I woke up slowly. I checked the clock. It was only 7 in the morning. I got out and headed to the kitchen. I was staying over at Ben and Abigail's. Well, it was actually Abigail's since the wonderful couple got into an argument over the word "so". Who has fights over a single word? Come on, people! It's just one little word! In any case, I planned on going to DC since Ben was presenting Thomas as part of the Civilian Heroes exhibit. Ben had spent so much time being engrossed in this project that I rarely spent time seeing him in public.

I didn't have anyone as part of the exhibit. Not like I needed one with Robert Livingston, co-writer of the Declaration of Independence. But it felt good to know that ordinary people did extraordinary things. Like Thomas Gates. He helped to prevent the Confederates from rising up again and kicking the Union's butt with destroying the treasure map.

"Morning, Esther. How did you sleep?"

"Slept well. Thanks for asking Abigail. How 'bout you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. I cooked up some eggs and toasted some bread. After pouring a glass of orange juice, I ate my homemade breakfast. Mom taught me how to cook for myself, just in case I went out for another mission for a long time. Because I had a habit of doing that for some reason.

"Any plans for today?"

"Not really. I heard about this exhibit the other day and I thought I'd check it out."

"It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Ben, now would it?"

"What makes you think that?"

"He's presenting Thomas Gates as part of the Civilian Heroes exhibit."

I shut my mouth. Abigail was pretty good at deducing after her little "abduction" into the Templar treasure hunt. I looked down at my plate.

"No, it wouldn't. Besides, I have to check up on Teacher with something in DC. He is the head of the US Knights Templar division."

"Right. That part slips my mind on occasion."

"Well then, use glue. It tends to keep things from slipping."

Abigail laughed. In truth, I did have to see Teacher about what I saw. And then I wanted to see Ben and his presentation on Thomas. My mood changed drastically after thinking about Thomas, how I watched him die and Charlie cry out for him to come back.

"You okay, Esther?"

"Huh? Yeah! Just thinking about what Teacher would want to see me for. Why?"

"You looked like you were spacing out. Sure you don't have any issues?"

"Not really. Unless you count being the most wanted person on the planet, dead or alive."

Abigail didn't delve any further into that discussion because she knew what I was capable of and what I had done in the past. We finished breakfast and Abigail dropped me off near the Reflection Pool. I looked up at the Lincoln Memorial, wondering why Alex had me watch all that happen. It was horrifying since I listened to Alex tell me that Lincoln died and then I had to watch Thomas die the same night.

"Bellator Eget Christi?"

I turned my head to see Teacher approach me.

"I understand that you wanted to talk to me about something. Correct?"

"Yes. Teacher, do you know anything about a city of gold?"

"Well, there are many cities of gold."

"One that deals with Native Americans."

"You'll need to be more specific."

"Cibola, Teacher. I'm talking about Cibola."

He paused. Either he knew and didn't want to tell me or he didn't know.

"It's only a fable, my dear. No one has ever found Cibola."

"You sure about that? Because I might've seen it."

He leaned in to me.

"Through your gift?"

"Yes."

"Come with me."

We sat down at a bench near the Reflection Pool.

"I assume you want to find it."

"I do. All I know is that it's somewhere west of here. And Ben's great-great-grandfather had gotten started. It has to be the team again, Teacher. It has to be."

He pondered over what I said. Ben was the only person I could think of that would do something of such risk and have the rewards given to the people. Cibola was a lost culture, a lost civilization. The world needed to know what its ancestors were capable of and Cibola was most certainly an excellent example.

"Alright. I will make sure I have contacts available for you to reach in the major cities. Take a pager or cellphone. Betsy will still be your quartermaster for whatever gear you may require. Just understand that should you break the law, it will be out of my hands."

"I'm well aware of that, Teacher. And thank you." I gave him a big hug. "Now, would it be possible for you to drop me off where Ben is giving a presentation on Thomas Gates?"

"Quite possible," he smiled.

He dropped me off and I entered the building. Ben was looking at his notecards for his speech to the assembly and the media. His eyes wandered to me as he paced back and forth on the floor.

"Esther!"

I walked up to him and gave him a hug.

"Hi, Ben. How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"A little tired. Just visited a bunch of Indians in the Great Plains."

"The gift again?"

I told Ben about my gift before and I even gave a hint as to who Alex was when we were hunting for the Templar treasure.

"Yeah."

"Did you learn anything new?"

"Mmm… not really. You worried about the presentation?"

"Not really." We laughed. "I'm just hoping that everyone sees Thomas as just an ordinary person-"

"-that did something extraordinary. I was thinking the same thing."

People started to filter in and I checked the time. The presentation was going to be in just a few minutes. I seated myself in the front row to Ben's left. The cameras were ready and the room was filled with people. Ben eventually began his speech. I was intrigued by how he portrayed the event as I had already witnessed it myself.

"So recapping: The Knights of the Golden Circle was a Southern extremist group, operating in the north to subvert Union forces. Had Thomas not burned the legendary missing pages from the Booth diary, the killers may have found a vast treasure of gold, and the Union may well have lost the Civil War. Thank you."

Applause, applause, applause. Yada, yada, yada.

"I'd like to thank Ben and Patrick Gates. And say what a wonderful addition Thomas Gates is to our Civilian Heroes exhibit. Thank you."

"Thank you, Dr. Nichols. I only wish my grandfather had been here to see this wonderful day."

"Excuse me. I have a question I'd like to ask."

My head turned to the back and the balcony where a man sat down.

"What do you think happened to that Booth diary page that was pulled out of the fire?"

"We may never know."

Funny, 'cause I happen to know what happened to it.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

Wait, what parlor trick are you playing?

"You see, I have one of those great-great-granddaddies, like you, way up in my family tree. Name of Silas Wilkinson. He used to tell a story about the night Lincoln was shot. As Silas tells it, Booth didn't seek out Thomas Gates regarding the treasure map that night. It was Thomas who called the meeting. A meeting to plan the assassination of Lincoln."

That is a load of trash! Booth and the guy with him came to Thomas asking for help with a cipher, not to assassinate Lincoln! I saw it with my own eyes!

"How absurd."

"That's a lie!"

The man stood up, pulling something out of his inside breast pocket.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...one of the missing pages from the infamous diary of John Wilkes Booth with the name Thomas Gates written on a list along with all the other killers."

The room was cleared of everyone except for Ben, Patrick, Dr. Nichols, and the man who presented the page. I also stuck around, but not happy with the results.

"And Latin?"

"Booth was a student of Latin. He shouted, 'Sic semper tyrannis' after he shot Lincoln. 'Thus always to...'"

"'Thus always to tyrants.' We know."

"'Surratt, copiae'?"

"Military supplies. Mary Surratt was convicted and hanged for supplying Booth with a rifle and field glasses."

And they said that a woman couldn't do the work of a man.

Ben took a step to the projection screen and read the name.

"'Thomas Gates, artifex.'"

"'Designer' or 'mastermind.'"

"I know what it means."

And you're just dragging the whole thing, buck-o.

"He must have, uh, planned the assassination."

"I see."

"Could mean mastermind of anything. You see that? Burned out right there."

That is a very valid point, Patrick.

"I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you."

"May l, Mr...?"

"Wilkinson."

I'll keep that last name in mind.

"I'll see if this new page matches the Booth diary."

Dr. Nichols took the page that Wilkinson brought and prepared to compare it to the diary.

"This is an outrage. You're calling my grandfather a liar."

"With respect, now you're calling my great-great-granddaddy a liar."

"Yes, sir, I am. This isn't some garbage from a history book. My grandfather told me this story himself. I saw the truth of it in his eyes."

Dr. Nichols put the page to the diary. It was a perfect fit.

"I'm sorry, sir. I truly am."

"We'll test this thoroughly, Patrick, to authenticate it."

"It can't be."

I felt really bad for Patrick. He heard the story from Charlie and passed it on to Ben. But I knew the truth and knew that I couldn't rub in the fact that I knew it. Otherwise, the hunt for Cibola would be short and bloody. I walked up to Patrick and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Is he right?"

"Have faith that you are the right one, Patrick. He may have proof, but for something to be right, you have to spend a long time proving it. He didn't. You did."

Patrick got an idea and the moment we stepped into his house, he set to work, looking for the answer and proof he needed. I stood in the doorway, letting Patrick look for what he would need. Ben later joined me.

"Is he right?"

"Really? Are you as doubtful as your father? Because he asked me the same thing."

"And what did you tell him?"

"Believe in what you think is right."

"Can't you just go to the moment in time through your dream and get the answer?"

"Ben, I'm good, but I'm not that good. Alex is still training me."

We looked back at Patrick.

"Maps to presidents' houses. Keys to locks that don't exist. What's the point? What am I looking for? Proof, proof, proof. What proof?" he mumbled.

I could only hope that Patrick's faith in his grandfather's story would grow so that he wouldn't give up. Ben left the scene and I shortly joined him outside by his car. He looked at me in the eye.

"We need Riley's help."

Wait, what?