The Da Vinci Code Chapter 48-51

CHAPTER 48Langdon could scarcely deal his aver supposition, and yet, considering who had given this stvirtuoso cylinder to them, how he had given it to them, and at once, the grace Rose on the container, Langdon could formulate only one finish.I am well(p)keeping the Priory mainstay.The legend was specific.The cay is an encoded stone that lies beneath the sign of the Rose.Robert? Sophie was reflexion him. Whats way out on?Langdon needed a moment to gather his thoughts. Did your grandad ever call to you of some(prenominal)thing called la clef de v starte?The key to the vault? Sophie translated.No, thats the literal translation. Clef de v step forwarde is a common architectural term. Voute refers non to a camber vault, notwithstanding to a vault in an arch. Like a leap ceiling.But vaulted ceilings dont aim keys.Actually they do. Every stone archway requires a central, cuneiform stone at the top which locks the pieces to buy offher and carries all the weight. This s tone is, in an architectural star, the key to the vault. In incline we call it a guts. Langdon watched her eyeball for any spark of recognition. Sophie shrugged, glancing put down at the cryptex. But this obviously is not a gumption. Langdon didnt fuck where to begin. Keystones as a masonry technique for building stonearchways had been one of the best-kept brain-teasers of the early Masonic brotherhood. The Royal ArchDegree.Architecture.Keystones.It was all interconnected. The sneaking(a) knowledge of how to typifyping a wedged keystone to build a vaulted archway was part of the wisdom that had do the Masons such wealthy craftsmen, and it was a secret they guarded c arfully. Keystones had always had a tradition of secrecy. And yet, the stone cylinder in the rosewood tree tree cut 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 blessed grail is primarily symbologic, so I tend to skip the plethora of lore regarding how to actually find it.Sophies eyebrows arched. Find the Holy grail?Langdon gave an uneasy nod, speaking his next passwords carefully. Sophie, according to Priory lore, the keystone is an encoded map a map that reveals the hide place of the Holy grail. Sophies slip went blank. And you estimate this is it? Langdon didnt know what to say. regular 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(prenominal) tantalizing indicator that this was indeed the Priory keystone. A former Grand Masters practicebrought to bearing centuries later by another Priory member.The bond was withal tangible to dismiss.For the last decade, historiographers had been searching for the keystone in French churches. grail playkers, long-familiar with the Priorys hi recital of cryptic branched-talk, had concluded la clef de voute 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, on that point was no shortage of roses. Rose windows.Rosette reliefs.And, of course, an abundance of cinquefoils the five-petaled decorative flowers often ensnare at the top of archways, flat everyplace the keystone. The hiding place seemed diabolically simple. The map to the Holy Grail was compound high in an archway of some forgotten church, mocking the maneuver churchgoers who wandered beneath it.This cryptex locoweedt be the keystone, Sophie argued. Its not old bountiful. Im certain my gramps made this. It cant be part of any ancient Grail legend.Actually, Langdon replied, olfactory modalitying a tingle of excite ment ripple through him, the keystone is deliberated to fool been created by the Priory some sentence in the past couple of decades.Sophies eyes flashed disbelief. But if this cryptex reveals the hiding place of the Holy Grail, wherefore would my grandfather give it to me? I involve no idea how to open it or what to do with it. I dont thus further nearly know what the Holy Grail isLangdon realized to his surprise that she was right. He had not yet had a chance to explain to Sophie the on-key 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 humming of the sessproof wheels beneath them, Langdon quickly explained to Sophie everything he had perceive about(predicate) the keystone. Allegedly, for centuries, the Priorys biggest secret the location of the Holy Grail was never written down. For securitys sake, it was verbally transferred to distri preciselyively new move up sen echal 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 c everyplace of new electronic eavesdropping capabilities, and the Priory vowed never again even to speak the location of the sacred hiding place.But then how could they clog up on the secret? Sophie asked.Thats where the keystone comes in, Langdon explained. When one of the top four members died, the remaining trinity would choose from the lower echelons the next candidate to ascend as senechal.Rather than apprisal the new senechal where the Grail was hidden, they gave him a test through which he could recruit up he was worthy.Sophie looked unsettled by this, and Langdon on the spur of the moment recalled her mentioning how her grandfather used to machinate treasure hunts for her preuves de virtuee.Admittedly, the keystone was a similar concept. therefore 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 tall(prenominal)er until they culminated in a successful candidates founding as thirty- irregular- degree Mason.So the keystone is a preuve de merite,Sophie said. If a rising Priory senechal can open it, he proves himself worthy of the information it holds.Langdon nodded. I forgot youd had jazz with this sort of thing.Not only with my grandfather. In cryptology, thats called a self-authorizing language. That is, if youre smart enough to read it, youre permitted to know what is being said.Langdon hesitated a moment. Sophie, you realize that if this is indeed the keystone, your grandfathers retrieve 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. Im certain of it. I can only assume it was the Priory.Langdon did a double fulfil. You knew he was in a secret society?I adage some things I wasnt supposed to see ten years ago. We havent speak 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 further said. Grand Master? But theres no way you could know thatId rather not talk about it. Sophie looked away, her expression as driven as it was pained.Langdon sat in stunned silence. Jacques Sauniere? Grand Master? patronage the astonishing repercussions if it were true, Langdon had the eerie sensation it almost made perfect sense. afterwardswards all, previous Priory Grand know had also been distinguished public bits with delicious souls. Proof of that fact had been uncovered years ago in Pariss Bibliotheque Nationale in papers that became known as Les Dossiers Secrets.Every Priory historian and Grail furbish had read the Dossiers.Cataloged under Number 4o lm1 249, the Dossiers Secrets had been authenticated by many specialists and provably confirmed what historians had suspected for a long time Priory Grand Masters included Leonardo Da Vinci, Botti cadrei, Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and, more recently, Jean Cocteau, the celebrated Parisian artist.Why not Jacques Sauniere?Langdons incredulity intensified with the realization that he had been slated to meet Sauniere tonight. The Priory Grand Master called a meeting with me.Why? To make tasty gnomish talk? It suddenly seemed unlikely. After all, if Langdons instincts were correct, the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion had just transferred the brotherhoods legendary keystone to his granddaughter and simultaneously commanded her to find Robert Langdon.InconceivableLangdons imagination could conjure no set of circumstances that would explain Saunieres behavior. Even if Sauniere feared his own death, there were three senechaux who al so possessed the secret and therefore guaranteed the Priorys security. Why would Sauniere take such an coarse risk giving his granddaughter the keystone, especially when the dickens of them didnt 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 retardation engine caused them both to look up. Gravel crunched beneath the tires. Why is he tear over already? Langdon wondered. Vernet had told them he would take them well orthogonal 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 rap 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 mitt, he held a pistol.Im sorry about this, he said. I really have no choice.CHAPTER 49Andre Vernet looked awkward with a pistol, just his eyes shone with a determination that Langdon sensed would be unwise to test.Im terror-stricken 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 sponsors.I have a duty to protect your grandfathers assets, Vernet replied. And that is exactly what I am doing. Now set the box on the foot.My grandfather en carteled this to me Sophie declared. Do it, Vernet commanded, raising the grinder. Sophie set the box at her feet.Langdon watched the gun drum overleap now in his direction.Mr. Langdon, Vernet said, you impart lift the box over to me. And be aware that Im 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 clients assets.We are your clients now, Sophie said.Vernets visage sullen ice-cold, an eerie transformation. mademoiselle Neveu, I dont know howyou got that key and account number tonight, however 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 grandfathers deathVernet looked at Langdon. And yet the radio claims you are pauperizationed not only for the make ofJacques Sauniere but for those of three other men as well?What Langdon was thunderstruck. tierce more murders? The coincidental number hit him knockouter than the fact that he was the primal suspect. It seemed too unlikely to be a coincidence. The three senechaux? Langdons eyes dropped to the rosewood box. If the senechaux were murdered, Sauniere had no options.He had to t ransfer the keystone to someone.The practice of law 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 number us in. You would have driven us back to the bank. And instead you bring down us out here and hold us at head?Your grandfather hired me for one reason to keep his possessions both safe and toffee-nosed. Whatever this box contains, I have no intention of allow it become a piece of cataloged evidence in a police investigation. Mr. Langdon, bring me the box. Sophie shook her head. Dont 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 quiver clinked onto the cargo floor.Shit Langdon froze.Vernet intercommunicate 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 establish skunk the rear bumper, hi s gun outstretched into the cargo hold now.Box in hand, Langdon move across the hold toward the open door.Ive got to do something Langdon thought. Im about to hand over the Priory keystone As Langdon moved toward the doorway, his position of higher cornerstone became more pronounced, and he began wondering if he could somehow use it to his advantage. Vernets gun, though raised, was at Langdons knee level. A well-placed kick perhaps? alas, as Langdon neared, Vernet seemed to sense the dangerous dynamic developing, and he took several steps back, repositioning himself sextuplet 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 end 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 trucks precision-crafted doorsill.Stand up, and step away from the box.Langdon paus ed a moment durable, 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 doors lower sill. Fully well(p) now, Langdon stepped backward.Return to the back wall and turn about. Langdon ob eyeball.Vernet could feel his own boldness pounding. Aiming the gun with his right hand, he reached now with his remaining for the wooden box. He discovered that it was far too heavy. I need two hands. move his eyes back to his captives, he calculated the risk. Both were a effective fifteen feet away, at the far end of the cargo hold, facing away from him. Vernet made up his mind. Quickly, he laid down the gun on the bumper, lifted the box with two hands, and set it on the ground, immediately grabbing the gun again and aiming it back into the hold. Neither of his prisoners had moved.Perfect.Now all that remained was to close and lock the door. leave the box on the ground for the moment, he grabbed the metal doo r and began to crumple it closed. As the door swung past him, Vernet reached up to grab the single bang that needed to be slid into place. The door closed with a thud, and Vernet quickly grabbed the bolt, pulling it to the left. The bolt slid a few inches and crunched to an unexpected halt, not lining up with its sleeve. Whats going on? Vernet pulled again, but the bolt wouldnt lock. The mechanism was not the right way aligned. The door isnt fully closed Feeling a surge of panic, Vernet shoved intemperate against the out of doors of the door, but it refused to budge. Something is blocking it Vernet turned to throw full raise into the door, but this time the door exploded outward, striking Vernet in the face and sending him reeling backward onto the ground, his nose shattering in pain. The gun flew as Vernet reached for his face and snarl the warm blood running from his nose.Robert Langdon hit the ground somewhere nearby, and Vernet tried and true to get up, but he couldnt se e. His vision bleary-eyed and he fell backward again. Sophie Neveu was shouting. Moments later, Vernet felt a cloud of ungraded and exhaust billowing over him. He heard the crunching of tires on ticktack and sat up just in time to see the trucks extensive wheelbase fail to navigate a turn. There was a crash as the front bumper clipped a tree. The engine roared, and the tree bent. Finally, it was the bumper that gave, tearing half(a) off. The armour car lurched away, its front bumper dragging. When the truck reached the paved access road, a shower of sparks lit up the night, trailing the truck as it sped away. Vernet turned his eyes back to the ground where the truck had been parked. Even in the worn moonlight he could see there was nothing there.The wooden box was gone.CHAPTER 50The unmarked Fiat sedan departing Castel Gandolfo snaked downward through the Alban Hills into the vale below. In the back seat, Bishop Aringarosa smiled, feeling the weight of the bearer bonds in the briefcase on his thrash and wondering how long it would be before he and the teacher could make the exchange.Twenty million euro.The sum would buy Aringarosa power far more valuable than that.As his car sped back toward Rome, Aringarosa again found himself wondering why the teacher had not yet contacted him. Pulling his cell phone from his cassock pocket, he checked the carrier signal. Extremely faint.Cell assistance is intermittent up here, the driver said, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. In about five minutes, well be out of the mountains, and service improves.Thank you. Aringarosa felt a sudden surge of concern. No service in the mountains? Maybe the Teacher had been nerve-racking to reach him all this time. Maybe something had gone terribly wrong.Quickly, Aringarosa checked the phones voice mail. Nothing. Then again, he realized, the Teacher never would have left a recorded message he was a man who took enormous care with his communications. Nobody understood better than the Teacher the perils of speaking openly in this modern world. Electronic eavesdropping had played a major fictional character in how he had gathered his astonishing array of secret knowledge.For this reason, he takes extra precautions.Unfortunately, the Teachers protocols for caution included a refusal to give Aringarosa any tolerant of contact number. I alone will initiate contact, the Teacher had advised him. So keep your phoneclose.Now that Aringarosa realized his phone might not have been working properly, he feared what the Teacher might think if he had been repeatedly phoning with no answer.Hell think something is wrong. Or that I failed to get the bonds. The bishop broke a light sweat. Or worse that I took the money and ranCHAPTER 51Even at a modest sixty kilometers an hour, the dangling front bumper of the arrayed truck grated against the deserted suburban road with a grinding roar, spray sparks up onto the hood.Weve got to get off the road, Langdon thought.He cou ld barely even see where they were headed. The trucks lone working headlight had been knocked off-center and was casting a reorient sidelong beam into the woods beside the country highway. Apparently the armor in this armored truck referred only to the cargo hold and not the front end.Sophie sat in the passenger seat, staring blankly at the rosewood box on her lap. Are you okay? Langdon asked. Sophie looked shaken. Do you believe him? nearly the three additional murders? Absolutely. It answers a lot of questions the issue of your grandfathers desperation to pass on the keystone, as well as the intensity with which Fache is hunting me.No, I meant about Vernet trying to protect his bank. Langdon glanced over. As opposed to? Taking the keystone for himself.Langdon had not even considered it. How would he even know what this box contains?His bank stored it. He knew my grandfather. Maybe he knew things. He might have stubborn he wanted the Grail for himself.Langdon shook his head. Ve rnet hardly seemed the type. In my experience, there are only two reasons people seek the Grail. Either they are naive and believe they are searching for the long-lost Cup of Christ Or? Or they know the truth and are threatened by it. legion(predicate) groups throughout history have sought to destroy the Grail.The silence betwixt them accentuated the sound of the scraping bumper. They had driven a few kilometers now, and as Langdon watched the come down of sparks coming off the front of the truck, he wondered if it was dangerous. Either way, if they passed another car, it would sure enough draw attention. Langdon made up his mind.Im going to see if I can bend this bumper back.Pulling onto the shoulder, he brought the truck to a stop. Silence at last. As Langdon walked toward the front of the truck, he felt surprisingly alert. Staring into the barrel of yet another gun tonight had given him a second wind. He took a deep breath of nighttime air and tried to get his wits about him. Accompanying the gravity of being a hunted man, Langdon was starting to feel the ponderous weight of responsibility, the prospect that he and Sophie might actually be holding an encrypted set of directions to one of the most enduring mysteries of all time.As if this burden were not great enough, Langdon now realized that any possibility of determination away to return the keystone to the Priory had just evaporated. News of the three additional murders had dire implications. The Priory has been infiltrated.They are compromised.The brotherhood was obviously being watched, or there was a mole within the ranks. It seemed to explain why Sauniere might have transferred the keystone to Sophie and Langdon people outside the brotherhood, people he knew were not compromised. We cant very well give the keystone back tothe brotherhood.Even if Langdon had any idea how to find a Priory member, chances were undecomposed that whoever stepped ship to take the keystone could be the enemy himself . For the moment, at least, it seemed the keystone was in Sophie and Langdons hands, whether they wanted it or not.The trucks front end looked worse than Langdon had imagined. The left headlight was gone, and the right one looked like an eyeball dangling from its socket. Langdon straightened it, and it dislodged again. The only smashing news was that the front bumper had been torn almost clean off. Langdon gave it a hard kick and sensed he might be able to chequer it off entirely.As he repeatedly kicked the twisted metal, Langdon recalled his earlier colloquy with Sophie. My grandfather left me a phone message, Sophie had told him. He said he needed to tell me thetruth about my family.At the time it had meant nothing, but now, knowing the Priory of Sion was involved, Langdon felt a startling new possibility emerge.The bumper broke off suddenly with a crash. Langdon paused to catch his breath. At least the truck would no longer look like a Fourth of July sparkler. He grabbed the b umper and began dragging it out of sight into the woods, wondering where they should go next. They had no idea how to open the cryptex, or why Sauniere had given it to them. Unfortunately, their survival tonight seemed to depend on acquiring answers to those very questions.We need help, Langdon decided. Professional help.In the world of the Holy Grail and the Priory of Sion, that meant only one man. The challenge, of course, would be selling the idea to Sophie.Inside the armored car, while Sophie waited for Langdon to return, she could feel the weight of the rosewood box on her lap and resented it. Why did my grandfather give this to me? She had not the slightest idea what to do with it.Think, Sophie role your head. Grand-pere is trying to tell you somethingOpening the box, she eyed the cryptexs dials. A proof of merit.She could feel her grandfathers hand at work. The keystone is a map that can be followed only by the worthy.It sounded like her grandfather to the core.Lifting the c ryptex out of the box, Sophie ran her fingers over the dials. fin letters.She rotated the dials one by one. The mechanism moved smoothly. She aligned the disks such that her chosen letters lined up between the cryptexs two typeface alignment arrows on either end of the cylinder. The dials now spelled a five-letter word that Sophie knew was absurdly obvious.G-R-A-I-L.Gently, she held the two ends of the cylinder and pulled, applying pressure slowly. The cryptex didnt budge. She heard the vinegar inside gurgle and stopped pulling. Then she tried again.V-I-N-C-IAgain, no movement. V-O-U-T-ENothing. The cryptex remained locked solid.Frowning, she replaced it in the rosewood box and closed the lid. Looking outside at Langdon, Sophie felt welcome he was with her tonight. P. S.Find Robert Langdon.Her grandfathers rationale for including him was now clear. Sophie was not equipped to understand her grandfathers intentions, and so he had assigned Robert Langdon as her guide. A tutor to ove rsee her education. Unfortunately for Langdon, he had turned out to be far more than a tutor tonight. He had become the target of Bezu Fache and some unseen force intent on possessing the Holy Grail.Whatever the Grail turns out to be.Sophie wondered if finding out was worth her life.As the armored truck accelerated again, Langdon was buoyant how a lot more smoothly it drove. Do you know how to get to Versailles?Sophie eyed him. Sightseeing?No, I have a plan. Theres a religious historian I know who lives near Versailles. I cant remember exactly where, but we can look it up. Ive been to his solid ground a few times. His name is Leigh Teabing. Hes a former British Royal Historian. And he lives in Paris? Teabings life passion is the Grail. When whisperings of the Priory keystone surfaced about fifteen years ago, he moved to France to search churches in hopes of finding it. Hes written some books on the keystone and the Grail. He may be able to help us figure out how to open it and wh at to do with it.Sophies eyes were wary. Can you trust him? deposit him to what? Not steal the information? And not to turn us in. I dont intend to tell him were wanted by the police. Im hoping hell take us in until we can sort all this out.Robert, has it occurred to you that every television set in France is likely getting ready to broadcast our pictures? Bezu Fache always uses the media to his advantage. Hell make it impossible for us to move around without being recognized.Terrific, Langdon thought. My French TV debut will be on Pariss Most Wanted. At least Jonas Faukman would be blithesome every time Langdon made the news, his book sales jumped.Is this man a good enough friend? Sophie asked.Langdon doubted Teabing was someone who watched television, especially at this hour, but still the question deserved consideration. Instinct told Langdon that Teabing would be totally trustworthy. An standard safe harbor. Considering the circumstances, Teabing would likely trip over hims elf to help them as much as possible. Not only did he owe Langdon a favor, but Teabing was a Grail researcher, and Sophie claimed her grandfather was the actual Grand Master of the Priory of Sion. If Teabing heard that, he would salivate at the thought of helping them figure this out.Teabing could be a powerful ally, Langdon said. Depending on how much you want to tell him.Fache probably will be offering a monetary reward.Langdon laughed. Believe me, money is the last thing this guy needs. Leigh Teabing was wealthy in the way small countries were wealthy. A descendant of Britains First Duke of Lancaster, Teabing had gotten his money the old-fashioned way hed genic it. His estate outside of Paris was a seventeenth-century palace with two private lakes.Langdon had first met Teabing several years ago through the British broadcasting Corporation. Teabing had approached the BBC with a proposal for a historical documentary in which he would expose the explosive history of the Holy Grail to a mainstream television audience. The BBC producers loved Teabings hot premise, his research, and his credentials, but they had concerns that the concept was so shocking and hard to swallow that the network might end up tarnishing its reputation for whole tone journalism. At Teabings suggestion, the BBC solved its credibility fears by soliciting three cameos from respected historians from around the world, all of whom corroborated the stunning nature of the Holy Grail secret with their own research. Langdon had been among those chosen. The BBC had flown Langdon to Teabings Paris estate for the filming. He sat before cameras in Teabings voluptuous drawing room and shared his story, admitting his initial skepticism on comprehend of the alternate Holy Grail story, then describing how years of research had persuaded him that the story was true. Finally, Langdon offered some of his own research a series of symbologic connections that strongly support the seemingly controversial c laims.When the program aired in Britain, despite its supporting players cast and well-documented evidence, the premise rubbed so hard against the grain of popular Christian thought that it instantly confronted a firestorm of hostility. It never aired in the States, but the repercussions echoed across the Atlantic.Shortly afterward, Langdon received a postcard from an old friend the Catholic Bishop of Philadelphia. The card simply read Et tu, Robert?Robert, Sophie asked, youre certain we can trust this man?Absolutely. Were colleagues, he doesnt need money, and I happen to know he despises the French authorities. The French government taxes him at absurd rates because he bought a historic landmark. Hell be in no hurry to stand by with Fache. Sophie stared out at the dark roadway. If we go to him, how much do you want to tell him? Langdon looked unconcerned. Believe me, Leigh Teabing knows more about the Priory of Sionand the Holy Grail than anyone on earth.Sophie eyed him. More tha n my grandfather?I meant more than anyone outside the brotherhood.How do you know Teabing isnt a member of the brotherhood?Teabing has spent his life trying to broadcast the truth about the Holy Grail. The Priorys oath is to keep its true nature hidden.Sounds to me like a conflict of interest.Langdon understood her concerns. Sauniere had given the cryptex directly to Sophie, and although she didnt know what it contained or what she was supposed to do with it, she was hesitant to involve a total stranger. Considering the information potentially enclosed, the instinct was probably a good one. We dont need to tell Teabing about the keystone immediately. Or at all, even. His stand will give us a place to hide and think, and peradventure when we talk to him about the Grail, youll start to have an idea why your grandfather gave this to you.Us,Sophie reminded.Langdon felt a humble pride and wondered yet again why Sauniere had included him. Do you know more or less where Mr. Teabing lives ? Sophie asked. His estate is called Chateau Villette.Sophie turned with an incredulous look. The Chateau Villette? Thats the one.Nice friends.You know the estate?Ive passed it. Its in the fortress district. Twenty minutes from here. Langdon frowned. That far? Yes, which will give you enough time to tell me what the Holy Grail really is.Langdon paused. Ill tell you at Teabings. He and I specialize in different areas of the legend, so between the two of us, youll get the full story. Langdon smiled. Besides, the Grail has been Teabings life, and hearing the story of the Holy Grail from Leigh Teabing will be like hearing the theory of relativity from brain himself.Lets hope Leigh doesnt mind late-night visitors.For the record, its Sir Leigh. Langdon had made that mistake only once. Teabing is quite a character. He was knighted by the Queen several years back after composing an extensive history on the House of York.Sophie looked over. Youre kidding, right? Were going to visit a knight ?Langdon gave an awkward smile. Were on a Grail quest, Sophie. Who better to help us than a knight?