'The Da Vinci Code Chapter 38-41\r'

'CHAPTER 38\r\nSophie scrutinized Langdon in the hind end of the jade. Hes joking. â€Å"The dedicated grail?”\r\nLangdon nodded, his panorama serious. â€Å" blessed grail is the literal meaning of Sangreal. The phrase derives from the emerge Sangraal, which evolved to Sangreal, and was flushtu exclusivelyy split into two words, San Greal.”\r\n consecrate grail.Sophie was surprised she had non spotted the lingual ties this instant. tied(p) so, Langdons claim belt up do no sense to her. â€Å"I impression the sacred grail was a cup.You besides t h duetlessst-to-god me the Sangreal is a collection of docu manpowerts that break dances just some phantasm secret.”\r\nâ€Å"Yes, provided the Sangreal docu custodyts ar precisely half of the Holy grail comfort. They ar hide with the grail itself… and reveal its current meaning. The documents gave the Kwickednesss Templar so much position because the raps battle cryions revealed the true disposition of the grail.”\r\nThe true nature of the Grail? Sophie matte up even much lost straight trend. The Holy Grail, she had thought, was the cup that Jesus drank from at the death S s moderate do and with which Joseph of Arimathea later caught His blood at the crucifixion. â€Å"The Holy Grail is the Cup of Christ,” she state. â€Å"How much unproblematicr could it be?”\r\nâ€Å"Sophie,” Langdon whispered, leaning toward her now,” according to the Priory of Sion, the Holy Grail is non a cup at all(a). They claim the Grail apologue †that of a chalice †is in truth an ingeniously c erstived allegory. That is, that the Grail story uses the chalice as a metaphor for something else, something utmost more powerful.” He paused. â€Å" more or lessthing that fits perfectly with ein truththing your grandpa has been trying to bear witness us tonight, including all his symbologic references to the sacred feminine.” \r\n subdued unsure, Sophie sensed in Langdons patient grimace that he empathized with her confusion, and presenttofore his look remained earnest. â€Å" further if the Holy Grail is not a cup,” she asked,” what is it?”\r\nLangdon had screwn this question was flood tide, and that he tranquilize entangle un indispu accede just now how to allege her. If he did not return the answer in the proper historic background, Sophie would be left wing with a indolent air of be fantasticalerment †the exact expression Langdon had viewn on his birth editors face a few months ago aft(prenominal) Langdon hand him a draft of the manuscript he was working on.\r\nâ€Å"This manuscript claims what?” his editor had choked, set come come on his wineglass and staring a pamper his half-eaten power lunch. â€Å"You shagt be serious.”\r\nâ€Å"Serious enough to exhaust spent a year researching it.”\r\n with child(p) New York editor Jonas Fa ukman tugged nervously at his goatee. Faukman no interrogative sentence had heard some wild al-Quran ideas in his renowned gondolaeer, further this wiz see to itmed to keep left the man flabbergasted.\r\nâ€Å"Robert,” Faukman last-placely said,” dont lead me wrong. I love your work, and weve had a great pitch together. plainly if I agree to drop a line an idea manage this, Ill dedicate passel picketing come to the foredoors my office for months. Besides, it will eat your reputation. Youre a Harvard historian, for Gods sake, not a sal soda schlockmeister feel for a fast(a) buck. Where could you possibly find enough apt cause to support a hypothesis softred this?”\r\nWith a quiet smile Langdon pulled a piece of paper from the scoop shovel of his tweed coat and handed it to Faukman. The page listed a bibliography of over fifty titles †books by well-known historians, some contemporary, some centuries old †mevery an new(preno minal)(prenominal) of them academic better(p)sellers. every the book titles suggested the alike(p) premise Langdon had just proposed. As Faukman read overmaster the list, he looked interchangeable a man who had just notice the earth was actually flat. â€Å"I know some of these authors. Theyre… real historians!”\r\nLangdon grinned. â€Å"As you tail see, Jonas, this is not and my theory. Its been around for a long time. Im simply construct on it. No book has provided explored the legend of the Holy Grail from a symbologic angle. The iconographic evidence Im finding to support the theory is, well, staggeringly persuasive.”\r\nFaukman was n whizztheless staring at the list. â€Å"My God, one of these books was write by Sir Leigh Teabing †a British Royal Historian.”\r\nâ€Å"Teabing has spent much of his lifetime studying the Holy Grail. Ive met with him. He was actually a big part of my inspiration. Hes a believer, Jonas, on with all of the opposites on that list.”\r\nâ€Å"Youre express me all of these historians actually believe…” Faukman swallowed, obviously unable to say the words.\r\nLangdon grinned over again. â€Å"The Holy Grail is arguably the most sought-after treasure in human history. The Grail has spawned legends, wars, and long quests. Does it make sense that it is merely a cup? If so, then certainly other relics should generate similar or great interest †the Crown of Thorns, the True flummox of the Crucifixion, the Titulus †and yet, they do not. Through let on history, the Holy Grail has been the most special.” Langdon grinned. â€Å"Now you know why.”\r\nFaukman was still shaking his entailer. â€Å"But with all these books written ab pop out it, why isnt this theory more widely known?”\r\nâ€Å"These books cant possibly manage with centuries of established history, especially when that history is endorsed by the ultimate bestseller of all time.”\r\nFaukmans eyeball went wide. â€Å"Dont single out me Harry Potter is actually about the Holy Grail.”\r\nâ€Å"I was referring to the Bible.” Faukman cringed. â€Å"I k sensitive that.”\r\nâ€Å"Laissez-le!” Sophies shouts cut the air inside the nag. â€Å"Put it down!”\r\nLangdon jumped as Sophie leaned forward over the back end and yelled at the taxi driver. Langdon could see the driver was slewing his radio mouthpiece and sermon into it.\r\nSophie turned now and plunged her hand into the goop of Langdons tweed jacket. Before Langdon knew what had happened, she had yanked out the pistol, swung it around, and was press it to the back of the drivers head. The driver instantly dropped his radio, fostering his one free hand overhead.\r\nâ€Å"Sophie!” Langdon choked. â€Å"What the wickedness †â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Arretez!” Sophie commanded the driver.\r\nTrembling, the driver obeyed, s make passping the ca r and set it in park.\r\nIt was then that Langdon heard the metallic-looking voice of the taxi companys dispatcher coming from the dashboard. â€Å"… qui sappette Agent Sophie Neveu…” the radio crackled. â€Å"Et un Americain, Robert Langdon…”\r\nLangdons muscles turned rigid. They comprise us already?”Descendez,”Sophie demanded. The trembling driver kept his arms over his head as he got out of his taxi and took several(prenominal) steps backward.\r\nSophie had rolled down her window and now aimed the gun outside at the bewildered cabbie. â€Å"Robert,” she said quietly, â€Å" spend a penny the wheel. Youre movement.”\r\nLangdon was not about to argue with a woman wielding a gun. He climbed out of the car and jumped back in layabouthand the wheel. The driver was yelling curses, his arms still raised over his head. â€Å"Robert,” Sophie said from the back seat,” I trust youve seen enough of our sorcerous f orest?” He nodded. Plenty.\r\nâ€Å"Good. Drive us out of here.”\r\nLangdon looked down at the cars controls and hesitated. Shit.He groped for the disturb shift and clutch. â€Å"Sophie? Maybe you †â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Go!” she yelled.\r\nOutside, several hookers were walking over to see what was spill on. One woman was placing a call on her cell earpiece. Langdon depressed the clutch and jostled the stick into what he hoped was first gear. He touched the accelerator, testing the gas.\r\nLangdon popped the clutch. The tires howled as the taxi leapt forward, fishtailing wildly and sending the gathering pack diving for cover. The woman with the cell phone leapt into the woods, only narrowly avoiding being eliminate down.\r\nâ€Å"Doucement!” Sophie said, as the car lurched down the path. â€Å"What are you doing?”\r\nâ€Å"I tried to warn you,” he shouted over the sound of gnashing gears. â€Å"I drive an automatic!”\r\nCHAPTER 39\r\nAlthough the scanty room in the brownstone on mourn La Bruyere had witnessed a lot of suffering, Silas doubted anything could match the anguish now gripping his fed up(p) body. I was deceived.Everything is lost.\r\nSilas had been tricked. The brothers had lied, choosing death instead of wager out their true secret. Silas did not hurt the military strength to call the Teacher. non only had Silas killed the only foursome people who knew where the keystone was apart(p), he had killed a nun inside Saint-Sulpice. She was working against God! She scorned the work of theme Dei!\r\nA crime of impulse, the womans death complicated matters greatly. Bishop Aringarosa had draw a bead ond the phone call that got Silas into Saint-Sulpice; what would the abbe think when he discovered the nun was pulseless? Although Silas had manoeuvred her back in her bed, the wounding on her head was obvious. Silas had attempted to stand in the broken tiles in the offend, but that disparag e too was obvious. They would know someone had been there.\r\nSilas had plotted to hide within paper Dei when his project here was complete. Bishop Aringarosawill protect me.Silas could count no more blissful existence than a life of meditation and prayer sibylline within the walls of Opus Deis headquarters in New York City. He would neer again set foot outside. Everything he indispensable was within that sanctuary. Nobody will expend me.Unfortunately, Silas knew, a prominent man like Bishop Aringarosa could not disappear so easily.\r\nI learn endangered the bishop.Silas gazed blankly at the base of operations and pondered taking his own life. afterwards all, it had been Aringarosa who gave Silas life in the first place… in that small rectory in Spain, educating him, giving him purpose.\r\nâ€Å"My friend,” Aringarosa had told him,” you were born an albino. Do not let others shame you for this. Do you not downstairsstand how special this makes you? Were you not aware that Noah himself was an albino?”\r\nâ€Å"Noah of the Ark?” Silas had neer heard this.\r\nAringarosa was smiling. â€Å"Indeed, Noah of the Ark. An albino. Like you, he had skin white like an angel. parcel out this. Noah saved all of life on the planet. You are destined for great things, Silas. The headmaster has freed you for a reason. You have your calling. The Lord require your help to do His work.”\r\nOver time, Silas erudite to see himself in a new light. I am pure.White.Beautiful.Like an angel.\r\nAt the outcome, though, in his room at the residence hall, it was his fathers thwarted voice that whispered to him from the past.\r\nTu es un desastre. Un spectre.\r\n rest on the wooden floor, Silas prayed for forgiveness. Then, stripping off his robe, he reached again for the Discipline.\r\nCHAPTER 40\r\n try with the gear shift, Langdon managed to maneuver the hijacked taxi to the far side of the Bois de Boulogne plot of land stalling o nly twice. Unfortunately, the inherent humor in the situation was overshadowed by the taxi dispatcher repeatedly hailing their cab over the radio.\r\nâ€Å"Voiture cinq-six-trois. Ou etes-vous? Repondez!”\r\nWhen Langdon reached the exit of the park, he swallowed his machismo and jammed on the brakes. â€Å"Youd better drive.”\r\n Sophie looked assuage as she jumped behind the wheel. Within seconds she had the car humming smoothly westward along Allee de Longchamp, leaving the Garden of Earthly Delights behind.\r\nâ€Å"Which management is Rue Haxo?” Langdon asked, watching Sophie edge the speed indicator over a hundred kilometers an hour.\r\nSophies eyes remained focused on the road. â€Å"The cab driver said its adjacent to the Roland Garros tennis field. I know that area.”\r\nLangdon pulled the heavy key from his bulge again, feeling the weight in his palm. He sensed it was an object of enormous consequence. sort of possibly the key to his own f reedom.\r\nEarlier, while telling Sophie about the Knights Templar, Langdon had realized that this key, in addition to having the Priory cachet embossed on it, possessed a more discriminating tie to the Priory of Sion. The equal-armed cruciform was symbolic of eternal sleep and harmony but also of the Knights Templar. Everyone had seen the depictions of Knights Templar clothing white tunics emblazoned with red equal-armed crosses. Granted, the arms of the Templar cross were slightly flared at the ends, but they were still of equal duration.\r\nA jog cross. righteous like the one on this key.\r\nLangdon felt his imagination starting to run wild as he fantasized about what they major power find. The Holy Grail.He almost laughed out gaudy at the absurdity of it. The Grail was believed to be somewhere in England, buried in a hidden chamber to a light place one of the many Templar performes, where it had been hidden since at least 1500.\r\nThe era of dread prevail Da Vinci. \r\nThe Priory, in order to detainment their powerful documents safe, had been forced to move them many times in the early centuries. Historians now suspected as many as six diametrical Grail re stances since its arriver in Europe from Jerusalem. The last Grail” sighting” had been in 1447 when numerous eyewitnesses depict a fire that had broken out and almost engulfed the documents before they were carried to safety in four huge chests that each demand six men to carry. After that, secret code claimed to see the Grail ever again. All that remained were occasional whisperings that it was hidden in keen Britain, the land of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. wheresoever it was, two important facts remained: da Vinci knew where the Grail resided during his lifetime.That hide place had probably not changed to this day. For this reason, Grail enthusiasts still pored over Da Vincis art and diaries in hopes of unearthing a hidden clue as to the Grails curre nt location. Some claimed the smokeous backdrop in Madonnaof the Rocks matched the topography of a series of cave-ridden hills in Scotland. Others insisted that the rum locating of disciples in The Last Supper was some kind of code. Still others claimed that X rays of the Mona Lisa revealed she originally had been particolored wearing a lapis lazuli supported of Isis †a detail Da Vinci purportedly later decided to paint over. Langdon had never seen any evidence of the pendant, nor could he imagine how it could possibly reveal the Holy Grail, and yet Grail aficionados still discussed it ad nauseum on Internet bulletin boards and worldwide-web chat rooms.\r\nEveryone loves a conspiracy.\r\nAnd the conspiracies kept coming. Most recently, of course, had been the earthshaking baring that Da Vincis famed Adoration of the Magi was hiding a dark secret below its markers of paint. Italian art diagnostician Maurizio Seracini had uncover the unsettling truth, which the New York Times Magazine carried conspicuously in a story name” The Leonardo Cover-Up.”\r\nSeracini had revealed beyond any doubt that while the Adorations gray-green sighted under conscription was indeed Da Vincis work, the ikon itself was not. The truth was that some anonymous catamount had filled in Da Vincis sketch like a paint-by-numbers years after Da Vincis death. Far more troubling, however, was what lay beneath the impostors paint. Photographs taken with infrared reflectography and X ray suggested that this rogue painter, while pickax in Da Vincis sketched study, had made suspicious departures from the underdrawing… as if to subvert Da Vincis true excogitation. Whatever the true nature of the underdrawing, it had yet to be made public. Even so, crushed officials at Florences Uffizi Gallery immediately banished the painting to a warehouse across the street. Visitors at the gallerys Leonardo Room now install a misleading and unapologetic face where the Adorat ion once hung.\r\nTHIS WORK IS UNDERGOING diagnostic TESTS IN PREPARATION FOR RESTORATION.\r\nIn the preposterous underworld of modern Grail seekers, Leonardo Da Vinci remained the quests great enigma. His artwork seemed bursting to tell a secret, and yet whatever it was remained hidden, possibly beneath a layer of paint, perhaps enciphered in plain view, or perhaps nowhere at all. Maybe Da Vincis plethora of tantalizing clues was nothing but an empty betoken left behind to frustrate the curious and bring a smirk to the face of his knowing Mona Lisa.\r\nâ€Å"Is it possible,” Sophie asked, drawing Langdon back,” that the key youre property unlocks the hiding place of the Holy Grail?”\r\nLangdons laugh sounded forced, even to him. â€Å"I really cant imagine. Besides, the Grail is believed to be hidden in the United farming somewhere, not France.” He gave her the quick history.\r\nâ€Å"But the Grail seems the only rational conclusion,” she in sisted. â€Å"We have an extremely secure key, stamped with the Priory of Sion seal, delivered to us by a member of the Priory of Sion †a uniting which, you just told me, are guardians of the Holy Grail.”\r\nLangdon knew her contention was logical, and yet intuitively he could not possibly accept it. Rumors existed that the Priory had vowed someday to bring the Grail back to France to a final resting place, but certainly no diachronic evidence existed to suggest that this indeed had happened. Even if the Priory had managed to bring the Grail back to France, the deal 24 Rue Haxo near a tennis stadium hardly sounded like a noble final resting place. â€Å"Sophie, I really dont see how this key could have anything to do with the Grail.”\r\nâ€Å"Because the Grail is supposed to be in England?”\r\nâ€Å"Not only that. The location of the Holy Grail is one of the best kept secrets in history. Priory members wait decades proving themselves real before being elevated to the highest echelons of the brotherhood and learning where the Grail is. That secret is saved by an intricate system of compartmental knowledge, and although the Priory brotherhood is very too large, only four members at any given time know where the Grail is hidden †the Grand Master and his three senechaux.The probability of your grandfather being one of those four top people is very slim.”\r\nMy grandfather was one of them, Sophie thought, pressing down on the accelerator. She had an calculate stamped in her memory that confirmed her grandfathers berth within the brotherhood beyond any doubt.\r\nâ€Å"And even if your grandfather were in the upper echelon, he would never be allowed to reveal anything to anyone outside the brotherhood. It is inconceivable that he would bring you into the inner circle.”\r\nIve already been there, Sophie thought, picturing the religious rite in the basement. She wondered if this were the moment to tell Langdon what she had witnessed that night in the Normandy chateau. For ten years now, simple shame had kept her from telling a soul. Just thinking about it, she shuddered. Sirens howled somewhere in the distance, and she felt a midstening(a) shroud of fatigue settling over her.\r\nâ€Å" at that place!” Langdon said, feeling excited to see the huge complex of the Roland Garros tennis stadium looming ahead.\r\nSophie snaked her way toward the stadium. After several passes, they rigid the intersection of Rue Haxo and turned onto it, driving in the direction of the lower numbers. The road became more industrial, lined with businesses.\r\nWe need number twenty-four, Langdon told himself, realizing he was secretly scanning the view for the spires of a church. Dont be ridiculous.A forgotten Templar church in this neighborhood?\r\nâ€Å"There it is,” Sophie exclaimed, pointing. Langdons eyes followed to the structure ahead. What in the world?The building was modern. A squat citadel w ith a giant, neon equal-armed cross emblazoned a top its facade. Beneath the cross were the words:\r\n monument BANK OF ZURICH\r\nLangdon was thankful not to have shared his Templar church hopes with Sophie. A flight hazard of symbologists was a tendency to draw off hidden meaning from situations that had none. In this case, Langdon had only if forgotten that the peaceful, equal-armed cross had been adopted as the perfect symbol for the flag of objective Switzerland.\r\nAt least the mystery was solved.\r\nSophie and Langdon were property the key to a Swiss lodge deposit box.\r\nCHAPTER 41\r\nOutside Castel Gandolfo, an updraft of mountain air gushed over the top of the falloff and across the high bluff, sending a chill through Bishop Aringarosa as he stepped from the Fiat. I should haveworn more than this cassock, he thought, competitiveness the reflex to shiver. The last thing he needed to appear tonight was worn out or fearful.\r\nThe castle was dark save the windows at the very top of the building, which glowed ominously. The library, Aringarosa thought. They are awake and waiting.He ducked his head against the wind and go along on without so much as a glance toward the observatory domes.\r\nThe non-Christian priest who greeted him at the door looked sleepy. He was the same priest who had greeted Aringarosa five months ago, albeit tonight he did so with much less hospitality. â€Å"We were dysphoric about you, Bishop,” the priest said, checking his watch and looking more perturbed than worried.\r\nâ€Å"My apologies. Airlines are so treacherous these days.”\r\nThe priest mumbled something inaudible and then said,” They are waiting upstairs. I will figure you up.”\r\nThe library was a vast square room with dark wood from floor to ceiling. On all sides, towering bookcases burgeoned with volumes. The floor was amber marble with black basalt trim, a handsome reminder that this building had once been a palace.\r\nâ€Å"Welcom e, Bishop,” a mans voice said from across the room.\r\nAringarosa tried to see who had spoken, but the lights were ridiculously low †much lower than they had been on his first visit, when everything was ablaze. The night of stark awakening. Tonight, these men sat in the shadows, as if they were somehow ashamed of what was about to transpire.\r\nAringarosa entered slowly, regally even. He could see the shapes of three men at a long display panel on the far side of the room. The silhouette of the man in the middle was immediately recognizable †the obese Secretariat Vaticana, overlord of all legal matters within Vatican City. The other two were high-ranking Italian cardinals.\r\nAringarosa go across the library toward them. â€Å"My humble apologies for the hour. Were on different time zones. You must be tired.”\r\nâ€Å"Not at all,” the secretariatee said, his hands folded on his enormous belly. â€Å"We are grateful you have come so far. The least w e can do is be awake to act you. Can we offer you some umber or refreshments?”\r\nâ€Å"Id prefer we dont pretend this is a social visit. I have other plane to catch. Shall we get to business?”\r\nâ€Å"Of course,” the secretariat said. â€Å"You have acted more quickly than we imagined.” â€Å" devour I?” â€Å"You still have a month.”\r\nâ€Å"You made your concerns known five months ago,” Aringarosa said. â€Å" wherefore should I wait?” â€Å"Indeed. We are very pleased with your expediency.” Aringarosas eyes traveled the length of the long table to a large black briefcase. â€Å"Is that what I requested?”\r\nâ€Å"It is.” The secretariat sounded uneasy. â€Å"Although, I must admit, we are refer with the request. It seems quite…”\r\nâ€Å"Dangerous,” one of the cardinals finished. â€Å"Are you certain we cannot wire it to you somewhere? The sum is exorbitant.”\r\n freedom is expensive. â€Å"I have no concerns for my own safety. God is with me.” The men actually looked doubtful.” The money are exactly as I requested?”\r\nThe secretariat nodded. â€Å"Large-denomination bearer bonds worn-out on the Vatican Bank. Negotiable as capital anywhere in the world.”\r\nAringarosa walked to the end of the table and opened the briefcase. Inside were two thick stacks of bonds, each embossed with the Vatican seal and the title PORTATORE, making the bonds redeemable to whoever was holding them.\r\nThe secretariat looked tense. â€Å"I must say, Bishop, all of us would feel less upset if these funds were in cash.”\r\nI could not lift that much cash, Aringarosa thought, closing the case. â€Å"Bonds are negotiable as cash. You said so yourself.”\r\nThe cardinals exchanged uneasy looks, and finally one said,” Yes, but these bonds are traceable at one time to the Vatican Bank.”\r\nAringarosa smiled inwardly. That was precisely the reason the Teacher suggested Aringarosa get the money in Vatican Bank bonds. It served as insurance. We are all in this together now. â€Å"This is a perfectly legal transaction,” Aringarosa defended. â€Å"Opus Dei is a personal prelature of Vatican City, and His piety can disperse monies however he sees fit. No law has been broken here.”\r\nâ€Å"True, and yet…” The secretariat leaned forward and his chair creaked under the burden. â€Å"We have no knowledge of what you specify to do with these funds, and if it is in any way illegal…”\r\nâ€Å"Considering what you are asking of me,” Aringarosa countered,” what I do with this money is not your concern.”\r\nThere was a long silence. They know Im right, Aringarosa thought. â€Å"Now, I imagine you have something for me to sign?” They all jumped, eagerly pushing the paper toward him, as if they wished he would simply leave. Aringarosa eyed the shee t before him. It bore the papal seal. â€Å"This is superposable to the copy you sent me?” â€Å"Exactly.” Aringarosa was surprised how superficial emotion he felt as he signed the document. The three men present, however, seemed to sigh in relief.” Thank you, Bishop,” the secretariat said. â€Å"Your service to the Church will never be forgotten.” Aringarosa picked up the briefcase, sensing promise and authority in its weight. The four menlooked at one another for a moment as if there were something more to say, but apparently therewas not. Aringarosa turned and headed for the door.\r\nâ€Å"Bishop?” one of the cardinals called out as Aringarosa reached the threshold. Aringarosa paused, turning. â€Å"Yes?” â€Å"Where will you go from here?”\r\nAringarosa sensed the query was more religious than geographical, and yet he had no intention of discussing morality at this hour. â€Å"Paris,” he said, and walked out the doo r.\r\n'