The Da Vinci Code Page 18
Langdon’s eyes widened further.
Sophie explained that creating models of Da Vinci’s inventions was one of her grandfather’s best-loved hobbies. A talented craftsman who spent hours in his wood and metal shop, Jacques Saunière enjoyed imitating master craftsmen – Fabergé, assorted cloisonne artisans, and the less artistic, but far more practical, Leonardo Da Vinci.
Even a cursory glance through Da Vinci’s journals revealed why the luminary was as notorious for his lack of follow-through as he was famous for his brilliance. Da Vinci had drawn up blueprints for hundreds of inventions he had never built. One of Jacques Saunière’s favorite pastimes was bringing Da Vinci’s more obscure brainstorms to life – timepieces, water pumps, cryptexes, and even a fully articulated model of a medieval French knight, which now stood proudly on the desk in his office. Designed by Da Vinci in 1495 as an outgrowth of his earliest anatomy and kinesiology studies, the internal mechanism of the robot knight possessed accurate joints and tendons, and was designed to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head via a flexible neck while opening and closing an anatomically correct jaw. This armor-clad knight, Sophie had always believed, was the most beautiful object her grandfather had ever built… that was, until she had seen the cryptex in this rosewood box.
«He made me one of these when I was little,» Sophie said. «But I’ve never seen one so ornate and large.»
Langdon’s eyes had never left the box. «I’ve never heard of a cryptex.»
Sophie was not surprised. Most of Leonardo’s unbuilt inventions had never been studied or even named. The term cryptex possibly had been her grandfather’s creation, an apt title for this device that used the science of cryptology to protect information written on the contained scroll or codex.
Da Vinci had been a cryptology pioneer, Sophie knew, although he was seldom given credit. Sophie’s university instructors, while presenting computer encryption methods for securing data, praised modern cryptologists like Zimmerman and Schneier but failed to mention that it was Leonardo who had invented one of the first rudimentary forms of public key encryption centuries ago. Sophie’s grandfather, of course, had been the one to tell her all about that.
As their armored truck roared down the highway, Sophie explained to Langdon that the cryptex had been Da Vinci’s solution to the dilemma of sending secure messages over long distances. In an era without telephones or e-mail, anyone wanting to convey private information to someone far away had no option but to write it down and then trust a messenger to carry the letter. Unfortunately, if a messenger suspected the letter might contain valuable information, he could make far more money selling the information to adversaries than he could delivering the letter properly.
Many great minds in history had invented cryptologic solutions to the challenge of data protection: Julius Caesar devised a code-writing scheme called the Caesar Box; Mary, Queen of Scots created a transposition cipher and sent secret communiqués from prison; and the brilliant Arab scientist Abu Yusuf Ismail al-Kindi protected his secrets with an ingeniously conceived polyalphabetic substitution cipher.
Da Vinci, however, eschewed mathematics and cryptology for a mechanical solution. The cryptex. A portable container that could safeguard letters, maps, diagrams, anything at all. Once information was sealed inside the cryptex, only the individual with the proper password could access it.
«We require a password,» Sophie said, pointing out the lettered dials. «A cryptex works much like a bicycle’s combination lock. If you align the dials in the proper position, the lock slides open. This cryptex has five lettered dials. When you rotate them to their proper sequence, the tumblers inside align, and the entire cylinder slides apart.» «And inside?» «Once the cylinder slides apart, you have access to a hollow central compartment, which can hold a scroll of paper on which is the information you want to keep private.»
Langdon looked incredulous. «And you say your grandfather built these for you when you were younger?»
«Some smaller ones, yes. A couple times for my birthday, he gave me a cryptex and told me a riddle. The answer to the riddle was the password to the cryptex, and once I figured it out, I could open it up and find my birthday card.» «A lot of work for a card.» «No, the cards always contained another riddle or clue. My grandfather loved creating elaborate treasure hunts around our house, a string of clues that eventually led to my real gift. Each treasure hunt was a test of character and merit, to ensure I earned my rewards. And the tests were never simple.»
Langdon eyed the device again, still looking skeptical. «But why not just pry it apart? Or smash it? The metal looks delicate, and marble is a soft rock.»
Sophie smiled. «Because Da Vinci is too smart for that. He designed the cryptex so that if you try to force it open in any way, the information self-destructs. Watch.» Sophie reached into the box and carefully lifted out the cylinder. «Any information to be inserted is first written on a papyrus scroll.»
«Not vellum?»
Sophie shook her head. «Papyrus. I know sheep’s vellum was more durable and more common in those days, but it had to be papyrus. The thinner the better.»
«Okay.»
«Before the papyrus was inserted into the cryptex’s compartment, it was rolled around a delicate glass vial.» She tipped the cryptex, and the liquid inside gurgled. «A vial of liquid.»
«Liquid what?»
Sophie smiled. «Vinegar.»
Langdon hesitated a moment and then began nodding. «Brilliant.»
Vinegar and papyrus , Sophie thought. If someone attempted to force open the cryptex, the glass vial would break, and the vinegar would quickly dissolve the papyrus. By the time anyone extracted the secret message, it would be a glob of meaningless pulp.
«As you can see,» Sophie told him,» the only way to access the information inside is to know the proper five-letter password. And with five dials, each with twenty-six letters, that’s twenty-six to the fifth power.» She quickly estimated the permutations. «Approximately twelve million possibilities.»
«If you say so,» Langdon said, looking like he had approximately twelve million questions running through his head. «What information do you think is inside?»
«Whatever it is, my grandfather obviously wanted very badly to keep it secret.» She paused, closing the box lid and eyeing the five-petal Rose inlaid on it. Something was bothering her. «Did you say earlier that the Rose is a symbol for the Grail?»
«Exactly. In Priory symbolism, the Rose and the Grail are synonymous.»
Sophie furrowed her brow. «That’s strange, because my grandfather always told me the Rose meant secrecy.He used to hang a rose on his office door at home when he was having a confidential phone call and didn’t want me to disturb him. He encouraged me to do the same.» Sweetie, her grandfather said, rather than lock each other out, we can each hang a rose – la fleur des secrets – on our door when we need privacy.This way we learn to respect and trust each other.Hanging a rose is an ancient Roman custom.
« Sub rosa , »Langdon said. «The Romans hung a rose over meetings to indicate the meeting was confidential. Attendees understood that whatever was said under the rose – or sub rosa – had to remain a secret.»
Langdon quickly explained that the Rose’s overtone of secrecy was not the only reason the Priory used it as a symbol for the Grail. Rosa rugosa, one of the oldest species of rose, had five petals and pentagonal symmetry, just like the guiding star of Venus, giving the Rose strong iconographic ties to womanhood.In addition, the Rose had close ties to the concept of» true direction» and navigating one’s way. The Compass Rose helped travelers navigate, as did Rose Lines, the longitudinal lines on maps. For this reason, the Rose was a symbol that spoke of the Grail on many levels – secrecy, womanhood, and guidance – the feminine chalice and guiding star that led to secret truth.
As Langdon finished his explanation, his expression seemed to tighten suddenly. «Robert? Are you okay?» His eyes were riveted to the rosewood box. «Sub…rosa,»he
choked, a fearful bewilderment sweeping across his face. «It can’t be.»
«What?»
Langdon slowly raised his eyes. «Under the sign of the Rose,» he whispered. «This cryptex… I think I know what it is.»
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, wedge-shaped 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 stonearchways had been one of the best-kept secrets of the early Masonic brotherhood. The Royal ArchDegree.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 theRose.
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 double-talk, 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 five-petaled 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 thirty-second- degree 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 ‘self-authorizing 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 incontrovertib
ly 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
André 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 ice-cold, an eerie transformation. «Mademoiselle Neveu, I don’t know howyou 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 well-placed 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 precision-crafted 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.