not yet convinced. Is Peter Solomon one of those people? Sato asked, glancing toward the hand on the floor. Langdon could not bring himself to look at the hand. Peter comes from a family lineage that has always had a passion for all things ancient and mystical. Was that a yes? Sato canada goose montebello asked. I can assure you that even if Peter be canada goose montebello lieves the Ancient Mysteries are real, he does not believe they are accessible through some kind of portal hidden in Washington, D.C. He understands metaphorical symbolism, which is something his captor apparently does not. Sato nodded. So you believe this portal is a metaphor. Of course, Langdon said. In theory, anyway. Its a very common metaphora mystical portal through which one must travel to become enlightened. Portals and doorways are common symbolic constructs
checked the mirror to make sure he had not smeared his makeup. Malakh was not about canada goose montebello to take any chances. Not tonight. I have waited too long for this. Seconds later, Malakh was stepping into the private elevator. The ride to the top was silent and smooth. When the door opened, he found himself in an elegant, private foyer. His host was already waiting. Dr. Abaddon, welcome. canada goose montebello Malakh looked into the mans famous gray eyes and felt his heart begin to race. Mr. Solomon, I appreciate your seeing me. Please, call me Peter. The two men shook hands. As Malakh gripped the older mans palm, he saw the gold Masonic ring on Solomons hand . . . the same hand that had once aimed a gun at Malakh. A voice whispered from Malakhs distant past. If you pull that trigger, I will haunt you forever. Please come in,
advanced into the chamber, unsnapping his shoulder holster as he came. He gave his gun to Sato, who immediately aimed it at Langdon. Langdon watched as if in a canada goose montebello dream. This cannot be happening. Anderson now came to Langdon and removed the daybag from his shoulder, carrying it over to the desk and setting it on the chair. He unzipped the bag, propped it open, and then hoisted the heavy stone pyramid off the desk and into the bag, along with Langdons notes and the tiny package. Suddenly there was a rustle of movement in the hallway. A dark outline of a man materialized in the doorway, rushing into the chamber and approaching fast behind Anderson. The chief never saw him coming. In an instant, the stranger had lowered h canada goose montebello is shoulder and crashed into Andersons back. The chief launched forward,
moved only as far as the threshold and then stuck the flashlight through the opening, swinging it to the left, and then to the Powerful hands seized his wrist and yanked him into the blackness. The guard felt himself being spun around by an invisible force. He canada goose montebello smelled ethanol. The flashlight flew out of his hand, and before he could even process what was happening, a rock-hard fist collided with his sternum. The guard crumpled to the cement floor . . . groaning in pain as a large black form stepped away from him. The guard lay on his side, gasping and wheezing for breath. His flashlight lay nearby, its beam spilling across the floor and illuminating what appeared to be a metal can of some sort. The cans label said it was fuel oil for a Bunsen burner. A cigarette lighter sparked, and canada goose montebello the
Kather canada goose montebello ine stepped behind the desk and powered up the computer. When the machine finally came to life, she realized she had another problem. Theres no icon for a browser. Its an internal library network. Langdon pointed to an icon on the desktop. Try that. Katherine clicked on the icon marked DIGITAL COLLECTIONS. The computer accessed a new screen, and Langdon pointed again. Katherine clicked on his choice of icon: FINE PRINTS COLLECTION. The screen refreshed. FINE PRINTS: SEARCH. Type in ‘Albrecht Dürer. Katherine entered the name and then clicked the search key. Within seconds, the screen began displaying a series of thumbnail images. All of the images looked to be similar in styleintricate black-and-white engravings. Dürer had apparently done dozens of similar engravings. Kath canada goose montebello erine
bowl contained one inch of thick crimson liquid. The liquid was Peter Solomons blood. Blood is the tincture of eternity. Malakh picked up the quill pen, placed his left hand on the vellum, and dipping the quill tip in the blood, he carefully traced the outline of his open palm. When he was done, he added the five symbols of the An canada goose montebello cient Mysteries, one on each fingertip of the drawing. The crown . . . to represent the king I s canada goose montebello hall become. The star . . . to represent the heavens which have ordained my destiny. The sun . . . to represent the illumination of my soul. The lantern . . . to represent the feeble light of human understanding. And the key . . . to represent the missing piece, that which tonight I shall at last possess. Malakh completed his blood tracing and held up the vellum,
here for at least twenty minutes. On Satos command, the pilot performed a touch-hover on the roof of the tallest building aroundthe renowned One Franklin Squarea towering and prestigious office building with two gold spires on top. The maneuver was illegal, of course, but the chopper was there only a few seconds, an canada goose montebello d its skids barely t canada goose montebello ouched the gravel rooftop. Once everyone had jumped out, the pilot immediately lifted off, banking to the east, where he would climb to silent altitude and provide invisible support from above. Sato waited as her field team collected their things and prepared Bellamy for his task. The Architect was still looking dazed from having seen the file on Satos secure laptop. As I said . . . an issue of national security. Bellamy had quickly understood Satos meaning
Intellectually, Katherines brain recognized the man in the chair. Emotionally, her mind could barely accept what she was looking at. Peter? She didnt know whether to be overjoyed that her brother was alive . . . or utterly horrified. Peters body had been shaved smooth. His mane of thick silver hair canada goose montebello was all gone, as were his eyebrows, and his smooth skin glistened as if it had been oiled. He wore a blac canada goose montebello k silk gown. Where his right hand should have been, he had only a stump, wrapped in a clean, fresh bandage. Her brothers pain-laden eyes reached out to hers, filled with regret and sorrow. Peter! Her voice cracked. Her brother tried to speak but made only muffled, guttural noises. Katherine now realized he was bound to the wheelchair and had been gagged. The tattooed man reached down and