Langdon could scarcely believe his own supposition, and yet, considering who had given this stonecylinder to them, how he had given it to them, and now, the inlaid Rose on the container, Langdoncould formulate2 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 ofsomething called la clef de vo.te?""The key to the vault3?" Sophie translated.
"No, that's the literal translation. Clef de vo.te is a common architectural term. Vo.te refers not to abank vault, but to a vault in an archway. Like a vaulted5 ceiling.""But vaulted ceilings don't have keys.""Actually they do. Every stone archway requires a central, wedge-shaped stone at the top whichlocks the pieces together and carries all the weight. This stone is, in an architectural sense, the keyto the vault. In English we call it a keystone." Langdon watched her eyes for any spark ofrecognition.
Sophie shrugged6, glancing down at the cryptex. "But this obviously is not a keystone."Langdon didn't know where to begin. Keystones as a masonry7 technique for building stonearchways had been one of the best-kept secrets of the early Masonic brotherhood8. The Royal ArchDegree. Architecture. Keystones. It was all interconnected. The secret knowledge of how to use awedged keystone to build a vaulted archway was part of the wisdom that had made the Masonssuch wealthy craftsmen9, and it was a secret they guarded carefully. Keystones had always had atradition of secrecy10. And yet, the stone cylinder1 in the rosewood box was obviously somethingquite different. The Priory keystone—if this was indeed what they were holding—was not at allwhat Langdon had imagined.
"The Priory keystone is not my specialty," Langdon admitted. "My interest in the Holy Grail isprimarily symbologic, so I tend to ignore the plethora11 of lore12 regarding how to actually find it."Sophie's eyebrows13 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 wasthe only logical conclusion he could muster14. 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 thePriory of Sion—shone as another tantalizing15 indicator16 that this was indeed the Priory keystone. Aformer Grand Master's blueprint17... brought to life centuries later by another Priory member. Thebond was too palpable to dismiss.
For the last decade, historians had been searching for the keystone in French churches. Grailseekers, familiar with the Priory's history of cryptic18 double-talk, had concluded la clef de vo.te wasa literal keystone—an architectural wedge—an engraved19, encrypted stone, inserted into a vaultedarchway 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-petaleddecorative flowers often found at the top of archways, directly over the keystone. The hiding placeseemed diabolically20 simple. The map to the Holy Grail was incorporated high in an archway ofsome 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 mygrandfather made this. It can't be part of any ancient Grail legend.""Actually," Langdon replied, feeling a tingle21 of excitement ripple22 through him, "the keystone isbelieved 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, whywould my grandfather give it to me? I have no idea how to open it or what to do with it. I don'teven know what the Holy Grail is!"Langdon realized to his surprise that she was right. He had not yet had a chance to explain toSophie the true nature of the Holy Grail. That story would have to wait. At the moment, they werefocused on the keystone.
If that is indeed what this is....
Against the hum of the bulletproof wheels beneath them, Langdon quickly explained to Sophieeverything he had heard about the keystone. Allegedly, for centuries, the Priory's biggestsecret—the location of the Holy Grail—was never written down. For security's sake, it wasverbally transferred to each new rising sénéchal at a clandestine23 ceremony. However, at some pointduring the last century, whisperings began to surface that the Priory policy had changed. Perhaps itwas on account of new electronic eavesdropping24 capabilities25, but the Priory vowed26 never againeven 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 membersdied, the remaining three would choose from the lower echelons27 the next candidate to ascend28 assénéchal. Rather than telling the new sénéchal where the Grail was hidden, they gave him a testthrough which he could prove he was worthy29."Sophie looked unsettled by this, and Langdon suddenly recalled her mentioning how hergrandfather used to make treasure hunts for her—preuves de mérite. Admittedly, the keystone wasa similar concept. Then again, tests like this were extremely common in secret societies. The bestknown was the Masons', wherein members ascended30 to higher degrees by proving they could keepa secret and by performing rituals and various tests of merit over many years. The tasks becameprogressively harder until they culminated31 in a successful candidate's induction32 as thirty-second-degree Mason.
"So the keystone is a preuve de mérite," Sophie said. "If a rising Priory sénéchal can open it, heproves 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, ifyou'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, yourgrandfather's access to it implies he was exceptionally powerful within the Priory of Sion. Hewould 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 thePriory."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 topmember."Langdon could not believe what she had just said. "Grand Master? But... there's no way you couldknow that!""I'd rather not talk about it." Sophie looked away, her expression as determined33 as it was pained.
Langdon sat in stunned34 silence. Jacques Saunière? Grand Master? Despite the astonishingrepercussions if it were true, Langdon had the eerie35 sensation it almost made perfect sense. Afterall, previous Priory Grand Masters had also been distinguished36 public figures with artistic37 souls.
Proof of that fact had been uncovered years ago in Paris's Bibliothèque Nationale in papers thatbecame 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 authenticated38 by many specialists and incontrovertibly confirmedwhat 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 Parisianartist.
Why not Jacques Saunière?
Langdon's incredulity intensified39 with the realization40 that he had been slated4 to meet Saunièretonight. The Priory Grand Master called a meeting with me. Why? To make artistic small talk? Itsuddenly seemed unlikely. After all, if Langdon's instincts were correct, the Grand Master of thePriory of Sion had just transferred the brotherhood's legendary41 keystone to his granddaughter andsimultaneously commanded her to find Robert Langdon.
Inconceivable!
Langdon's imagination could conjure42 no set of circumstances that would explain Saunière'sbehavior. Even if Saunière feared his own death, there were three sénéchaux who also possessedthe secret and therefore guaranteed the Priory's security. Why would Saunière take such anenormous risk giving his granddaughter the keystone, especially when the two of them didn't getalong? And why involve Langdon... a total stranger?
A piece of this puzzle is missing, Langdon thought.
The answers were apparently43 going to have to wait. The sound of the slowing engine caused themboth to look up. Gravel44 crunched45 beneath the tires. Why is he pulling over already? Langdonwondered. Vernet had told them he would take them well outside the city to safety. The truckdecelerated to a crawl and made its way over unexpectedly rough terrain46. Sophie shot Langdon anuneasy look, hastily closing the cryptex box and latching47 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 toturn. When the doors swung open, Langdon was surprised to see they were parked in a woodedarea, well off the road. Vernet stepped into view, a strained look in his eye. In his hand, he held apistol.
"I'm sorry about this," he said. "I really have no choice."
兰登简直不敢相信自己的假设。但是，考虑到密码筒主人的身份，以及密码筒的传递方式，再加上盒盖上的玫瑰标记，他只能得出一个结论。
我拿着的是隐修会的楔石！
传说是真的。
楔石是一块放在玫瑰标记下的有编码的石头。
"罗伯特？"索菲看着他，问道。"怎么了？"
兰登定了定神。"祖父有没有告诉过你一个叫"拱门钥匙"（laclefdevoute）的东西？"
索菲把那个词译成英语："你是说"金库的钥匙"（thekeytothevault）吗？"
"不是，那只是字面意思。"拱门钥匙"是一个很普通的建筑术语。"voute"不是指银行的金库，而是指拱形顶部，比如说拱状的屋顶。""但是拱状的屋顶不需要钥匙呀。"
"实际上它们有钥匙。在每个拱顶的中央都有一个楔子形的石块。这个承重石块是用来固定所有石块的。因此，从建筑学的角度看，这个石块就是拱门的钥匙。在英语里我们把它叫做"楔石"。"兰登紧紧地盯着她的眼睛，看她是否明白。
索菲耸了耸肩，低头看着密码筒。说道："可是，这个显然不是楔石。"
兰登一时不知道从何说起。运用楔石建造拱状屋顶的技术是早期石匠行会严守的秘密之一。皇家拱顶弧度、建筑学以及楔石，都是相互关联的概念。掌握用楔石来建造拱门的秘密知识是石匠们致富的途径之一，因此他们都非常谨慎地保守着这个秘密，一贯有保守楔石秘密的传统。可是，紫檀木盒里的这个石筒显然跟一般的楔石不太一样。假如这个真是隐修会的楔石，那只能说明，隐修会的楔石跟他想象的完全不一样。
"我对隐修会的楔石并没有做过深人的研究。"兰登承认。"我是从象征学的角度来研究圣杯的，因此我一般不太会注意如何寻获圣杯的知识。"索菲睁大双眼，惊奇地问道："寻获圣杯？"
兰登点点头，一字一句地说："索菲，根据隐修会的说法，楔石是-个编有密码的地图。而这个地图标明的就是埋藏圣杯的地点。"索菲一脸茫然。"你认为这就是那个楔石？"
兰登不知道该说些什么，连他自己都觉得这让人难以置信。但是，断定这个东西是楔石，是他能做出的唯一结论。一块藏在玫瑰标记下的刻着密码的石头。
这个密码筒是由前隐修会的导师列昂纳多。达。芬奇设计的，这一事实更证明了这个圆筒就是隐修会的楔石。一个前导师的设计……几百年后隐修会的另一个成员付诸实施。这样的联系太紧密了。
在过去的十年里，历史学家们一直在法国的教堂里寻找着楔石。那些熟悉隐修会密码史的圣杯追寻者一直以为"拱门钥匙"就是真正意义上的楔石，而且这个刻着密码的石头楔子就塞在某个教堂的拱门上。就在玫瑰标记的下面。许多建筑物上都不乏玫瑰标记。玫瑰花形的窗格。玫瑰花形的浮雕。当然还有大量的五边形装饰，拱门的顶上经常会有这种五瓣玫瑰花形的装饰，就在楔石的上面。这些藏宝地似乎太招眼了。标明圣杯埋藏地的地图就塞在某个被人遗忘的教堂拱门上，嘲笑着下面来来往往的无知过客。
索菲争辩道："这个密码筒不可能是楔石，它的年代不够久远。我敢肯定这是祖父做的。这不可能是历史悠久的圣杯传说的一部分。"兰登突然感到一阵兴奋。他回答道："据说楔石实际上是由隐修会在几十年前造出来的。"索菲眨了眨眼，怀疑地说："可是，如果这个密码筒表明了圣杯的埋藏地，祖父为什么把它给我呢？我既不知道怎样打开它，也不知道怎样处置它。我甚至不知道圣杯究竟是什么！"兰登惊异地发现她所言极是。到现在为止，他还没有机会向她解释圣杯的真正意义。
那必须等一等。现在，他们的注意力在楔石上。
如果那是真的……
在防弹轮胎"轰隆隆"的转动声中，兰登快速地向索菲讲解了他所知道的关于圣杯的一切。据他所知，隐修会的最大秘密--也就是圣杯的埋藏地--几百年来从没有文字记载。为了安全起见，这个秘密都是在一个仪式上口头密传给新主教的。然而，在上个世纪，传说隐修会的策略有所改变。这也许是出于对新的电子窃听技术的防备，但不管怎样，隐修会发誓再也不"说出"那个神圣的埋藏地。
索菲问道："那他们怎样把这个秘密传下去呢？"
兰登解释说："这就是楔石出现的原因。当四个最高领导中的一个去世之后，剩下的三个得从低一级的成员中选出下一界的主教候选人。他们不是直接"告诉"候选人圣杯的埋藏地，而是对这个候选人进行测试来确证他有资格知道这个秘密。"索菲看上去有些将信将疑。兰登的话突然使她想起了祖父让她寻宝的往事。无可否认，这次得到楔石也是一次寻宝活动。这样的测试在秘密团体里也非常普遍。最著名的要算石匠行会。在行会里，一个人要想获得更高的职位就要证明他能够保守秘密，而且要在很多年里参加一些仪式并通过各种各样的品德测试。测试越来越难，对准备就任三十二级石匠的候选人的测试难度最大。
索菲说道："因此，楔石就是一个证明。如果隐修会的领导候选人能打开它，就能证明他自己有资格知道楔石里的秘密。"兰登点了点头："我忘了你有这方面的经验。"
"这些不仅仅是从与祖父在一起的经历中得知的。在密码学里，那叫做"自我认可语言"。就是说，如果你够聪明，能看懂密码，你就被允许知道密码的含意。"兰登犹豫了一会儿，说道："索菲，你要知道，如果这确实是楔石，而你祖父能拿到它，则说明他在隐修会里的权势是非常大的。他肯定是四个高层领导中的一个。"索菲叹了一口气，说道："我想他肯定是某个秘密组织里非常有权势的人物，而那个组织就是隐修会。"兰登又试探道："你过去就知道他加入了秘密组织？"
"十年前我看到了一些不该看到的东西。从那以后，我就再也没有跟祖父讲过一句话。
"她停顿了一下，继续说道。"祖父不仅是高层领导人之一，我想他是……那个组织的最高领袖。"兰登简直不敢相信她的话。"你是说他是掌门人？可是……你根本就不可能知道呀！"
"我不想谈论这个了。"索菲把头转向一边，脸上的表情很痛苦，但很坚定。
兰登坐在那儿，目瞪口呆。雅克。索尼埃？掌门人？虽然兰登对此惊讶万分，但他却有种奇怪的感觉，觉得这极有可能是真的。毕竟，历届的隐修会掌门人都是艺术修养很高的社会名流。多年之前，报上一篇题为《莱斯。都司耳斯的秘密》的文章就曾指出了这一点。
早期的隐修会历史学家和圣杯迷们都读过《莱斯。都司耳斯的秘密》这篇文章。这篇文章回答了历史学界悬而未决的问题--隐修会的历任大导师分别是列昂纳多。达。芬奇，鲍特赛里，伊萨克。牛顿爵士，维克多。雨果，以及最近的巴黎著名艺术家基恩。考克图。
为什么就不会有雅克。索尼埃呢？
兰登想起今晚索尼埃与自己安排的会见，觉得此事更加令人难以置信了。隐修会的掌门人打电话说要见我！为什么？难道是为了闲聊些艺术方面的事情吗？显然不可能。毕竟，如果兰登的感觉没错的话，隐修会的掌门人会把传说中的楔石交给他的孙女索菲，同时命令她去找兰登。
这太不可思议了。
兰登实在无法理解索尼埃这样做的动机。即使索尼埃预感到自己即将大祸临头，可还有其他三个领导人知道圣杯的秘密，他们照样可以保证隐修会的安全呀。为什么索尼埃要冒这么大的风险，把楔石交给孙女呢？更何况他们已经断绝联系多年了？而且，为什么要把兰登牵扯进来呢？他可是个陌生人呀。
"这个谜团中肯定有一环脱节了。"兰登想道。
很显然，答案还有待于继续探寻。装甲车的发动机突然减速，轮胎碾碎沙石的声音传进货舱，索菲和兰登抬起了头。"韦尔内为什么要把车停在路边？"兰登疑惑道。韦尔内告诉过他们，会把他们带到远离城市的安全地带。车速慢了下来，装甲车被开上一条颠簸的土路。索菲不安地看了一眼兰登，快速盖上了盒子，扣上搭扣。兰登赶紧脱下夹克，重新把盒子裹了起来。
装甲车停了下来，发动机空转着。后门上的锁眼转动了一下，门被打开了。兰登惊讶地发现，他们被带到了一片远离公路的树林里。韦尔内神情紧张地把头伸了进来，手里拿着一把枪。
"非常抱歉。"他说道。"但我别无选择。"
收听单词发音 |
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cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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formulate
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| v.用公式表示；规划；设计；系统地阐述 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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slated
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| 用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vaulted
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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craftsmen
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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plethora
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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eyebrows
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muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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indicator
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| n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器 | |
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blueprint
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| n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划 | |
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cryptic
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| adj.秘密的，神秘的，含义模糊的 | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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diabolically
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tingle
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ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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clandestine
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| adj.秘密的，暗中从事的 | |
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eavesdropping
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| n. 偷听 | |
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capabilities
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| n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力 | |
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vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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echelons
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| n.（机构中的）等级，阶层( echelon的名词复数 )；（军舰、士兵、飞机等的）梯形编队 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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culminated
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| v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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induction
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| n.感应，感应现象 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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authenticated
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| v.证明是真实的、可靠的或有效的( authenticate的过去式和过去分词 )；鉴定，使生效 | |
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intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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crunched
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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terrain
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| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
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latching
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| n.闭塞；闭锁；关闭；闭塞装置v.理解( latch的现在分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上） | |
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