THEY BOTH MOVED ONWARDS down a wide corridor, where they could walk completely upright. In some of the arches formed by the walls, they discovered a series of protohistoric petroglyphs that they were unable to recognize. They looked nothing like the hieratic writing of Ancient Egypt or any other known writing. They were, rather, meaningless Kabbalistic ideograms. Several of them reminded them of the characters of the Hebrew alphabet.
— It's the original writing — Giovanna stated, watching her companion observe them attentively. — According to my uncle, it was directly revealed to mankind by the angels. The ancient inhabitants of Enoch called it arsigot, or, what amounts to the same thing, the artistic language of God. Centuries later, the Templars would baptize the knowledge acquired, thanks to the wisdom of the Ark, with the name Gothic art.
Nothing surprised the Hyperion detective anymore. Then he remembered the Widow's absurd comparison to the feet of Cheops.
— Balkis told me a strange story about an incredible cathedral buried beneath the desert... — he confessed hoarsely. — Do you know anything about it?
— Same as you, but I don't think it's accurate... — he shook his head and added, with a half-smile: — ...it's more like a legend that circulates among the veteran members of the lodge.
They continued down the corridor. Gregory couldn't stop thinking about an idea that had come to him since he buried the two small monoliths in the sand, a thought directly related to the construction of cathedrals and their archetypes.
— You don't believe it could be true? — he asked again. Giovanna looked at him, disconcerted.
— You mean the pillars of Tubal-cain and the Sanctuary of Wisdom?
— That's right! — he replied quickly. — I just realized there's a connection between Balkis's account and the models followed by temple builders.
The young woman frowned.
— I can't understand...
— It turns out that most porticoes, since Ancient Greece, follow the same pattern — he explained didactically. — Above the threshold, there's a triangle supported by horizontal bases, supported by several columns. Today, they can be admired in the world's most iconic buildings, from the Vatican to the White House, and even the Parthenon in Athens. It's as if, in the collective memory of architects, past and present, the idea of an original temple whose structure followed the same guidelines survives...
He bit his tongue for a moment before continuing emphatically. — And what about the bell towers of cathedrals? Don't they resemble the obelisks of Ancient Egypt?
Giovanna had to admit that there was a certain parallel between the architectural lines of those buildings and the description she knew of the Temple of Enoch.
— It's possible... — he said finally, without giving it much importance. Hesitantly, he raised his eyebrows.
— Without a doubt! — Gregory Evans reaffirmed. — These buildings are a tribute to the sciences of the past, which made the miracle of Giza possible.
— If you keep thinking about it, you'll lose your concentration — she warned him, tilting her head. — The best thing you can do now is retreat into silence. Let your mind rest... Stop your thoughts, your inner reflections.
— Is that what they taught you?
— It's the most advisable... — she added succinctly.
Shortly after, they arrived at a rectangular room, about fifty square meters in size. To the right and left were openings to two corridors in the side walls. As they approached to investigate, they noticed stone steps leading down into the darkness. They shone their flashlights inside. Several meters below, a semicircular path appeared, like a spiral staircase.
Giovanna caught her companion's attention.
— Come look at this! — He gestured for her to come closer to the front wall. — There's something written here.
The detective moved his flashlight to the spot Giovanna had pointed out. He read a strange verse engraved on the stone:
— Animal, plantam, petram sum, tibi meae alae tutelam daraverunt...
— What does it mean? — he asked.
— I am animal, vegetable, and mineral, and under my wings you will find protection... — That's the entry code, she replied confidentially. — We'll have to solve Wisdom's divination to know which path to follow.
— I assume they gave you some kind of reference or instructions… — Evans hoped his partner would tell him something more concrete.
Monroe's niece, however, just shrugged, shaking her head repeatedly.
— We're screwed! — Gregory exclaimed, discovering that his girlfriend knew as much as he did.
Then he approached one of the underground entrances. Led by intuition, he looked up, expecting to find some sign or object, as had happened in the astonishing crypt of the Murcia Cathedral. There was no bell there, but rather new inscriptions carved into the stone. Above the entrance arch were the planetary symbols of the Sun and Venus, with their names written below in Latin: "SOLIS-VENUS".
— Did you notice? — he asked thoughtfully. Then he showed the carved marks with the light of his flashlight.
Giovanna tilted her head, trying to understand what was happening. Then she approached the aisle just off to the side, shining a beam of light toward the highest part of the frontispiece. She saw two more petroglyphs with their respective inscriptions, in this case those of the Moon and the Earth.
— It's amazing... — he whispered, before turning around.
He advanced with determination to the front wall, relighting the upper areas of the arches. There were Mercury and Jupiter on one, Mars and Saturn on another — the stars known in the Middle Ages, as well as the primordial symbols used by ancient alchemists.
— I'll bet you anything that these inscriptions hide the answer to the riddle... — he said seriously, then looked at Evans for support.
— We should start studying them... don't you think? — he suggested. At that moment, they heard the distant echo of a gunshot. Giovanna paled as soon as she heard the detonation.
— Uncle! — she cried, distressed, going to the tunnel in an act of desperation, in an attempt to help him.
Gregory caught her forearm, just in time and firmly.
— It's useless. You can't do anything more for him.
— We don't know if he's dead! — she replied hysterically, obsessed with her determination to go find him. — He could be injured! It's even possible it was a warning shot!
— Listen... — he told her softly. — If we return, they will force us to lead you to the Ark. Umbert knew this, and that's why he remained there, sacrificing himself while we fulfill our agreement...
And then he added with sudden vehemence:
— We are your only hope! The secret of the chamber depends on the decision we make.
Giovanna was surprised that her boyfriend and partner had changed his mind. She thought he didn't care about the store's affairs, but she was wrong, and this gave her a moment to think. Gregory Evans was right:
They should find the Throne Room before it was too late...
— What do you think we should do? — she asked, dejected.
— You tell me, this time... — he clicked his tongue before continuing. — Monroe said something about a story he told you a few years ago that had to do with us meeting. You, not I, should really be the one to lead this unusual adventure we're in to the core of.
— It's true... I had forgotten.
— So... can you tell me what this is about?
— From a Lithuanian named Leeds Kalnin, who lived in the United States between the 1920s and 1940s. My uncle told me the story several times. Apparently, that man, single-handedly, carved and moved over a thousand tons of stone. Over the years, he created a garden of extraordinary beauty, which he named — The Rock Gate Park.
— Please tell me this is a reliable clue!
Giovanna sighed, unsure of what to say. Old Kalnin's story was surprising, but nothing more. If that was the only help they were going to get, they were truly lost.
— The truth is, I don't know... — he replied with depressing sincerity.
— Okay... let's start over — Gregory suggested, trying to remain calm. — Let's do what Umbert recommended. We'll use Latin for the answer and rearrange the anagram.