When Langdon was finished, they both examined the result.
Katherine immediately felt confused. «It’s still gibberish.»
Langdon remained silent a long moment. «Actually, Katherine, it’s not gibberish.» His eyes brightened again with the thrill of discovery. «It’s. . Latin.»
In a long, dark corridor, an old blind man shuffled as quickly as he could toward his office. When he finally arrived, he collapsed in his desk chair, his old bones grateful for the reprieve. His answering machine was beeping. He pressed the button and listened.
«It’s Warren Bellamy,» said the hushed whisper of his friend and Masonic brother. «I’m afraid I have alarming news. .»
Katherine Solomon’s eyes shot back to the grid of letters, reexamining the text. Sure enough, a Latin word now materialized before her eyes. Jeova.
Katherine had not studied Latin, but this word was familiar from her reading of ancient Hebrew texts. Jeova. Jehovah. As her eyes continued to trace downward, reading the grid like a book, she was surprised to realize she could read the entire text of the pyramid.
Jeova Sanctus Unus.
She knew its meaning at once. This phrase was ubiquitous in modern translations of hebrew scripture. in the torah, the god of the hebrews was known by many names — Jeova, Jehovah, Jeshua, Yahweh, the Source, the Elohim — but many Roman translations had consolidated the confusing nomenclature into a single Latin phrase: Jeova Sanctus Unus.
«One true God?» she whispered to herself. The phrase certainly did not seem like something that would help them find her brother. «That’s this pyramid’s secret message? One true God? I thought this was a map.»
Langdon looked equally perplexed, the excitement in his eyes evaporating. «This decryption obviously is correct, but. .»
«The man who has my brother wants to know a location.» She tucked her hair behind her ear. «This is not going to make him very happy.»
«Katherine,» Langdon said, heaving a sigh. «I’ve been afraid of this. All night, I’ve had a feeling we’re treating as reality a collection of myths and allegories. Maybe this inscription is pointing to a metaphorical location — telling us that the true potential of man can be accessed only through the one true God.»
«But that makes no sense!» Katherine replied, her jaw now clenched in frustration. «My family protected this pyramid for generations! One true God? That’s the secret? And the CIA considers this an issue of national security? Either they’re lying or we’re missing something!»
Langdon shrugged in accord.
Just then, his phone began to ring.
In a cluttered office lined with old books, the old man hunched over his desk, clutching a phone receiver in his arthritic hand.
The line rang and rang.
At last, a tentative voice answered. «Hello?» The voice was deep but uncertain.
The old man whispered, «I was told you require sanctuary.»
The man on the line seemed startled. «Who is this? Did Warren Bell — »
«No names, please,» the old man said. «Tell me, have you successfully protected the map that was entrusted to you?»
A startled pause. «Yes. . but I don’t think it matters. It doesn’t say much. If it is a map, it seems to be more metaphorical than — »
«No, the map is quite real, I assure you. And it points to a very real location. You must keep it safe. I cannot impress upon you enough how important this is. You are being pursued, but if you can travel unseen to my location, I will provide sanctuary. . and answers.»
The man hesitated, apparently uncertain.
«my friend,» the old man began, choosing his words carefully. «there is a refuge in rome, north of the tiber, which contains ten stones from mount sinai, one from heaven itself, and one with the visage of luke’s dark father. do you know my location?»
There was a long pause on the line, and then the man replied, «Yes, I do.»
The old man smiled. I thought you might, Professor. » Come at once. Make sure you’re not followed.»
CHAPTER 71
Mal’akh stood naked in the billowing warmth of his steam shower. he felt pure again, having washed off the last remaining scent of ethanol. as the eucalyptus-infused vapors permeated his skin, he could feel his pores opening to the heat. then he began his ritual.
First, he rubbed depilatory chemicals across his tattooed body and scalp, removing any traces of body hair. Hairless were the gods of the seven islands of Heliades. Then he massaged Abramelin oil into his softened and receptive flesh. Abramelin is the sacred oil of the great Magi. Then he turned his shower lever hard to the left, and the water turned ice cold. He stood beneath the frigid water for a full minute to close his pores and trap the heat and energy within his core. The cold served as a reminder of the icy river in which this transformation had begun.
When he stepped from the shower, he was shivering, but within seconds, his core heat emanated up through his layers of flesh and warmed him. Mal’akh’s insides felt like a furnace. He stood naked before the mirror and admired his form. . perhaps the last time he would see himself as a mere mortal.
His feet were the talons of a hawk. His legs — Boaz and Jachin — were the ancient pillars of wisdom. His hips and abdomen were the archways of mystical power. Hanging beneath the archway, his massive sex organ bore the tattooed symbols of his destiny. In another life, this heavy shaft of flesh had been his source of carnal pleasure. But no longer.
I have been purified.
Like the mystical eunuch monks of Katharoi, Mal’akh had removed his testicles. He had sacrificed his physical potency for a more worthy one. Gods have no gender. Having shed the human imperfection of gender along with the earthly pull of sexual temptation, Mal’akh had become like Ouranos, Attis, Sporus, and the great castrati magicians of Arthurian legend. Every spiritual metamorphosis is preceded by a physical one. Such was the lesson of all the great gods. . from Osiris, to Tammuz, to Jesus, to Shiva, to the Buddha himself.
I must shed the man who clothes me.
Abruptly, Mal’akh drew his gaze upward, past the double-headed phoenix on his chest, past the collage of ancient sigils adorning his face, and directly to the top of his head. He tipped his head toward the mirror, barely able to see the circle of bare flesh that waited there. This location on the body was sacred. Known as the fontanel, it was the one area of the human skull that remained open at birth. An oculus to the brain. Although this physiological portal closes within a matter of months, it remains a symbolic vestige of the lost connection between the outer and inner worlds.
Mal’akh studied the sacred patch of virginal skin, which was enclosed by the crownlike circle of an ouroboros — a mystical snake devouring its own tail. The bare flesh seemed to stare back at him. . bright with promise.
Robert Langdon soon would uncover the great treasure that Mal’akh required. Once Mal’akh possessed it, the void on top of his head would be filled, and he would at last be prepared for his final transformation.
Mal’akh padded across his bedroom and took from his bottom drawer a long strip of white silk. As he had done many times before, he wrapped it around his groin and buttocks. Then he went downstairs.
In his office, his computer had received an e-mail message.
It was from his contact:
WHAT YOU REQUIRE IS NOW WITHIN REACH.
I WILL CONTACT YOU WITHIN THE HOUR. PATIENCE.