Teabing sat on the divan, cradling the wooden box on his lap and admiring the lid's intricate inlaidRose. Tonight has become the strangest and most magical night of my life.

　　"Lift the lid," Sophie whispered, standing over him, beside Langdon.

　　Teabing smiled. Do not rush me. Having spent over a decade searching for this keystone, hewanted to savor every millisecond of this moment. He ran a palm across the wooden lid, feeling thetexture of the inlaid flower.

　　"The Rose," he whispered. The Rose is Magdalene is the Holy Grail. The Rose is the compass thatguides the way. Teabing felt foolish. For years he had traveled to cathedrals and churches all overFrance, paying for special access, examining hundreds of archways beneath rose windows,searching for an encrypted keystone. La clef de vo.te—a stone key beneath the sign of the Rose.

　　Teabing slowly unlatched the lid and raised it.

　　As his eyes finally gazed upon the contents, he knew in an instant it could only be the keystone. Hewas staring at a stone cylinder, crafted of interconnecting lettered dials. The device seemedsurprisingly familiar to him.

　　"Designed from Da Vinci's diaries," Sophie said. "My grandfather made them as a hobby."Of course, Teabing realized. He had seen the sketches and blueprints. The key to finding the HolyGrail lies inside this stone. Teabing lifted the heavy cryptex from the box, holding it gently.

　　Although he had no idea how to open the cylinder, he sensed his own destiny lay inside. Inmoments of failure, Teabing had questioned whether his life's quest would ever be rewarded. Nowthose doubts were gone forever. He could hear the ancient words... the foundation of the Graillegend:

　　Vous ne trouvez pas le Saint-Graal, c'est le Saint-Graal qui vous trouve.

　　You do not find the Grail, the Grail finds you.

　　And tonight, incredibly, the key to finding the Holy Grail had walked right through his front door.

　　While Sophie and Teabing sat with the cryptex and talked about the vinegar, the dials, and what thepassword might be, Langdon carried the rosewood box across the room to a well-lit table to get abetter look at it. Something Teabing had just said was now running through Langdon's mind.

　　The key to the Grail is hidden beneath the sign of the Rose.

　　Langdon held th............