WITHOUT ANOTHER WORD, they walked to the door that led to the museum. Giovanna kissed him goodbye on the cheek, advising him to be patient. Then they left, reminding him that they would all meet again at the same place the next day.
Greg sat down and was alone with the Widow, who took the opportunity to do the same in the empty chair across the table. He didn't know why, but he felt uncomfortable. Maybe it was the woman's unfathomable gaze or the fact that he felt deceived by everyone. The truth was, he wanted to leave as soon as possible, to the hotel, and find himself surrounded by bubbles in the bathtub.
— I see I wasn't wrong with you — Balkis said, beginning the conversation. — You understood the Freemason's message and came to meet him. Now you can't go back.
— At no point did I say I would accept — Gregory Evans said, emphasizing his desire to remain aloof.
— But you will, because your destiny is none other than to protect the Throne of God... — then he added in an inflexible voice, — ...you already know the secret of the store. You must make good use of it.
The detective didn't quite understand certain details. He had solved the riddle by chance, thanks to the insight of a girl he met on the plane. The mystery wasn't as impenetrable as he'd been led to believe. So... why all the secrecy?
— Is the word so harmful? — he asked curiously. — Is that why they cut out the tongues of those who break the oath of silence, as they did in the past with Iacobus of Carthage and, not so long ago, with my fellow workers?
Balkis sighed sadly. It was obvious she didn't like talking about the shop's victims.
— That's what's happening right now. You've fallen into the trap of his charm. The voice is harmful, indeed.
— What are you referring to?
— Because you didn't reflect on the consequences of your question before asking it, and this could hurt the person in front of you — she replied pragmatically. — The tongue is capricious. In reality, it is the most fickle and rebellious part of the human being. Thanks to the voice, the gears of the world governed by reason are set in motion, causing us to fall into the nets of obscurantism. When we remain silent, contemplating the beauty of a landscape, or listening to the gentle lapping of the waves in the stillness of the night, or even when our hearts are sensitive to the most intimate feelings of the human being, it is precisely then that we perceive the beauty of God.
— Nobody wastes time on that stuff anymore — Gregory Evans opined with a hint of bitterness. — Everything moves too fast these days.
Balkis agreed with him. The barbarity that modern society preached was to blame for everything.
— Do you want to know what's going to happen to you two? — he asked, also referring to Giovanna's future.
— I would be very grateful.
He felt that he would finally understand the meaning of so much crime and so much silence, but what he did not realize was that, with the passing of time, he would come to interpret the store's values and accept that such perception should remain distant from the disaster of men.
— In a few days you will have to confront the ladder that leads to Wisdom, which is why you must remember this conversation as you climb the steps of redemption — she began. — My advice is that, once you are in the Throne Room, you surrender to this silence that arises from the purest feeling of your heart. You must also silence the constant murmuring of your brain, which is equivalent to mastering your inner nature so that you can fully glimpse this other reality that runs parallel to ours.
— Remember that the most wonderful and the saddest experiences are impossible to describe with words. What happens to us when we observe the magnificent spectacle of nature, such as the splendor of dawn or the mystery of dusk, or when pain and sadness fall upon us like a yoke of slavery...? That we allow ourselves to be dominated by silence. Speech seems inappropriate in this moment of extreme sensitivity...
— I cannot understand the connection between your words and the fact that such an inexorable tradition remains standing — was the detective's logical reasoning. — Living chained to a secret and murdering to preserve it is not the most coherent attitude in a person who considers himself civilized.
— Death is a part of life, but the life I offer you will make you rise from your own ashes.
That answer left him more confused than he was before.
— What is the Throne Room, really? — he asked again.
— You will know in due time — Balkis replied, keeping the suspense.
— First, I want you to tell me how important the Liberal Arts are to you.
— Personally, none... — he admitted shamelessly, before adding— ...I suppose I disappointed her.
The woman gave a slight smile.
— Not completely, although I hope that from tomorrow onwards you will appreciate the transcendence it has for man.
— I recognize your intellectual value... — he confessed in a low voice.
— I truly believe they have become obsolete. Today's scientists believe it is more convenient to explore other fields, such as genetics, the microcosm, and the beginning of life in the Universe. If you analyze them in depth, you will realize that such discoveries had to be based on the most basic sciences, especially geometry, which has existed since the first day of Creation. It is as eternal as Wisdom and is the same God. Without it, the world is inconceivable...
He reached out his hand, resting it gently on Gregory Evans's arm.
— I wish you understood all this without having to explain it to you, because that would mean you are a true cathedral builder.
— Speaking of cathedrals... could you tell me what proportional relationship exists between Gothic temples and the Ark of the Covenant, both bearing the name of Yahweh? — he asked. — You already know what I mean.
He was talking about the golden number.
— You realized... — Balkis said, somewhat surprised. — Not all adepts are capable of reaching what you have. In fact, you are the first one who, before the initiation ritual, managed to discover the connection between God and the Kise of Testimony.
— Why always the same result? — he desperately wanted to find out.
Balkis shrugged. She asked herself the same question sometimes.
— I'm not sure. Perhaps the quintessence of the demiurge is sustained by a numerical science that seeks to balance the perfection of the Universe by subjecting it to the arbitrariness of chaos...
He searched his memory for a comparative fact, so that he could understand.
— It seems unjust to us all that a benevolent God allows seventy percent of humanity to live below their means. Hunger and poverty are the greatest problems facing society today, but the strangest thing is that the result of dividing the planet's total population among those surviving poverty is identical to the metric proportions of the Ark. How is this possible...?
He let out a naive little laugh.
— Ah! That is one of the great mysteries. Nevertheless, and even though it's hard for us to believe, it must be so for a reason. God is always just and leaves nothing to chance.
For Evans it remained an unknown, just as it was for the rest of the men.
— And what's the ladder? — He changed the topic of conversation, as there were too many unanswered questions.
— It is a stepped pedestal, at whose base is the Throne of God — she replied solemnly. — Azog told us there was one like it in the crypt where Iacobus recorded his knowledge.
— Yes, that's true — he said. — But what is your function? —
— To elevate oneself spiritually, as divine beings. It is the false door that leads to Paradise... the shortest shortcut to the kingdom of Heaven.
Gregory Evans had doubts about this, as the matter was much more for his brother than for him.
Nevertheless, he insisted again.
— Answer one last question... Where is the Ark of the Covenant hidden?
The Widow stared at him, unsure whether to answer or remain silent. Then she stood up.
— I'll answer that tomorrow. Now you'd better go back to the hotel and get your thoughts in order.
THE DETECTIVE HAD NO CHOICE but to accept. It was pointless to contradict a woman like Balkis. On the other hand, he was truly tired and needed a few hours of sleep. Soon, they were silently crossing the museum halls, now empty after it had closed its doors to the public.
Finally, they arrived outside, where a young Arab man faithfully awaited his mistress's arrival, next to an old American-made Ford Capri with license plates from the 1980s. Balkis got in to leave, but first urged the young man to return to the museum the following night, promising to take Giovanna with him.
— ...And remember... — he said confidentially. — The voice is our greatest adversary. Reflect on yourself in silence. Tear away the thick veil of preconceived ideas to face this other world that awaits you. Only then will you begin to live. I assure you.
Then he saw her walking away toward the central station, waving out the car window. Gregory waved back. He crossed the street, mingling with the crowds milling about, enjoying the ecstatic beauty of the Cairo night.