and the floor beneath her began to tremble, as the tiny box opened.
Inside, was a small, rolled up scroll, barely the size of her finger. She reached in, her heart pounding, and extracted it. It was so delicate, so fragile, it felt like it had been sitting there for thousands of years, like it might break in her fingers.
She slowly unrolled it, and stared down at the handwriting. It was an ancient script, and at first she was barely able to make it out. But as she squinted, slowly, the message appeared:
Your guide will appear at the Eastern gate.
She held it, reading it over and over again, trying to figure out what it meant, when suddenly, a side chamber opened in the wall, revealing a set of stairs.
Caitlin was flooded with relief: now she had a way out of here, a way to escape without having to go back through the Temple, through the angry mob awaiting her.
At the same time, suddenly she heard a thunderous, crashing noise: she looked over her shoulder and was amazed to see the ceilings and walls, all solid gold, collapsing. Huge chunks crashed to the floor. Now that she had found the clue, this entire underground chamber was collapsing, she realized, hiding all traces of it. The crashing was heading right for her, and she turned and bolted for the stairs, escaping just before the ceiling collapsed on her.
Caitlin hurried up the staircase, running up as it twisted and turned, spiraling up, again and again, her feet echoing on the gold. She ascended, higher and higher, until finally it led her to a small, arched door. She opened it, and to her amazement, she found herself outdoors, back in Jerusalem, outside the holy Temple, on the far side of its walls.
As she stepped outside she heard a noise behind her, and turned and saw the door closing, then disappearing, blending into the wall. Within moments, she was amazed to see, the door seamlessly blended into the stone wall, leaving no trace there had ever been a door there at all. It was as if the Temple had ejected her outside its walls and sealed itself up again.
Caitlin stood there, on the outskirts of the holy Temple, in the streets of Jerusalem, trying to process it all.
Your guide will appear at the Eastern Gate.
She looked all around, and surveyed the wide stone plaza before the holy Temple. Hundreds of people milled about in every direction, streaming into the Temple, and in the distance she saw the soldiers still trying to break into the holy chamber, where they thought she was. No one suspected that she was out here, far from their eyes.
But now what?
Your guide will appear at the Eastern Gate.
As exhilarated as she was at finding this final clue, she was also disappointed. She had hoped to find her Dad there—or had, at least, hoped to find some sort of magnificent relic. Maybe even the shield.
But it was just this, another clue. She felt that this was the final clue. But she still didn’t know what it meant.
Your guide will appear at the Eastern Gate.
She decided that she had to get up in the air, to look down at the city, to get a bird’s eye view. Maybe that would help her understand.
She leapt into the air and in moments was up high, circling, looking down at Jerusalem. She felt certain that the clue had something to do with her Dad—and with Jerusalem. The Eastern gate.
As she circled, she saw that Jerusalem looked much like a walled, medieval city: there was a large, stone wall surrounding it, and all around it were large, arched gates through which people were entering and exiting the city.
The Eastern gate.
Caitlin circled, and the more she dwelled on it, the more she felt certain the final clue was a reference to the Eastern gate of Jerusalem. She circled again, got her bearings, and headed towards the Eastern side of the city.
As she flew closer to it, down below she could sense a great commotion. Thousands of people were milling around the eastern side of Jerusalem, and they all seemed to be congregating around one entrance. The Eastern gate.
As Caitlin looked down, she saw the eastern gate: it was huge—a hundred feet high, arched and solid gold, with intricate carvings all over it. Above it, up high, in the ramparts, were dozens of Roman soldiers, patrolling, keeping watch on the city.
Caitlin dove down, landed out of sight, then hurried into