“Can we use our diplomatic connections to convince the world leaders that Ozzi’s document is a fake?” Theo asks.
The PM spreads his hands. “Given the experts’ statement, I don’t see how we can do that.”
One of my second cousins, Celeste, almost sobs. “Then what do we do?”
“We find the real addendum,” the PM says, raising his chin.
The questions rain down on him.
“How can we do that?”
“Is it in the impenetrable vault?”
“Have we found a way to open it?”
Uncle Rich flashes his palms. “Quiet! The PM will explain everything in a moment.”
“We have been lucky in our misfortune,” the PM says. “Just as the threat of an apocalypse became palpable, our oracle received the revelation.”
Everybody turns and stares at Mother.
“Erm, the first chapter of the revelation,” she clarifies.
Uncle Rich smiles, motioning her toward the lectern. “Felicia, will you pick up from here?”
The PM steps away, bowing as she treads the short distance to the lectern.
We follow her every move.
“I will jump straight to the point,” she begins. “Last night, I received the first part of the revelation. I saw Ozzi and three other men in a secret lab, forging their document. But I also saw the Dowager Princess Philomena and King Robert II signing an addendum to the Treaty of Pombrio. They slipped it into an envelope which they sealed with two royal seals, Montevor and Capetian.”
“Where is that envelope?” Father’s cousin Marie-Louise asks. “In the impenetrable vault?”
“At the bottom of Pombrio Lake?” her son Jonas tries.
I give it a shot. “Did it burn in the great fire of 1814?”
“Did Philomena’s dog eat it?”
That last question was from Gigi. Obviously.
“Marie-Louise’s guess is correct,” Mother says. “The envelope is locked away in the vault.”
“How does that help us?” Theo asks, his disfigured face further distorted by worry. “Nobody can enter it.”
The famous impenetrable vault has a heavy armored door with nine interconnected locks. It takes nine unique keys to open it, and they must be turned all at once. So far so good. Except, all the keys have been lost or stolen over the centuries. No one has a clue where they are or if they’ve survived. Dynamiting the hell out of the door isn’t an option, since the vault is small, and whatever precious documents are kept in it are likely to be destroyed, or badly damaged by the blast.
“Did you see the keys?” Marie-Louise asks. “Did you see the real addendum? Does it have a sunset clause?”
“In my revelation, I saw a footman stealing one of the keys in the 1770s or 80s,” Mother says. “I also saw the object used to smuggle the key out of Mount Evor. And, lastly, I saw the French maiden who can help one of the Valois-Montevor royals retrieve it. She is the key to the first key.”
Gigi pulls a funny face. “Like, amaidenmaiden?”
“The revelation was delivered in a dated style, so no, I don’t think so,” Mother replies with her usual seriousness. “If the maiden and the prince find the fan, and the key is inside it?—”
“A fan?” a bunch of us ask.
“Didn’t I mention the key was hidden in a folding fan?Forgive me! So, if the key is found and fits the lock, then I will receive the next segment of the revelation.”
