She dove down, Caleb by her side, and landed before the church.
It had a massive limestone edifice, reaching high into the sky, and coming to a point. Its façade was ornately carved, covered with gargoyles in every direction. It had a single, tal , arched door, and as she faced it, she knew this was the place.
“Do you know it?” she asked.
Caleb looked at her.
“Yes. The Cathedral of Saint Chapel e,” he said. “A very sacred place for our kind. It’s been around for thousands of years. Most people do not know of it. They know only of the Notre Dame.”
Caitlin turned to him.
“I feel that this is it. Whatever it is I am meant to find, I feel that it is here. My father, he said that the island was a big place. I think that what he meant was that the Notre Dame was not the only place on the island to search. That our final clue is beside the Notre Dame.”
They walked to the door, preparing to open it, when suddenly, the door opened wide, startling them.
Before them stood a tal , strikingly beautiful vampire, wearing a white robe and hood. She pul ed it back, revealing light blue eyes and long, brown hair.
She looked right at Caitlin and smiled.
“Caitlin,” she said. “We have been awaiting you. Welcome.”
Caitlin and Caleb exchanged a glance. The woman stepped aside, and they entered.
As they did, she closed and barred it behind them, using a type of metal Caitlin had never seen, three huge bars covering the doors.
“Titanium,” she said. “Invincible to vampires. No one can attack us here. You’re completely safe. You can rest at ease now.”
Caitlin sensed the woman’s positive, healing presence, and she knew that what she was tel ing her was true. For the first time in she didn’t know how long, Caitlin felt herself relax. Safe. Finally.
“But stil , we have little time to lose,” the woman said. “I trust you have the key?”
Caitlin looked back at her surprise. She wondered how she knew.
The woman smiled further, “Of course I know. We are of your father’s people. We watch everything that you do.”
Caitlin extracted the smal , gold key from her pocket, and reached out to give it to her.
The woman pul ed back her hands.
“No. I don’t want it. That’s yours to keep. Only you can open it.”
The woman suddenly turned and walked quickly down the long, marble aisle of the church.
Caitlin and Caleb began to fol ow her in the huge, empty edifice, their footsteps echoing.
Caitlin looked up and noticed the soaring ceilings, tapering to a point; she saw the endless rows of arched, stained-glass windows, hundreds of feet high, and was overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. It felt like they were walking inside an enormous kaleidoscope.
As they walked down the aisle, Caitlin wondered where they were going, and Caleb turned to her.
“I’m so sorry,” he said softly, out of earshot of the woman.
“For Sera. For leaving you. For everything. I hope that you’l forgive me.”
It felt so good to hear those words. She was overwhelmed with emotion. She didn’t trust herself to speak at that moment, so she just held out her hand.
Caleb took it, and his skin felt so good to her. She felt comforted by his presence, as they walked together down the aisle.
“This church was built thousands of years ago,” the woman said. “A very special place for our race. It was built specifical y to house the most important and valuable of treasure. Here, among many other treasures, we have fragments of The Cross, along with the real Crown of Thorns.”
The woman turned down another corridor, then down a flight of wide, marble steps.
They entered the lower level of the church, and it took Caitlin’s breath away. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. It had a low, arched ceiling, painted a vibrant, celestial blue, and interlaced with shining gold arches. This place looked like a treasure chamber, and in the torchlight, it was positively glowing. It was spectacular. Caitlin felt as if she had just entered King Tut’s tomb.
“Down here, we keep the most valuable of artifacts. A special silver chest was built to hold them al , a chest which took twenty years to build. Inside of that chest, you wil find what you need.”
As they continued, the room opened up, and Caitlin was shocked to see standing before them, waiting, dozens of vampires, al dressed in white, al with white hoods. They each held a silver goblet, each one fil ed with a white liquid.
In the center stood a single vampire, a man with a long silver beard and piercing green eyes. He stared kindly at Caitlin and Caleb, holding a smal silver goblet for each of them.
The woman gestured for them to approach.
They walked right up to him, and Caitlin felt herself starting to tremble. Was her father here?
“Drink,” he said softly.
They each took a goblet and drank the white liquid.
Immediately, Caitlin felt restored. She recognized it as the white blood of her father’s coven. She also grew lightheaded.
The man stepped aside, and revealed behind him a huge, glowing silver chest.
“Your key,” he said softly.
Caitlin handed him back the goblet, stepped forward, knelt, and inserted her key into the smal lock on the chest.
It turned with a little click, and slowly, she opened the heavy lid.
Inside, nestled amidst piles of jewels, was a second chest, with an even smal er lock.
Caitlin was puzzled.
“I’m sorry,” Caitlin said. “This is the only key I have.”
The man shook his head. “You also have another key.”
The man shook his head. “You also have another key.”
Caitlin racked her brain, but had no idea what he was talking about.
He pointed at her neck.
She reached down, and suddenly remembered the antique, silver cross she wore. Could that be it?
She gingerly took it off, and inserted it into the lock of the smal er chest.
She was shocked to see that it fit.
She turned, and it opened.
There, in the smal chest, was one large, silver key. The same exact size key as the one she had received in the Vatican. She knew immediately that this was the second key she needed to reach her father.
She was ecstatic.
But at the same time, she was frustrated, hoping she would find al three keys at once, to find her dad here, in the room.
She took it, rose and stood beside Caleb, feeling increasingly lightheaded, as she faced the man.