"I'm being framed, Leigh," Langdon said, trying to stay calm. You know me. I wouldn't kill anyone.
Teabing's tone did not soften1. "Robert, you're on television, for Christ's sake. Did you know youwere wanted by the authorities?""Yes.""Then you abused my trust. I'm astonished you would put me at risk by coming here and asking meto ramble2 on about the Grail so you could hide out in my home.""I didn't kill anyone.""Jacques Saunière is dead, and the police say you did it." Teabing looked saddened. "Such acontributor to the arts...""Sir?" The manservant had appeared now, standing3 behind Teabing in the study doorway4, his armscrossed. "Shall I show them out?""Allow me." Teabing hobbled across the study, unlocked a set of wide glass doors, and swungthem open onto a side lawn. "Please find your car, and leave."Sophie did not move. "We have information about the clef de vo.te. The Priory keystone."Teabing stared at her for several seconds and scoffed5 derisively6. "A desperate ploy7. Robert knowshow I've sought it.""She's telling the truth," Langdon said. "That's why we came to you tonight. To talk to you aboutthe keystone."The manservant intervened now. "Leave, or I shall call the authorities.""Leigh," Langdon whispered, "we know where it is."Teabing's balance seemed to falter8 a bit.
Rémy now marched stiffly across the room. "Leave at once! Or I will forcibly—""Rémy!" Teabing spun9, snapping at his servant. "Excuse us for a moment."The servant's jaw10 dropped. "Sir? I must protest. These people are—""I'll handle this." Teabing pointed11 to the hallway.
After a moment of stunned12 silence, Rémy skulked13 out like a banished14 dog.
In the cool night breeze coming through the open doors, Teabing turned back to Sophie andLangdon, his expression still wary15. "This better be good. What do you know of the keystone?"In the thick brush outside Teabing's study, Silas clutched his pistol and gazed through the glassdoors. Only moments ago, he had circled the house and seen Langdon and the woman talking inthe large study. Before he could move in, a man on crutches16 entered, yelled at Langdon, threwopen the doors, and demanded his guests leave. Then the woman mentioned the keystone, andeverything changed. Shouts turned to whispers. Moods softened17. And the glass doors were quicklyclosed.
Now, as he huddled18 in the shadows, Silas peered through the glass. The keystone is somewhereinside the house. Silas could feel it.
Staying in the shadows, he inched closer to the glass, eager to hear what was being said. He wouldgive them five minutes. If they did not reveal where they had placed the keystone, Silas wouldhave to enter and persuade them with force.
Inside the study, Langdon could sense their host's bewilderment.
"Grand Master?" Teabing choked, eyeing Sophie. "Jacques Saunière?"Sophie nodded, seeing the shock in his eyes.
"But you could not possibly know that!""Jacques Saunière was my grandfather."Teabing staggered back on his crutches, shooting a glance at Langdon, who nodded. Teabingturned back to Sophie. "Miss Neveu, I am speechless. If this is true, then I am truly sorry for yourloss. I should admit, for my research, I have kept lists of men in Paris whom I thought might begood candidates for involvement in the Priory. Jacques Saunière was on that list along with manyothers. But Grand Master, you say? It's hard to fathom19." Teabing was silent a moment and thenshook his head. "But it still makes no sense. Even if your grandfather were the Priory Grand Masterand created the keystone himself, he would never tell you how to find it. The keystone reveals thepathway to the brotherhood20's ultimate treasure. Granddaughter or not, you are not eligible21 toreceive such knowledge.""Mr. Saunière was dying when he passed on the information," Langdon said. "He had limitedoptions.""He didn't need options," Teabing argued. "There exist three sénéchaux who also know the secret.
That is the beauty of their system. One will rise to Grand Master and they will induct a newsénéchal and share the secret of the keystone.""I guess you didn't see the entire news broadcast," Sophie said. "In addition to my grandfather,three other prominent Parisians were murdered today. All in similar ways. All looked like they hadbeen interrogated22."Teabing's jaw fell. "And you think they were...""The sénéchaux," Langdon said.
"But how? A murderer could not possibly learn the identities of all four top members of the Prioryof Sion! Look at me, I have been researching them for decades, and I can't even name one Priorymember. It seems inconceivable that all three sénéchaux and the Grand Master could be discoveredand killed in one day.""I doubt the information was gathered in a single day," Sophie said. "It sounds like a well-planneddécapiter. It's a technique we use to fight organized crime syndicates. If DCPJ wants to move on acertain group, they will silently listen and watch for months, identify all the main players, and thenmove in and take them all at the same moment. Decapitation. With no leadership, the group fallsinto chaos23 and divulges24 other information. It's possible someone patiently watched the Priory andthen attacked, hoping the top people would reveal the location of the keystone."Teabing looked unconvinced. "But the brothers would never talk. They are sworn to secrecy25. Evenin the face of death.""Exactly," Langdon said. "Meaning, if they never divulged26 the secret, and they were killed..."Teabing gasped27. "Then the location of the keystone would be lost forever!""And with it," Langdon said, "the location of the Holy Grail."Teabing's body seemed to sway with the weight of Langdon's words. Then, as if too tired to standanother moment, he flopped28 in a chair and stared out the window.
Sophie walked over, her voice soft. "Considering my grandfather's predicament, it seems possiblethat in total desperation he tried to pass the secret on to someone outside the brotherhood. Someonehe thought he could trust. Someone in his family."Teabing was pale. "But someone capable of such an attack... of discovering so much about thebrotherhood..." He paused, radiating a new fear. "It could only be one force. This kind ofinfiltration could only have come from the Priory's oldest enemy."Langdon glanced up. "The Church.""Who else? Rome has been seeking the Grail for centuries."Sophie was skeptical29. "You think the Church killed my grandfather?"Teabing replied, "It would not be the first time in history the Church has killed to protect itself. Thedocuments that accompany the Holy Grail are explosive, and the Church has wanted to destroythem for years."Langdon was having trouble buying Teabing's premise30 that the Church would blatantly31 murderpeople to obtain these documents. Having met the new Pope and many of the cardinals32, Langdonknew they were deeply spiritual men who would never condone33 assassination34. Regardless of thestakes.
Sophie seemed to be having similar thoughts. "Isn't it possible that these Priory members weremurdered by someone outside the Church? Someone who didn't understand what the Grail reallyis? The Cup of Christ, after all, would be quite an enticing35 treasure. Certainly treasure hunters havekilled for less.""In my experience," Teabing said, "men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than toobtain what they desire. I sense a desperation in this assault on the Priory.""Leigh," Langdon said, "the argument is paradoxical. Why would members of the Catholic clergymurder Priory members in an effort to find and destroy documents they believe are false testimonyanyway?"Teabing chuckled37. "The ivory towers of Harvard have made you soft, Robert. Yes, the clergy36 inRome are blessed with potent38 faith, and because of this, their beliefs can weather any storm,including documents that contradict everything they hold dear. But what about the rest of theworld? What about those who are not blessed with absolute certainty? What about those who lookat the cruelty in the world and say, where is God today? Those who look at Church scandals andask, who are these men who claim to speak the truth about Christ and yet lie to cover up the sexualabuse of children by their own priests?" Teabing paused. "What happens to those people, Robert, ifpersuasive scientific evidence comes out that the Church's version of the Christ story is inaccurate,and that the greatest story ever told is, in fact, the greatest story ever sold"Langdon did not respond.
"I'll tell you what happens if the documents get out," Teabing said. "The Vatican faces a crisis offaith unprecedented39 in its two-millennia history."After a long silence, Sophie said, "But if it is the Church who is responsible for this attack, whywould they act now? After all these years? The Priory keeps the Sangreal documents hidden. Theypose no immediate40 threat to the Church."Teabing heaved an ominous41 sigh and glanced at Langdon. "Robert, I assume you are familiar withthe Priory's final charge?"Langdon felt his breath catch at the thought. "I am.""Miss Neveu," Teabing said, "the Church and the Priory have had a tacit understanding for years.
That is, the Church does not attack the Priory, and the Priory keeps the Sangreal documentshidden." He paused. "However, part of the Priory history has always included a plan to unveil thesecret. With the arrival of a specific date in history, the brotherhood plans to break the silence andcarry out its ultimate triumph by unveiling the Sangreal documents to the world and shouting thetrue story of Jesus Christ from the mountaintops."Sophie stared at Teabing in silence. Finally, she too sat down. "And you think that date isapproaching? And the Church knows it?""A speculation," Teabing said, "but it would certainly provide the Church motivation for an all-outattack to find the documents before it was too late."Langdon had the uneasy feeling that Teabing was making good sense. "Do you think the Churchwould actually be capable of uncovering hard evidence of the Priory's date?""Why not—if we're assuming the Church was able to uncover the identities of the Priory members,then certainly they could have learned of their plans. And even if they don't have the exact date,their superstitions42 may be getting the best of them.""Superstitions?" Sophie asked.
"In terms of prophecy," Teabing said, "we are currently in an epoch43 of enormous change. Themillennium has recently passed, and with it has ended the two-thousand-year-long astrological Ageof Pisces—the fish, which is also the sign of Jesus. As any astrological symbologist will tell you,the Piscean ideal believes that man must be told what to do by higher powers because man isincapable of thinking for himself. Hence it has been a time of fervent45 religion. Now, however, weare entering the Age of Aquarius—the water bearer—whose ideals claim that man will learn thetruth and be able to think for himself. The ideological46 shift is enormous, and it is occurring rightnow."Langdon felt a shiver. Astrological prophecy never held much interest or credibility for him, but heknew there were those in the Church who followed it very closely. "The Church calls thistransitional period the End of Days."Sophie looked skeptical. "As in the end of the world? The Apocalypse?""No." Langdon replied. "That's a common misconception. Many religions speak of the End ofDays. It refers not to the end of the world, but rather the end of our current age—Pisces, whichbegan at the time of Christ's birth, spanned two thousand years, and waned47 with the passing of themillennium. Now that we've passed into the Age of Aquarius, the End of Days has arrived.""Many Grail historians," Teabing added, "believe that if the Priory is indeed planning to releasethis truth, this point in history would be a symbolically48 apt time. Most Priory academics, myselfincluded, anticipated the brotherhood's release would coincide precisely49 with the millennium44.
Obviously, it did not. Admittedly, the Roman calendar does not mesh50 perfectly51 with astrologicalmarkers, so there is some gray area in the prediction. Whether the Church now has insideinformation that an exact date is looming52, or whether they are just getting nervous on account ofastrological prophecy, I don't know. Anyway, it's immaterial. Either scenario53 explains how theChurch might be motivated to launch a preemptive attack against the Priory." Teabing frowned.
"And believe me, if the Church finds the Holy Grail, they will destroy it. The documents and therelics of the blessed Mary Magdalene as well." His eyes grew heavy. "Then, my dear, with theSangreal documents gone, all evidence will be lost. The Church will have won their age-old war torewrite history. The past will be erased54 forever."Slowly, Sophie pulled the cruciform key from her sweater pocket and held it out to Teabing.
Teabing took the key and studied it. "My goodness. The Priory seal. Where did you get this?""My grandfather gave it to me tonight before he died."Teabing ran his fingers across the cruciform. "A key to a church?"She drew a deep breath. "This key provides access to the keystone."Teabing's head snapped up, his face wild with disbelief. "Impossible! What church did I miss? I'vesearched every church in France!""It's not in a church," Sophie said. "It's in a Swiss depository bank."Teabing's look of excitement waned. "The keystone is in a bank?""A vault55," Langdon offered.
"A bank vault?" Teabing shook his head violently. "That's impossible. The keystone is supposed tobe hidden beneath the sign of the Rose.""It is," Langdon said. "It was stored in a rosewood box inlaid with a five-petal Rose."Teabing looked thunderstruck. "You've seen the keystone?"Sophie nodded. "We visited the bank."Teabing came over to them, his eyes wild with fear. "My friends, we must do something. Thekeystone is in danger! We have a duty to protect it. What if there are other keys? Perhaps stolenfrom the murdered sénéchaux? If the Church can gain access to the bank as you have—""Then they will be too late," Sophie said. "We removed the keystone.""What! You removed the keystone from its hiding place?""Don't worry," Langdon said. "The keystone is well hidden.""Extremely well hidden, I hope!""Actually," Langdon said, unable to hide his grin, "that depends on how often you dust under yourcouch."The wind outside Chateau56 Villette had picked up, and Silas's robe danced in the breeze as hecrouched near the window. Although he had been unable to hear much of the conversation, theword keystone had sifted57 through the glass on numerous occasions.
It is inside.
The Teacher's words were fresh in his mind. Enter Chateau Villette. Take the keystone. Hun noone.
Now, Langdon and the others had adjourned58 suddenly to another room, extinguishing the studylights as they went. Feeling like a panther stalking prey59, Silas crept to the glass doors. Findingthem unlocked, he slipped inside and closed the doors silently behind him. He could hear muffledvoices from another room. Silas pulled the pistol from his pocket, turned off the safety, and incheddown the hallway.
"雷，我是被冤枉的。"兰登说道，尽量保持着镇定。"你是了解我的。我绝对不会杀人。"
提彬的口气依然严厉。"罗伯特，你杀人的事已经上了电视。上帝啊，你知道当局正在通缉你吗？"
"知道。"
"那你就滥用了我对你的信任。你竟然跑到我这里来，还藏在我家里跟我大谈圣杯。你这样给我带来危险，真让我吃惊。""可我没杀人。"
"雅克。索尼埃遇害了，警察说是你干的。"提彬看上去非常伤心。"这样一个对艺术作出巨大贡献的人……""先生？""男佣走到书房的门口，抱着胳膊站在提彬身后。"要我把他们赶出去吗？"
"请允许我这样做。"提彬蹒跚着穿过书房，打开玻璃门上的锁，猛地将门向外推开。"请去找你们的车，然后离开。"索菲没有动。"我们有关于隐修会楔石的消息。"
提彬瞪着她看了几秒钟，轻蔑地说："垂死挣扎。兰登知道我非常想找到它。"
兰登说道："她说的是真的。这就是我们来找你的原因。我们想跟你讨论关于楔石的事情。"男佣插话道："离开这里，否则我要报警了。"
兰登轻声说："雷，我们知道它在哪里。"
提彬浑身颤抖了一下，几乎失去平衡。
雷米气势汹汹地穿过房间，走了过来。"马上离开！否则我要强行……"
"雷米！"提彬转过身，呵斥道。"让我们单独呆一会儿。"
男佣张口结舌。"先生？我必须要保护您。这些人是……"
"你先出去，我自己处理这事。"提彬指着走廊说道。
雷米愣了一会儿，像丧家之犬一样垂头丧气地走了。
清凉的晚风从打开的门里吹进来。提彬转过身，将信将疑地问索菲和兰登："你们最好说真话。关于楔石，你们都知道些什么呢？"
书房外面茂密的灌木丛中，塞拉斯紧紧地攥着手枪，瞪大双眼朝玻璃门里张望。他刚刚绕着这座房子转了一圈，发现兰登和那个女人正在那间宽大的书房里谈话。他正想往里闯，一个拄着拐杖的男人走了进去，冲着兰登大声喊叫并猛地推开房门，叫他们离开。然后，那个女人提到了楔石，接着一切都改变了。喊叫变成了低声私语。气氛融洽了。而且玻璃门也迅速地被关上了。
现在，塞拉斯蜷缩在阴影里，透过玻璃朝里偷窥着。楔石就在这座房子里。塞拉斯能感觉到。
他在阴影里朝玻璃门慢慢地挪动，急切地想听到他们在说些什么。他将给他们五分钟。如果到时他们还没能表明楔石在什么地方，他就闯进去逼他们说出来。
兰登站在书房里，完全能理解提彬的疑惑。
"隐修会领导人？"提彬看着索菲，吃惊地问道："雅克。索尼埃？"
索菲点点头，看得出他很惊讶。
"但你不可能知道这种事！"
"雅克。索尼埃是我祖父。"
提彬拄着拐杖向后倒退了几步，疑惑地看着兰登。兰登点点头。提彬转身对索菲说："奈芙小姐，我无话可说。如果这是真的，我为你失去亲人而感到难过。我得承认，为了研究的需要，我这里保存着许多名单，名单上的人极有可能是巴黎的隐修会成员。但是你说"隐修会领导人"？这太不可思议了。"提彬沉默了一会儿，又摇摇头说道："但这仍然没什么意义。即使你祖父是隐修会的领导人并且制作了楔石，他也绝对不可能告诉你怎样找到它。
楔石表明的是通往隐修会的宝藏的路线。就算你是他的孙女，也没有资格知道这个秘密。"兰登说："索尼埃先生讲出这个秘密的时候，就快要死了。他别无选择。"
提彬争辩道："他根本就不需要选择。还有三个隐修会成员也知道这个秘密。这就是隐修会制度的好处。三个人中的一个会升任领导人，然后再选一个候选人来共同保守楔石的秘密。"索菲说："我想您没有看完电视上的新闻报道。除了祖父，其他三位巴黎的社会名流也在今天被害了，而且看得出他们都被审讯拷打过。"提彬惊讶地张大了嘴巴。"你认为他们都是……"
兰登说道："隐修会成员。"
"但是，这怎么可能呢？一个凶手是不可能知道郇山隐修会四个头号人物的真实身份的！虽然我已经找了他们好几十年，可是到现在连一个隐修会成员的名字都不知道。三个头号人物和领导人在一天之内被发现然后被杀害，这简直太不可思议了。"索菲说："我怀疑这些信息不是在一天之内收集起来的。这看上去像是一个安排周密的行动。我们用一种技术来打击组织严密的犯罪集团。如果警方想打击某个团伙，会先悄悄地窃听和监视几个月。等确定了所有的犯罪头目后，他们就突然出动，同时袭击这些头目，把他们当场击毙。没有了首领，这个团伙就会乱得一团糟，其他的秘密就会被泄露出来。所以我认为，极有可能是有人耐心地监视了隐修会的活动，然后突然袭击，期望那些领袖人物能泄露出楔石的所在地。"提彬看上去并不相信。"可是那些人是不会说的。他们都发过誓要保守秘密。即便是面对死亡，也不会吐露秘密。"
兰登说道："没错。但设想一下：如果他们都没有泄露这个秘密，而且全部遇害"，那么……"提彬吃惊地说道："那么，就永远没人能知道楔石的隐藏地了。"
兰登补充道："以及圣杯的埋藏地。"
提彬的身体似乎随着兰登沉重的话语晃动起来。他似乎累得站不住了，一屁股坐在沙发上，两眼直勾勾地望着窗外。
索菲走过去，温柔地说："祖父在彻底绝望时，有可能把这个秘密告诉隐修会之外的人。一个他可以信任的人。一个家里人。"提彬的脸色煞白，他喃喃地说："但是，能够发动这样的袭击的人…"，能够发现这么多关于隐修会秘密的人……"他突然停了下来，一阵新的恐惧笼罩着他。"只有一种力量能做到。这样的袭击只能来自隐修会的宿敌。"兰登抬起头："罗马教廷。"
"还能是谁？几个世纪以来，罗马教廷一直在寻找圣杯。"
索菲对此表示怀疑："你认为是罗马教廷杀害了祖父？"
提彬答道："这已不是罗马教廷第一次通过杀人来保护自己了。圣杯文件就像烈性炸药，罗马教廷多年以来一直想把它们销毁。"兰登不同意提彬的推断，认为罗马教廷不会大张旗鼓地通过杀人来获取文件。兰登曾见过新教皇和其他红衣主教，觉得他们都是很高尚的人，绝对不会采用暗杀的手段。无论成败都不会采用这一手段。
索菲似乎也有同样的想法："有没有可能是罗马教廷以外的人杀害了隐修会的成员呢？
那些不理解圣杯含义的人？毕竟，耶稣的圣杯是个非常诱人的宝贝。那些寻宝者肯定会杀死跟他们争宝贝的人。"提彬说道："根据我的经验，人们宁可压抑自己的欲望，也不会靠近恐惧。我感到这次对隐修会的袭击是绝望的挣扎。"兰登说道："雷，你的说法自相矛盾。为什么天主教的牧师们会为了寻找他们眼中的伪证而杀害隐修会的人呢？"
提彬抿嘴笑道："罗伯特，象牙塔把你变得愚蠢了。没错，罗马的牧师们是有着非常虔诚的信仰。他们的信仰可以经历任何风雨，包括与他们的信仰完全相抵触的那些文件。可是，世界上的其他人呢？那些信仰没有如此坚定的人会怎么想呢？那些看尽了世间的冷漠而询问"上帝在哪里"的人会怎么想呢？那些发现了罗马教廷的丑闻而质问"宣讲耶稣真理的人，为何撒谎掩盖牧师对儿童进行性侵犯"的人会怎么想呢？"提彬停顿了一下，接着说道："罗伯特，如果有人发现足够的科学证据来证明罗马教廷关于耶稣的故事是不准确的，而且能证明被传诵的耶稣的伟大事迹不过是谎言，他们会怎么想呢？"
兰登没有回答。
提彬说道："我来告诉你那些文件被发掘出来的后果。梵蒂冈将会面临两千年来从未有过的信仰危机。"兰登沉默了良久，说道："但是，如果确实是罗马教廷发动了这次袭击，那他们为什么到现在才动手呢？为什么要等这么多年呢？这些年来隐修会一直收藏着圣杯文件。他们对罗马教廷并没有构成直接的威胁啊。"提彬叹息道："罗伯特，我想你应该很熟悉隐修会的最终职责。"
想到这点，兰登噎住了。"是的。"
提彬说："奈芙小姐，这么多年来罗马教廷和隐修会一直保持着一种默契。那就是：罗马教廷不进攻隐修会，而隐修会则保守着圣杯文件，不向外界宣扬。"他停了一下，接着说道："然而，隐修会一直都有揭露这个秘密的计划。当特定的历史时刻来临时，隐修会就会打破沉默，向世人宣布圣杯文件的存在并宣讲耶稣基督的真实故事，从而获得彻底的胜利。"索菲默默地看着提彬。最后，她也坐了下来。"而且您认为那个历史时刻就要来临了，是吗？并且罗马教廷也知道此事？"
提彬说道："只是一种推测。但这足以促使罗马教廷来发动一场全面的进攻，从而在为时未晚的情况下找到圣杯文件。"兰登颇感不安，他认为提彬说的没错。"你认为罗马教廷真的能够找到足够的证据来证明隐修会披露秘密的时间？"
"为什么不能呢？如果罗马教廷能发现隐修会成员的真实身份，那他们肯定已经知道丁隐修会的计划。即使他们不知道确切的时间，他们的迷信也会帮他们的大忙。""迷信？"索菲不解地问。
提彬说道："根据预言，我们正处在一个发生巨大变化的时代。千禧年刚过去，随之而结束的是长达两千年的双鱼时代，要知道鱼也是耶稣的标记。正如星宿符号学者所言，双鱼星座的理念是，人类必须由比他们更强大的事物来告诉他们应该做些什么，因为人类自己不会思考。因此，那是一个充斥着强烈宗教信仰的时代。可是现在，我们进入了宝瓶时代。而这个时代的理念是人类会掌握真理，会独立思考。观念上的转变是如此之大，而这种转变正在发生。"兰登颤抖了一下。他对星宿预言一直不感兴趣，而且也不太相信。但他知道罗马教廷里有些人对此深信不疑。"罗马教廷把这个转变时期称作"末日"。"
索菲疑惑地问道："你是说宝瓶时代就是世界末日吗？"
兰登说道："不是。这是很常见的误解。许多的宗教都会提到"末日"，但那不是指世界的末日，而是指时代--双鱼时代--的终结。要知道，这个双鱼时代是从耶稣降生的那年开始的，历经两千年，在千禧年过后就结束了。现在，我们已进入了宝瓶时代，双鱼时代的末日已经到了。"提彬补充道："许多研究圣杯的历史学家认为，如果隐修会真的打算披露这个秘密，那么，这一历史时刻确实是具有象征意义的时机。许多研究隐修会的学者，包括我在内，曾预测隐修会在千禧年披露这个秘密。现在看来，他们并没有那么做。当然，罗马日历并不能和星宿标志完全吻合，所以预测结果还悬而未决。是否现在罗马教廷得到了内幕消息说确切的日期即将来临，或只是由于对星宿预言的迷信使他们变得非常紧张，对此我不能确定。然而这并不重要。这两个假定中的任何一个都足以说明为什么罗马教廷要对隐修会发动先发制人的袭击。"提彬皱起了眉头。"相信我，如果罗马教廷找到了圣杯，他们会毁了它。他们会把那些文件和可敬的玛利亚。抹大拉的遗骨一起销毁。"他眼圈红了。"然后，亲爱的，随着圣杯文件的消失，所有的证据都没了。罗马教廷将会打赢这场世纪之战，从而改写历史。历史的真相将永远被抹去。"索菲缓缓地从毛衣口袋里拿出那个十字形的钥匙，递给提彬。
提彬接过来，仔细端详着。"上帝啊，隐修会的标志。你是从哪里得到它的？"
"今晚祖父临死之前给我的。"
提彬摸着这把十字形的钥匙。"这是一把教堂的钥匙吧？"
她深吸了一口气："这把钥匙让我们找到了楔石。"
提彬猛地抬起头，简直无法相信自己的耳朵。"这不可能！我错过了哪个教堂？我把法国所有的教堂都搜遍了！"索菲说道："楔石没在教堂里，在一家瑞士储蓄银行里。"
提彬脸上的兴奋消失了。"楔石在一家银行里？"
兰登说道："在一个金库里。"
提彬使劲地摇着头。"银行的金库？不可能。楔石应该藏在玫瑰标记的下面。"
兰登说道："没错。它在一个镶着五瓣玫瑰的紫檀木盒子里。"
提彬大吃一惊。"你们看到过楔石？"
索菲点点头。"我们去了银行。"
提彬朝他们走过来，眼里充满了恐惧。"朋友们，我们得做点什么。楔石正处于危险之中！我们有责任保护好楔石。如果还有别的钥匙怎么办？也许是从其他死者身上偷来的。
如果罗马教廷能像你们一样进入银行……"索菲说道："那他们就晚了一步。我们拿到了楔石。""什么！你们已经把楔石从原来的地方拿走了？"
兰登说道："别担心。楔石现在藏在一个很安全的地方。"
"我希望绝对安全！"
兰登抑制不住脸上得意的笑容。"那要看你多长时间打扫一次沙发了。"
别墅外面的风大了起来。塞拉斯趴在窗户边上，长袍在风中飘舞着。虽然他没听到多少谈话的内容，但"楔石"这个词却无数次地透过玻璃飘了出来。
它就在里面。
"导师"的话依然在他耳边回响。"潜入别墅。拿走楔石。不要伤害任何人。"
现在，兰登和其他人突然停止了谈话，转移到另外一个房间里去了。走之前，他们把书房的灯关了。塞拉斯像猎豹蹑手蹑脚地靠近猎物一样，慢慢地爬到玻璃门前。他发现门没锁。"嗖"地钻了进去，然后把门悄悄地掩上。他能隐隐约约地听到从隔壁房间里传来的声音。塞拉斯从口袋里掏出手枪，拔掉保险栓，慢慢地向走廊挪去。
收听单词发音 |
1
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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scoffed
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| 嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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derisively
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| adv. 嘲笑地，嘲弄地 | |
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7
ploy
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| n.花招，手段 | |
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falter
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| vi.(嗓音)颤抖，结巴地说；犹豫；蹒跚 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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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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13
skulked
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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crutches
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| n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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21
eligible
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| adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
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22
interrogated
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| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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divulges
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| v.吐露，泄露( divulge的第三人称单数 ) | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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divulged
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| v.吐露，泄露( divulge的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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28
flopped
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| v.（指书、戏剧等）彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 )；（因疲惫而）猛然坐下；（笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地）移动或落下；砸锅 | |
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29
skeptical
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| adj.怀疑的，多疑的 | |
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30
premise
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| n.前提；v.提论，预述 | |
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31
blatantly
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| ad.公开地 | |
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32
cardinals
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| 红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数 | |
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33
condone
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| v.宽恕；原谅 | |
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34
assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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35
enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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37
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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unprecedented
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| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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41
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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42
superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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43
epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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44
millennium
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| n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世 | |
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45
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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ideological
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| a.意识形态的 | |
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waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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48
symbolically
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| ad.象征地，象征性地 | |
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49
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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50
mesh
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| n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络 | |
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51
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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52
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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53
scenario
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| n.剧本，脚本；概要 | |
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54
erased
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| v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除 | |
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55
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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56
chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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57
sifted
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| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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58
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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