The Da Vinci Code Chapter 98-99

CHAPTER 98Langdon and Sophie moved slowly cut the northernmost aisle, musical accompani menting to the shadows underside the ample pillars that separated it from the open nave. contempt having travelled more than than halfway down the nave, they still had no derive prognosis of Newtons tomb. The sarcophagus was recessed in a niche, obscured from this oblique angle.At to the lowest degree at that places null everyw here(predicate) on that point, Sophie whispered.Langdon nodded, relieved. The entire section of the nave burn down Newtons tomb was deserted. Ill go over, he whispered. You should stay hidden just in case some atomic number 53 Sophie had already stepped from the shadows and was headed across the open floor. is watching, Langdon sighed, hurrying to join her. Crossing the massive nave on a diagonal, Langdon and Sophie stay oned silent as the elaborate sepulchre cracked itself in cod increments a black-marble sarcophagus a reclining statue of Newton two win ged boys a Brobdingnagian pyramid and an enormous orb.Did you k instanter close that? Sophie said, sounding startled. Langdon shake his head, as well surprised. Those look homogeneous cons describeations carved on it, Sophie said.As they approached the niche, Langdon entangle a slow sinking sensation. Newtons tomb was coveredwith orbs stars, comets, planets. You seek the orb that ought be on his tomb? It could turn knocked bulge bug forbidden(p) to be kindred trying to escort a missing blade of grass on a play course.Astronomical bodies, Sophie said, sounding concerned. And a lot of them.Langdon frowned. The solitary(prenominal) link amid the planets and the grail that Langdon could imagine was the pentacle of Venus, and he had already tried the give-and-take Venus en route to the Temple perform.Sophie moved directly to the sarcophagus, but Langdon hung back a few feet, keeping an eye on the abbey just roughly them.Divinity,Sophie said, tilting her head and read ing the titles of the books on which Newton was leaning. Chronology.Opticks.Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica? She turn tohim. Ring every bells?Langdon stepped closer, considering it. Principia Mathematica, as I remember, has something to do with the gravitation pull of planets which admittedly be orbs, but it seems a little faraway-fetched.How about the signs of the zodiac? Sophie asked, pointing to the constellations on the orb. You were talk about Pisces and Aquarius earlier, werent you?The End of Days, Langdon thought. The turn back of Pisces and the beginning of Aquarius was allegedly the historical marker at which the Priory planned to absolve the Sangreal documents to the world. But the millennium came and went without incident, leaving historians un authorized when the verity was coming.It seems possible, Sophie said, that the Priorys plans to reveal the truth might be related to the last line of the poem.It speaks of move up-cheeked flesh and seeded womb.L angdon felt a shiver of potential. He had non considered the line that way before.You told me earlier, she said, that the timing of the Priorys plans to unveil the truth about the Rose and her strong womb was linked directly to the position of planets orbs.Langdon nodded, intuitive feelinging the first silly wisps of possibility materializing. evening so, his intuition told him astronomy was non the key. The Grand Masters preceding(prenominal) solutions had all possessed an eloquent, symbolic significance the Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks, SOFIA. This eloquence was unimpeachably lacking in the concept of planetary orbs and the zodiac. Thus far, Jacques Sauniere had proven himself a meticulous code writer, and Langdon had to believe that his final pass battle cry those five letter that unlocked the Priorys ultimate secret would prove to be not however symbolically fitting but also crystal clear. If this solution were anything like the differents, it would be pain ad epty perspicuous once it dawned.Look Sophie gasped, jarring his thoughts as she grabbed his arm. From the fear in her touch Langdon sensed someone must be approaching, but when he sour to her, she was thoroughgoing(a) aghast at the pass off of the black marble sarcophagus. Someone was here, she whispered, pointing to a spot on the sarcophagus near Newtons outstretched right foot.Langdon did not understand her concern. A c areless touring car had left-hand(a) a charcoal, grave-rubbing pencil on the sarcophagus lid near Newtons foot. Its nothing.Langdon reached out to pick it up, but as he leaned toward the sarcophagus, the light shifted on the exquisite black-marble slab, andLangdon froze. Suddenly, he maxim why Sophie was afraid.Scrawled on the sarcophagus lid, at Newtons feet, shimmered a besides visible charcoal-pencil messageI feel Teabing. Go by means of Chapter House, out south exit, to public garden.Langdon read the words twice, his heart pounding wildly. Sophie tu rned and scanned the nave. Despite the pall of trepidation that coiftled over him upon seeing the words, Langdon told himself this was superb news. Leigh is still alive.There was another implication here too. They dont know the countersignature either, he whispered.Sophie nodded. Otherwise why make their presence known? They whitethorn wishing to trade Leigh for the password. Or its a trap.Langdon shook his head. I dont think so. The garden is outside the abbey walls. A very public place. Langdon had once called the abbeys famous College tend a littler harvest- foot orchard and herb garden left over from the days when monks grew natural pharmacological remedies here. Boasting the oldest living fruit trees in Great Britain, College Garden was a popular spot for tourists to visit without having to enter the abbey. I think sending us outside is a envision of faith. So we feel safe.Sophie looked dubious. You mean outside, where at that place are no metal detectors? Langdon s cowled. She had a point. Gazing back at the orb-filled tomb, Langdon wished he had some idea about the cryptex password something with which to negotiate. I got Leigh tortuous in this, and Ill do whatsoever it takes if there is a chance to garter him.The note says to go through the Chapter House to the south exit, Sophie said. Maybe from the exit we would gather in a imbibe of the garden? That way we could assess the situation before we walked out there and exposed ourselves to any danger?The idea was a straightforward one. Langdon vaguely recalled the Chapter House as a huge octagonal hall where the current British fantan convened in the days before the modern Parliament building existed. It had been years since he had been there, but he remembered it being out through the cloister somewhere. Taking several steps back from the tomb, Langdon peered most the choir screen to his right, across the nave to the side opposite that which they had descended.A gawk vaulted passage way stood nearby, with a sizeable sign.THIS WAY TOCLOISTERSDEANERYCOLLEGE abidanceMUSEUMPYX CHAMBERST. FAITHS CHAPELCHAPTER HOUSELangdon and Sophie were jogging as they passed down the stairs the sign, moving too quickly to notice the small announcement apologizing that certain areas were closed for renovations.They emerged immediately into a high-walled, open-roof tribunal through which morning precipitate was falling. Above them, the wind howled across the opening with a low drone, like someone blowing over the mouth of a bottle. Entering the narrow, low-hanging walkways that bordered the courtyard perimeter, Langdon felt the familiar uneasiness he always felt in enclosed spaces. These walkways were called cloisters, and Langdon noted with uneasiness that these particular cloisters lived up to their Latin ties to the word claustrophobic.Focusing his mind straight ahead toward the end of the tunnel, Langdon followed the signs for the Chapter House. The rain was tongue now, an d the walkway was dusty and damp with gusts of rain that blew through the lone(prenominal) pillared wall that was the cloisters only source of light. Another couple scurried past them the other way, hurrying to get out of the worsening weather. The cloisters looked deserted now, admittedly the abbeys l einsteinium enticing section in the wind and rain.Forty yards down the east cloister, an archway materialized on their left, giving way to another hallway. Although this was the entrance they were looking for, the opening was cordoned off by a plunder and an official-looking sign.CLOSED FOR servicePYX CHAMBERST. FAITHS CHAPELCHAPTER HOUSEThe long, deserted corridor beyond the swag was littered with scaffolding and drop cloths. Immediately beyond the swag, Langdon could see the entrances to the pyx Chamber and St. Faiths Chapel on the right and left. The entrance to the Chapter House, however, was much far away, at the far end of the long hallway. Even from here, Langdon could see that its great(p) wooden verge was wide open, and the spacious octagonal interior was bathed in a grayish natural light from the rooms enormous windows that looked out on College Garden. Go through Chapter House, outsouth exit, to public garden.We just left the east cloister, Langdon said, so the south exit to the garden must be through there and to the right.Sophie was already stepping over the swag and moving forward.As they hurried down the dark corridor, the sounds of the wind and rain from the open cloister faded behind them. The Chapter House was a kind of satellite structure a disjoined annex at the end of the long hallway to ensure the privateness of the Parliament proceedings housed there.It looks huge, Sophie whispered as they approached.Langdon had forgotten just how large this room was. Even from outside the entrance, he could gaze across the wide expanse of floor to the breathtaking windows on the far side of the octagon, which rose five stories to a vaulted ceiling . They would certainly nominate a clear view of the garden from in here.Crossing the threshold, both Langdon and Sophie arrange themselves having to squint. after(prenominal) the gloomy cloisters, the Chapter House felt like a solarium. They were a full(a) ten feet into the room, prying the south wall, when they realized the door they had been promised was not there.They were rest in an enormous dead end.The creaking of a heavy door behind them do them turn, just as the door closed with a resounding thud and the latch fell into place.The lone reality who had been stand behind the door looked calm as he aimed a small revolver at them. He was portly and was propped on a yoke of aluminum crutches.For a s Langdon thought he must be dreaming.It was Leigh Teabing. CHAPTER 99Sir Leigh Teabing felt rueful as he gazed out over the barrel of his Medusa revolver at Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. My friends, he said, since the moment you walked into my al-Qaida last night, I have done everything in my power to keep you out of harms way. But your persistence has now put me in a difficult position.He could see the expressions of shock and betrayal on Sophies and Langdons faces, and heretofore he was confident that soon they would both understand the chain of events that had control the three of them to this unlikely crossroads.There is so much I have to tell you both so much you do not save understand.Please believe, Teabing said, I neer had any intention of your being involved. You came to my home. You came searching for me.Leigh? Langdon finally managed. What the hell are you doing? We thought you were in trouble. We came here to help youAs I trusted you would, he said. We have much to discuss.Langdon and Sophie seemed uneffective to tear their stunned gazes from the revolver aimed at them.It is simply to ensure your full attention, Teabing said. If I had wanted to harm you, you would be dead by now. When you walked into my home last night, I risked ev erything to spare your lives. I am a man of honor, and I vowed in my deepest conscience only to sacrifice those who had betrayed the Sangreal.What are you talking about? Langdon said. Betrayed the Sangreal?I discovered a terrible truth, Teabing said, sighing. I knowledgeable why the Sangreal documents were never revealed to the world. I well-read that the Priory had decided not to release the truth after all. Thats why the millennium passed without any revelation, why nothing happened as we entered the End of Days.Langdon drew a breath, about to protest.The Priory, Teabing continued, was given a sacred charge to share the truth. To release the Sangreal documents when the End of Days arrived. For centuries, men like Da Vinci, Botticelli, and Newton risked everything to treasure the documents and film out that charge. And now, at the ultimate moment of truth, Jacques Sauniere changed his mind. The man honored with the greatest responsibility in Christian bill eschewed his duty. H e decided the time was not right. Teabing turned to Sophie. He failed the grail. He failed the Priory. And he failed the memory of all the generations that had worked to make that moment possible.You? Sophie declared, glancing up now, her green eyes boring into him with rage and realization. You are the one responsible for my grampss murder?Teabing scoffed. Your grandfather and his senechaux were traitors to the Grail. Sophie felt a fury climb from deep within. Hes lyingTeabings voice was relentless. Your grandfather sold out to the Church. It is obvious they pressured him to keep the truth quiet.Sophie shook her head. The Church had no influence on my grandfatherTeabing laughed coldly. My dear, the Church has two thousand years of experience pressuring those who exist to unveil its lies. Since the days of Constantine, the Church has successfully hidden the truth about Mary Magdalene and Jesus. We should not be surprised that now, once again, they have arrange a way to keep the world in the dark. The Church may no longer employ crusaders to slaughter non-believers, but their influence is no less persuasive. No less insidious. He paused, as if to punctuate his succeeding(prenominal) point. Miss Neveu, for some time now your grandfather has wanted to tell you the truth about your family.Sophie was stunned. How could you know that?My methods are immaterial. The important thing for you to clutch bag right now is this. He took a deep breath. The deaths of your mother, father, grandmother, and brother were not accidental.The words move Sophies emotions reeling. She unresolved her mouth to speak but was unable. Langdon shook his head. What are you saying?Robert, it explains everything. All the pieces fit. History repeats itself. The Church has a common law of murder when it comes to silencing the Sangreal. With the End of Days imminent, cleanup the Grand Masters honord ones sent a very clear message. Be quiet, or you and Sophie are coterminous.It was a ca r accident, Sophie stammered, feeling the childhood pain welling inside her. An accidentBedtime stories to protect your innocence, Teabing said. Consider that only two family members went untouched the Priorys Grand Master and his lone granddaughter the ideal pair to provide the Church with control over the brotherhood. I can only imagine the terror the Church wielded over your grandfather these past years, threatening to kill you if he dared release the Sangreal secret, threatening to closing curtain the job they started unless Sauniere influenced the Priory to reconsider its ancient vow.Leigh, Langdon argued, now visibly riled, certainly you have no proof that the Church had anything to do with those deaths, or that it influenced the Priorys decision to remain silent.Proof? Teabing fired back. You want proof the Priory was influenced? The new millennium has arrived, and all the same the world remains analphabetic Is that not proof enough?In the echoes of Teabings words, Soph ie heard another voice speaking. Sophie, I must tell you the truth about your family.She realized she was trembling. Could this possibly be that truth her grandfather had wanted to tell her? That her family had been murdered? What did she truly know about the crash that took her family? only(prenominal) sketchy details. Even the stories in the newspaper had been vague. An accident? Bedtime stories? Sophie flashed suddenly on her grandfathers over protectiveness, how he never liked to leave her alone when she was young. Even when Sophie was grown and away at university, she had the sense her grandfather was watching over. She wondered if there had been Priory members in the shadows throughout her entire life, looking after her.You suspected he was being manipulated, Langdon said, glaring with disbelief at Teabing. So you murdered him?I did not pull the trigger, Teabing said. Sauniere was dead years ago, when the Church stole his family from him. He was compromised. Now he is free of that pain, released from the shame caused by his inability to carry out his sacred duty. Consider the alternative. Something had to be done. Shall the world be ignorant forever? Shall the Church be allowed to cement its lies into our history books for all timeless existence? Shall the Church be permitted to influence indefinitely with murder and extortion? No, something indispensablenessed to be done And now we are poised to carry out Saunieres legacy and right a terrible wrong. He paused. The three of us. Together.Sophie felt only incredulity. How could you possibly believe that we would help you?Because, my dear, you are the reason the Priory failed to release the documents. Your grandfathers love for you prevented him from challenging the Church. His fear of reprisal against his only remain family crippled him. He never had a chance to explain the truth because you rejected him, tying his pass, reservation him wait. Now you owe the world the truth. You owe it to the memory of your grandfather.Robert Langdon had given up trying to get his bearings. Despite the torrent of questions running through his mind, he knew only one thing mattered now getting Sophie out of here alive. All the guilt Langdon had mistakenly felt earlier for involving Teabing had now been transferred to Sophie.I took her to Chateau Villette. I am responsible.Langdon could not fathom that Leigh Teabing would be capable of killing them in cold blood herein the Chapter House, and yet Teabing certainly had been involved in killing others during his misguided quest. Langdon had the uneasy feeling that gunshots in this secluded, thick-walled sleeping accommodation would go unheard, especially in this rain. And Leigh just admitted his guilt to us.Langdon glanced at Sophie, who looked shaken. The Church murdered Sophies family to silence the Priory? Langdon felt certain the modern Church did not murder people. There had to be some other explanation. Let Sophie leave, Langdon declared, st aring(a) at Leigh. You and I should discuss this alone. Teabing gave an unnatural laugh. Im afraid that is one show of faith I cannot afford. I can, however, offer you this. He propped himself fully on his crutches, gracelessly keeping the gunaimed at Sophie, and removed the samara from his pocket. He swayed a bit as he held it out for Langdon. A token of trust, Robert.Robert felt wary and didnt move. Leigh is giving the keystone back to us?Take it, Teabing said, push it awkwardly toward Langdon.Langdon could imagine only one reason Teabing would give it back. You opened it already. You removed the map.Teabing was shaking his head. Robert, if I had solved the keystone, I would have disappeared to limit the Grail myself and kept you uninvolved. No, I do not know the answer. And I can admit that freely. A true knight learns humility in the face of the Grail. He learns to obey the signs placed before him. When I saw you enter the abbey, I understood. You were here for a reason. To h elp. I am not looking for singular glory here. I serve a far greater master than my own pride. The Truth. Mankind deserves to know that truth. The Grail found us all, and now she is begging to be revealed. We must work together.Despite Teabings pleas for cooperation and trust, his gun remained trained on Sophie as Langdon stepped forward and accepted the cold marble cylinder. The vinegar inside gurgled as Langdon grasped it and stepped backward. The dials were still in haphazard order, and the cryptex remained locked.Langdon eyed Teabing. How do you know I wont smash it right now?Teabings laugh was an eerie chortle. I should have realized your threat to run short it in the Temple Church was an empty one. Robert Langdon would never break the keystone. You are an historian, Robert. You are holding the key to two thousand years of history the lost key to the Sangreal. You can feel the souls of all the knights burned at the stake to protect her secret. Would you have them die in vain ? No, you leave behind vindicate them. You will join the ranks of the great men you admire Da Vinci, Botticelli, Newton each of whom would have been honored to be in your garment right now. The contents of the keystone are crying out to us. disposition to be set free. The time has come. Destiny has led us to this moment.I cannot help you, Leigh. I have no idea how to open this. I only saw Newtons tomb for a moment. And even if I knew the password Langdon paused, realizing he had said too much.You would not tell me? Teabing sighed. I am disappointed and surprised, Robert, that you do not appreciate the extent to which you are in my debt. My task would have been far simpler had Remy and I eliminated you both when you walked into Chateau Villette. Instead I risked everything to take the nobler course.This is noble? Langdon demanded, eyeing the gun.Saunieres fault, Teabing said. He and his senechaux lied to Silas. Otherwise, I would have obtained the keystone without complication. How was I to imagine the Grand Master would go to such ends to rat me and bequeath the keystone to an estranged granddaughter? Teabing looked at Sophie with disdain. Someone so cool to hold this knowledge that she required a symbologist baby-sitter. Teabing glanced back at Langdon. Fortunately, Robert, your social function turned out to be my saving grace. Rather than the keystone remaining locked in the depository bank forever, you extracted it and walked into my home.Where else would I run? Langdon thought. The community of Grail historians is small, and Teabing and I have a history together.Teabing now looked smug. When I learned Sauniere left you a dying message, I had a pretty good idea you were holding valuable Priory information. Whether it was the keystone itself, or information on where to find it, I was not sure. But with the natural law on your heels, I had a sneaking suspicion you might arrive on my doorstep. Langdon glared. And if we had not? I was formulating a pla n to extend you a helping hand. unity way or another, the keystone was coming to Chateau Villette. The fact that you delivered it into my waiting hands only serves as proof that my cause is just.What Langdon was appalled.Silas was supposed to break in and steal the keystone from you in Chateau Villette thus removing you from the equation without hurting you, and exonerating me from any suspicion of complicity. However, when I saw the intricacy of Saunieres codes, I decided to take on you both in my quest a bit longer. I could have Silas steal the keystone later, once I knew enough to carry on alone.The Temple Church, Sophie said, her tone awash with betrayal.Light begins to dawn, Teabing thought. The Temple Church was the perfect location to steal the keystone from Robert and Sophie, and its apparent relevance to the poem made it a plausible decoy. Remys orders had been clear stay out of sight epoch Silas recovers the keystone. Unfortunately, Langdons threat to smash the keysto ne on the chapel floor had caused Remy to panic. If only Remy had not revealed himself, Teabing thought ruefully, recalling his own mock kidnapping. Remy was the sole link to me, and he showed his faceFortunately, Silas remained unaware of Teabings true identity and was easily fooled into taking him from the church service and then watching naively as Remy pretended to tie their guarantor in the back of the limousine. With the soundproof divider raised, Teabing was able to phone Silas in the front seat, use the fake French accent of the Teacher, and direct Silas to go straight to Opus Dei. A simple anonymous tip to the police was all it would take to remove Silas from the picture.One loose end laced up.The other loose end was harder. Remy.Teabing struggled deeply with the decision, but in the end Remy had proven himself a liability. Every Grail quest requires sacrifice.The cleanest solution had been staring Teabing in the face from the limousines wet bar a flask, some cognac, an d a can of peanuts. The powder at the bottom of the can would be more than enough to trigger Remys deadly allergy. When Remy parked the limo on knight Guards Parade, Teabing climbed out of the back, walked to the side passenger door, and sat in the front next to Remy. Minutes later, Teabing got out of the car, climbed into the rear again, cleaned up the evidence, and finally emerged to carry out the final phase of his mission.Westminster Abbey had been a short walk, and although Teabings leg brace, crutches, and gun had set off the metal detector, the rent-a-cops never knew what to do. Do we ask him to remove his braces and crawl through? Do we frisk his deformed body? Teabing presented the comport guards a far easier solution an embossed card identifying him as entitle of the Realm. The poor fellows practically tripped over one another ushering him in.Now, eyeing the bewildered Langdon and Neveu, Teabing resisted the cheer up to reveal how he had brilliantly implicated Opus D ei in the bandage that would soon bring about the demise of the entire Church. That would have to wait. dependable now there was work to do.Mes amis,Teabing declared in flawless French, vous ne trouvez pas le Saint-Graal, cest leSaint-Graal qui vous trouve. He smiled. Our paths together could not be more clear. The Grail has found us. Silence. He intercommunicate to them in a whisper now. Listen. batch you hear it? The Grail is speaking to us across the centuries. She is begging to be saved from the Priorys folly. I implore you both to recognize this opportunity. There could not possibly be three more capable people assembled at this moment to break the final code and open the cryptex. Teabing paused, his eyes alight. We need to maintain an oath together. A pledge of faith to one another. A knights allegiance to uncover the truth and make it known.Sophie stared deep into Teabings eyes and spoke in a steely tone. I will never swear an oath with my grandfathers murderer. Except a n oath that I will see you go to prison.Teabings heart turned grave, then resolute. I am sorry you feel that way, mademoiselle. He turned and aimed the gun at Langdon. And you, Robert? Are you with me, or against me?