across the room, and slammed it in front of the doors, barring them.
Just in time. Moments later, there came the pounding of hundreds of fists at the door, as the masses tried to get in.
Thanks to Sam, the door seemed to be holding. At least for now.
As Sam stood there, he was soon joined by Aiden, the twins, and al the other coven members.
Guards, too, flooded in from al over the palace, and soon Pol y and Lily, and even Marie Antoinette, joined the room.
Everyone was in shock at the chaos.
“What has happened?” Marie asked.
“There have been reports that the Bastil e has been stormed, my lady,” one of the guards yel ed, frantic. “The masses are in disarray. They’re destroying everything in the streets. And now, it has spread here. I think it is a revolution!”
Sam could see the horrified expressions on the faces of Marie and her entourage.
Aiden stepped up, and mobilized his team.
“Taylor and Tyler, you protect the East wing,” he ordered, and they burst into action.
“Cain, you cover the Western entrance. I wil help hold these doors myself. And Lily, please accompany Marie back to her quarters. The rest of my men wil guard you.”
Sam walked up to him. He turned and looked at Sam, and Sam felt as if he was staring at him with disapproval.
“Go help your sister,” Aiden ordered, disapprovingly. “You have harmed her enough already.”
Sam felt a pang of guilt race through him, as he thought of Kendra and her ominous words about Caitlin.
Pol y ran up to them.
“It’s al my fault!” she cried. “I was deceived by Sergei. He asked where Caitlin was going. I told him about the Notre Dame!”
Aiden shook his head. “Go and join Sam. She wil need al of your help. And no matter what happens, make sure nothing stops her from getting the Shield.”
Sam turned to Pol y. “I made a mistake,” he said. “I need to make it up. I need to try to rescue Caitlin.”
“Me, too,” Pol y said. “I’m coming with you.”
The door shook, as several more people banged against it.
“GO!” Aiden yel ed.
Sam took off at a running start, and felt Pol y right behind him. He leapt high up into the air, through an open window, and flew into the night.
Soon, the two of them were high in the air, racing towards the horizon.
He was determined to do whatever it took to save his sister.
And if that meant kil ing Kendra, then so be it.
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Caitlin unrol ed the new scrol with shaking hands. Her heart pounded as she realized that it was the second half of her Dad’s letter.
She quickly took out the first half of the letter, unrol ed it, and held it up to this one. As she put them together, she saw that the ridges fit perfectly, and that now, final y, it was one complete letter.
She read the entire letter again, from the beginning: My dearest Caitlin:
If you are reading this, you have already surpassed many obstacles. It means that you have already chosen to travel the road less traveled, to take the difficult path. For that, I commend you.
You are truly your father’s daughter.
You must forgive al the riddles, codes, letters, and keys, but the secret that I guard is most powerful, and must be broken into fragments, to prevent others from decoding it.
Only the truly worthy—only yourself—are meant to decode the secret that you ultimately wil .
If you are reading this, you already have one key in your possession. You must obtain the final three to reach me.
The second key is your focus now. To find it, you wil first have to go to the Fields of the Scholars—
Now Caitlin lifted the second half of the letter:
—and you wil need to visit the Notre Dame and retrieve the key. The dagger wil point the way.
And don’t forget: the island is a big place.
We wil be together soon.
I love you.
Your father.
Caitlin read the letter again and again, completely bewildered. The dagger wil point the way?
What dagger?
Caitlin checked back inside the marble compartment, wondering if she had missed something.
She reached in deeper than she had at first, combing its wal s with their hands.
And then she felt it. Something was attached to the back of it.
She pul ed hard, and out came a smal , silver dagger. She was shocked. She had almost overlooked it.
Now she had the dagger, and she assumed that she would need to use it, somehow, in the Notre Dame, in