God's Lions - The Dark Ruin (42 page)

Opening the door just enough to allow a beam of yellow light from inside to spread out across the gravel, the jovial face of a white-haired man emerged. “Good evening. Can I help you gentlemen?”

“Good evening,” Morelli replied. “I hope we’re at the right place. We’re looking for the Vatican Observatory.”

The door swung open a little further revealing a tall priest with intelligent eyes and a pleasant smile. “Well, actually our main telescopes are now located in Arizona, but we still retain an old telescope here for viewing the heavens on warm summer nights.” The priest extended a hand. “I’m Father Caruso, the director of the Papal Observatory. And who might you be, sir?”

“I’m Bishop Anthony Morelli, and this is Cardinal Leo Amodeo.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Stepping into the light, Leo removed his hat. The priest’s smile evaporated as he took an involuntary step back. “Cardinal Amodeo? The last we heard you had disappeared off the face of the Earth!”

Leo attempted a smile. “It’s a long story, Father Caruso, but I can assure you that I haven’t left the planet. May we come in?”

“Of course, Cardinal ... of course. You’ll have to pardon my shock. I thought ...

Leo peered through the doorway and looked around. “Yes, I understand, Father. We didn’t mean to alarm you, but we are in a bit of a hurry and we need the benefit of your expertise.”

“The dark star?”

Leo halted in mid-step. “You know about it?”

The priest winked. “Please, Cardinal, come this way.” The priest ushered them into a tight hallway and looked out into the courtyard before quickly closing the door. “It’s just now dark enough for us to begin our observations. The others are all here.”

“What others?”

The priest looked back over his shoulder as he began leading them through a warren of twisting hallways. “Jesuits. You are among friends here, Cardinal. I’m glad you’re here, because we need to talk. The star ... it disappeared ... but now it’s back.”

After crossing over the border into France, Javier Mendoza and Evita Vargas found traffic practically non-existent on the N20 highway as they wound their way through the towering Pyrenees. Ignited by the dog days of summer, a pine-scented haze drifted through the mountain pass as they rounded a curve in the road and descended into the small French village of
Bouan
.

Spotting a small market next to the road, Mendoza pulled off to the side and stopped. “I’ve got to stretch my legs. If this market is still open we can stock up on some more supplies.”

Evita nodded as she stepped out into the sunshine and gazed up at the sheer mountain cliffs rising all around them. From their position on the main road they could just make out the crenulated 13
^th
century Cathar fortifications that fronted a cave halfway up the cliff. It was a stark reminder that this area had once seen thousands flee for their lives ahead of an advancing Crusader army that burned people alive simply because they had chosen to believe in a different version of Christianity.

Cupping her hands over her eyes, Evita stared up at the cliff. “Seeing those fortified caves gives the concept of freedom of religion a whole new meaning.”

“This area is honeycombed with ancient Cathar hiding places,” Mendoza said, scratching his blond beard as he leaned over the roof of the tiny white car. “Our ancestors hid out here after the fall of the castle at Montsegur. I backpacked through this area when I was in college. There were five of us ... all Cathars. After we set up camp in the nearby forest, we all felt like we had arrived on sacred ground. Sitting around the fire at night, a few of my friends swore they could hear voices on the wind.”

Evita shivered in the heat. “My grandmother told me about the caves around here when I spent my summers with her in Foix, but we never visited any of them. I’ve heard estimates that over a million innocent people were slaughtered during the crusades against our people. It’s hard to imagine genocide on that level, but what’s even more unimaginable is the fact that history repeated itself seven hundred years later when the Nazis began their crusade against the Jews.”

“I don’t believe mankind has ever become truly civilized,” Mendoza said. “There seems to be an evil seed buried within our species, and I’m afraid we’re all about to pay the ultimate price.”

“But what about all the good people, Javier? What did they do to deserve what’s coming?”

“I hate to burst your bubble, Evita, but all of these good people you talk about tend to sit in front of their TV’s and turn a blind eye while others are being slaughtered in some twisted genocidal purge halfway around the world. Now that the world is changing they might begin to see things differently, because the cities will soon be collapsing into unlivable traps where the weak will be targeted by the strong. We’re looking at a return to medieval times on a grand scale if some kind of order isn’t restored, and that’s exactly what the Antichrist wants. He wants to be the one to bring back order to the world so that people will look to him as their savior, and when that happens you’ll see droves of people bow down to him in the interest of survival.”

A sudden breeze whipped Evita’s hair across her face as she stared back at him in silence.

“Come on,” Mendoza said, giving her his biggest smile in an effort to lighten the mood. “This store looks closed and we need to get going. How much farther do we have to go?”

Evita stirred, as if awakening from a dream. “I’m not sure. According to the map we’re very close. This highway takes us into Foix, but before we get there we’ll have to turn off on a side road that will take us to a place called
Serre Longue
.”

“
Serre Longue
? I’ve never heard of it. Is it a town?”

“It’s just a dot on the map. We’re supposed to wait there for Julian to contact us.”

Mendoza opened the car door and sat behind the wheel. “I just hope this place is close because we’re running low on gas. All the stations look closed, and I doubt we’ll find any hotels or restaurants open either. Once we reach that little dot on the map we’ll be stuck there.”

“What about the radio?” Evita ventured. “Maybe there’s some news.”

“Nothing but static. Are you sure you don’t want to go into Foix?”

“Positive. I have a feeling Julian and his people have been preparing for something like this for a long time, and this is our last chance to join them before they disappear from sight.”

“What about the cardinal?”

“As soon as we’re settled I’ll get word to him somehow. He still hasn’t surfaced from his little disappearing act. I’d love to know what he’s up to.”

Mendoza gazed out at the white stripes running along the sides of the empty highway and checked the gas gauge one more time. “Mind if I take a look at that map?”

Evita handed it over, and as she waited, she began to scan the deserted-looking buildings all around them. “This place is starting to give me the creeps, Javier. Can we go now?”

“Sure.” Tossing the map into the back seat, Mendoza started the engine. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Evita. That little dot on the map is located right below the ruins of Montsegur castle where our ancestors made their final stand against the Crusaders.”

“What are you trying to say, Javier?”

“I’m just saying that I believe there’s a reason he picked that exact spot for our meeting. I mean, the symbolism of the location is pretty obvious, especially since it was chosen by a member of Cathar royalty like Julian Wehling. For some reason he’s leading us deep into the heart of Cathar territory, and that’s the last place I want to be if history decides to repeat itself.”

Evita closed the passenger-side door and fixed her eyes on the road ahead. “Where did you expect him to lead us, Javier? You said it yourself ... we’re dealing with Cathar royalty, and if we don’t get out of this creepy place right now I’m going to scream.”

Father Caruso led Leo and Morelli into a pale yellow room lined with white bookshelves that overflowed with books and tall stacks of thick paper files that had been stuffed into every crevice. Seated on two worn sofas, four distinguished-looking priests were drinking tea and engrossed in a lively discussion under the muted glow of a couple of old table lamps.

Clearing his throat, Caruso waited until the priests finally turned away from their discussion and noticed the Vatican’s Secretary of State standing in the doorway next to Bishop Morelli. One of the men literally dropped his cup as the others all stared open-mouthed at Leo.

Holding a smoking pipe in his hand, a Jesuit with a full head of wild gray hair sprang from his place on the sofa and rushed to greet Leo. “Cardinal! You’re safe! May the saints be dancing in heaven. We’d almost given up hope. What about the Holy Father?”

Before Leo could answer, the other priests crowded around and began talking all at once.

“Gentleman ... please.” Caruso waved his hands in the air. “Let’s give the cardinal some breathing room. He and Bishop Morelli have come here for our help. They’re looking for some information on the dark star.”

An older priest wearing a rumpled purple shirt over his Roman collar grabbed Leo’s arm and led him toward a tattered red wing chair. “Well, you’ve certainly come to the right place, Your Eminence. Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you, Father. Would you happen to have a small glass of sherry?”

“Of course!” The priest’s eyes were positively glowing with excitement as he quickly removed a bottle from a cupboard under one of the overstuffed bookshelves and filled two glasses for both Leo and Morelli.

Caruso moved to the center of the room. “Please, allow me to introduce you to our little group.”

“We would be honored,” Leo said, sitting back in his chair while Morelli squeezed into a spot on a couch. As both men listened, Caruso introduced them to the four Jesuit astronomers seated around the room. In the course of the introductions, he quickly learned that the title astronomer and astrophysicist were used interchangeably for the simple reason that most modern astronomical research dealt with subjects related to physics, and that many professional astronomers have physics degrees rather than astronomy degrees.

The men seated around them were an eclectic mixture of PhD’s who had narrowed their areas of study into the various specialized fields of astronomy, including cosmology, astrometry, planetology, radio astronomy, and mathematical astronomy. Caruso himself was a theoretical physicist and an acknowledged expert in the field of positional astronomy and celestial mechanics. It was well known around the Vatican that he had been involved in a long-standing debate with the famous physicist Stephen Hawking on his views concerning black holes and dark matter. It was quickly becoming obvious to Leo and Morelli that they had just stumbled into a world of cloistered academics and that they were sitting next to some of the best astronomical minds on the planet—exactly where they needed to be on a night filled with questions about the heavens.

Setting his glass on the table beside him, Leo extended his hands over the edge of the armrests and leaned forward. “Bishop Morelli and I have come here tonight to ask for your assistance on a matter of great importance, but before we go any further I want all of you to know that the Holy Father is safe. Unfortunately, that is all I’m allowed to tell you for now, but you can all rest assured that Pope Michael is still very much in charge of the Church.”

A collective sigh of relief circled the room as Leo continued. “That being said, you are not to mention our visit here with you tonight, nor are you allowed to repeat anything I am about to tell you. We believe that the dark star is connected to an event that may have spiritual implications, not only for the Church but for the entire world. For that reason, it is imperative that you tell us everything you know about it, no matter how insignificant it may seem. For those of you familiar with the code in the Bible, I can tell you now that its arrival was foretold, and we fear that its appearance is a sign that something else is about to appear in our world.”

“The Antichrist?” Caruso’s long white eyebrows wavered in the air as he watched Leo react to his question.

“Yes, Father,” Leo said, “that’s exactly what I’m referring to. May I ask you how you came to that conclusion before we arrived?”

Caruso looked around the room at the other Jesuit scientists. “We also study the code in the Bible, Cardinal. Why don’t you bring your glass of sherry and come with us?”

Encircled by an air of mystery, Caruso and the other priests rose from their seats and led Leo and Morelli down a painted brick hallway. Passing through a thick doorway, they entered a tall, echoing space that contained an enormous telescope aimed at the night sky through a wide opening in the dome above.

Running his hand over the smooth metallic surface of the telescope, Morelli looked back at the astronomers. “You can actually see it?”

“Why yes, Bishop.” The wild-haired priest smiled. “We’re astronomers. That’s what we do.”

“But we were told a dark star is invisible ... that it could only be detected by measuring gamma rays coming from its surface. We thought you used some kind of special instrument to detect its presence.”

“That’s only one of the ways we can detect a dark body, as we prefer to call it. This star is very rare. In fact, until it arrived in our own solar system, stars like this were thought to be purely theoretical. We knew they probably existed, but the evidence needed to prove they were there was billions of light years away, making them almost impossible to find. But this one is so close to us that our own sun’s light reflects off its surface ... and there’s something else.” The priest climbed a short set of metal stairs and stepped under the viewfinder beneath the massive telescope. Removing a cap from the viewing lens, he motioned to Leo and Morelli. “Take a look for yourselves.”

Stooping slightly, Leo angled his head up and peered into the darkness. At first he saw nothing, but as he continued to stare through the wavy distortion caused by the Earth’s atmosphere, he saw something glimmering in the distance. The motion and reflective light from the sun made the object appear to shimmer, and as Leo continued to watch, the dark outline of a perfectly round object came into focus as it hovered in the sky millions of miles away.