In the Baroque Library at the Klementinum, Robert Langdon scans the visitors and accepts he has arrived too late to meet Katherine Solomon, who had emailed him two hours earlier. He stands before the Codex Gigas, remembering being there with Katherine the previous day and her fascination with the library’s architecture—especially the seemingly inaccessible “faux” balcony.

Langdon recalls showing Katherine the library’s hidden access: a hinged section of bookcase that swings open to reveal a dark alcove and a spiral staircase up to the balcony. The memory is cut short when a man loudly announces a fire emergency, and tourists begin rushing toward the library’s only exit.

Langdon senses the alarm is a ruse when he spots Lieutenant Pavel in a blue ÚZSI uniform in the hallway, monitoring evacuees and scrutinizing faces. Fearing Pavel will trap him alone and possibly shoot him, Langdon searches for cover and decides the secret bookcase is his only chance to buy time.

Langdon slips away from the crowd and tries to open the bookcase, but it will not budge. Suspecting someone is holding it shut from inside, Langdon whispers “Katherine?” and hears movement. The bookcase opens, revealing Katherine Solomon, tearful and alive; Langdon steps into the alcove with her as the door swings closed, and Katherine admits she feared he was dead.