Code of Siman (21 page)

“You don’t seem sure,” Gage said, his voice betraying his concern.

Chapter Thirty-Eight
Combinations of Curved and Straight Lines

Pascal asked for a legal pad so he could jot notes down for Philippe as they perused the castle when they exchanged their passes for Vendor badges.

The Butler’s pantry they walked through to arrive at the Dining Hall had a liberally scaled buffet equipped with multiple doors. Once in the Dining Hall they were cleverly reflected in a majestically framed beveled mirror.

“Pascal, jot this down…Hall of Mirrors to start them off, an array of different types…for the children,” Philippe said as they began their tour of the castle.

“A mirror was considered to be the most sought after symbol of French Splendor,” Pascal offered as they walked.

The color-saturated hues of the Provencal style were softened by walls sun-kissed by soothing café au latte and sumptuous caramels. Impeccably tailored draperies adorned the full height of windows reaching grand heights although narrow; they served to add to the overall grandeur of the stately room.

The boudoirs contained quiet old pieces complimented by intriguing hardware. Heroic-sized four-poster beds with gauzy fabric cascaded from the canopy, and wrapped around the posts to pool onto the rough-hewn wood floors.

The library shelves were carved from solid cherry, gleaming from a recent polish. The cabriole legs of the wing back chairs resided regally beside the stately marble fireplace, upholstered in a mixture of camel and tobacco, with a hint of crimson to add a touch of sophistication. The masculinity of the room was enhanced by the black wrought-iron chandelier centering the room; matching sconces decorated the walls, once candle burning, but retrofitted for today with the adaptation of electricity.

The courtyard was opulent with unpretentious gardens of billowing groupings of fragrant roses that adorned the gazebos and lined the pathways. The wrought-iron tables were positioned precisely to amply shade their temporary visitors.

“How are we doing perusing the castle grounds? More ideas for the children?” asked a member of the Chateau’s staff.

“Yes,” Philippe said easily as he slipped comfortably into his role as Marketing Representative.

“Had you thought of any outdoor activities for the children?” Philippe inquired.

“We had a maze which was open to the public, but we have since closed it due to constant staffing irregularities, and it took too long for people to walk through it.”

“I see. I’ll have my assistant make a note of that. We can work through several solutions for you, modifications, if you will, that could allow you to reintroduce it to the public.”

“I’m sure Francis will be happy to hear that, as it brought many visitors. We currently have it cordoned off from guests.”

“I see you also have part of the castle cordoned off as well,” Warren said as they strolled along. “We may be interested in seeing all areas of the castle, as it may eventually be accessible to the public.”

“Sure, I don’t see the harm in showing you. Come on, I’ll take you down there.”

They walked to the stone steps descending to the lower side of the castle. The staffer took out her keys, taking a few moments; she finally found the correct one. “I don’t think I’ve ever taken anyone in here, but it’s going to be repaired one of these days, so you should probably incorporate it into your plans.”

“Yes, absolutely,” Philippe agreed.

“There’s not much in here. It’s the servants entrance…meets up with the entrance from the side of the castle that faces the water.” They walked single file down the narrow hallway. “The servants weren’t allowed in the main part of the castle, so all the hallways behind the rooms were used by them to easily access the rest of the castle, virtually unseen.”

“I see…how much of the castle is blocked off?” Warren asked.

“It’s only this hallway…”

“Where does this hallway lead?” Philippe asked.

“Up to one of the turrets…it’s in a dilapidated state…it’s not safe right now, but it doesn’t mean it won’t be.”

Warren and Philippe exchanged a knowing glance as they mounted the small stone steps ascending to the turret. Once outside the door to the turret, they found the worn wood door was swollen. Even with all of them pushing on the door, it was difficult to open.

They nearly fell into the room as the door burst open. There, before them was the same Lamp of the Eternal Flame as found within the Mespelbrunn castle.

“We close in about an hour…and…I go off shift in a few minutes…” The staffer said as she hesitated in the doorway of the turret.

“Did you want to let us look around and we’ll check back with Francis when we’re done?” Philippe suggested.

The staff member lingered for a moment longer before deciding, “Yeah that would be great. If you need anything, just let one of the staff know.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine
Color Pure and Bright

“Reviewing the way the National Gallery was designed, the history of the Gallery listed in the public brochure says that I. M. Pei relied on the triangle shape for his design. We’ve looked everywhere possible and we still can’t find anything. Is it possible that the paintings could have been hidden somewhere within the main section of the Gallery, but then later moved when the East Gallery was created?” Gage asked.

Tsun Jae considered the question, then exclaimed, “Grandfather not speak to us because Grandfather not really there in room with us.”

Natanya gasped while Dauphine nodded, “I thought there was something we were supposed to glean from that experience.”

Gage lowered his head as he viewed Tsun Jae over the rim of his glasses speculatively. “When were you going to reveal this information?”

Tsun Jae shrugged in response but didn’t answer.

“Does it matter, Gage?” Dauphine answered for Tsun Jae. “We were given a clue. He designed the East Wing. So, it must be hidden in the East Wing. Get it? When he said ‘it is time’…he was talking about us linking these two thoughts. Look, he designed the East Wing and he showed us the illusion of him being present when he wasn’t!” Dauphine exclaimed.

Gage looked at the excited faces of the group, completely unmoved from the new development. “Well, that narrows it down…” He took hold of the railing, and then turned his eyes up to the skylights overhead, linked together in a symphony of angles.

“Gage!” Dauphine nudged him, “If we know how he made himself appear when he wasn’t really there, then we’ll know how they made the room disappear.”

“Or just the paintings…”

“Tsun Jae? How did he do that?” Natanya asked directly.

“Light used with prisms within the glass to throw the image to another place. Has to hit on face of prism or won’t work.”

“So, where was he? We saw him move…we looked into his eyes…” Natanya’s own eyes were wide with wonder.

“So it seemed. Grandfather in his own bedroom, not in garden.” Tsun Jae appeared to be concentrating, “I know where it might be.”

They all looked to the skylights…in wonderment…” Right, of course…” Natanya pushed herself from the support of the railing to follow Tsun Jae.

Tsun Jae was once again on the move. Not bothering to tell anyone where she was going, she descended the multiple levels of stairs quickly.

Gage lingered, looking around him. He seemed reluctant to leave without testing out the theory of light bending an image and throwing it to another location.

They found themselves in the connecting tunnel bridging the East Wing with the Mall. The lights illuminated the ceiling, the water cascaded down one of the walls, and the moving walkway encompassed the rest of the space.

Tsun Jae moved to the side of the conveyor, walked in the dark area near the wall that curved up, her arms spread to either side of her as she walked.

They had all stepped onto the moving conveyor, watching as Tsun Jae bypassed the walkway, and sidled between the lighted wall and the conveyor. The darkness of the tunnel made it difficult to see Tsun Jae as she crept along on the ledge slightly elevated above the mass of cables for the conveyor. She had both arms stretched out, partially obscuring the lights as she stepped in front of them.

They had all been propelled forward on the moving conveyor, and as the distance increased, they watched Tsun Jae slowly move forward, both arms spread out like an angel. And then…she disappeared from view.

Natanya let out a tiny scream. Dauphine turned around and ran backward; trying to gain momentum against the fast moving walkway, and Gage hopped the railing, falling into the slightly recessed area housing the cables until he found the elevated ledge.

He hoisted himself up onto the ledge, and found the narrow strip near the curved wall. He had to tuck in his head and shoulders to match the incline of the wall in order to walk along the ledge, but managed to hold the awkward position long enough to find himself in a small dark corridor. Tsun Jae was nowhere in sight. Just as he was going to continue to edge forward, he heard Tsun Jae from below.

“Be careful, no floor…you have to change course.”

“Are you okay?” Gage stopped to inquire of Tsun Jae. Her voice reached him, but he couldn’t see her.

“Tsun Jae be fine. Have to find way out of hole. You keep trying.”

Gage realized he couldn’t trust his eyes alone to guide him as the ledge still appeared to extend forward in the dim light, but as he thrust his foot farther forward, it met with nothing but air.

He pulled his foot back and felt along the wall for another way. He backtracked a few paces, then a few more paces, poking his foot forward to the edge of the ledge, finding the ledge led into a different direction, he let go of the wall and eased himself forward, balancing on the much narrower ledge.

Dauphine’s voice was the first to reach him, “I’m right behind you Gage. Which way do I go, I can barely see you.”

From the direction of her voice, he could sense when she was nearing the space along the wall where the ledge moved across instead of along the wall.

“Don’t continue to follow the ledge along the wall; it juts out to bring you to the other side like a bridge.”

“Okay…” Dauphine felt along the ledge with her feet, then let go of the wall and began the course across the narrow corridor.

“I’m right behind you guys…” Natanya called out as she walked along the ledge. Dauphine instructed Natanya to follow the same route, just as Gage had told her.

Gage continued to feel around with his feet as he moved forward, the goal of the opposite wall his primary objective. But the ledge didn’t take him to the opposite wall. He kept inching along but he didn’t seem to get any closer.

The ledge broadened until it formed a platform. The area was completely black now. Gage’s arms were outstretched as he searched for something solid; his feet did the same, as he appeared to be performing a strange dance in the dark.

The sound of a ventilating system, or something like it reached his ears. He strained to hear anything else and called out to Dauphine and Natanya, but heard nothing in reply.

He then called out to Tsun Jae, but didn’t receive an answer. He continued his seemingly never-ending journey. Then unexpectedly, he slammed into a wall.

The platform turned into a corridor once again, and he could feel trenches in the wall a little lower that held cables.

Gage could see a light at the end of the corridor and he slowly made his way toward it. How or if he would reach it seemed to be the question at this point.

He found an opening in the wall, a perfect circle as he felt around with his hand. There was a matching circle on the other side.

Moving forward, Gage could feel these shapes cut into the wall. Walking forward, he had the sense he wasn’t going in a straight line, his sense of direction was skewed.

Ahead there seemed to be lights coming from both walls, the shapes differing but again on both sides of the narrow corridor.

Approaching the lights, Gage wasn’t sure what he would find, but upon looking directly into one of the holes, he was nearly blinded by the strength of the light. Once he regained his sight, minus the spots, he looked in the opposite side, and could see that within the narrow chamber, there were angled mirrors. His head blocked some of the light, as he was positioned within the light rays, and he felt it grow warmer where the light touched him.

Tsun Jae crawled up out of the hole, and ran right into Dauphine and Natanya. “Come, I show you where the room is.”

As they backtracked, they remained focused, careful to stay on the ledge. Once they arrived at the beginning of the escalator, they walked back into the East Wing of the Gallery. Moving quickly, they reached the Atrium and rising to the highest level of the building, they waited for Tsun Jae to show them where to go next.

The downward curve of the triangulated ceiling of skylights was all around them.

“Stand with our backs together. Look out onto the ceiling. Tell me if you see change,” commanded Tsun Jae.

“Quite a sight, we must be…” Dauphine said as she stood with her back to Tsun Jae and Natanya.

“There! I see it! For a split second, I thought I saw it. There it is again…” Natanya pointed up to the side of the wall at the triangular shaped beam of light.

An image of the Mona Lisa hovered, then was lost. “I saw it too!” Dauphine said in wonder.

“Yes, the room is near, it very near,” said Tsun Jae.

“Don’t anybody move. I’m going to read the poem I brought with me.” Dauphine held both arms out to keep the women where they were.

“Okay, I’m only going to read the italicized parts.” Dauphine resounded clearly:

like the night

cloudless climes

dark and bright

meet

tender light

heaven to

one shade more, one ray less

had half

which

o’er

where

pure their dwelling place.

that

so calm

smiles that win

in goodness

at peace with all

who is innocent.

“Russell said a couple of those lines, now that I think about it,” exclaimed Natanya. “He said something about this being his heaven and his nameless grace…days of goodness and something else…um; I think he said something about a heart that is innocent.”

They all turned around to face one another. “Where were you when he said these words to you?” Dauphine asked.

“I was outside, sitting on one of those triangles jutting out of the ground…”

“Why don’t you tell me these things?” Dauphine asked Natanya, her hands on her hips in an exasperated stance.

“I know where you were…I take you there from the inside,” Tsun Jae said to them and took off walking at her usually fast pace.

They practically sprinted up a flight of stairs positioned along the wall, bringing them to the catwalk as they climbed, landing them behind one of the floating walls that hid their progress as they continued.

Tsun Jae’s face did not betray her excitement as they reached her intended destination. She maneuvered the landing free of the stairs, with a remote control.

It moved upward like a cherry picker as she maneuvered it, searching the skylights for the one that was denser, not glass, but a prism, one that you could not see through, but cast light in a different direction.

They careened forward and lurched backward until they were able to position themselves where the painting had shimmered before them.

Tsun Jae opened the gate of the railing and began to step off the floor into what appeared was nothing but air.

Dauphine tried to catch her sweater vest, but it was too late; Tsun Jae had moved forward too quickly. Dauphine’s hand was outstretched, her hand empty as Tsun Jae appeared to vanish before their eyes.