The Book of Fate - Brad Meltzer [78]
Nico, you okay there?
Nico nodded, grinding his teeth and refusing to look back down at the symbol—the compass and the square. Remember the lessons. No tears. Just victory. Locked on the road, he gave the coordinates he’d learned all those years ago. “Start at the Capitol and run your finger down Pennsylvania Avenue, all the way to the White House,” Nico explained, feeling the pressure building in his skull. Fight it. Fight the monster back. “Now do the same from the Capitol down Maryland Avenue—follow it all the way to the Jefferson Memorial—his own shrine! Now go to Union Station and draw a line down Louisiana Avenue, then on the south side of the Capitol, draw another down Washington Avenue. The lines will connect in front of the Capitol . . .”
This time, Edmund was silent.
“The compass and the square. The most sacred Masonic symbol . . .”
. . . pointing right to the doorway of the White House . . . all that power in one place. Why would—? What’re they doing, trying to take over the world?
“No,” Nico said coldly. “They’re trying to destroy it.” Already forgetting the pain in his skull, he added, “Welcome, Edmund—welcome to the truth.”
I . . . I can’t believe this.
“Those were my words . . . my thoughts too.”
But to get this done with no one knowing . . .
“They did it in plain view! On October 13, 1792, Maryland’s Masonic Lodge number 9 laid the cornerstone of the White House in a ceremony filled with Freemason rituals. Look it up—it’s true! The inscription on the brass plate of that cornerstone says it was laid on the twelfth, but every reputable history book in existence says it was laid on the thirteenth!”
Thirteen. The number of the Beast.
“Thirteen blocks north from the White House is where they built the House of the Temple, national headquarters of the Freemasons!”
Thirteen again!
“Now you understand their treachery. They’ve been waiting for centuries! Seven hundred years ago, we thought it was the Holy Roman Emperor—the one the church labeled the first enemy. But the Masons knew to wait. Wait for the signs. Wait for the true world power to emerge. Prepare. Then the end-times would come!”
So the door they were trying to open . . .
“. . . the door to Hell.”
Of course! They were trying to free the Creatures . . . begin the motions! Nico, do you have any idea what you’re on to? Scripture predicts it! It begins when the Two Beasts arrive . . .
“. . . they come through hosts! First, a disciple—a man of sin . . .”
That’s Boyle, right? The man of sin!
“Then the Leader—a man of power . . .”
Manning!
“Through him the Dark One—the true Beast—will arise, creating the most powerful kingdom of all!”
So the Beast they were trying to free . . .
“The Antichrist, Edmund. They want the Antichrist! If it weren’t for The Three, he would’ve come! Tell me you see that! Without The Three, Manning’s reelection was imminent! Supreme power in Manning! A man of sin in Boyle! Together, the keys to open the door!”
The original Three dedicated to birthing him—the final Three dedicated to destroying him! Alpha and Omega! Their destiny fulfilled!
“Yes, yes . . . destiny—their fate—just as in scripture! ‘Dear children . . . the antichrist is coming. He is now already in the world!’” Nico screamed as spit flew from his mouth and sprayed the inside windshield.
So the reason you shot Boyle instead of Manning . . .
“In a coliseum of his admirers? Surrounded by his supplicants? Manning’s influence was at its peak! What if that were the catalyst for his awakening? No—like The Three said . . . better to go with Boyle, who was—was—was— Don’t you see?” he yelled, pounding the steering wheel. “Without Boyle, there’d be only one Beast! One key instead of two! With only one, the door couldn’t open!” He kept looking to Edmund, then back to the road. His breathing was galloping, his whole body shaking. Being silent for so long . . . to finally let it out . . . he could barely catch his breath.
“Th-Th-The man of