James Acton 04 - The Templar's Relic Read Online Free PDF

eyes as they did the Devil’s work.
    A shout from one of their leaders urged the onslaught forward, and the screams of those nearest them cried out against the sobs and prayers, but the survivors held their ground. Malik gripped the boys tight, shielding their eyes as best he could. He felt Imam Ali’s hand on his shoulder as he recited a prayer from the Koran. They were paces away now. He looked at his Imam, regret on his face, then shock, as the sword of a knight arced through the air, cleaving the holy man’s head cleanly from his shoulders.
    Malik turned to face his own murderer, a knight hidden behind a helmet concealing enough of his features that he would be impossible to identify, but Malik took comfort in knowing that Allah knew all, and this soldier, this infidel, this murderer, would pay the ultimate price in the afterlife. For what he did here today, was not the work of the Christian god, but a labor in service of evil, an evil that left the blood of thousands to stain the desert for time without end, and a thousand infidel souls to burn in damnation for eternity.
    Malik never felt the blade that sent his soul to Paradise, and thankfully, was spared the sight of the massacre of three innocents, who knew not why they died.
     

 
     
     
    Northern Wall, Vatican City
    Present Day
     
    Acton looked about. The Keepers of the One Truth. They were sworn to protect the secrets of the Vault, which for over a millennia had hidden away the blasphemous, the heretical, the unexplained. And as events a few months ago had proven, they would stop at nothing to do so. His eyes came to rest on one man who seemed to be staring a little too intently. The man continued to stare at Acton, before turning and talking to someone beside him.
    I’m getting paranoid.
    But that was the problem. They could be anyone, anywhere. They had two thousand years to get their fingers into whatever pie they needed to protect their secrets. And they’d proven that they were willing to stop at nothing to do it.
    Including murder.
    He took one last look before climbing down the ladder, and into the newly discovered crypt. Laura immediately followed. Though it was daylight outside, it was still dark in the crypt. One large portable light had been lowered in, its bulbs flooding the room with light, casting long shadows past anything of interest. Acton had told them to wait before putting any additional lighting in, as he didn’t want to risk damage to any of the find by untrained workers.
    It was damp, musky, the heavy, stagnant air not having exchanged with the fresh air from above. It was breathable, barely. But Acton had been in worse. Far worse.
    “Look.”
    Acton looked to where Laura’s flashlight was pointing.
    “There used to be an entranceway here, but it’s been sealed.”
    Acton nodded, running his hands over the masonry. “It looks old. At least five hundred years. We’ll carbon date the mortar. That should give us a good estimate as to when this was done.”
    Acton continued to survey the perimeter, ignoring the sarcophagi. He was itching to examine them, but like when he was a kid, he was eating the vegetables first, saving the meat for last.
    Unless there was gravy.
    His stomach rumbled.
    “Was that you?”
    He shrugged his shoulders. “A man’s gotta eat.”
    Laura shook her head. “You’re the one who insisted on skipping lunch and getting started.”
    Acton chuckled. “Hey, I’m allowed to make a mistake now and then.”
    He caught Laura shining her flashlight on her engagement ring. It sparkled against the wall. He cleared his throat. “Hey, we’ve got work to do here.”
    She looked at him, a smile on her face. “Busted?”
    “Busted.” He pointed at the sealed entrance. “This seems to be the only way in or out. For whatever reason, this room was intentionally sealed off, which is kind of odd.”
    “Agreed,” said Laura from the other side of the chamber. “I could see it being forgotten about over the