The Ophir (14 page)

“What of my men? They may not understand or
have the same faith I do.”

“They may not all enter on faith, but loyalty
will have its rewards. They will, in time, see what is being
offered too.”

“They suffer. I’ve watched and seen it with
my own eyes. What can I do to change this for them that they might
have the full trust or faith needed to move toward salvation?”

The questions and answers would go on for
what seemed like hours, when in truth, time stood still.

* * * *

Captain Antonio was taken by surprise the
first time he recognized that the crew’s numbers dwindled, not from
battle, but from hopelessness. He stood in awe at their fighting
prowess against one ship or another, and then watched as one man
ended his own life. His tribesman stood still and allowed his head
to be severed from his body.

Another time he witnessed a sailor who stood
at the boarding gate, drop his sword and fall back into the ocean,
never to surface again. These events made him probe the mind of his
men to fathom, if he could, the reason for this self-sacrifice.

It was from his own crew that he learned of a
despondency that permeated their motivation. It also affected
him.

He, egotistically, believed he was the only
one anguished by the never-ending cycle of life. He underestimated
the will and desire of a man’s need to engage in more than
survival. The hypnotic effect of fresh blood lasted but a few
hours, until the next taking took place.

Knowing now that this phenomenon was wide
spread among the crew, the encounter with Villiers seemed to loosen
the slim hold they had on existence. It had given him the impetus
to bring the alternatives to the table.

The Viking battleship confiscated by the
Knights Templar off the coast of La Rochelle, France, continued its
journey with what must have been tons of lesser treasure. It was
thirty metres long with sails of linen and well fitted oak planks.
It could move from twelve to fourteen knots with a good wind. It
was big, sleek, fast, and heading North West toward the New
Jerusalem.

The Ophir would meander in the opposite
direction. It would travel in weather exceedingly rough, pushing
into strong headwinds. Many times it seemed to lie in chains as it
inched its way toward the Pacific Ocean and its Ring of Fire.

Chapter
Thirteen

Over the next year, Captain Antonio would
have waking dreams. It seemed as if he were a hawk flying high
above, observing the world as it sped by. Now and then he would
‘see’ the Viking ship carrying Captain Villiers, a crew of 80 well
paid crewmen and six Templars that escaped arrest at Rhodes. They
moved at an easy clip toward a continent still unknown to most of
the world. It was given to him that he was now an integral part of
the Knights Templar quest.

In that vein, he became one of the guardians
of the world’s ancient treasures and in solid line of the knowledge
from the ancients, of which expert navigation was one of the
least.

* * * *

When Captain Antonio had his waking dreams,
he often heard voices that seemed to be giving him continued
lessons and guidance,

“You were you, before you came to the
earth.”

“Your body was created for existence in this
place.”

“Your body will become a body of light and
operate in a higher dimension.”

“You are where you are supposed to be at any
given time.”

“You will operate from a state of
heart-centered compassion.”

“Your human code will be realigned,
reconnected and activated.”

“Nothing happens without it first being
conceived and then manifested in the eye of God.”

“You will be monitored until your recoding is
complete. You will feel itching in your crown chakra and the
MerKaBa will act as a receiver of messages.”

Antonio was assured that the strange
teachings would continue until he made the cerebral connection to
the spiritual. He had no idea, at this point, what was meant by
many of the words used.

One piece of information was repeated many
times,

“It is written that a man of no race will be
the final guardian of the Arc and Grail, those that can be used for
destruction.

He who follows my law will be given passage
once again into the life of mortal man and enjoy its bounty, as
will he who works in the name of the Lord.”

“I sense who you are, and am humbled. We have
scourged the seas seeking pleasure and treasure and found naught
but a void that can never be satisfied. How can we serve you?” And
he would be told to continue as he was, save the drinking of man’s
blood. He and his men would be sustained by the blood of the Lamb.
And so they were.

* * * *

No one complained of hunger or thirst as they
sailed toward a new horizon. No one asked where they were going. It
was as if the crew had fallen under the magik spell of the
Egyptians.

As time passed, they were brought into
contact with other seagoing vessels, awakened and allowed to
remember the mortal men they once were. It was during those times
that they became most vulnerable to the ways of the flesh as they
indulged themselves in carnal pleasures.

It was at sea that they could procreate; but
the seed would lie dormant, passed on from mother to daughter,
until a warrior would be needed to do battle for the Lord once
again.

Chapter
Fourteen

At one of 300 small islands off the coast of
Nova Scotia, there was one island that measured 1,000 feet wide by
a mere three quarters of a mile long. Legend would have it that
Divine Intelligence brought the Templar treasure ship to this
particular island.

According to ancient chronicles, the
guardians used the knowledge they protected to find the optimal
location for concealing the written word and other precious
possessions that would be sought by man for thousands of years.

The world and everything in it was created by
following specific patterns and order. Those patterns and order
were now being followed to the New Jerusalem. Templars had gone
there before. They went to prepare the land for the final resting
place of one of the most precious cargos known to man: the Holy
Grail.

The Holy Grail was believed by some to be the
cup used by Jesus and his disciples at the last supper. Others
believed it to be the vessel that held the knowledge of the
universe. Some believed it held the actual bones of Mary, the
mother of Jesus. The truth would be known upon its
re-discovery.

* * * *

“Welcome, gentlemen. We have need of your
skills. We have devised a plan by which we can conceal our most
precious artifacts and obscure the path to attainment by the
unscrupulous. Together with your ability to work in the ocean
without breathing apparatus, and our engineering capacities, we
will ensure the future of mankind. We have the key to the first
door in paradise. We would like to propose a merger for the project
at hand. Will you take this step with us?”

“Captain Lavier, you honor us. My men and I
are at your disposal.”

“We understand there’s been a rearrangement
of power aboard the Ophir. Will this be a problem?”

“Not at all. While I am captain of the Ophir,
Captain Antonio will continue to be an active member, mentor, and
counselor.”

“Excellent, Captain Contona. We should work
well together.”

Captain Lavier, Captain Contona, and acting
Captain Antonio worked till almost dawn. They discussed and revised
the blueprint laid out by the Knights who were well known for
engineering and architectural feats. The channels and drains needed
for their Oak Island tomb would be the most important aspect to be
accomplished.

“You ... load the logs in a cross hatch, two
layers deep.” Captain Lavier barked his orders to the crew of three
ships.

“Captain O’Keefe, if you will, have your men
take the clay and other materials to mix with the sea water and
create a sealing mud for the opening channels and tomb that we
construct beneath the surface. The wave action at 80 feet becomes
much milder and will make movement easier for them. All five
channels must be lined solid to filter the sea sand. It will
prevent clogging and provide a better drainage system.”

“Aye, Monsieur Lavier.” Captain O’Keefe had
chosen to stay with the Templar engineers to assist in the
construction of traps that would foil any attempts at theft. When
the trap was set, O’Keefe sailed toward the Continent of Asia,
close on the heels of the Ophir.

Using a combination of native and imported
materials such as oak logs inscribed with Roman numerals for
appropriate placement, eelgrass, coconut fiber and a waterproof
mixture of clay, sand, and water, the Templar engineers constructed
a very special tomb. This tomb would hold and protect the holy
relics placed there for many centuries. Floodgates in the pattern
of an open hand spreading from the palm to the perimeter of the
island, were designed to prevent access to the tomb. The water
gates, controlled by the waves, tides and currents converted the
oscillating movement of the seas into energy. The energy would be
used to complete underwater work.

Each of the fingers on the hand that held the
coffers would have to be manipulated in the right order, and at the
right time, to free the ancient booty from its hold without
endangering the excavators. It was an ingenious construct that
would confound the most advanced engineers, turn technology into
useless mechanics and cause many adventurous or greedy men to feel
the sting of failure.

It took three years to dig and rig the pit
with effective and deadly traps that would frustrate the attempts
of man to come. Until one of great virtue and reason should find
the way to plug the waterways, lock the floodgates erected to
protect the treasure from mortal man and open the real entry to the
unnatural vault.

With a sense of humor, the engineers created
hope by placing layers of flooring at different levels. Should the
determined discover the first floor, he would also discover a false
floor leading to yet another lower and more dangerous level. With
serious intent, they set charms in place and worked the magik given
to them by the ancients to prevent its discovery, before a
righteous man was called into action by his faith and love of the
world.

At 90 feet, a stone inscribed in Aramaic
would lead looters on with additional temptation. Man would try to
decipher the ancient code, and men would lose their lives trying to
reach the bottom of the pit. They would not lose their lives not
because they lacked virtue or reason, but because it was not yet
time. The world was not yet sufficiently enlightened.

Captain Contona and his consultant, Antonio,
stood watch, as did Captain O’Keefe while the noble engineers
completed their task. The skies turned dark. Thunderclouds, black
and ominous, accumulated above the surface opening to the buried
treasure. Captain Lavier stood at the bow of his ship with raised
voice, thundering incantations to seal and obscure the entrance to
the revered collection of spiritual relics and magik tombs, that
they might be hidden from man’s eyes. The winds screamed as the
energy rose and rose. At the highest pitch, a roar of thunder
heralded the bolt of lightning that followed. It struck the ground
with such force that its vibration was felt on the mainland.

As the seas and heavens calmed, the grand
Knight turned and blessed the pirate ships.

“May the heavens show you the way. May you be
guided and protected by the League of Mercy and God’s hand.” All
three ships turned and sailed toward their final destinations.

* * * *

In the deep waters off the coast of the
Mariana Islands, named after the queen of Spain, a crew of vampire
pirates laid in chains for three days before the last metal cage
was prepared and put into place. The crew had sailed the seas,
searching for decades, before finding a suitable place for their
final resting. They were led to this place with no hand on the
tiller.

The moon was full as it rose into the sky. It
had an orange hue suited for such a solemn occasion. The call for
all hands went out to the crew. No sound carried in the breeze as
they moved toward the mast. Captain O’Keefe stood before the men
and let his voice be heard.

“You’ve been good mates, and better crewmen
could ne’er be found, but it’s time for a final count. Be there any
among you experiencing a change of heart? If so, let him step
forward.” After a few seconds passed, no one stepped forward.

“There be no shame if you did. I ask only so
that we can make sure you and your wishes might be accommodated. We
head for the long sleep and there will be no turnin’ back on whim.
So I ask one final time. Is there any among you who has had a
change of heart? If you have any concern, ask now.” One man stepped
forward.

“Captain O’Keefe, I be among the young on
this ship and do not possess full understanding of this final step.
The crates are strong. I have little fear there. We need no breath.
The pressures of the ocean deep will not affect us. These things I
understand. What I don’t understand is how we’ll be protected from
the monsters that exist in the dark of Davie Jones. Our crates are
small and puny compared to some.”

“A fair question, mate. All I can tell you is
that there are forces at work that have created a bargain ‘tween
them and us. They’ll be our guides and guardians, so says Captain
Antonio. This is an adventure new to us all. I understand your
fears. I asked the same questions whispering from your minds. Would
I send you without knowing that you will not come to harm? Nay. I
would not.”