Stone of Fire: An ARKANE Thriller (Book 1)

Chapter 16

Crypt of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
 May 20, 12.41pm

      Morgan saw the man’s hand move inside his jacket and knew she couldn’t let him fire a gun in here. Her Krav Maga close combat training kicked in, and her anger exploded. She launched herself at him, springing up and jabbing an elbow into his gut. As he doubled over, she rammed her knee into his face. He didn’t go down easily and as his eyes widened in surprise at her attack, he grabbed to catch her as he pulled a knife from his boot with the other hand. There was little room in the crypt but Morgan ducked under his arm, just as the old man rushed in to separate them, unaware of the danger he was in. The attacker’s knife connected with the priest’s body and he sagged with a faint exhalation of surprise as crimson blossomed on his white cassock. Time slowed for Morgan in that moment. She had to finish this now. Grabbing a heavy Bible from the bench, she swung it into the attacker’s face, smashing his nose, driving him backwards as he gasped in surprise. She kicked his wrist and the knife dropped to the floor, leaving a skid-mark of blood. Seeing a silver candlestick on a ledge just behind him, she ducked under his clumsy punch and whammed her elbow up under his chin. As his neck snapped back, she jumped onto the bench, grasped the candlestick and swung it hard, connecting with the side of his head in a dull thump. He collapsed to the floor, and she followed him down, weapon held high to strike him again. A moan from the old priest stopped her. He whispered, “No more, please.”
     Morgan paused, then nodded, aware that she was in a holy place and the stone was her first priority. She felt for a pulse in the attacker’s neck. It was weak, but he was still alive. Quickly she felt in his jacket and took his gun, tucking it into the back of her jeans. She kicked his bloody knife into the crypt behind the locked gate. Then she pulled the man’s belt off, used it to tie his hands and finally stuffed one of the ornamental altar pieces into his mouth as a gag.
     Moving close to the priest, Morgan knelt and put pressure onto his wound, trying to stem the bleeding. It wasn’t deep, as his voluminous robes had caught the force of the blow but he was still in pain.
“I have to get you help, but that man was also looking for the stone of the Apostle James. You said before that I must know more. You’re right, I have a stone myself, from John, the beloved disciple.”
     She reached into her shirt and pulled out the stone that hung around her neck. The old man reached up and gently touched it, his eyes bright in wonder and reverence despite the pain he was in.
     “La Piedra de Dios.” He spoke in a whisper. “The stones are a secret carried by only a few through millennia but I heard rumors of a reckoning. There’s a prophecy that speaks of a new Pentecost in the end times.”
    “I don’t know if this is that time, Father, but I have to find the stone and I need to get you some help. Let me call someone.”
     He shook his head. “Not yet. If others come, you won’t be able to take the stone from the crypt.”
Morgan’s eyes widened.
     “It’s here, then?”
     The old man looked away from her into the darkness of the crypt.
     “I’m clearly no longer able to protect the stone,” he said. “But will you protect it for the church, Morgan Sierra?”
     She hesitated, and then spoke honestly. “I’m not a Christian, Father, but my sister’s life is at stake and I need the stones to get her back.”
     He sighed.
“You’re a Keeper and the stones know their masters. It’s time for this one to be seen again.”
     He pointed at the gold and silver reliquary behind the locked gate, his hand shaking.
     “It’s in there. I’ve never seen it myself but the relics were authenticated in 1884 by Pope Leo XIII. At that time, my great great grandfather was a silver worker. He fashioned the reliquary and was given the stone to hide by the Pope himself. They were trying to protect the stones by ensuring they stayed apart.”
     “Why was it so urgent to hide the stones?” Morgan asked.
     “Pope Leo had a vision that year which shook him deeply.” The priest crossed himself, his eyes haunted. “He heard the voices of God and the Devil while praying at his private altar. Satan boasted that given 100 years he could destroy the Church and gain absolute power over the faithful. It seems that God would allow Satan to do his worst as he did with the prophet Job. But Pope Leo was determined to bolster the Church’s power and ensure that the Devil didn’t claw a foothold. Hiding the Pentecost stone was just one of the things he did to protect the Church from those who would use its power for evil.”
     “So where did they hide the stone? Did your father tell you?”
The priest nodded.
     “It’s molded into the top of the reliquary. Here, take this and you can see for yourself.”
     He produced a key from his vestments and gave it to her, waving her towards the locked gate and the ornate box inside. Morgan unlocked the gate, pushing the creaking door inwards. The reliquary was a large engraved silver chest, resting on top of a mahogany table in the center of the crypt. An altar stood before it with large candlesticks and a crucifix. She inched her way behind the altar.
     “Look at the top,” the old man called faintly from behind her. “There are two raised silver discs. The stone is hidden under one of them.”
     “But which one?” Morgan ran her fingers over the silver detail, marveling that the stone could be here. “And how the hell do I get it out?”
     “My father told me of a mechanism to release the stone. On the sides of the box are scallop shells. Count three in on the left side.” Morgan followed his directions. “Follow the seam to the figure underneath. That’s the servant of James, the first Keeper. He holds the key to the stone. That’s all my father told me, passed down from his father before him.”
     Morgan looked closely. The figure seemed to be the same as the other molded statues on the side of the reliquary. She bent closer and saw that his staff didn’t seem to be part of the molding. It was a separate piece of metal. She carefully pried it out of the hands of the servant, a sliver of metal finely tooled, like a needle with a hooked end shaped like a scallop shell. She felt over the raised dials on the top of the box, acutely aware that it might contain one of the most holy relics in Christendom, the bones of the Apostle James. Her fingers found a tiny hole in the dial on the left side and she pressed the metal shard into the little space. It slid in snugly but nothing happened. She tried lifting it like a lever and the silver dial opened smoothly to reveal a plain grey stone in the space beneath.
     “It’s here,” she said with reverence. She still couldn’t believe the stones contained innate power, just that they were wanted by a madman, but here was a priest who swore there was something to the myth. She gently lifted the stone out of its hiding place and closed the lid with care. Removing the tiny silver lever, she returned it to the servant’s figure and went back out. The old priest held out his hand.
     “Please let me see it,” he said. “I’ve spent years making sure it stayed hidden. Now I release it to you for protection.”
     Morgan knelt by his side and laid it on his palm. It was just a plain stone, dark grey with rough edges, nothing out of the ordinary. Where her own had been hidden in plain sight, decorated as jewelry, this one seemed to be as clean as when it was hacked from the tomb of Christ himself. The old man closed his hand around the precious object, his eyes closed in prayer. Morgan watched as he seemed to lighten and relax as he prayed. Then she heard shouting above them in the cathedral nave. A hacking cough jolted through the old man and he clutched at his wound, blood staining the stone. He gave it back to her.
     “You must go now. Take it far away. The other priests will find me soon enough and I’ll explain this mess away. After all this time, it’s good to know the stones will be together again. Now go and be careful.”
     He pointed Morgan towards the exit staircase, one hand on his chest, the other waving her away.
“Thank you. I’ll keep it safe.”
Then she turned and walked up the stairs, leaving the old priest in the darkness below.
     When she reached the main nave of the cathedral she could see what all the noise was about. Jake was suspended in the dome of the church, swinging on a thick rope and laughing maniacally, playing the part of a crazy pilgrim to a perfect end. After her experience in the crypt she could only suspect he had a run in with other men from Thanatos and had found a unique way to handle the situation. Looking up at him from the gathered crowd, she realized that he was making her smile despite the terrible situation she found herself in. She reluctantly considered that he was a good partner to have around, whatever the motives of ARKANE. She needed to signal to him that she had found James’ stone, but how to get his attention in this crazy circus? She had to do something even more outrageous to attract Jake’s attention as she left.
     Morgan looked around and saw the Holy Door of the Pardon, now unguarded as all the security guards were trying to bring Jake down from the Dome. They would retrieve him soon, so she needed to get his attention while he was still high up. She knew that the Holy Door was only meant to be opened in the Holy Years, when the Saint’s Day of St James fell on a Sunday. This was not a holy year so Morgan knew that opening this door would attract attention. More people were flocking into the main church to see the spectacle and the security team was surrounded so they wouldn’t have time to reach her before she was away.
     Making her decision, Morgan walked quickly towards the Holy Door. Clearly the ancient lock was just for show. She pulled the gun she had taken from the attacker and shot it away. The sharp bang and resounding screams in the church drew attention away from Jake and towards her. She knew he would have seen her. Morgan yanked the door open and ran out into the Plaza de la Quintana behind the cathedral. Knowing security and the police would soon be after her, she disappeared into the back streets of Santiago de Compostela leaving Jake to fend for himself.

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