Jerusalem Cipher

New plot line after Chapter 18

Chapter 18 leaves us with Sully believing there's something below the Templar Cross. Yael wants to take a break, go to the dig site and retrieve the GPR for fear of damaging the cross. Sully says no. There's already a ticking clock. Someone knows we're down here. We don't have much time. We have to act now! Yael's afraid of damaging the cross. Meanwhile, Sully's busy tapping with her hammer around the cross. She can tell by the sound of the hammer whacks where the stones are covering the chamber below or where they are over solid ground. She takes the claw of her hammer and traces out in the mortar the area of stones around the cross. And, much to the horror of Yael, she grabs a chisel out of their woolsack and begins whacking out the mortar. Yael finally gets with it and together they chisel out the mortar. Yael grabs a crowbar out of the tool sack (make sure you foreshadow the fact they brought a heavy tool sack) and together they pry up the stone cross enough to slide it over the stones (it's still intact and undamaged) and make room for someone to enter down into the cavern below. 

They peer into it with their flashlights and can't see much. At Sully's command, Yael grabs a length of rope and lowers her down into the chamber. Inside we get a frightening glimpse of what she's seeing. Skeletons, a few skulls, some skeletons with daggers still stuck in them, skeletal hands still chained to the walls.  Sully, like Indiana, is unfazed by this as she searches for something. She also notices (and this is important because it's a foreshadow event) there are rows of cryptic symbols on the walls. She hasn't time to translate them as she's more interested in the treasure. This is where the amulet she is wearing begins to vibrate and emits a soft glow. Something's there, she knows it! She finds an old chest and inside is the parchment. Bingo!

Meanwhile, weave in your chapter of the Prelate entering the tunnel, then back to the story. Leave us guessing.

Just as Sully is preparing to head back up the rope with Yael's help, they stop. They hear a noise. Someone's in the tunnels outside. Yael ties one end of the rope to something and throws it down to Sully and says he's going to investigate. Sully says "no!" But Yael's gone. As Sully struggles to climb the rope she hears the chamber door close shut with a clunk. Shit! She finally struggles up into the chamber and heads to the door. She's locked in and she can tell the air is getting thinner. She has only the one flashlight. 

We go through another separate scene where she tries to figure out the secret to getting out. There's the math symbols and frescos on the wall, but her best guess is they don't relate. After an hour of searching, she's getting desperate. Then, she has an idea. What about the symbols in the lower tomb? She takes a chance and heads back down. It doesn't take her long to figure out a sequence that works. Just before the air runs out she unlocks one of the massive stones. With all her might she moves the stone out and crawls into another tunnel where there is air. She's free. 

Now the challenge is to find Yael and/or escape the tunnels.

Sully, using the hidden escape route, emerges into the early morning light of Jerusalem, carrying the ancient scroll. She searches but cannot find Yael. She must return. She makes her way to the closed door of the chamber and discovers Yael unconscious, having been left for dead by the Prelate, who assumed he would not survive. As she attempts to revive Yael, she hears the Prelate's men returning, realizing they must escape immediately. Yael is too weak to move quickly, and Sully must devise a way to carry him to safety without being caught. They are spotted by the Prelate's men, leading to a desperate chase through the narrow streets of Jerusalem at dawn. Sully manages to outmaneuver the pursuers, using her knowledge of the city's layout to find temporary refuge in an abandoned building. In the shadows of the abandoned building, Sully prepares to defend herself and Yael against the imminent threat of the Prelate's forces.The Prelate himself enters, seeking to retrieve the scroll and eliminate them as witnesses. A tense standoff ensues, with Sully using the dim light and cramped space to her advantage. In the rush to escape the Prelate, Sully doesn't notice that the amulet is no longer hidden under her shirt, but instead, is exposed. The Prelate sees it and reveals his knowledge of the amulet and its significance, demanding its surrender.

Yael regains consciousness, joining the fray in a weakened state, tipping the balance momentarily. The Prelate gains the upper hand, cornering Sully and demanding the amulet. Using a clever distraction, Sully and Yael turn the tables, escaping with the scroll but leaving the amulet behind as a decoy. 

The streets of Jerusalem awaken, unaware of the drama unfolding in its ancient quarters. Sully and Yael, scroll in hand, navigate the labyrinthine alleys to evade capture. The Prelate, furious at being deceived, mobilizes a search throughout the Old City. Sully realizes the importance of the scroll and decides they must decipher it before it falls into the wrong hands. 

Returning to St. James Cathedral for sanctuary, they find the place eerily quiet. Lawrence awaits, his demeanor now openly hostile. They don't understand. He announces that he has discovered that it was Father David all along that's been the spy. (Here you can use what you had if it works).

Sully is exhausted as is Yael. They entrust the scroll to Lawrence who swears he will guard it with his life.

After they rest, we get the scene where we find David dead. Panic strikes! Lawrence reveals his true allegiance to the Order of The Covenant, having been a spy all along. Lawrence explains the Order's plan to use the scroll's knowledge for their gain, disregarding the potential harm. As Lawrence prepares to hand them over to the Prelate, Sully and Yael nod to each other their understanding of their mutual plot for their escape from the cathedral. Just as they are about to be turned over, an unexpected ally within the cathedral—an unassuming nun (be sure she doesn't just appear. Foreshadow her bringing them food and drinks back when they were all friends and before the tunnel and before chapter 18) snatches the scroll out of Lawrence's hand, throws it to them, and provides a means of escape. They follow her through a secret tunnel and she can go no further. She hands them a slip of paper with the name of a sanctuary they can go and be safe in. The Sanctuary of the Silent Sisters is located in Cardo in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The entrance to the Sanctuary of the Silent Sisters is a small, weathered wooden door, carved with the symbol of the palm branch - a sign of peace and victory in early Christian iconography - serves as the only hint to the sanctuary's presence. Above the doorway, a modest stone plaque engraved with the sanctuary’s name in Latin and Hebrew welcomes those who seek solace within its stone walls adorned with frescoes that narrate the lives of early Christian martyrs. In the aftermath of their escape, Sully and Yael regroup and get to work deciphering the parchment (Add here a foreshadow of them getting to know the room they are in. Yael finds an ancient escape tunnel behind a dresser and they make note of it). It doesn't take long before they realize the scroll might have something to do with The Key To Solomon. This is just a guess on their part—there's something huge here but we don't yet know what it is. They speculate. Then, Sully figures it out. The key to Solomon is located here in Jerusalem! She knows where. Life's good  .... Only ....

There's a knock at their door. It's the nun who saved them. There's terror in her eyes. They usher her into the room. She shakes her head no and they are confused. She's clearly a hero she starts to back away, when all of a sudden her eyes are huge and she falls forward onto her face, dead with a knife in her back. In walks Lawrence and the Prelate. They demand the parchment. We get a big climax fight scene. The Prelate stands by as Lawrence attacks Yael. The two grapple with each other, Lawrence slips and falls, Yael pounces on top of him, then the Prelate plunges his knife into Yael. Lawrence is done for as his head hits the stone floor. Meanwhile, Sully's headed for the escape tunnel and chased by the Prelate. We get one more exciting chase scene before she escapes him. Now, with the chase scene resolved, Sully is heading the Florence Italy where she has learned the key lies.