reputation for quality journalism. At Teabing’s suggestion, the BBC solved its credibility fears by soliciting three cameos from respected historians from around the world, all of whom corroborated the stunning nature of the Holy Grail secret with their own research.
   Langdon had been among those chosen.
   The BBC had flown Langdon to Teabing’s Paris estate for the filming. He sat before cameras in Teabing’s opulent drawing room and shared his story, admitting his initial skepticism on hearing of the alternate Holy Grail story, then describing how years of research had persuaded him that the story was true. Finally, Langdon offered some of his own research—a series of symbologic connections that strongly supported the seemingly controversial claims.
   When the program aired in Britain, despite its ensemble cast and welldocumented evidence, the premise rubbed so hard against the grain of popular Christian thought that it instantly confronted a firestorm of hostility. It never aired in the States, but the repercussions echoed across the Atlantic. Shortly afterward, Langdon received a postcard from an old friend—the Catholic Bishop of Philadelphia. The card simply read: Et tu, Robert?
   “Robert,” Sophie asked, “you’re certain we can trust this man?”
   “Absolutely. We’re colleagues, he doesn’t need money, and I happen to know he despises the French authorities. The French government taxes him at absurd rates because he bought a historic landmark. He’ll be in no hurry to cooperate with Fache.”
   Sophie stared out at the dark roadway. “If we go to him, how much do you want to tell him?”
   Langdon looked unconcerned. “Believe me, Leigh Teabing knows more about the Priory of Sion and the Holy Grail than anyone on earth.”
   Sophie eyed him. “More than my grandfather?”
   “I meant more than anyone outside the brotherhood.”
   “How do you know Teabing isn’t a member of the brotherhood?”
   “Teabing has spent his life trying to broadcast the truth about the Holy Grail. The Priory’s oath is to keep its true nature hidden.”
   “Sounds to me like a conflict of interest.”
   Langdon understood her concerns. Saunière had given the cryptex directly to Sophie, and although she didn’t know what it contained or what she was supposed to do with it, she was hesitant to involve a total stranger. Considering the information potentially enclosed, the instinct was probably a good one. “We don’t need to tell Teabing about the keystone immediately. Or at all, even. His house will give us a place to hide and think, and maybe when we talk to him about the Grail, you’ll start to have an idea why your grandfather gave this to you.”
   “Us,” Sophie reminded.
   Langdon felt a humble pride and wondered yet again why Saunière had included him.
   “Do you know more or less where Mr. Teabing lives?” Sophie asked.
   “His estate is called Chateau Villette.”
   Sophie turned with an incredulous look. “The Chateau Villette?”
   “That’s the one.”
   “Nice friends.”
   “You know the estate?”
   “I’ve passed it. It’s in the castle district. Twenty minutes from here.”
   Langdon frowned. “That far?”
   “Yes, which will give you enough time to tell me what the Holy Grail really is.”
   Langdon paused. “I’ll tell you at Teabing’s. He and I specialize in different areas of the legend, so between the two of us, you’ll get the full story.” Langdon smiled. “Besides, the Grail has been Teabing’s life, and hearing the story of the Holy Grail from Leigh Teabing will be like hearing the theory of relativity from Einstein himself.”
   “Let’s hope Leigh doesn’t mind latenight visitors.”
   “For the record, it’s Sir Leigh.” Langdon had made that mistake only once. “Teabing is quite a character. He was knighted by the Queen several years back after composing an extensive history on the House of York.”
   Sophie looked over. “You’re kidding, right? We’re going to visit a knight?”
   Langdon gave an awkward smile. “We’re on a Grail quest, Sophie. Who better to help us than a knight?”

Chapter 52

   The Sprawling 185acre estate of Chateau Villette was located twentyfive minutes northwest of Paris in the environs of Versailles. Designed by François Mansart in 1668 for the Count of Aufflay, it was one of Paris’s most significant historical chateaux. Complete with two rectangular lakes and gardens designed by Le Notre, Chateau Villette was more of a modest castle than a mansion. The estate fondly had become known as la Petite Versailles.
   Langdon brought the armored truck to a shuddering stop at the foot of the milelong driveway. Beyond the imposing security gate, Sir Leigh Teabing’s residence rose on a meadow in the distance. The sign on the gate was in English: PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO TRESPASSING.
   As if to proclaim his home a British Isle unto itself, Teabing had not only posted his signs in English, but he had installed his gate’s intercom entry system on the righthand side of the truck—the passenger’s side everywhere in Europe except England.
   Sophie gave the misplaced intercom an odd look. “And if someone arrives without a passenger?”
   “Don’t ask.” Langdon had already been through that with Teabing. “He prefers things the way they are at home.”
   Sophie rolled down her window. “Robert, you’d better do the talking.”
   Langdon shifted his position, leaning out across Sophie to press the intercom button. As he did, an alluring whiff of Sophie’s perfume filled his nostrils, and he realized how close they were. He waited there, awkwardly prone, while a telephone began ringing over the small speaker.
   Finally, the intercom crackled and an irritated French accent spoke. “Chateau Villette. Who is calling?”
   “This is Robert Langdon,” Langdon called out, sprawled across Sophie’s lap. “I’m a friend of Sir Leigh Teabing. I need his help.”
   “My master is sleeping. As was I. What is your business with him?”
   “It is a private matter. One of great interest to him.”
   “Then I’m sure he will be pleased to receive you in the morning.”
   Langdon shifted his weight. “It’s quite important.”
   “As is Sir Leigh’s sleep. If you are a friend, then you are aware he is in poor health.”
   Sir Leigh Teabing had suffered from polio as a child and now wore leg braces and walked with crutches, but Langdon had found him such a lively and colorful man on his last visit that it hardly seemed an infirmity. “If you would, please tell him I have uncovered new information about the Grail. Information that cannot wait until morning.”
   There was a long pause.
   Langdon and Sophie waited, the truck idling loudly.
   A full minute passed.
   Finally, someone spoke. “My good man, I daresay you are still on Harvard Standard Time.” The voice was crisp and light.
   Langdon grinned, recognizing the thick British accent. “Leigh, my apologies for waking you at this obscene hour.”
   “My manservant tells me that not only are you in Paris, but you speak of the Grail.”
   “I thought that might get you out of bed.”
   “And so it has.”
   “Any chance you’d open the gate for an old friend?”
   “Those who seek the truth are more than friends. They are brothers.”
   Langdon rolled his eyes at Sophie, well accustomed to Teabing’s predilection for dramatic antics.
   “Indeed I will open the gate,” Teabing proclaimed, “but first I must confirm your heart is true. A test of your honor. You will answer three questions.”
   Langdon groaned, whispering at Sophie. “Bear with me here. As I mentioned, he’s something of a character.”
   “Your first question,” Teabing declared, his tone Herculean. “Shall I serve you coffee, or tea?”
   Langdon knew Teabing’s feelings about the American phenomenon of coffee. “Tea,” he replied. “Earl Grey.”
   “Excellent. Your second question. Milk or sugar?”
   Langdon hesitated.
   “Milk,” Sophie whispered in his ear. “I think the British take milk.”
   “Milk,” Langdon said.
   Silence.
   “Sugar?”
   Teabing made no reply.
   Wait! Langdon now recalled the bitter beverage he had been served on his last visit and realized this question was a trick. “Lemon!” he declared. “Earl Grey with lemon”
   “Indeed.” Teabing sounded deeply amused now. “And finally, I must make the most grave of inquiries.” Teabing paused and then spoke in a solemn tone. “In which year did a Harvard sculler last outrow an Oxford man at Henley?”
   Langdon had no idea, but he could imagine only one reason the question had been asked. “Surely such a travesty has never occurred.”
   The gate clicked open. “Your heart is true, my friend. You may pass.”

Chapter 53

   “Monsieur Vernet!” The night manager of the Depository Bank of Zurich felt relieved to hear the bank president’s voice on the phone. “Where did you go, sir? The police are here, everyone is waiting for you!”
   “I have a little problem,” the bank president said, sounding distressed. “I need your help right away.”
   You have more than a little problem, the manager thought. The police had entirely surrounded the bank and were threatening to have the DCPJ captain himself show up with the warrant the bank had demanded. “How can I help you, sir?”
   “Armored truck number three. I need to find it.”
   Puzzled, the manager checked his delivery schedule. “It’s here. Downstairs at the loading dock.”
   “Actually, no. The truck was stolen by the two individuals the police are tracking.”
   “What? How did they drive out?”
   “I can’t go into the specifics on the phone, but we have a situation here that could potentially be extremely unfortunate for the bank.”
   “What do you need me to do, sir?”
   “I’d like you to activate the truck’s emergency transponder.”
   The night manager’s eyes moved to the LoJack control box across the room. Like many armored cars, each of the bank’s trucks had been equipped with a radiocontrolled homing device, which could be activated remotely from the bank. The manager had only used the emergency system once, after a hijacking, and it had worked flawlessly—locating the truck and transmitting the coordinates to the authorities automatically. Tonight, however, the manager had the impression the president was hoping for a bit more prudence. “Sir, you are aware that if I activate the LoJack system, the transponder will simultaneously inform the authorities that we have a problem.”
   Vernet was silent for several seconds. “Yes, I know. Do it anyway. Truck number three. I’ll hold. I need the exact location of that truck the instant you have it.”
   “Right away, sir.”


* * *

   Thirty seconds later, forty kilometers away, hidden in the undercarriage of the armored truck, a tiny transponder blinked to life.

Chapter 54

   As Langdon and Sophie drove the armored truck up the winding, poplarlined driveway toward the house, Sophie could already feel her muscles relaxing. It was a relief to be off the road, and she could think of few safer places to get their feet under them than this private, gated estate owned by a goodnatured foreigner.
   They turned into the sweeping circular driveway, and Chateau Villette came into view on their right. Three stories tall and at least sixty meters long, the edifice had gray stone facing illuminated by outside spotlights. The coarse facade stood in stark juxtaposition to the immaculately landscaped gardens and glassy pond.
   The inside lights were just now coming on.
   Rather than driving to the front door, Langdon pulled into a parking area nestled in the evergreens. “No reason to risk being spotted from the road,” he said. “Or having Leigh wonder why we arrived in a wrecked armored truck.”
   Sophie nodded. “What do we do with the cryptex? We probably shouldn’t leave it out here, but if Leigh sees it, he’ll certainly want to know what it is.”
   “Not to worry,” Langdon said, removing his jacket as he stepped out of the car. He wrapped the tweed coat around the box and held the bundle in his arms like a baby.
   Sophie looked dubious. “Subtle.”
   “Teabing never answers his own door; he prefers to make an entrance. I’ll find somewhere inside to stash this before he joins us.” Langdon paused. “Actually, I should probably warn you before you meet him. Sir Leigh has a sense of humor that people often find a bit… strange.”
   Sophie doubted anything tonight would strike her as strange anymore.
   The pathway to the main entrance was handlaid cobblestone. It curved to a door of carved oak and cherry with a brass knocker the size of a grapefruit. Before Sophie could grasp the knocker, the door swung open from within.
   A prim and elegant butler stood before them, making final adjustments on the white tie and tuxedo he had apparently just donned. He looked to be about fifty, with refined features and an austere expression that left little doubt he was unamused by their presence here.
   “Sir Leigh will be down presently,” he declared, his accent thick French. “He is dressing. He prefers not to greet visitors while wearing only a nightshirt. May I take your coat?” He scowled at the bunchedup tweed in Langdon’s arms.
   “Thank you, I’m fine.”
   “Of course you are. Right this way, please.”
   The butler guided them through a lush marble foyer into an exquisitely adorned drawing room, softly lit by tasseldraped Victorian lamps. The air inside smelled antediluvian, regal somehow, with traces of pipe tobacco, tea leaves, cooking sherry, and the earthen aroma of stone architecture. Against the far wall, flanked between two glistening suits of chain mail armor, was a roughhewn fireplace large enough to roast an ox. Walking to the hearth, the butler knelt and touched a match to a prelaid arrangement of oak logs and kindling. A fire quickly crackled to life.
   The man stood, straightening his jacket. “His master requests that you make yourselves at home.” With that, he departed, leaving Langdon and Sophie alone.
   Sophie wondered which of the fireside antiques she was supposed to sit on—the Renaissance velvet divan, the rustic eagleclaw rocker, or the pair of stone pews that looked like they’d been lifted from some Byzantine temple.
   Langdon unwrapped the cryptex from his coat, walked to the velvet divan, and slid the wooden box deep underneath it, well out of sight. Then, shaking out his jacket, he put it back on, smoothed the lapels, and smiled at Sophie as he sat down directly over the stashed treasure.
   The divan it is, Sophie thought, taking a seat beside him.
   As she stared into the growing fire, enjoying the warmth, Sophie had the sensation that her grandfather would have loved this room. The dark wood paneling was bedecked with Old Master paintings, one of which Sophie recognized as a Poussin, her grandfather’s secondfavorite painter. On the mantel above the fireplace, an alabaster bust of Isis watched over the room.
   Beneath the Egyptian goddess, inside the fireplace, two stone gargoyles served as andirons, their mouths gaping to reveal their menacing hollow throats. Gargoyles had always terrified Sophie as a child; that was, until her grandfather cured her of the fear by taking her atop Notre Dame Cathedral in a rainstorm. “Princess, look at these silly creatures,” he had told her, pointing to the gargoyle rainspouts with their mouths gushing water. “Do you hear that funny sound in their throats?” Sophie nodded, having to smile at the burping sound of the water gurgling through their throats. “They’re gargling,” her grandfather told her. “Gargariser! And that’s where they get the silly name ‘gargoyles.’ “ Sophie had never again been afraid.
   The fond memory caused Sophie a pang of sadness as the harsh reality of the murder gripped her again. Grand-père is gone. She pictured the cryptex under the divan and wondered if Leigh Teabing would have any idea how to open it. Or if we even should ask him. Sophie’s grandfather’s final words had instructed her to find Robert Langdon. He had said nothing about involving anyone else. We needed somewhere to hide, Sophie said, deciding to trust Robert’s judgment.
   “Sir Robert!” a voice bellowed somewhere behind them. “I see you travel with a maiden.”
   Langdon stood up. Sophie jumped to her feet as well. The voice had come from the top of a curled staircase that snaked up to the shadows of the second floor. At the top of the stairs, a form moved in the shadows, only his silhouette visible.
   “Good evening,” Langdon called up. “Sir Leigh, may I present Sophie Neveu.”
   “An honor.” Teabing moved into the light.
   “Thank you for having us,” Sophie said, now seeing the man wore metal leg braces and used crutches. He was coming down one stair at a time. “I realize it’s quite late.”
   “It is so late, my dear, it’s early.” He laughed. “Vous n’êtes pas Americaine?”
   Sophie shook her head. “Parisienne.”
   “Your English is superb.”
   “Thank you. I studied at the Royal Holloway.”
   “So then, that explains it.” Teabing hobbled lower through the shadows. “Perhaps Robert told you I schooled just down the road at Oxford.” Teabing fixed Langdon with a devilish smile. “Of course, I also applied to Harvard as my safety school.”
   Their host arrived at the bottom of the stairs, appearing to Sophie no more like a knight than Sir Elton John. Portly and rubyfaced, Sir Leigh Teabing had bushy red hair and jovial hazel eyes that seemed to twinkle as he spoke. He wore pleated pants and a roomy silk shirt under a paisley vest. Despite the aluminum braces on his legs, he carried himself with a resilient, vertical dignity that seemed more a byproduct of noble ancestry than any kind of conscious effort.
   Teabing arrived and extended a hand to Langdon. “Robert, you’ve lost weight.”
   Langdon grinned. “And you’ve found some.”
   Teabing laughed heartily, patting his rotund belly. “Touche. My only carnal pleasures these days seem to be culinary.” Turning now to Sophie, he gently took her hand, bowing his head slightly, breathing lightly on her fingers, and diverting his eyes. “M’lady.”
   Sophie glanced at Langdon, uncertain whether she’d stepped back in time or into a nuthouse.
   The butler who had answered the door now entered carrying a tea service, which he arranged on a table in front of the fireplace.
   “This is Remy Legaludec,” Teabing said, “my manservant.”
   The slender butler gave a stiff nod and disappeared yet again.
   “Remy is Lyonais,” Teabing whispered, as if it were an unfortunate disease. “But he does sauces quite nicely.”
   Langdon looked amused. “I would have thought you’d import an English staff?”
   “Good heavens, no! I would not wish a British chef on anyone except the French tax collectors.” He glanced over at Sophie. “Pardonnezmoi, Mademoiselle Neveu. Please be assured that my distaste for the French extends only to politics and the soccer pitch. Your government steals my money, and your football squad recently humiliated us.”
   Sophie offered an easy smile.
   Teabing eyed her a moment and then looked at Langdon. “Something has happened. You both look shaken.”
   Langdon nodded. “We’ve had an interesting night, Leigh.”
   “No doubt. You arrive on my doorstep unannounced in the middle of the night speaking of the Grail. Tell me, is this indeed about the Grail, or did you simply say that because you know it is the lone topic for which I would rouse myself in the middle of the night?”
   A little of both, Sophie thought, picturing the cryptex hidden beneath the couch.
   “Leigh,” Langdon said, “we’d like to talk to you about the Priory of Sion.”
   Teabing’s bushy eyebrows arched with intrigue. “The keepers. So this is indeed about the Grail. You say you come with information? Something new, Robert?”
   “Perhaps. We’re not quite sure. We might have a better idea if we could get some information from you first.”
   Teabing wagged his finger. “Ever the wily American. A game of quid pro quo. Very well. I am at your service. What is it I can tell you?”
   Langdon sighed. “I was hoping you would be kind enough to explain to Ms. Neveu the true nature of the Holy Grail.”
   Teabing looked stunned. “She doesn’t know?”
   Langdon shook his head.
   The smile that grew on Teabing’s face was almost obscene. “Robert, you’ve brought me a virgin?”
   Langdon winced, glancing at Sophie. “Virgin is the term Grail enthusiasts use to describe anyone who has never heard the true Grail story.”
   Teabing turned eagerly to Sophie. “How much do you know, my dear?”
   Sophie quickly outlined what Langdon had explained earlier—the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar, the Sangreal documents, and the Holy Grail, which many claimed was not a cup… but rather something far more powerful.
   “That’s all?” Teabing fired Langdon a scandalous look. “Robert, I thought you were a gentleman. You’ve robbed her of the climax!”
   “I know, I thought perhaps you and I could…” Langdon apparently decided the unseemly metaphor had gone far enough.
   Teabing already had Sophie locked in his twinkling gaze. “You are a Grail virgin, my dear. And trust me, you will never forget your first time.”

Chapter 55

   Seated on the divan beside Langdon, Sophie drank her tea and ate a scone, feeling the welcome effects of caffeine and food. Sir Leigh Teabing was beaming as he awkwardly paced before the open fire, his leg braces clicking on the stone hearth.
   “The Holy Grail,” Teabing said, his voice sermonic. “Most people ask me only where it is. I fear that is a question I may never answer.” He turned and looked directly at Sophie. “However… the far more relevant question is this: What is the Holy Grail?”
   Sophie sensed a rising air of academic anticipation now in both of her male companions.
   “To fully understand the Grail,” Teabing continued, “we must first understand the Bible. How well do you know the New Testament?”
   Sophie shrugged. “Not at all, really. I was raised by a man who worshipped Leonardo da Vinci.”
   Teabing looked both startled and pleased. “An enlightened soul. Superb! Then you must be aware that Leonardo was one of the keepers of the secret of the Holy Grail. And he hid clues in his art.”
   “Robert told me as much, yes.”
   “And Da Vinci’s views on the New Testament?”
   “I have no idea.”
   Teabing’s eyes turned mirthful as he motioned to the bookshelf across the room. “Robert, would you mind? On the bottom shelf. La Storia di Leonardo.”
   Langdon went across the room, found a large art book, and brought it back, setting it down on the table between them. Twisting the book to face Sophie, Teabing flipped open the heavy cover and pointed inside the rear cover to a series of quotations. “From Da Vinci’s notebook on polemics and speculation,” Teabing said, indicating one quote in particular. “I think you’ll find this relevant to our discussion.”
   Sophie read the words.

   Many have made a trade of delusions and false miracles, deceiving the stupid multitude.
   Leonardo da Vinci


* * *

   “Here’s another,” Teabing said, pointing to a different quote.


Blinding ignorance does mislead us.
O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!


Leonardo da Vinci
* * *

   Sophie felt a little chill. “Da Vinci is talking about the Bible?”
   Teabing nodded. “Leonardo’s feelings about the Bible relate directly to the Holy Grail. In fact, Da Vinci painted the true Grail, which I will show you momentarily, but first we must speak of the Bible.” Teabing smiled. “And everything you need to know about the Bible can be summed up by the great canon doctor Martyn Percy.” Teabing cleared his throat and declared, “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven.”
   “I beg your pardon?”
   “The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.”
   “Okay.”
   “Jesus Christ was a historical figure of staggering influence, perhaps the most enigmatic and inspirational leader the world has ever seen. As the prophesied Messiah, Jesus toppled kings, inspired millions, and founded new philosophies. As a descendant of the lines of King Solomon and King David, Jesus possessed a rightful claim to the throne of the King of the Jews. Understandably, His life was recorded by thousands of followers across the land.” Teabing paused to sip his tea and then placed the cup back on the mantel. “More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them.
   “Who chose which gospels to include?” Sophie asked.
   “Aha!” Teabing burst in with enthusiasm. “The fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.”
   “I thought Constantine was a Christian,” Sophie said.
   “Hardly,” Teabing scoffed. “He was a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed, too weak to protest. In Constantine’s day, Rome’s official religion was sun worship—the cult of Sol Invictus, or the Invincible Sun—and Constantine was its head priest. Unfortunately for him, a growing religious turmoil was gripping Rome. Three centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Christ’s followers had multiplied exponentially. Christians and pagans began warring, and the conflict grew to such proportions that it threatened to rend Rome in two. Constantine decided something had to be done. In 325 A.D., he decided to unify Rome under a single religion. Christianity.”
   Sophie was surprised. “Why would a pagan emperor choose Christianity as the official religion?”
   Teabing chuckled. “Constantine was a very good businessman. He could see that Christianity was on the rise, and he simply backed the winning horse. Historians still marvel at the brilliance with which Constantine converted the sunworshipping pagans to Christianity. By fusing pagan symbols, dates, and rituals into the growing Christian tradition, he created a kind of hybrid religion that was acceptable to both parties.”
   “Transmogrification,” Langdon said. “The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian symbology are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictograms of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son Horus became the blueprint for our modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus. And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual—the miter, the altar, the doxology, and communion, the act of “Godeating”—were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions.”
   Teabing groaned. “Don’t get a symbologist started on Christian icons. Nothing in Christianity is original. The preChristian God Mithras—called the Son of God and the Light of the World —was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Even Christianity’s weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans.”
   “What do you mean?”
   “Originally,” Langdon said, “Christianity honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration day of the sun.” He paused, grinning. “To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly tribute—Sun day.”
   Sophie’s head was spinning. “And all of this relates to the Grail?”
   “Indeed,” Teabing said. “Stay with me. During this fusion of religions, Constantine needed to strengthen the new Christian tradition, and held a famous ecumenical gathering known as the Council of Nicaea.”
   Sophie had heard of it only insofar as its being the birthplace of the Nicene Creed.
   “At this gathering,” Teabing said, “many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon—the date of Easter, the role of the bishops, the administration of sacraments, and, of course, the divinity of Jesus.”
   “I don’t follow. His divinity?”
   “My dear,” Teabing declared, “until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet… a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.”
   “Not the Son of God?”
   “Right,” Teabing said. “Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.”
   “Hold on. You’re saying Jesus’ divinity was the result of a vote?”
   “A relatively close vote at that,” Teabing added. “Nonetheless, establishing Christ’s divinity was critical to the further unification of the Roman empire and to the new Vatican power base. By officially endorsing Jesus as the Son of God, Constantine turned Jesus into a deity who existed beyond the scope of the human world, an entity whose power was unchallengeable. This not only precluded further pagan challenges to Christianity, but now the followers of Christ were able to redeem themselves only via the established sacred channel—the Roman Catholic Church.”
   Sophie glanced at Langdon, and he gave her a soft nod of concurrence.
   “It was all about power,” Teabing continued. “Christ as Messiah was critical to the functioning of Church and state. Many scholars claim that the early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power. I’ve written several books on the topic.”
   “And I assume devout Christians send you hate mail on a daily basis?”
   “Why would they?” Teabing countered. “The vast majority of educated Christians know the history of their faith. Jesus was indeed a great and powerful man. Constantine’s underhanded political maneuvers don’t diminish the majesty of Christ’s life. Nobody is saying Christ was a fraud, or denying that He walked the earth and inspired millions to better lives. All we are saying is that Constantine took advantage of Christ’s substantial influence and importance. And in doing so, he shaped the face of Christianity as we know it today.”
   Sophie glanced at the art book before her, eager to move on and see the Da Vinci painting of the Holy Grail.
   “The twist is this,” Teabing said, talking faster now. “Because Constantine upgraded Jesus’ status almost four centuries after Jesus’ death, thousands of documents already existed chronicling His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books, Constantine knew he would need a bold stroke. From this sprang the most profound moment in Christian history.” Teabing paused, eyeing Sophie. “Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.”
   “An interesting note,” Langdon added. “Anyone who chose the forbidden gospels over Constantine’s version was deemed a heretic. The word heretic derives from that moment in history. The Latin word haereticus means ‘choice.’ Those who ‘chose’ the original history of Christ were the world’s first heretics.”
   “Fortunately for historians,” Teabing said, “some of the gospels that Constantine attempted to eradicate managed to survive. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1950s hidden in a cave near Qumran in the Judean desert. And, of course, the Coptic Scrolls in 1945 at Nag Hammadi. In addition to telling the true Grail story, these documents speak of Christ’s ministry in very human terms. Of course, the Vatican, in keeping with their tradition of misinformation, tried very hard to suppress the release of these scrolls. And why wouldn’t they? The scrolls highlight glaring historical discrepancies and fabrications, clearly confirming that the modern Bible was compiled and edited by men who possessed a political agenda—to promote the divinity of the man Jesus Christ and use His influence to solidify their own power base.”
   “And yet,” Langdon countered, “it’s important to remember that the modern Church’s desire to suppress these documents comes from a sincere belief in their established view of Christ. The Vatican is made up of deeply pious men who truly believe these contrary documents could only be false testimony.”
   Teabing chuckled as he eased himself into a chair opposite Sophie. “As you can see, our professor has a far softer heart for Rome than I do. Nonetheless, he is correct about the modern clergy believing these opposing documents are false testimony. That’s understandable. Constantine’s Bible has been their truth for ages. Nobody is more indoctrinated than the indoctrinator.”
   “What he means,” Langdon said, “is that we worship the gods of our fathers.”
   “What I mean,” Teabing countered, “is that almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false. As are the stories about the Holy Grail.”
   Sophie looked again at the Da Vinci quote before her. Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!
   Teabing reached for the book and flipped toward the center. “And finally, before I show you Da Vinci’s paintings of the Holy Grail, I’d like you to take a quick look at this.” He opened the book to a colorful graphic that spanned both full pages. “I assume you recognize this fresco?”
   He’s kidding, right? Sophie was staring at the most famous fresco of all time—The Last Supper —Da Vinci’s legendary painting from the wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie near Milan. The decaying fresco portrayed Jesus and His disciples at the moment that Jesus announced one of them would betray Him. “I know the fresco, yes.”
   “Then perhaps you would indulge me this little game? Close your eyes if you would.”
   Uncertain, Sophie closed her eyes.
   “Where is Jesus sitting?” Teabing asked.
   “In the center.”
   “Good. And what food are He and His disciples breaking and eating?”
   “Bread.” Obviously.
   “Superb. And what drink?”
   “Wine. They drank wine.”
   “Great. And one final question. How many wineglasses are on the table?”
   Sophie paused, realizing it was the trick question. And after dinner, Jesus took the cup of wine, sharing it with His disciples. “One cup,” she said. “The chalice.” The Cup of Christ. The Holy Grail. “Jesus passed a single chalice of wine, just as modern Christians do at communion.”
   Teabing sighed. “Open your eyes.”
   She did. Teabing was grinning smugly. Sophie looked down at the painting, seeing to her astonishment that everyone at the table had a glass of wine, including Christ. Thirteen cups. Moreover, the cups were tiny, stemless, and made of glass. There was no chalice in the painting. No Holy Grail.
   Teabing’s eyes twinkled. “A bit strange, don’t you think, considering that both the Bible and our standard Grail legend celebrate this moment as the definitive arrival of the Holy Grail. Oddly, Da Vinci appears to have forgotten to paint the Cup of Christ.”
   “Surely art scholars must have noted that.”
   “You will be shocked to learn what anomalies Da Vinci included here that most scholars either do not see or simply choose to ignore. This fresco, in fact, is the entire key to the Holy Grail mystery. Da Vinci lays it all out in the open in The Last Supper”
   Sophie scanned the work eagerly. “Does this fresco tell us what the Grail really is?”
   “Not what it is,” Teabing whispered. “But rather who it is. The Holy Grail is not a thing. It is, in fact… a person”

   Sophie stared at Teabing a long moment and then turned to Langdon. “The Holy Grail is a person?”
   Langdon nodded. “A woman, in fact.” From the blank look on Sophie’s face, Langdon could tell they had already lost her. He recalled having a similar reaction the first time he heard the statement. It was not until he understood the symbology behind the Grail that the feminine connection became clear.
   Teabing apparently had a similar thought. “Robert, perhaps this is the moment for the symbologist to clarify?” He went to a nearby end table, found a piece of paper, and laid it in front of Langdon.
   Langdon pulled a pen from his pocket. “Sophie, are you familiar with the modern icons for male and female?” He drew the common male symbol:
 


 
 
   and female symbol:
 


 
   “Of course,” she said.
   “These,” he said quietly, “are not the original symbols for male and female. Many people incorrectly assume the male symbol is derived from a shield and spear, while the female symbol represents a mirror reflecting beauty. In fact, the symbols originated as ancient astronomical symbols for the planetgod Mars and planetgoddess Venus. The original symbols are far simpler.” Langdon drew another icon on the paper.
 


 
   “This symbol is the original icon for male,” he told her. “A rudimentary phallus.”
   “Quite to the point,” Sophie said.
   “As it were,” Teabing added.
   Langdon went on. “This icon is formally known as the blade, and it represents aggression and manhood. In fact, this exact phallus symbol is still used today on modern military uniforms to denote rank.”
   “Indeed.” Teabing grinned. “The more penises you have, the higher your rank. Boys will be boys.”
   Langdon winced. “Moving on, the female symbol, as you might imagine, is the exact opposite.” He drew another symbol on the page. “This is called the chalice.”
 


 
   Sophie glanced up, looking surprised.
   Langdon could see she had made the connection. “The chalice,” he said, “resembles a cup or vessel, and more important, it resembles the shape of a woman’s womb. This symbol communicates femininity, womanhood, and fertility.” Langdon looked directly at her now. “Sophie, legend tells us the Holy Grail is a chalice—a cup. But the Grail’s description as a chalice is actually an allegory to protect the true nature of the Holy Grail. That is to say, the legend uses the chalice as a metaphor for something far more important.”
   “A woman,” Sophie said.
   “Exactly.” Langdon smiled. “The Grail is literally the ancient symbol for womanhood, and the Holy Grail represents the sacred feminine and the goddess, which of course has now been lost, virtually eliminated by the Church. The power of the female and her ability to produce life was once very sacred, but it posed a threat to the rise of the predominantly male Church, and so the sacred feminine was demonized and called unclean. It was man, not God, who created the concept of ‘original sin,’ whereby Eve tasted of the apple and caused the downfall of the human race. Woman, once the sacred giver of life, was now the enemy.”
   “I should add,” Teabing chimed, “that this concept of woman as lifebringer was the foundation of ancient religion. Childbirth was mystical and powerful. Sadly, Christian philosophy decided to embezzle the female’s creative power by ignoring biological truth and making man the Creator. Genesis tells us that Eve was created from Adam’s rib. Woman became an offshoot of man. And a sinful one at that. Genesis was the beginning of the end for the goddess.”
   “The Grail,” Langdon said, “is symbolic of the lost goddess. When Christianity came along, the old pagan religions did not die easily. Legends of chivalric quests for the lost Grail were in fact stories of forbidden quests to find the lost sacred feminine. Knights who claimed to be “searching for the chalice” were speaking in code as a way to protect themselves from a Church that had subjugated women, banished the Goddess, burned nonbelievers, and forbidden the pagan reverence for the sacred feminine.”
   Sophie shook her head. “I’m sorry, when you said the Holy Grail was a person, I thought you meant it was an actual person.”
   “It is,” Langdon said.
   “And not just any person,” Teabing blurted, clambering excitedly to his feet. “A woman who carried with her a secret so powerful that, if revealed, it threatened to devastate the very foundation of Christianity!”
   Sophie looked overwhelmed. “Is this woman well known in history?”
   “Quite.” Teabing collected his crutches and motioned down the hall. “And if we adjourn to the study, my friends, it would be my honor to show you Da Vinci’s painting of her.”

* * *
 
   Two rooms away, in the kitchen, manservant Remy Legaludec stood in silence before a television. The news station was broadcasting photos of a man and woman… the same two individuals to whom Remy had just served tea.

Chapter 57

   Standing at the roadblock outside the Depository Bank of Zurich, Lieutenant Collet wondered what was taking Fache so long to come up with the search warrant. The bankers were obviously hiding something. They claimed Langdon and Neveu had arrived earlier and were turned away from the bank because they did not have proper account identification.
   So why won’t they let us inside for a look?
   Finally, Collet’s cellular phone rang. It was the command post at the Louvre. “Do we have a search warrant yet?” Collet demanded.
   “Forget about the bank, Lieutenant,” the agent told him. “We just got a tip. We have the exact location where Langdon and Neveu are hiding.”
   Collet sat down hard on the hood of his car. “You’re kidding.”
   “I have an address in the suburbs. Somewhere near Versailles.”
   “Does Captain Fache know?”
   “Not yet. He’s busy on an important call.”
   “I’m on my way. Have him call as soon as he’s free.” Collet took down the address and jumped in his car. As he peeled away from the bank, Collet realized he had forgotten to ask who had tipped DCPJ off to Langdon’s location. Not that it mattered. Collet had been blessed with a chance to redeem his skepticism and earlier blunders. He was about to make the most highprofile arrest of his career.
   Collet radioed the five cars accompanying him. “No sirens, men. Langdon can’t know we’re coming.”


* * *

   Forty kilometers away, a black Audi pulled off a rural road and parked in the shadows on the edge of a field. Silas got out and peered through the rungs of the wroughtiron fence that encircled the vast compound before him. He gazed up the long moonlit slope to the chateau in the distance.
   The downstairs lights were all ablaze. Odd for this hour, Silas thought, smiling. The information the Teacher had given him was obviously accurate. I will not leave this house without the keystone, he vowed. I will not fail the bishop and the Teacher.
   Checking the thirteenround clip in his Heckler Koch, Silas pushed it through the bars and let it fall onto the mossy ground inside the compound. Then, gripping the top of the fence, he heaved himself up and over, dropping to the ground on the other side. Ignoring the slash of pain from his cilice, Silas retrieved his gun and began the long trek up the grassy slope.