He kept approaching until he was just a few feet away, then stopped before Caitlin and Caleb. He stared right at her, and Caitlin could feel the intensity coming off of him. Clearly this was no ordinary person.
“I am Paul,” he said, not extending his hand, which he rested on his cane.
“I am Caitlin, and this is my husband, Caleb,” she replied.
He smiled widely.
“I know,” he answered.
Caitlin felt foolish. Clearly, this man, able to read her mind so easily, knew a lot more about her than she did about him. It was an eerie feeling, that all these people, in all these centuries and places, knew about her, had all been waiting for her. It made her feel a sense of purpose, a sense of mission, even more. But it also made her even more frustrated that she didn’t know what it was, or where to go next.
“We are sorry to intrude,” Caleb said. “But we were told that Jesus prayed here. That he was here recently. Is that true?”
The man nodded slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on Caitlin.
“They left for Jerusalem some time ago,” he said. “If you were one of the masses coming to be healed, I would tell you it’s too late. But then again, I know you have not come to be healed. No. You have a very different purpose, don’t you?” he asked, still staring at Caitlin.
Caitlin nodded back, sensing that this man already knew everything. And for the first time in her life, she had another feeling: that this man was close to her Dad. And that he knew where he was. The feeling sent a chill through her body. She had never felt so close to him before.
“I’m looking for my Dad,” Caitlin said, and could hear her own voice trembling with anticipation.
The man smiled back.
“And he is looking for you.”
Caitlin’s eyes opened wide in surprise.
“Do you know him?” she asked.
The man nodded back.
“Where is he?” Caitlin asked, impatient.
But the man merely sighed, turned, and walked to a window pane. He stood there for a long while, looking out at the sea.
“It is not for me to say.”
All of these riddles were driving Caitlin crazy. She couldn’t take it anymore. She had to know where he was.
“Why can’t you just tell me?” Caitlin asked, upset.
The man paused.
“I could tell you,” he said, “but you wouldn’t listen.”
That only deepened Caitlin’s confusion. She had no idea what he meant.
“You are in the final time and place,” he continued. “You are closer to finding your father than you can imagine. But there are also powerful forces at work. Dark forces. There is much at stake, and they want the shield. And they will stop at nothing to have it.
“The time is coming when you are going to have to make a choice. To make a great sacrifice. Remember that your father and the shield must come before all else. Before all personal desire. Even before family. Do you understand? It won’t be easy. There will be hard choices for you to make. But you must make them. For all of us. Do you understand?” he asked again.
Caitlin slowly nodded back, but she didn’t quite understand. What choices would she have to make? Was this man seeing her future? She had an eerie feeling that he was.
“We are all counting on you,” he added. “You must find your father. You must get the shield before they do. If they get it first, there will be unthinkable evil and cruelty for all time to come.”
Caitlin felt more of an urgency than ever to find her father, and the shield, especially before the others. But she still had no idea where to begin.
“You cannot meet your father until the timing is right. Not one second before, not one second after. There is a cycle of fate in the universe. The stars must line up perfectly. And then, and only then, will you meet.”
The man turned and faced her, and Caitlin sensed that he knew even more—not only about her father, but about Scarlet.
“And what of my daughter?” she asked. “Is she here? In this time and place?”
“Yes,” the man replied simply.
His direct answer surprised Caitlin, and thrilled her at the same time. Scarlet was here. She was alive. She felt flooded with relief—and also anticipation. She had to find her.
“Where is she?” Caitlin demanded.
The man shook his head.
“Again, that is not for me to tell you. But I will tell you this: until you find your father, you will not find Scarlet. Search for Scarlet, and you will lose them both. Search for your father, and you will find them both.”
“But I don’t know how to find him,” Caitlin snapped, frustrated.
“Oh, but you do,” the man replied. “You have already found the first clue. You trusted your intuition, and it has worked. It sits there now, in your hand.”
Caitlin suddenly remembered: the Star of David. She held it in her palm, examining it, wondering.
The man crossed the room slowly, reached out, and took the star. He held it up, examining it. He nodded in satisfaction.
“See?” he said. “I couldn’t have found this. It was meant for you. And you alone. Only you can use it.”
Caitlin looked over at Caleb, befuddled. He looked back at her blankly.
Use it? she wondered.
“How?” she asked.
He looked over at the golden pedestal before the cabinet. Caitlin followed his gaze.
There, in the center of the pedestal, was a hollowed-out shape. As she looked closely, she was shocked to realize that the shape was in the exact size of the Star of David.
She looked at the man for confirmation, and he handed the star back to her and nodded.
She turned and walked over to it. She gently held out the star, and placed it inside the pedestal.
It was a perfect fit, sinking down into the small the space.
Suddenly there was a noise, high above her head. Caitlin looked up and saw a small portion of the ceiling retract, and the sound of scraping stone. As it opened, a shaft of sunlight streamed in at a sharp angle, illuminating a small patch of wall, about a foot wide.
Caitlin was shocked. She hurried over to the wall with Caleb. As she looked closely, she noticed this section was different than the rest of the wall. As the sun hit it, she could just barely make out letters, carved into the stone.
It was a message. Carved in ancient, Hebrew letters, running from right to left.
She had no idea what it meant. She looked over at Caleb, hoping he did.