55

Langdon and Vittoria burst out of the Secret Archives, relieved by fresh air but burdened by the fact that they have taken Folio 5 from the Vatican’s private vault. Vittoria urges speed toward Olivetti’s office, while Langdon protects the fragile folio and admits he has already deciphered the poem.

Vittoria reads the marginal verse aloud as they hurry, and Langdon explains that the clue begins at “Santi’s earthly tomb.” He identifies Santi as Raphael, the Renaissance master, and concludes that the first marker on the Path of Illumination is at Raphael’s tomb in the Pantheon.

Langdon reasons that the poem’s “mystic elements” refer to Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, the four Illuminati markers hidden in religious sculpture. Vittoria questions whether the Pantheon could really be the murder site because it is crowded and public, but Langdon argues that the Illuminati have already shown they can do the impossible and want the world watching.

As they refine the clue, Langdon connects “earthly tomb” to the Pantheon’s pagan and architectural associations with Earth, and guesses that “demon’s hole” refers to the oculus in the roof. Vittoria also challenges why the poem uses Raphael’s surname, and Langdon suggests it either preserved the meter or made the clue obscure enough for only the enlightened to recognize.

Near the Swiss Guard office, an armed guard stops Langdon and Vittoria at gunpoint because Vittoria is a woman moving through restricted Vatican grounds. Olivetti intervenes, orders the guard inside for a new search briefing under Captain Rocher, and confronts Langdon about entering the Secret Archives. Langdon replies that they have good news.