CHAPTER 31 - 31: THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK

The summer wind carried the scent of dust and drying herbs through the citadel's upper galleries. Ethan stood in the vaulted hall that overlooked the Temple Mount, his silver mask faintly catching the light. He had been waiting all morning, not pacing—but still, tense, coiled. At last, the hoofbeats echoed in the stone courtyard below.

Cardinal Odo di Castellari had returned.

By the time the cardinal was ushered into the king's receiving chamber, Ethan had composed himself. He sat with quiet dignity, a wool mantle draped over his shoulders, and Gerard beside him with a scribe's board and ink.

Odo knelt briefly, then rose and withdrew a sealed scroll, bound in crimson ribbon, bearing the leaden seal of Pope Alexander III.

"The Holy Father sends his words, and his prayers," the cardinal said.

Ethan broke the seal carefully, eyes scanning the Latin with trained speed, each word weighted with centuries of ecclesiastical etiquette. His eyes stilled halfway through. Then a breath, slow and long.

He handed the scroll to Gerard, who read aloud for the others in the room.

To Baldwin, King of Jerusalem—

We have received the sacred book called Liber Throni Petri: The Book of Peter's Throne. Its beauty and clarity moved us and our brethren. The labor it represents—both spiritual and mechanical—is not lost upon us.

Let it be known: the book remains in Rome, not as a curio, but as a tool for God's greater work. It will be studied, read aloud, and placed among those works deemed worthy for teaching and contemplation.

The means of its making invite both admiration and caution. The Church must proceed wisely. But your aim—to spread the Word to those who thirst for it—honors God and His Throne.

We await further signs of your labors.

In Christ's love and care,Alexander PP. III

Silence followed.

Ethan looked up slowly. "He'll use it."

Cardinal Odo nodded, a smile just brushing his face. "He has already convened a group of scholars. The monks at St. Paul's Outside the Walls were heard copying verses last week."

"The Liber stays in Rome," Ethan said, "but its voice does not."

"No," Odo agreed. "It speaks. And you, my king, are not silenced."

Later That Evening — Council Chamber

The small council met by lamplight. Balian, Gerard, Anselm, and Odo de St. Amand all leaned over the table's surface, where a copy of the Pope's letter lay beside a report on paper production quotas from the Kidron mill.

"He's cautious," Odo de St. Amand said, voice low. "But not hostile."

"He won't endorse us yet," Balian said, "but he's let the door stay open."

"Then we make sure what comes next is undeniable," Ethan said, tapping the parchment. "We keep the quality high. Psalms, gospels, commentaries—pieces people recognize. We'll give priests and monks what they already know, just... easier to hold. Easier to read."

"Printing presses are already working," Anselm said. "The latest ink batch holds better than before. No more smudging after a day."

"And the paper?"

"Two reams a week now. Enough to print portions of the gospels, especially Matthew and John, with ornate headings."

Gerard gestured to the map of Jerusalem beside the table. "Where do we send them?"

"Start with the churches in Acre," Ethan said. "Then to Antioch and the bishoprics in Cyprus. Quietly. No proclamations. Let the clergy pass them hand to hand."

"And when they ask where these came from?" Balian asked.

"They'll say: Jerusalem," Ethan answered. "Let that word carry weight again."

Before Dawn — The Archives

Ethan walked alone in the cool hush of the archive chamber, lit by one oil lamp and the dim glow of first light. He passed shelves lined with parchment rolls, imported books, ledgers.

He stopped before a newly added shelf. On it sat two copies of the Liber Throni Petri, bound in linen dyed with lapis and stitched with fine silk thread. They were copies of the one sent to Rome—less embellished, but still beautiful.

He touched the cover of one gently.

You're doing your work now, he thought. Just in a different city than I planned.

Behind him, footsteps. Gerard approached, cloak pulled tight around him.

"You're not disappointed?" he asked.

"I am," Ethan said honestly. "But I also see something more valuable."

Gerard tilted his head.

"Permission," Ethan continued. "Not to do whatever I want. But to keep going. They didn't close the door. They left it cracked open."

Gerard nodded. "So we slip through."

"No," Ethan said. "We open it all the way. Slowly. Carefully. But we open it."