GIOVANNA SAT BESIDE THE DRIVER while her uncle gave change to a young beggar who had supposedly taken care of the car in his absence. Shortly after, they moved away from Via di Repetta until they reached Lungotevere Marzio, leaving Vatican City on their right. The truce of silence was broken by the architect.
— An ancient legend says that God rules the Universe from his throne of clouds, situated in the city of Thule... — He looked at his niece for a moment, waiting for her to pay attention, without opening his mouth. — When God created the world, shaping the first man and woman as an ethnic group capable of displaying a complex wisdom, he provided them with a place to live in harmony with Creation. In the center of that Eden, as it is written in Genesis, were two trees planted by God: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. These trees were nothing more than two temples of unimaginable proportions, built by Tubal-cain and his brothers. In one were kept the secrets of God, in the other, the mysteries of Life.
— In the first and largest of the temples, like Solomon's Temple, there were three superimposed rooms, one above the other, and in the last was the Throne of Testimony. First, one had to descend to the subterranean room, called Chaos, because in this dark place it was possible to reflect on the things that could disturb the universal balance and the divine nature of man...
— With purified thoughts, the adept had to ascend to the upper room, called Knowledge. There, he had to decipher the riddle presented by Mother Wisdom, and only if he could interpret it could he ascend to the third room. Then, if he were able to understand the secret of the Seven Sciences, and defeat the seven enemies of man, he would sit on the Throne of Testimony to speak face to face with God... — reaching the Ponte Garibaldi, the veteran architect turned right, taking Via dei Trastevere. — After the Flood, Eden was buried under tons of mud and clay...
— The knowledge that man had acquired, thanks to the Wisdom of God, was hidden in the temples for thousands of years until it was discovered by Nimrod, the architect of the Tower of Babel, who tried unsuccessfully to imitate the ancient constructions by building the pyramid known as Menkaure. Hermes and Pythagoras deciphered some of the riddles painted on the surface of those temples. Herodotus even admitted that, accompanied by the priests of Isis, he visited an underground place where the most powerful sciences in the Universe were revealed to him... — The driver turned again, but this time to the left. He was trying to reach the Sublicio Bridge. — However, when the Greek historian arrived in Egypt, the Throne of God had disappeared. How and when did it happen...? I'll let Balkis herself tell you.
After circling Piazza Dell'Emporio, Umbert drove the Fiat along Via Marmorata until he reached Porta di San Paolo. There he parked very close to the pyramid of Gaius Cestius.
An elderly Arab-looking man and a woman with a sky-blue silk scarf covering her head were waiting for them at the entrance to the Roman magistrate's tomb. Curiously, there was no one else around. Giovanna and her uncle got out of the car.
— Don't worry, they're my friends — Monroe whispered, taking her niece by the arm. — I'll introduce them.
They approached slowly. The man with tanned skin and gray hair wore a small talisman around his neck: a golden triangle with the eye of God within. His eyes expressed loyalty, the look that pets often give us as gifts, and which is sometimes more eloquent than the words of any friend. He exuded kindness and sacrifice, but the hypnotic force of his pupils made her feel uneasy. For a moment, it seemed he was stealing her soul.
The woman, on the other hand, seemed more familiar. She reminded him of one of those crazy women who worship magic and spiritualism and walk around all day with a Ouija board or a book by Madame Blavatsky under their arm. Her sequined blue veil seemed out of place in a European country, but the elegance with which she wore it made her face appear younger and more fascinating than it actually was — she must have been over sixty.
That woman's eyes welcomed him long before she opened her lips.
— I wanted to meet you — Balkis said, taking her hands. As he did so, the young woman noticed that she was wearing a gold ring on her middle finger, with a Star of David in the center.
— If I can be honest, I'm quite nervous. I've been eagerly awaiting this moment for years — she said, looking reserved.
— I suppose the master told you about my decision to delegate to you...
— As long as you agree — Hiram interjected, gently interrupting his companion.
— Yes, I am, and I accept the responsibility. Although... — Giovanna hesitated for a second, — I've also been assured that I'll be able to see Greg again.
Balkis suppressed a sardonic smile as she imagined Azog's plans. There would be no point in loving a man once she occupied his position. Earthly pleasure ceased to be meaningful after sitting on the Throne of God several times, but she would understand that as the years passed.
— Greg will be with you, but only if you can decipher the initiation riddle — the Arab stated. — Nevertheless, something tells me you'll know how to carry my name with dignity. And that means you'll win the ladder test.
— How can you be so sure? — Giovnna asked, driven by curiosity.
— I know... and that's enough — he replied circumspectly.
Having said this, he gestured to Monroe and they both walked to the wall next to the pyramid, leaving the women alone.
— Let's go inside — Balkis said, indicating the entrance to Cestius's tomb. — I'll tell you about the Kisé. — Inside the monument, they discovered the sepulchre's compartment illuminated by spotlights installed in the floor, which brought the distinctive figures in the mosaics to life. Balkis told Giovanna that Cestius, a religious festival official in ancient Rome, had been fortunate enough to meet the Companions of Horus on one of his trips to Egypt, so he wanted to be buried in a building geometrically identical to that country's initiation temples.
He explained, in a low voice, that one of the pyramids of Giza represented the column of Shahkim — in this case, that of Khafre — and the other, that of Boaz — that of Khufu. He told him that they were different and that each represented the positive and negative energy of the planet, two opposing forces that needed each other like two true columns supporting a single arch. Anyone who tried to bring them closer would find that, upon doing so, the arch would crack, lacking a balanced support point to keep it erect. The same was true of the laws governing the Universe...