Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) (7 page)

Caitlin turned and looked over her shoulder, and there, sitting on a hill, overlooking the ocean, she saw a beautiful, small, limestone temple. Even in this time, it already looked ancient. Bedecked with intricate columns, it looked out over the sea, with a direct view of the crashing waves. Even from here, Caitlin could sense that this was a holy place.

“It was Jesus’s synagogue,” one of the men said. “It was where he spent all his time.”

“Thank you,” Caitlin said, beginning to walk towards it.

As she walked, the man reached out and grabbed her arm with his new, healthy hand. Caitlin stopped and looked at him. She could feel the energy pulsing through his hand, into her arm. It was unlike anything she’d ever felt. It was a healing, comforting energy.

“You’re not from here, are you?” the man asked.

Caitlin felt him looking into her eyes, and could tell that he was sensing something. She realized there was no use in lying to him.

Slowly, she shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

He stared back at her for a long time, then slowly nodded, satisfied.

“You will find him,” he said to her. “I can feel it.”

*

Caitlin and Caleb walked up the shore, waves crashing beside them, the smell of salt heavy in the air. The cool breezes were refreshing to Caitlin, especially after so much time in the desert heat. They turned and ascended a small hill, at the top of which sat nestled the ancient synagogue.

Caitlin looked up at it as they approached: built of a worn limestone, it seemed as if it had been here for thousands of years. She could feel the energy coming off the place; this was a holy place, she could tell already. Its large, arched door was ajar and creaked as it swayed in the wind, rocked by the ocean breezes.

As they hiked up the hill, they passed clumps of wild flowers, growing seemingly right out of the rock, in an array of bright desert colors. They were the most beautiful flowers Caitlin had ever seen, so unexpected, so unlikely in this desolate place.

They reached the top of the hill and walked right up to the door. Caitlin felt the Star of David burning inside her pocket, and she knew they had come to the right place.

She looked up and over the doorway, embedded in the stone, was a huge, golden star of David, surrounded by Hebrew letters. It was amazing to think that she was about to enter a place where Jesus had spent so much time. Somehow she had expected to enter a church—but, of course, as she thought about it, she realized that wouldn’t make sense, since churches weren’t built, of course, until after he died. It seemed strange to think of Jesus in a synagogue—but then again, after all, she knew he had been Jewish, and a Rabbi, and so it made perfect sense.

But what relevance did all of this have for her search for her Dad? For the shield? She was increasingly feeling that all this was connected, all the centuries and times and places, all of the searching in all the monasteries and churches, all of the keys, all of the crosses. She felt that a common thread was sitting there, right before he eyes. Yet she still didn’t know what.

Clearly there was some holy, spiritual element to whatever it was she needed to find. Which also seemed strange to her, because after all, this was a world of vampires. But then again, as she thought about it, she realized this was also a spiritual war, between supernatural forces of good and evil, those who wanted to protect the human race, and those who wanted to harm it. And clearly, whatever it was she found would have huge ramifications not only for the vampire race, but for the human race as well.

She looked at the ajar door, and wondered if they should just walk in.

“Hello?” Caitlin called out.

She waited a few seconds, her voice echoing. There was no response.

She looked at Caleb. He nodded, and she could tell he also felt they were in the right place. She reached up, lay her palm on the ancient wooden door, and gently pushed it. It creaked as it opened, and they entered the darkened building.

It was cooler in here, protected from the sun, and it took Caitlin a moment for her eyes to adjust. Slowly, they did, and she took in the room before her.

It was magnificent, unlike anything she had ever seen. It wasn’t grand, like so many churches she’d been in; it was actually a humble building, built of marble and limestone, adorned with Roman columns, and with intricate carvings over the ceiling. There were no pews, no places to sit—just a large, open space. At the far end was a simple altar—but instead of a cross above it, there sat a large Star of David. Behind that was a small golden cabinet, with images of two large scrolls carved into it.

Only a few, small arched windows lined the walls, and while sunlight streamed in in places, it was still dim. This place was so silent, so still. Caitlin could only hear the distant crashing of the waves behind her.

Caitlin and Caleb exchanged a glance, then together walked slowly down the aisle, heading towards the altar. As they walked their footsteps reverberated off the marble, and Caitlin couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched.

They reached the end of aisle and stood before the golden cabinet. Caitlin studied the diagrams etched into the gold: they were so detailed, so intricate, they reminded her of that church in Florence, the Duomo, of its golden doors. It looked as if someone had spent a lifetime carving this one, too. In addition to the images of large scrolls, Hebrew letters were embedded all around it. Caitlin wondered what was inside.

“The Torah,” came a voice.

Caitlin wheeled, shocked to hear another voice. She didn’t understand how anyone could have kept so quiet, managed to avoid her detection—and how anyone could, on top of it, read her mind. Only a very special person could achieve this. Either a vampire. Or a holy person. Or both.

Walking towards them was a man wearing a white robe, hood pulled back, with long, disheveled light brown hair and a beard to match. He had beautiful blue eyes, and a compassionate face, lit up with a smile. He looked ageless, maybe in his 40s, and walked towards them with a slight limp, holding a cane.

“They are the scrolls of the Old Testament. The five books of Moses. That is what lays behind those golden doors, since you were wondering.”

He kept approaching until he was just a few feet away, then stopped before Caitlin and Caleb. He stared right at her, and Caitlin could feel the intensity coming off of him. Clearly this was no ordinary person.

“I am Paul,” he said, not extending his hand, which he rested on his cane.

“I am Caitlin, and this is my husband, Caleb,” she replied.

He smiled widely.

“I know,” he answered.

Caitlin felt foolish. Clearly, this man, able to read her mind so easily, knew a lot more about her than she did about him. It was an eerie feeling, that all these people, in all these centuries and places, knew about her, had all been waiting for her. It made her feel a sense of purpose, a sense of mission, even more. But it also made her even more frustrated that she didn’t know what it was, or where to go next.

“We are sorry to intrude,” Caleb said. “But we were told that Jesus prayed here. That he was here recently. Is that true?”

The man nodded slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on Caitlin.

“They left for Jerusalem some time ago,” he said. “If you were one of the masses coming to be healed, I would tell you it’s too late. But then again, I know you have not come to be healed. No. You have a very different purpose, don’t you?” he asked, still staring at Caitlin.

Caitlin nodded back, sensing that this man already knew everything. And for the first time in her life, she had another feeling: that this man was close to her Dad. And that he knew where he was. The feeling sent a chill through her body. She had never felt so close to him before.

“I’m looking for my Dad,” Caitlin said, and could hear her own voice trembling with anticipation.

The man smiled back.

“And he is looking for you.”

Caitlin’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

“Do you know him?” she asked.

The man nodded back.

“Where is he?” Caitlin asked, impatient.

But the man merely sighed, turned, and walked to a window pane. He stood there for a long while, looking out at the sea.

“It is not for me to say.”

All of these riddles were driving Caitlin crazy. She couldn’t take it anymore. She
had
to know where he was.

“Why can’t you just tell me?” Caitlin asked, upset.

The man paused.

“I could tell you,” he said, “but you wouldn’t listen.”

That only deepened Caitlin’s confusion. She had no idea what he meant.

“You are in the final time and place,” he continued. “You are closer to finding your father than you can imagine. But there are also powerful forces at work. Dark forces. There is much at stake, and they want the shield. And they will stop at nothing to have it.

 
“The time is coming when you are going to have to make a choice. To make a great sacrifice. Remember that your father and the shield must come before all else. Before all personal desire. Even before family. Do you understand? It won’t be easy. There will be hard choices for you to make. But you must make them. For all of us. Do you understand?” he asked again.

Caitlin slowly nodded back, but she didn’t quite understand. What choices would she have to make? Was this man seeing her future? She had an eerie feeling that he was.

“We are all counting on you,” he added. “You must find your father. You must get the shield before they do. If they get it first, there will be unthinkable evil and cruelty for all time to come.”

Caitlin felt more of an urgency than ever to find her father, and the shield, especially before the others. But she still had no idea where to begin.

“You cannot meet your father until the timing is right. Not one second before, not one second after. There is a cycle of fate in the universe. The stars must line up perfectly. And then, and only then, will you meet.”

The man turned and faced her, and Caitlin sensed that he knew even more—not only about her father, but about Scarlet.

“And what of my daughter?” she asked. “Is she here? In this time and place?”

“Yes,” the man replied simply.

His direct answer surprised Caitlin, and thrilled her at the same time. Scarlet was here. She was alive. She felt flooded with relief—and also anticipation. She had to find her.

“Where is she?” Caitlin demanded.

The man shook his head.

“Again, that is not for me to tell you. But I will tell you this: until you find your father, you will not find Scarlet. Search for Scarlet, and you will lose them both. Search for your father, and you will find them both.”

“But I don’t know how to find him,” Caitlin snapped, frustrated.

“Oh, but you do,” the man replied. “You have already found the first clue. You trusted your intuition, and it has worked. It sits there now, in your hand.”

Caitlin suddenly remembered: the Star of David. She held it in her palm, examining it, wondering.

The man crossed the room slowly, reached out, and took the star. He held it up, examining it. He nodded in satisfaction.

“See?” he said. “I couldn’t have found this. It was meant for you. And you alone. Only you can use it.”

Caitlin looked over at Caleb, befuddled. He looked back at her blankly.

Use it?
she wondered.