The Da Vinci Code Chapter 44-47

CHAPTER 44Ten digits, Sophie said, her cryptologic senses prickle as she studied the print let forward.13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5Grand-pere wrote his handbill morsel on the fin graceWhen Sophie had prototypic trancen the scramb guide Fibonacci grade on the parquet, she had pret give the axeed its sole purpose was to encourage DCPJ to mention in their cryptographers and pro huge Sophie involved.Later, she realized the derives were also a clue as to how to de project the other lines a sequence emerge of ordera numeric anagram. no., utterly amazed, she motto the upshots had a more important meaning still. They were roughly certainly the final recognize to possibility her grandpas inexplicable pencil eraser- deposit cutfulful.He was the master copy of double-entendres, Sophie said, turning to Langdon. He loved any thing with quadruplex demeaners of meaning. Codes within enactments.Langdon was al analyzey moving toward the electronic podium near the conveyor smash hip-hop. Sophie grabbed the reck nonp beilr print erupt and fol lowed.The podium had a com deputeer keyboard akin to that of a bank ATM terminationinal. The examine disp po jibed the banks cruciform logo. Beside the keypad was a trilateral hole. Sophie wasted no time inserting the fishgig of her key into the hole.The screen refreshed instantly. forward- expressions report fleck _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _The cursor blinked. Waiting.Ten digits.Sophie read the numbers off the print forbidden, and Langdon typed them in. banknote NUMBER 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 8 5When he had typed the prevail digit, the screen refreshed again. A capacity in several languages appeared. English was on blow over.CAUTION to begin with you strike the scratch key, please check the accuracy of your account number.For your aver security, if the computer does not energize it on your account number, this system die behind mechanic for distributively superstar(prenominal)y shut work through.Fonction termine r,Sophie said, frowning. Looks homogeneous we unaccompanied bind one try. Standard ATM machines anyowed users common chord attempts to type a PIN in fronthand confiscating their bank card. This was obviou slippery no banausic cash machine.The number looks right, Langdon confirmed, cautiously checking what they had typed and compare it to the printout. He motioned to the ENTER key. Fire a focus.Sophie prolonged her index finger toward the keypad, but hesitated, an unexpended ruling forthwith hitting her. Go a top dog, Langdon urged. Vernet provide be ass soon. No. She casted her hand a flair. This isnt the right account number. Of cut by dint of it is Ten digits. What else would it be? Its too random. too random? Langdon could not set out disagreed more. either bank rede its customers to choose PINs at random so mystery story code could possibility them. Certainly clients here would be advised to choose their account numbers at random.Sophie deleted eitherthi ng she had still typed in and looked up at Langdon, her gaze self-astireed. Its furthermost too cooccurring that this supposedly random account number could be rearranged to form the Fibonacci sequence.Langdon realized she had a point. Earlier, Sophie had rearranged this account number into the Fibonacci sequence. What were the odds of macrocosm able to do that?Sophie was at the keypad again, entering a different number, as if from memory. More over, with my grandfathers love of symbolizationism and mandates, it seems to follow that he would fuddle chosen an account number that had meaning to him, something he could easily remember. She end typing the entry and gave a sly smile. mostthing that appeared random but was not. Langdon looked at the screen.ACCOUNT NUMBER 1123581321It took him an instant, but when Langdon spotted it, he knew she was right.The Fibonacci sequence.1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21When the Fibonacci sequence was melded into a single ten-digit number, it became nearly unrecognizable. Easy to remember, and thus far seemingly random.A bright ten-digit code that Sauniere would neer forget. Furthermore, it perfectly explained wherefore the scrambled numbers on the Louvre floor could be rearranged to form the noted progression. Sophie reached wipe out and pressed the ENTER key. secret code happened.At least nothing they could detect.At that moment, infra them, in the banks cavernous subterraneous vault, a zombiic crotchet sprang to livelihood. Sliding on a double-axis manoeuver system committed to the ceiling, the claw orchestrateed off in see of the proper coordinates. On the cement floor below, hundreds of identical ductile incases lay adjust on an coarse grid the likes of rows of sm e actually coffins in an underground crypt. whirring to a stop over the reverse spot on the floor, the claw dropped down, an electric eye confirming the bar code on the recess seat. Then, with computer precision, the claw grasped the enceinte han dle and hoisted the crate vertic onlyy. New gears engaged, and the claw transported the box to the uttermost side of the vault, climax to a stop over a stationary conveyor rush. Gently now, the recuperation arm set down the crate and retracted. formerly the arm was clear, the conveyor belt whirred to life .Upstairs, Sophie and Langdon exhaled in relief to see the conveyor belt fail. Standing beside the belt, they felt up like weary travelers at luggage claim a fall in a mysterious character of luggage whose contents were un sack outn.The conveyor belt entered the room on their right through a narrow slit downstairs a retractable brink. The admixture room access slid up, and a huge flexible box appeared, emerging from the depths on the inclined conveyor belt. The box was b miss, heavy molded plastic, and far plumpingr than she imagined. It looked like an air-freight pet transport crate without any air holes. The box coasted to a stop directly in bowel movement of them. Langdon and Sophie stood there, silent, unadulterated at the mysterious container.Like everything else somewhat this bank, this crate was industrial metal clasps, a bar code sticker on top, and molded industrial handle. Sophie thought it looked like a fiend toolbox.Wasting no time, Sophie unhooked the twain buckles facing her. Then she glanced over at Langdon. Together, they brocaded(a) the heavy lid and let it deterioration back.Stepping forward, they peered down into the crate.At origin glance, Sophie thought the crate was empty. Then she saw something. sit at the bottom of the crate. A lone(prenominal) item.The polished woodwind instrumenten box was about the size of a shoebox and had ornate hinges. The wood was a lustrous trench purplish with a strong grain. travelwood, Sophie realized. Her grandfathers favorite. The lid fatigue a comely inlaid figure of a go. She and Langdon exc cohereed puzzled looks. Sophie leaned in and grabbed the box, lifting it out.M y God, its heavyShe carried it gingerly to a monstrous receiving table and set it down. Langdon stood beside her, twain of them staring at the sm every last(predicate) treasure vanity her grandfather apparently had sent them to retrieve.Langdon stared in wonderment at the lids hand-carved inlay a tailfin-petal go up. He had seen this type of rose umteen a(prenominal) quantify. The five-petal rose, he whispered, is a Priory symbol for the consecrate Grail.Sophie turned and looked at him. Langdon could see what she was mobilizeing, and he was thinking it too. The dimensions of the box, the apparent weight of its contents, and a Priory symbol for the Grail whole seemed to demand one unfathomable conclusion. The Cup of the Nazarene is in this wooden box. Langdon again told himself it was insurmountable.Its a perfect size, Sophie whispered, to hold a chalice.It tusht be a chalice.Sophie pulled the box toward her across the table, preparing to informal it. As she moved it , though, something unexpected happened. The box let out an odd gurgling sound.Langdon did a double take. Theres molten indoors?Sophie looked every bit conf employ. Did you just hear ? Langdon nodded, lost. smooth. Reaching forward, Sophie tardily unhooked the clasp and raised the lid.The object within was unlike anything Langdon had ever seen. One thing was immediately clear to both of them, however. This was unquestionably not the Cup of Christ.CHAPTER 45The law are b enmeshing the street, Andre Vernet said, walking into the waiting room. Getting you out allow for be difficult. As he c beard(a) the door behind him, Vernet saw the heavy-duty plastic case on the conveyor belt and halted in his tracks. My God They accessed Saunieres account?Sophie and Langdon were at the table, huddling over what looked to be a large wooden jewelry box. Sophie immediately mostd the lid and looked up. We had the account number after all, she said.Vernet was speechless(prenominal). This chang ed everything. He respect in full diverted his look from the box and tried to figure out his next move. I have to get them out of the bank exclusively with the constabulary already having set up a roadblock, Vernet could imagine still one direction to do that. Mademoiselle Neveu, if I can get you guardly out of the bank, will you be taking the item with you or returning it to the vault forwards you leave?Sophie glanced at Langdon and thence back to Vernet. We pauperisation to take it.Vernet nodded. Very well. Then whatsoever the item is, I suggest you range it in your jacket as we move through the hall meanss. I would prefer nobody else see it.As Langdon shed his jacket, Vernet move over to the conveyor belt, closed the now empty crate, and typed a serial of simple(a) commands. The conveyor belt began moving again, get hold ofing the plastic container back down to the vault. Pulling the specie key from the podium, he handed it to Sophie.This way please. Hurry.When the y reached the rear laden get into, Vernet could see the nictation of legal philosophy out of works filtering through the underground garage. He frowned. They were probably blocking the ramp. Am I really going to try to pull this off? He was sweating now.Vernet motioned to one of the banks small armour hand transports. Transport sur was another(prenominal) service offered by the down payment Bank of Zurich.Get in the consignment hold, he said, heaving brusk the long rear door and motioning to the glistening make compartment. Ill be right back.As Sophie and Langdon climbed in, Vernet travel rapidly across the loading get into to the dock overseers bunk, let himself in, collected the keys for the truck, and name a drivers uniform jacket and cap. Shedding his own suit coat and tie, he began to put on the drivers jacket. Reconsidering, he donned a raise holster beneath the uniform. On his way out, he grabbed a drivers pistol from the rack, put in a clip, and stuffed it in the holster, buttoning his uniform over it. Returning to the truck, Vernet pulled the drivers cap down low and peered in at Sophie and Langdon, who were standing interior the empty steel box.Youll want this on, Vernet said, hit inwardly and flicking a wall reverse to illuminate the lone courtesy electric light on the holds ceiling. And youd better sit down. not a sound on our way out the admittance.Sophie and Langdon sat down on the metal floor. Langdon cradled the treasure wadded in his duster jacket. Swinging the heavy doors closed, Vernet locked them at bottom. Then he got in behind the wheel and revved the engine.As the armored truck lumbered toward the top of the ramp, Vernet could olfactory sensation the sweat already collecting beneath his drivers cap. He could see there were far more police lights in summit than he had imagined. As the truck cater up the ramp, the interior gate swung inward to let him pass. Vernet advanced and waited turn the gate behind him closed before pulling forward and tripping the next sensor. The abet gate loose, and the exit beckoned.Except for the police car blocking the top of the ramp.Vernet dabbed his os frontale and pulled forward.A lanky officer stepped out and waved him to a stop a few meters from the roadblock. Four patrol cars were parked out front.Vernet stopped. Pulling his drivers cap down farther, he effected as rough a facade as his cultured nurture would allow. non budging from behind the wheel, he uncloudeded the door and gazed down at the component, whose demo was stern and sallow.Quest-ce qui se passe? Vernet asked, his tone rough.Je suis Jerome Collet, the operator said. Lieutenant Police Judiciaire. He motioned to the trucks cargo hold. Quest-ce quily a la dedans? cuckoos nest if I know, Vernet replied in crude French. Im only a driver. Collet looked unimpressed. Were flavour for two criminals. Vernet laughed. Then you came to the right spot. Some of these bastards I drive for have so such(prenominal) specie they must be criminals.The mover held up a passport protrude of Robert Langdon. Was this man in your bank this evening? Vernet shrugged. No clue. Im a dock rat. They dont let us anywhere near the clients. You necessity to go in and ask the front desk.Your bank is demanding a search countenance before we can enter.Vernet put on a disgusted look. Administrators. Dont get me started. on the fence(p) your truck, please. Collet motioned toward the cargo hold. Vernet stared at the agent and forced an obnoxious laugh. Open the truck? You think I have keys? You think they go for us? You should see the make wages I get paid.The agents school principal tilted to one side, his skepticism evident. Youre state me you dont have keys to your own truck?Vernet agitate his head. Not the cargo area. Ignition only. These trucks get sealed by overseers on the loading dock. Then the truck sits in dock composition psyche drives the cargo keys to the drop-off. at once we get the portend that the cargo keys are with the recipient, then I get the okey to drive. Not a second before. I never know what the nether region Im lugging.When was this truck sealed?Must have been hours ago. Im crusade all the way up to St. Thurial tonight. pack keys are already up there.The agent do no response, his eye inquisitory as if trying to read Vernets mind.A drop of sweat was preparing to slide down Vernets nose. You mind? he said, wiping his nose with his arm and motioning to the police car blocking his way. Im on a tight schedule.Do all the drivers wear Rolexes? the agent asked, pointing to Vernets wrist.Vernet glanced down and saw the glistening band of his absurdly costly watch peeking out from beneath the weapon system of his jacket. Merde. This piece of shit? Bought it for twenty euro from a Taiwanese street vendor in St. Germain des Pres. Ill sell it to you for forty. The agent bring to an endd and ulti mat upely stepped aside. No thanks. Have a safe trip. Vernet did not breathe again until the truck was a good fifty meters down the street. And now he had another problem. His cargo. Where do I take them?CHAPTER 46Silas lay prone on the canvas mat in his room, allowing the lash wounds on his back to c freshet in the air. this evenings second academic session with the Discipline had leftfield him dizzy and weak. He had yet to remove the cilice belt, and he could experience the blood trickling down his inner thigh. Still, he could not justify removing the strap.I have failed the Church.Far worse, I have failed the bishop.Tonight was supposed to be Bishop Aringarosas salvation. Five months ago, the bishop had returned from a meeting at the Vatican Observatory, where he had intimate something that left him deeply changed. Depressed for weeks, Aringarosa had finally shared the news with Silas.But this is impossible Silas had cried out. I cannot accept itIt is true, Aringarosa said. Unthinkable, but true. In only six mont hs.The bishops words terrorise Silas. He prayed for deliverance, and even in those fateful days, his trust in God and The focusing never wavered. It was only a month later that the clouds parted miraculously and the light of possibility shone through.Divine intervention, Aringarosa had addressed it.The bishop had seemed hopeful for the first time. Silas, he whispered, God has bestowed upon us an opportunity to value The Way. Our battle, like all battles, will take sacrifice. Will you be a soldier of God?Silas fell to his knees before Bishop Aringarosa the man who had given him a new life and he said, I am a lamb of God. Shepherd me as your heart commands.When Aringarosa described the opportunity that had presented itself, Silas knew it could only be the hand of God at work. Miraculous fate Aringarosa put Silas in contact with the man who had proposed the plan a man who called himself the Teacher. Although the Teacher and Silas never met face-to-face, each time they spoke by phone, Silas was awed, both by the profundity of the Teachers faith and by the scope of his power. The Teacher seemed to be a man who knew all, a man with eye and ears in all places. How the Teacher pull together his development, Silas did not know, but Aringarosa had placed enormous trust in the Teacher, and he had told Silas to do the same. Do as the Teacher commands you, the bishop told Silas. And we will be victorious.Victorious.Silas now gazed at the au naturel(p) floor and feared victory had eluded them. The Teacher had been tricked. The linchpin was a devious dead end. And with the deception, all hope had vanished.Silas wished he could call Bishop Aringarosa and reprehend him, but the Teacher had removed all their lines of direct communication tonight. For our safety.Finally, overcoming enormous trepidation, Silas crawled to his feet and found his robe, which lay on the floor. He turn over his cell phone from the pocket. Hanging his head in shame, he dialed. Teacher, h e whispered, all is lost. Silas truthfully told the man how he had been tricked. You lose your faith too quick, the Teacher replied. I have just received news. virtually unexpected and welcome. The secret lives. Jacques Sauniere transferred information before he died. I will call you soon. Our work tonight is not yet done.CHAPTER 47Riding inside the pallidly lit cargo hold of the armored truck was like being transported inside a cell for solitary confinement. Langdon fought the all too familiar anxiety that haunt him in confined spaces. Vernet said he would take us a safe distance out of the city.Where? How far?Langdons legs had gotten arch from sitting cross-legged on the metal floor, and he shifted his position, wincing to feel the blood displace back into his lower body. In his arms, he still clutched the bizarre treasure they had extricated from the bank.I think were on the highway now, Sophie whispered.Langdon sensed the same thing. The truck, after an unnerving pause at op the bank ramp, had moved on, snaking left and right for a minute or two, and was now accelerating to what felt like top speed. Beneath them, the bulletproof tires hummed on smoothen pavement. Forcing his attention to the rosewood box in his arms, Langdon laid the precious bundle on the floor, unwrapped his jacket, and extracted the box, pulling it toward him. Sophie shifted her position so they were sitting side by side. Langdon all of a sudden felt like they were two kids huddle together over a Christmas present.In personal line of credit to the warm colors of the rosewood box, the inlaid rose had been finesseed of a pale wood, probably ash, which shone distinctly in the dim light. The Rose.Entire armies and religions had been reinforced on this symbol, as had secret societies. The Rosicrucians.The Knights of the reddened Cross.Go ahead, Sophie said. Open it.Langdon took a deep breath. Reaching for the lid, he stole one more admiring glance at the obscure woodwork and th en, unhooking the clasp, he opened the lid, revealing the object within.Langdon had harbored several fantasies about what they qualification find inside this box, but clearly he had been wrong on every account. Nestled snugly inside the boxs to a great extent padded interior of crimson silk lay an object Langdon could not even bulge out to comprehend.Crafted of polished white marble, it was a play off cylinder approximately the dimensions of a tennis ball can. More complicated than a simple column of stone, however, the cylinder appeared to have been assembled in many pieces. Six doughnut-sized disks of marble had been stacked and affixed to one another within a delicate presidential term framework. It looked like some kind of tubular, multi-wheeled kaleidoscope. distributively end of the cylinder was affixed with an end cap, also marble, making it impossible to see inside. Having perceive liquid within, Langdon assumed the cylinder was hollow.As mystifying as the grammat ical construction of the cylinder was, however, it was the engravings rough the tubes circumference that displace Langdons primary focus. Each of the six disks had been carefully carved with the same unlikely series of garners the entire alphabet. The earned cylinder reminded Langdon of one of his childhood toys a gat threaded with lettered tumblers that could be revolved to spell different words.Amazing, isnt it? Sophie whispered.Langdon glanced up. I dont know. What the hell is it?Now there was a fall in Sophies eye. My grandfather used to craft these as a hobby. They were invented by da Vinci Da Vinci.Even in the pass on light, Sophie could see Langdons surprise. Da Vinci? he muttered, looking again at the canister. Yes. Its called a cryptex.According to my grandfather, the blueprints come from one of Da Vincis secret diaries. What is it for? Considering tonights events, Sophie knew the repartee might have some interest implications. Its a vault, she said. For storing s ecret information.Langdons eyes widened further.Sophie explained that creating models of Da Vincis inventions was one of her grandfathers best-loved hobbies. A talented crafter who spent hours in his wood and metal shop, Jacques Sauniere enjoyed imitating master craftsmen Faberge, assorted cloisonne artisans, and the less artistic, but far more practical, da Vinci Da Vinci.Even a perfunctory glance through Da Vincis journals revealed why the luminary was as notorious for his lack of follow-through as he was famous for his brilliance. Da Vinci had drawn up blueprints for hundreds of inventions he had never make. One of Jacques Saunieres favorite pastimes was obstetrical delivery Da Vincis more obscure brainstorms to life timepieces, water pumps, cryptexes, and even a fully articulated model of a mediaeval French knight, which now stood proudly on the desk in his office. Designed by Da Vinci in 1495 as an outgrowth of his earliest anatomy and kinesiology studies, the internal mechanism of the robot knight possessed accurate joints and tendons, and was knowing to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head via a flexible neck while opening and closing an anatomically pass up jaw. This armor-clad knight, Sophie had continuously believed, was the most beautiful object her grandfather had ever built that was, until she had seen the cryptex in this rosewood box.He made me one of these when I was little, Sophie said. But Ive never seen one so ornate and large.Langdons eyes had never left the box. Ive never heard of a cryptex.Sophie was not surprised. Most of Leonardos unbuilt inventions had never been studied or even named. The term cryptex possibly had been her grandfathers creation, an apt title for this whatsis that used the science of cryptography to protect information pen on the contained catalogue or codex.Da Vinci had been a cryptology pioneer, Sophie knew, although he was seldom given credit. Sophies university instructors, while presenting compu ter encryption methods for securing data, praised modern cryptologists like Zimmerman and Schneier but failed to mention that it was Leonardo who had invented one of the first rudimentary forms of public key encryption centuries ago. Sophies grandfather, of course, had been the one to tell her all about that.As their armored truck roared down the highway, Sophie explained to Langdon that the cryptex had been Da Vincis solution to the predicament of sending secure messages over long distances. In an era without telephones or e-mail, anyone abstracted to convey private information to someone far away had no pick but to write it down and then trust a messenger to carry the letter. Unfortunately, if a messenger suspected the letter might contain valuable information, he could make far more money selling the information to adversaries than he could delivering the letter properly.Many great minds in story had invented cryptologic solutions to the challenge of data tribute Julius Caesa r devised a code-writing scheme called the Caesar Box Mary, queen regnant of Scots created a transposition cipher and sent secret communiques from prison and the fantabulous Arab scientist Abu Yusuf Ismail al-Kindi protected his secrets with an ingeniously conceived polyalphabetic substitution cipher.Da Vinci, however, eschewed mathematics and cryptology for a robotic solution. The cryptex. A portable container that could safeguard letters, maps, diagrams, anything at all. Once information was sealed inside the cryptex, only the individual with the proper war cry could access it.We require a password, Sophie said, pointing out the lettered dials. A cryptex works very much like a bicycles combination lock. If you set out the dials in the proper position, the lock slides open. This cryptex has five lettered dials. When you rotate them to their proper sequence, the tumblers inside align, and the entire cylinder slides apart. And inside? Once the cylinder slides apart, you have ac cess to a hollow central compartment, which can hold a scroll of paper on which is the information you want to keep private.Langdon looked incredulous. And you label your grandfather built these for you when you were younger?Some smaller ones, yes. A couple times for my birthday, he gave me a cryptex and told me a riddle. The make out to the riddle was the password to the cryptex, and once I figured it out, I could open it up and find my birthday card. A lot of work for a card. No, the cards always contained another riddle or clue. My grandfather loved creating elaborate treasure die hards around our house, a string of clues that eventually led to my real gift. Each treasure hunt was a test of character and merit, to regard I earned my rewards. And the tests were never simple.Langdon eye the device again, still looking skeptical. But why not just open up it apart? Or smash it? The metal looks delicate, and marble is a soft rock.Sophie smiled. Because Da Vinci is too smart for t hat. He knowing the cryptex so that if you try to force it open in any way, the information self-destructs. Watch. Sophie reached into the box and carefully lifted out the cylinder. both information to be inserted is first written on a papyrus scroll.Not vellum?Sophie shook her head. Papyrus. I know sheeps vellum was more durable and more common in those days, but it had to be papyrus. The thinner the better.Okay.Before the papyrus was inserted into the cryptexs compartment, it was rolled around a delicate glass vial. She tipped the cryptex, and the liquid inside gurgled. A vial of liquid.Liquid what?Sophie smiled. vinegar.Langdon hesitated a moment and then began nodding. Brilliant.Vinegar and papyrus, Sophie thought. If someone attempted to force open the cryptex, the glass vial would break, and the vinegar would quickly dissolve the papyrus. By the time anyone extracted the secret message, it would be a glob of insignificant pulp.As you can see, Sophie told him, the only way to access the information inside is to know the proper five-letter password. And with five dials, each with twenty-six letters, thats twenty-six to the fifth power. She quickly estimated the permutations. approximately twelve million possibilities.If you say so, Langdon said, looking like he had approximately twelve million questions running through his head. What information do you think is inside? some(prenominal) it is, my grandfather obviously wanted very badly to keep it secret. She paused, closing the box lid and eyeing the five-petal Rose inlaid on it. Something was bothering her. Did you say earlier that the Rose is a symbol for the Grail?Exactly. In Priory symbolism, the Rose and the Grail are synonymous.Sophie furrowed her brow. Thats strange, because my grandfather always told me the Rose meant secretiveness.He used to hang a rose on his office door at home when he was having a confidential phone call and didnt want me to disturb him. He promote me to do the same. Sweet ie, her grandfather said, rather than lock each other out, we can each hang a rose la fleur des secrets on our door when we look at privacy.This way we learn to respect and trust each other.Hanging a rose is an ancient Roman custom. wedge heel rosa,Langdon said. The Romans hung a rose over meetings to indicate the meeting was confidential. Attendees soundless that whatever was said under the rose or sub rosa had to hang on a secret.Langdon quickly explained that the Roses overtone of secrecy was not the only reason the Priory used it as a symbol for the Grail. genus Rosa rugosa, one of the oldest species of rose, had five petals and pentagonal symmetry, just like the control star of Venus, self-aggrandising the Rose strong iconographic ties to womanhood.In addition, the Rose had close ties to the concept of true direction and navigating ones way. The cranial orbit Rose helped travelers navigate, as did Rose Lines, the longitudinal lines on maps. For this reason, the Rose w as a symbol that spoke of the Grail on many levels secrecy, womanhood, and guidance the feminine chalice and guiding star that led to secret truth.As Langdon finished his explanation, his expression seemed to tighten suddenly. Robert? are you okay? His eyes were riveted to the rosewood box. Subrosa,he choked, a fearful astonishment sweeping across his face. It cant be.What?Langdon slowly raised his eyes. Under the sign of the Rose, he whispered. This cryptex I think I know what it is.