Since she had left the Mount of Olives, Caitlin knew there was only one place left she could go. With Aiden gone, his coven gone, Caleb gone, Blake gone—even Sam gone—there was only one thing left she could do: to find her Dad. Maybe, just maybe, if she found him, if she found the shield, it could somehow help the others. Maybe save Sam. Maybe, even bring Caleb back.
And the only person she knew who could lead to her Dad, the only lead she had, was Jesus.
Your guide will appear at the Eastern gate.
She flew away from the Mount of Olives determined to find Jesus, wherever he was. To free him from the Romans. To ask him where her Dad was. Where the shield was. And maybe, even, ask him to bring everyone back.
Suddenly, the sky above her blackened, became filled with dark, storm clouds, as if to match their mood. It was surreal: just moments before it was a clear day, not a cloud in the sky: and now the horizon loomed with the thickest, blackest clouds Caitlin had ever seen. They looked divine. It looked like the end of the world had come.
A single ray of light broke through a hole in the clouds, and it shined down, to a singular spot. The shaft of light landed on a small hill, overlooking Jerusalem, not far from the city. And it lit up one person—and one person only.
Caitlin didn’t even have to look. She sensed who it was. An electric jolt ran through her system, leading her like a magnet.
There, alone, atop a hill, was Jesus.
It was as if a flashlight from heaven were shining down on him. And to Caitlin’s horror, she saw that he was crucified. He was alone atop the hill, crucified on a huge cross. Pegs were through his palms, through his ankles, and he hung on the cross, limp, in the ray of light.
Caitlin felt her heart breaking. She had been too late. Was he already dead?
She swooped down, flying for the hilltop. He was the only one on it, the crowds gone away long ago. She landed right before him, setting down Scarlet and Ruth, right before his huge cross, and looked up at him.
There was such an intense energy coming off of him, as she looked up at him, it was like looking into the sunlight. It momentarily blinded her. She shielded her eyes. Finally, her eyes adjusted and looked at him closely, wondering, hoping, he was alive.
She saw the slightest flicker of his eyes, then saw him lift his head. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. And, despite the horrific agony he must be in, she saw a peaceful look on his face.
Caitlin suddenly felt herself fill with a warmth and peace unlike any she had ever known. It filled her entire body, and she felt a tingling. She didn’t understand what was happening to her; it was like a switch had been turned on, one that could never be turned off. She felt a sense of belonging. Of being home.
And that was when it happened.
As she looked up at him, at the four corners of the cross, suddenly, she was awestruck by a revelation: as she looked closely, she noticed four large locks. One in each corner. Each holding Jesus’s pegs in place. She examined each lock, and saw that each contained a keyhole.
At that same moment, the four keys in her pocket vibrated, practically burning a hole in them. An electric thrill ran through her, and suddenly, all became clear. All the riddles, all the clues, all the dreams, all the keys. All the churches, all the abbeys, all the monasteries.
The four keys. The four locks.
She was speechless. She barely had the strength to breathe.
And before Jesus even said the next words, she already knew what he was going to say.
“My daughter.”
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Caitlin looked up at Jesus, unable to speak, unable to breathe. It was beyond what she could process. Yet at that moment, she knew it to be true.
Jesus was her father.
All this time, he had been the one she had been searching for.
Your guide will appear at the Eastern gate.
It was Jesus. He was her guide.
And he was also her father.
A feeling raced through Caitlin, a feeling unlike any she had ever had. It was a feeling of being special. A feeling of belonging. A feeling of pride. In her father, in herself. She was special. Her lineage was special. Beyond special.
Caitlin could hardly even conceive what it all meant for her.
Caitlin found herself bursting into action. After all, this was her father here, nailed to a cross. She couldn’t stand to see him suffer.
She jumped up, and took out the four keys she had found throughout the centuries. She knew already they would each be a perfect fit. As she inserted each key, the earth shook and the skies thundered. It felt like an earthquake, and lightning bolts came down all across Jerusalem. Yet no rain followed. It was surreal. It felt like the apocalypse had arrived.
Each key was a perfect fit, and as she inserted each one, each lock melted away.
She inserted the last one, and Jesus fell off the cross. He slumped down, limp, into her arms.
She caught him as he fell, and held his body. She knelt, holding him in her arms.
Her father, in her arms.
Her whole body lit up with an electric feeling. It was like holding the sun.
And yet she was also filled with a profound sadness. He was dying.
Tears poured down her cheeks, and she didn’t try to stop them.
He looked up at her, barely opening his eyes with what little strength he had left. She could see these were his final moments on earth.
Jesus looked up, into her eyes, and as she looked down at his glowing green eyes, like two shining marbles, she could feel the love radiating off of him. She could feel that he was her father. That he had always been her father. She could feel how much he loved her. How proud of her he was.
As she looked at him, she realized: this was the man in her dreams. This was the elusive face, the silhouette against the sun. This was the man she had never been able to see before. The man that was always just out of her reach, on the horizon.
And now here he was. Not just in her dreams. But real. He was really here. She held him in her arms, and it felt so good to know that he was real.
This moment, this one moment, made everything—all the centuries, all the battles, all the conflict—worth it. Finally, she had found him. Her father.
“I am with you,” he said, his voice weak. “I have always been with you. And I am more proud of you than any father could be.”
He smiled weakly, his eyes closing again, and Caitlin felt herself welling up with pride. These were the words she had always longed to hear from her father. For so long, she’d had so many things she’d wanted to ask her father when she found him, so many things she wanted to say.