The Book of Fate

43

THE Thomas Jefferson?

“A trinity — can’t you see it?” Nico asked, both hands on the six o’clock position of the steering wheel. Motioning Edmund to the map on the dashboard between them, he added, “Washington, Jefferson, L’Enfant. The original Three.”

The original three what?

“The Three, Edmund. From the earliest days, there have always been The Three. The Three who were born to destroy — and today, The Three who’re here to save.”

So The Three are chasing The Three — sorta like a circle…

“Exactly! Exactly a circle,” Nico said, already excited as he reached up to the sun visor above his seat and pulled out a pen. “That’s how they picked the symbol!” Holding the steering wheel and leaning over toward the dashboard, Nico sketched furiously on the corner of the map.

A circle with a star?

“Five-pointed star, also known as a pentagram — the most widely used religious symbol in history — vital to every culture, from the Mayans to the Egyptians to the Chinese.”

And Washington and Jefferson somehow unearthed this?

No, no, no — pay attention — Washington was a Freemason… Jefferson was rumored to be one too. D’you really think they didn’t know what they were doing? This wasn’t something they unearthed. This was something they were taught. Five points on the star, right? In ancient Greece, five was the number of man. And the number of elements: fire, water, air, earth, and psyche. Even the church used to embrace the pentagram — just look at it — the five wounds of Jesus,” Nico said, giving a quick glance to the wood rosary on the rearview. “But when the symbol is inverted — turned upside down— it becomes the opposite of that. A sign embraced by witches, by the occult, and by…

… the Freemasons.

“You see it, don’t you? I knew you would, Edmund! They’ve been invoking the symbol for centuries — placing it on their buildings… above their archways… even here,” Nico said, jabbing down at the map, his pointer finger stabbing the most well known block of Pennsylvania Avenue.

The White House?

“They tried it for centuries all over the world. Fortresses in Spain, castles in Ireland, even in the old stone churches in Chicago. But for the doorway to open, they needed more than just the right symbols and incantations…

… they needed power.

“Supreme power. That was the lesson of the pyramids and Solomon’s Temples — centers of power — to this day, the Freemasons still call Solomon their first grand master! That’s why they collected all of history’s leaders! The access to power! I knew you’d see it! Praise be all!” Just watching Edmund’s reaction, Nico could barely contain himself. “I knew you’d see!”

But… how could no one in the White House notice there was a door with a pentagram on it?

“Door? Doors can be removed and replaced, Edmund. Even the White House has been burned and renovated. No, for this, the Masons marked something far more permanent…” Nico again turned to the map. “Follow the landmarks,” he explained, already circling each point on the map. “One — Dupont Circle… two — Logan Circle… three — Washington Circle… four — Mount Vernon Square… and five—” He lifted his pen and jabbed down at the final spot: “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

“The building is the door. Right in front of us for over two hundred years,” he added as he connected the dots. Just as The Three had done for him.

Oh, God.

“God had nothing to do with it, Edmund. Monsters,” Nico insisted. “That’s who we’re fighting. To mark the territory, Jefferson even branded it with their own emblem.”

On the edge of the map, Nico again started to draw. To his own surprise, his eyes welled up with each scratch of his pen. It was the one symbol he’d never forget.

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 sin — like my father — has always been the sign! Have you not… have you not heard of Boyle’s sin?” Nico shouted, gasping between breaths as a sudden flush of tears blurred the road in front of him. He hunched forward, gripping the wheel as a dry heave clenched his stomach. “What he did to his own—? And then to my—?” He jabbed a finger at his eyes, digging away the tears. They rolled down his face, dangling like raindrops from his jaw. Don’t fight it, he told himself. Be thankful to get it out… Heed the Book… Thank you, Mother… Thank you…

“D-D’ya understand?” he pleaded with Edmund, his voice cracking with the Wisconsin accent he’d buried years ago. “People know nothing, Edmund. Teacher and student. Master and supplicant. Manning and Boyle,” he repeated, sinking forward on the steering wheel. “Like father and son. That’s why I was chosen. Why my mother was taken. To test me… to stop my father… to close the devil’s door. To keep the door shut and the Great Darkness from coming.”

In the passenger seat next to him, Edmund didn’t say a word.

“P-Please, Edmund… please tell me you understand…”

Once again, Edmund was silent. As silent as he’d been for the past five hours when they pulled out of the gas station in South Carolina.

With his seat belt in a diagonal bear hug across his chest, Edmund slumped slightly to the right, his shoulder pressed against the passenger door. His arms dangled at his side, his left wrist bent in his lap.

As the flatbed truck rumbled onto the overpass that ran across St. Marys River, a bump of uneven concrete sent Edmund’s head sagging to the right, his forehead thumping lightly into the glass of the passenger window. With each new seam in the asphalt, the flatbed hiccupped. With each hiccup, Edmund’s head thumped over and over against the glass.

“I knew you would, Edmund,” Nico said excitedly. “Thank you. Thank you for believing…”

Thump… thump… thump. Like a hammer to a stubborn nail, Edmund’s head banged the glass. The baritone drumbeat was ruthlessly unavoidable. Nico didn’t notice. Just like he didn’t notice the slurpy sound of Edmund’s bloody fingers sticking and unsticking from the truck’s vinyl seats. Or the dried waterfall of blood that’d poured down Edmund’s chest from where Nico slit his throat with his car keys.

“I know, but I’m just glad you understand,” Nico said, catching his breath and wiping the last of the tears from his eyes. With one final thump, the truck cleared the St. Marys River overpass and officially crossed the state line of Georgia. On the right, they blew past a faded orange and green highway sign. Welcome to Florida — The Sunshine State.