"The what?" Mr. Vermil said, clearly confused.
"You know, the red triangle logo of the gas station. Here—" I took Professor Haggins' phone and pulled up an image of the company's logo. Sure enough it looked just like the triangle on the book. The only difference aside from the red color was that the logo was designed to look 3D. Each face of the triangle was a different shade of red, which gave the impression that it was a pyramid with a light source hitting from top left. "See; there are three identical triangles making up the majority of the mass, leading me to think that they represent something in threes—or a trio."
*******
The Trinity, Rebecca quickly realized. That had to be it.
*******
Everyone stood, thinking on my question, including Mr. Vermil, who nudged us by saying: "Isn't there some Christian representation of the number three?"
"The Holy Trinity?" I said impulsively. Having been born and raised Christian, the Holy Trinity was pretty engrained in my mind. "Could that be what it means?"
*******
Yes, Rebecca silently answered. She didn't know what a Christian was but knew he was right.
*******
"I guess that's a possibility . . . a very likely possibility," Professor Haggins said. "The Cathars were a Christian sect. The Order of the Dragon was founded by the Holy Roman Emperor. It makes sense to assume that the symbol is Christian in orientation."
"But not wholly Christian;"—I added—"the Cathars had differing views. So there might be more to this than just the Holy Trinity: like what does . . ." and then the image on the cellphone screen sparked something new in my mind, ". . . holy shit! Do you guys know what this triangle is?!" No one seemed to have a clue. "This damn thing isn't a triangle but a pyramid! A three-sided pyramid!"
The three men came over and looked at the image.
I asked: "Do you know what else was a three-sided pyramid?"
No one said anything.
"The hill in Visoko! Don't you guys see? It means that the cover of this book tells us where it was located. Inside the three-sided hill in Visoko."
Everyone took a moment to take in what I was implying. The connection between the symbol and the pyramid became freakishly obvious to me. "Think about it," I said, "if I'm right and the text was divided by the Cathars, then they planned this, which means that the other three-fourths should have a symbol on them as well that indicates where they were taken."
"Okay," Professor Haggins said, carefully, not fully convinced.
There was a look in Mr. Vermil's shiny blue eyes that told me he believed. So I continued: "If I'm right and the text was divided by the Cathars, then they planned this, which means that the other three-fourths should have a symbol on them as well that indicates where they were taken."
Mr. Vermil and Iah both looked intrigued while Professor Haggins appeared skeptical. "I see the point you're trying to make, William, but I must say it is highly improbable. It would require too much foresight by the Cathars. If you just consider this fourth alone, how would they know where it was to be hidden? If they had some inkling that it might end up in a three-sided pyramidal hill then I would agree with your theory, but I highly—highly—doubt that they knew it would end up in Visoko, Bosnia. It's a good thought, William, but I'm afraid it's very unlikely."
"I agree that it's most likely that the Cathars had no idea this quarter of the book would end up in Bosnia. As a matter of fact, I would bet my life on it."
Professor Haggins looked to his contemporaries for some kind of understanding before saying: "Well, good God William, if you agree with me then what point are you trying to make?"
I laid it out for him. "Do you recall what Dr. Thatcher said about the hill—that it was man made?"
"Well, yes, but—"
"Bear with me then," I said quickly, "this will hopefully make sense: if the Cathars decided that each quarter of the book was to be placed inside a geometric structure representing . . . well, whatever was drawn on the cover . . . then it would be up to—whoever—to find the proper home for his, or her, quarter of the book. The Cathar who took this quarter to Bosnia must have relayed these instructions to the Bosnians . . . to the Hrvatinics.
"If you recall, Dr. Thatcher mentioned that the hill was partially natural and partially man made. The outer walls were shaved down and the inner chambers were carved out. Therefore the hill was made to look like a three-sided pyramid with four rooms. The Hrvatinic family simply followed the instructions laid out by the Cathars. They found a hill that closely resembled what they desired and did some cosmetic surgery to complete the look."
I could see excitement forming on all three men's faces. They were getting my point. But then Professor Haggins said: "Very well; but where does that leave us? If what you're saying is true, and clever as it may be, it doesn't, unfortunately, get us any closer to understanding what the Cathar's plan was. Why a three-sided pyramid? And then in which case, where were the other three-quarters hidden?"
"I asked myself the same questions, and I will say that if it weren't for Mr. Vermil's garden on the roof of the Time Warner building, I wouldn't have figured out the answer: the Platonic Solids."
Professor Haggins looked extremely puzzled and turned toward Mr. Vermil who was suddenly sharing a grin with me. Apparently he knew where I was going. "The garden William is speaking of," Mr. Vermil explained, "has four of my favorite statues sitting in four different fountains, each in their own corner of the roof. Each one of those four represents the Platonic Solids—the classical elements—the things our ancient ancestors believed made this world go round."
Professor Haggins still looked lost but Iah seemed to understand now. "I'm very impressed, William."
"Hang on a second," Professor Haggins said, still confused, "I'm not following you three. I'm assuming that the Platonic Solids are the same as the classical elements—earth, air, fire and water—but how does that apply to a three-sided pyramid?"
It was Mr. Vermil who took over from there. "My dear friend, it is obvious you have never read Timaeus. Plato introduces the world to geometrical atomism in that book. Each of the four elements is assigned a three-dimensional shape constructed from two-dimensional figures of the same shape and size."
"And there's a three-sided pyramid in one of the elements?" Professor Haggins asked.
"Fire," Mr. Vermil answered. "Fire is a tetrahedral—four identical triangles."
"But it has to be three triangles, does it not?"
Mr. Vermil held up a bony finger. "Three that go upward to a point, but you mustn't forget the bottom. It too is a triangle, which gives you four."
"I hadn't considered the bottom," I said.
More clarity. Sudden understanding washed over Professor Haggins's face, turning from confused scowl to joyful happiness. "My God! Then it is easy to say that the other books are hidden in shapes that make up the rest of the elements!"
I asked Mr. Vermil what the other shapes were. I had seen them but didn't know which element they were assigned to.
"Earth is a cube—six squares (twenty-four triangles), Water is an octahedral—eight triangles, and air is an icosahedra—twelve triangles."
"So then," I said, "all we have to do is locate each one of these three solids and we should find the remaining pieces of the book." Even though I said it easily, the task seemed overtly daunting.
Professor Haggins said: "Really, it should only be two pieces we need to be concerned about. I'm certain that the Voynich Manuscript is another quarter. The coincidence is too great."
I had temporarily forgotten about it. "That's right! But then we need to confirm that those two books are related—Voynich and what we have here—we need to find out if the Voynich Manuscript has a geometric pattern as well, so we know which Platonic Solid to rule out."
"Yes," Professor Haggins said, "very true. I can take this book over to my lab and immediately begin an analysis on its contents. It won't be quick, however; these things take an enormous amou
nt of time. But if they are connected, I will find out."
"How about translating them?" Iah asked. "We still don't know if these books are in fact parts of the Book of Thoth. We need proof there as well."
"You're right," Professor Haggins admitted. "But that has yet to be achieved."
"Is there anyone who came close to coming up with a translation?" I asked. "Anyone still alive that we can solicit information from?"
Professor Haggins thought about it for a second and then said: "In the 1970s: the NSA, CIA and FBI all took stabs at trying to crack the Voynich language. They didn't consider it a language but a masterful cipher that could prove monumental in their espionage war with Russia. Only one man in those agencies ever came close. He had claimed he had deciphered an entire section of the book—before retracting his statement. . . He might be a person we want to speak with."
"Who is it?" I asked.
"His name is Jonas Lundquist."
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
A thunderous crack and rumble came from the distance. The loud noise startled Rebecca half out of her wits. She laid the d-reader down onto the bed and sat there in silence. The reverb of the explosion could be heard echoing throughout the cavernous city. But as quickly as the sound came, it left, which was unlike the thunderstorms she was used to.
Suddenly, Corbin came through the doorway, unannounced, bearing a concerned look. "I need you to gather your things."
"What's going on?" Rebecca said. "Are we in danger?"
Corbin gathered up her bags and handed them over. He then looked his daughter in the eyes and said: "The city is under attack."
"Under attack?" Rebecca said and then rose to her feet. "The city is under attack?"
Corbin nodded and took his daughter by the hand. "We're not safe here. I don't know the severity of it but the outer security alerts have been tripped. They were designed to give warning of an imposing force on the city, particularly anyone trying to drill their way through the cavern walls."
"Someone is drilling through the walls?" It didn't take Rebecca long to figure out who. "The Ministry is here."
They entered the main living room—where they had discussed things earlier—and Rebecca saw Iah carrying what looked like several burn rifles. "Are those what I think they are?" Rebecca asked nervously.
"They're what we'll need for defense," Corbin said and went over to a cabinet along the wall. He pulled out a large satchel and then grabbed everyone's coats.
Rebecca examined the large metallic rods with handles and Iah asked: "Ever used one?"
"Of course not," Rebecca responded. Burn rifles were rarely seen and only whispered about in The Collective. Only MSF agents carried them.
There was another thunderous boom outside the house that shook the picture frames off the walls. Rebecca instinctively held her arms out in order to keep balance. Then another crashing boom echoed out but further than the last. Rebecca began to tremble as Corbin took one of the burn rifles from Iah and handed it out to Morlan. Morlan shook his head and said: "I don't fight."
"It's your life," Corbin said and then offered it to Rebecca. She, too, shook her head, but didn't say anything. She was too terrified to speak. "It's probably better," he said. "You're young and have a lot to accomplish still."
Accomplish, Rebecca thought disdainfully. I'm a fugitive. What's left to accomplish?
Another explosion of sound reverberated through the room. Corbin said: "Just in case something happens to me." He then displayed how to hold one and where to place her finger on the trigger. He pointed to a little button and said: "That turns the safety off. Once you pull the trigger, a stream of condensed energy will blast out and burn through whatever you are pointing at, so be careful. The beam only lasts for two seconds and then the box automatically shuts off so the electric cylinders can cool. It's wise not to burn anything for longer than a second: the rifle cools quicker, and you can fire it more often."
Rebecca wasn't planning on firing it at all.
"It's her," Iah suddenly called out in an accusatory realization.
"What are you talking about?" Corbin said back.
Iah's finger was outstretched. "Rebecca. How else could they have found us? They're tracking her."
Corbin looked to his daughter. His eyes were calm but there was a curious nervousness behind them. Rebecca shook her head and said: "No, it's not me. I don't know how they found this place but it's not because of me."
He looked back to Iah and said: "I believe her."
Iah didn't seem so convinced but said nothing more.
"Folks!" Morlan shouted out. "We must be leaving, now!"
Explosions were happening at a more frequent pace. The whole house felt like it was going to shake loose from its foundation. Corbin led them through a set of rooms and toward a backdoor that led outside. "Beyond here is the cave wall. We can use the houses as cover as we make our way toward the main hangar."
"Where are we going?" Rebecca asked.
Before Corbin could answer, a terrifying wave of screams could be heard from outside. All four of them sat silently and listened to the cries of terror. Corbin then said: "There are skimmers in the hangar. You and Morlan can use one to escape this cave and go to the emergency base at Vector Three."
"Where's that at?" she asked with panic. The only thing more terrifying than the prospect of war was getting lost in a completely foreign location. Rebecca had no idea where anything was. But before she could get an answer, a rapid knock came at the door. Corbin unlocked the door and flung it open. Cold air whipped inside as a group of men dressed in snow outfits and brandishing rifles came inside. "Sir," one of them said calmly but hastily, "we are under attack in both the north and south entrances."
Corbin ordered the rest of the men to keep guard. "What are the damages? Has the army amassed yet?"
The man, who removed his hood and revealed that he was only a few years shy of Corbin's age, said: "Forces are meeting the opposition on both fronts. There are no damage reports yet. As for the totals that we're facing, I fear that we'll soon be overrun."
Corbin nodded and then pondered the situation for a moment. "We need to evacuate the city as soon as possible."
"Do you want me to call 'Code Zero?'" the man asked and then looked uneasily at Rebecca.
"Yes, right now," Corbin said. "Leave three of your men to help escort my daughter to the evacuation hangar. Once I have her safely onboard, I will return and guide our forces."
The man looked over to Rebecca with curiosity but then looked back to his leader. "Freedom to you, sir," he said and then replaced his hood.
"Freedom to all," Corbin said in return. He then patted the man on the shoulder. The man quickly opened and left through the door. Corbin looked back to Rebecca and company and said: "We have to move."
Rebecca followed Iah and Morlan out the door where the cries of terrified people and explosions could be heard at a much louder volume. Corbin, along with the three soldiers left behind, led them along the left side of the house. Corbin ordered Rebecca and Morlan to stay in the center of the group so that they were more protected. Together, they ran as far down as the cover provided.
Corbin halted them at the edge of the building. He peered around before proceeding into the open. Everyone followed across the opening and toward the next house. Rebecca looked out and saw Heretique soldiers, men dressed in patched uniforms of white, running in the same direction along the path. The adrenaline running through her veins had deadened the fear she was feeling. The cold air had numbed her face and ears.
When they reached the cover of the next house, Iah said out loud: "This can't be a coincidence. Rebecca's arrival and this attack have to be related."
Corbin lifted a finger to his lips and said: "Quiet."
Rebecca didn't know how they could have found her or how they were tracking her. Unlike digital notepads, d-readers didn't have trackers on them.
Corbin led them to the end of the house. In front of them was a large open area
along the cavern wall. The next set of buildings was barely visible in the darkness. They stopped and waited as Corbin peered around the corner. "It's clear," he whispered and then waved for them to pass. "We're going to have to run across this space," Corbin announced. "Keep your eyes open and call out if you see trouble."
"Where's the hangar?" Rebecca asked quietly.
Morlan tapped her on the shoulder and said: "It's about four hundred yards from here. You just can't see it because of the snow." There was a lot of that too. Most of it was just drift being picked up by the wind but it was enough to block their vision.
"Ready?" Corbin asked. He then turned and ran out into the open space with his burn rifle pointed toward the walkway. They ran through the blistering cold wind that was against them. Rebecca felt two times heavier as the wind provided much resistance. Explosions rattled off in the distance and rocks came crumbling down the wall next to them. She feared that the cave ceiling might come crashing down. They ran and ran into what appeared to be a white abyss. Then out of the haze of snow and wind came a gray structure. Rebecca was glad to have cover again . . . however, her happiness soon disseminated when she smelled the smoke in the air. As they reached the walls, Rebecca noticed that there was a blown out hole in the front and debris scattered all over the walkway. She saw a few people laying face first on the ground and asked Morlan: "Are they dead?"
He looked at them but said nothing.
Rebecca knew the answer. They looked like they were resting—sleeping really.
Corbin pointed a finger to the back of the building but kept his burn rifle aimed toward the front. They ran to the back and found a few more people squatting behind rubble. Corbin ordered his three soldiers aiding to take the civilians to safety. The three men saluted and did as told. Rebecca watched this display of profound leadership by her biological father and once again felt ashamed for her blanket assumptions about the man.
"Come on," Iah said. "We have to keep moving."
Amidst the shame, Rebecca suddenly felt an affection for the man she had despised her entire life.
"Come on," Iah said again. Corbin nodded and the four of them continued onward. They ran along the ruined building until they came across a pile of rubble too high to walk through. "We'll have to climb over it," Corbin said.
The Sinner King: Book of Fire Page 34