Chapter Three—The Riddle #4
It was near midafternoon by the time Sara turned in to Professor MacDonald’s driveway. Robert met her at the door.
“He’s in the library, waiting for you.”
The professor’s faded blue eyes were almost glowing. “Sit, dear!” he said excitedly. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed reading this document. It really is a confirmation of hope. If I never read another important thing, this will have been enough.”
Sara sat down on the sofa near his wheelchair. “So what can you tell me?”
“Well, much of it is written like a travel diary,” the professor began, “but I got the feeling that somehow the writer was trying to encrypt some other message.”
Sara told him about the verse that Lucas had dug out of it. The old man nodded.
“Yes, I noticed that too. But there’s more, I think.”
“More?” She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Lucas alone after lunch, since Mr. Smith had decided to monopolize both of his guests’ time. It had, at least, given her the opportunity to return the manuscript to the safe. “Tell me!”
He patted her hand. “If the Hallows are to be found, there is an order in which to do it. There were other references about “first” seeing something and then “proceeding” on and “lastly” finding the holy grail.”
She perked up. “It says ‘the Holy Grail’? Lucas didn’t mention that.”
The professor shook his head. “The writer says that he came across a pool in so beautiful a setting it was like finding the holy grail of inner peace.” His eyes took on a faraway look.
“Odd, that choice of words. ‘Pool.’ Not ‘lake.’ Not ‘pond.’ The only body of water that I’ve heard called by that name was Dozmary Pool in Cornwall. ”
“The pool that Bedwyr threw Excalibur into? What does King Arthur have to do with this? Or England? I thought the Hallows had been brought to America.”
The old man leaned back and plucked at his cardigan, a sure sign he was about to tell a story. Sara always enjoyed listening to him when he did. She sat back and relaxed.
“The Hallows have traveled far. It’s not so strange that Arthur, or at least one of his knights, would be involved in this. We are talking about the Holy Grail, you know.”
“Well, yes,” Sara said. “We all know that Galahad was the only knight pure enough in heart to receive it.”
“And Galahad went to Sarras after Camlann, and from there to Jerusalem— But I get ahead of myself.”
“Go on.”
“Well, as you know, Arthur owned the Sword of Justice. Galahad’s father, Lancelot—or the Lancer—wasn’t called that for nothing. He owned the lance, the Spear of Truth. The cup, of course, was mystically hidden to protect it from unwanted hands.”
“And what about the dish?”
“Ah, that. It was actually a round plate, more of a platter, you know. It came with the first Scotti settlers from Tara to Pictland. When Arthur defeated Fergus Mor, he brought the dish to Britain and established the Round Table.”
“So all four Hallows were in Arthur’s possession?”
Professor Macdonald nodded. “It was what made him so successful for so many years. Until Mordred came along.”
“ ‘The evil that men do lives after them,’ ” Sara quoted from Shakespeare.
“Ah, yes. And the true Evil One is still among us, I fear. But Mordred was not able to get his hands on any of the Hallows. Galahad took them all to Jerusalem.”
Sara shivered, even though it was not cold. “Jerusalem. Solomon’s Temple. So is that what the Templars were really searching for?”
“Who can say? What matters is that they found the Hallows, took them to France, then escaped to Scotland. And, with the Inquisition, to the United States.”
They were both silent for a long time, thinking about it. Finally, the old man handed Sara a piece of paper.
“From what I can tell, using the “first” and “then” and “last” sentences, you have another riddle to solve. Or at least an order to do it in.”
Sara looked down at the paper.
“Seek first the Spear
And then, the Sword
Third, the Dish
And the Grail will appear.”
The professor suppressed a yawn. “I believe I’m ready for a nap. Not as young as I used to be.” He reached over and squeezed Sara’s hand. “If you trust your young man, share this with him.”
She felt herself blush. “He’s not ‘my’ man.” She chided herself as the unbidden memory arose of being enclosed in his arms, his mouth close to her ear, tickling her senses. Heat pooled in her lower belly and she stood quickly, gathering the papers. “I’d better be going.”
She let herself out. Robert was nowhere in sight, but she had heard water running earlier and figured he was probably drawing a bath for Professor MacDonald.
As she drove down the driveway, she smiled to herself.
Lucas. Her man. What would it be like, having him?
How would he take her? Fast and hard? Easy and slow?
He was definitely all alpha, sheer animal magnetism, but he had a gentle touch.
How she’d like to find out just what he’d do.
The thought sent fever and chills to every nerve ending. Her whole body tingled.
She didn’t even notice the black car that waited just down the street.