The Templars' Last Days (13 page)

Eventually, the bonding’s resistance was broken and the first blocks were removed carefully one by one. The job became easier and a little faster as the Masons moved from the top of the wall to the last blocks on the floor. The air was still heavy with the dust and fragments of rubble when I instructed the Masons to leave, now that the room was now fully opened for access. Eventually, the air in the cellar moved from a haze of dust and dirt to regain its more natural gloomy nature. With the aid of a torch I gingerly edged towards the crates that had remained concealed all these many years. A thorough inspection revealed that they were all in remarkably good condition. However, the many hours taken by the Masons in removing the wall saw the day turn into night and it was far too late to commence the next stage of the operation, so I asked for two Knight Templars to guard the locked cellar door and retired to my quarters weary and dirty but with a sense of satisfaction that all had gone so well.

I arose very early next morning, and after prayers, summonsed the carpenter to join me in the cellar, for knowing the nature of the journey which awaited them, I wished to ensure that this priceless and irreplaceable treasure remained secure and away from the gaze of avaricious eyes. Upon his arrival, I instructed him to build an outer shell for each individual crate, thus reducing any risk of damage to the priceless cargo that lay within.

The carpenter and his apprentices set to work in a most diligent fashion, over which I supervised. I remained with the carpenter and his team throughout the time they took to encase each crate, and it was well into the early hours of that evening before they had completed their task.

I thanked the carpenter and his apprentices for their work, locked the cellar doors and posted two Knight Templars to secure the cellar door, before retiring to the Chapel to once more offer prayer to the Almighty for the protection He had already given, and importantly for that to come. The weariness of the work, and the shortage of sleep from the night before meant that I entered into a deep and welcome sleep as soon as I lay down on my bed.

Being awakened by the call to morning service, I joined my brother monks in prayer and thanksgiving in the tiny Chapel of the encampment. As always when in prayer, my mind became free of worldly concerns and it was only upon leaving the Chapel that the weight of the responsibility once more descended onto my shoulders.

The rest of the morning was spent in loading the crates onto the awaiting wagons and ensuring that each crate was secure. Thus averting any danger of an unfortunate mishap on our journey. It was approaching mid-day by the time all was secure and our farewells exchanged, when our small convoy left for Paris and the hope that no danger lay before us.

Chapter 9

King Philip was incandescent at William’s insistence that he sought Papal authority before squashing the Knight Templars and in the King's opinion the unnecessary delay this would cause before seizing their wealth. The library in the palace seemed to shake in empathy with his rage. Why should he, the King of France, God’s chosen representative here on Earth, need the authority of anyone else in order for him to do whatever he pleased?

William had experienced such an outburst from King Philip on many other occasions before, so he knew better than to try and speak whilst the King was at the height of such a rage, but he also knew that once the storm had blown itself out, the King would reconcile himself to the logic of his proposals.

For William had advised the King that the destruction and final removal from the face of the Earth of the much loved and respected Holy Order of the Knight Templars would not be universally welcomed. Indeed it could cause a backlash from the other Monarchs across the Christian lands and start a war which King Philip was neither prepared for nor could afford. Such a negative reaction could only be ruled out if such an instruction came directly from the Pope himself and Philip appeared to be merely following the Papal Bull.

As such William had prepared the many communiqués which King Philip would need to distribute to the different Catholic Monarchs across the Christian lands to protect himself from any blame. In the communiqué, King Philip would point out to each Monarch the heresy which the Holy Order of the Knight Templars have been, and continue to be, practising in their own kingdoms.

The communiqué went on to outline that he would be putting before the Holy Father the signed confession of ex-Templars which exposed the regular Pagan and heretical rituals of the Knight Templars and went on to urge every King to follow his precautionary lead which would involve the arrest of every Templar Knight and to incarcerate them until they confessed their sins.

William had also prepared the proclamation that the Pope would need to issue, for although he knew that Philip did not require the authority of the Pope, it was politically expedient for the King of France to ensure that the other Catholic Monarchs remained on his side in this matter, for Philip’s hatred and envy of the Knight Templars was well known to all these other Monarchs.

The end of the Holy Order of the Knight Templars could only be done by the hand of the office that created them, that of the Pope, and William knew that only a Papal Bull would be universally accepted and acted upon without question – but more importantly it would avoid any backlash or reprisal against Philip.

Eventually King Philip's rage finally ran out of steam, and he slumped exhausted into a chair, and a prolonged silence followed, only to be broken by the King enquiring of William what he wanted him to do.

Giles and I were relieved that our return trip from Saint-Dizier to Paris, with such a priceless cargo, had been completed without any sort of incident. The convoy arriving back in Paris shortly after midday, was deliberately intended to create the maximum attention and ensure that King Philip would be made aware by his spies that they had witnessed even more treasure having been brought into the preceptory in readiness for the planned Holy Crusade.

The small convoy headed by Giles's coach was followed by six carriages; the contents of each being covered by cloth was in itself insignificant and would normally slip into Paris unnoticed. However, to maximise the attention to the convoy, Giles had increased the number of outriders to consist of 24 Templar Knights, which would mean that the convoy could only be carrying a cargo of immense value.

How right would that message be which King Philip would receive from his agents, yet at the same time be so wrong.

For added impact, Giles had instructed the Templar Knights to be dressed in the full splendour of their unmistakable tunics, Beausants unfurled, with shields and lances at their side, which he knew had never failed to excite the Parisians who instinctively formed a guard of honour on both sides of the road. The shouts of the crowd’s excitement would be heard well before the convoy came into view, alerting King Philip’s agents that something was happening.

By the time the vanguard reached the gated entrance to our preceptory, the excited crowds were three or four deep, which satisfied both Giles and myself that this ruse had achieved exactly what we had planned. As far as King Philip was concerned, this message could only mean that it was business as usual for the Knight Templars as they continued with their preparation for the Holy Crusade which he had led them to believe was imminent.

Once inside the walls of the preceptory the convoy stopped at the steps which led up to the Temple’s main doors, allowing Giles and myself to disembark, whilst the carriages carrying the cargo were taken into the privacy of our courtyard before being unloaded into the security of our treasury. Once within the Temple, Giles and I went directly to meet with the Grand Master in his office, and report on the success of our mission.

In La Rochelle, Admiral Thibaud de Montbazin had lost no time in following his instructions from the Grand Master and had quickly issued a set of orders for the crew of the Cog which he affectionately referred to as 'Marian', to remove all unnecessary cargo from her storerooms, in order to reduce the weight and thus increase her speed.

'Marian' was one of the newer Cogs to join the ever expanding Templar fleet, which was required to match the increasing pace of the trade experienced in recent years . She was state of the art, built from the finest oak, with a length of some 70 feet and a width of some 20 feet; she was capable of transporting almost 150 tons of cargo in any one trip. Fitted out to offer maximum comfort for the crew, the 'Marian' offered the captain separate quarters and the very latest equipment in the galley.

Admiral Thibaud de Montbazin was a vastly experienced sailor and fighter, having been involved in his younger days in many actions both on land and sea during the 8th Crusade, and his age had not diminished his appetite for a fight. So it was with some disappointment and a heavy heart when he read the instructions sent to him by the Grand Master via Jon, which expressly forbade the Admiral from sailing, as his services would be required in the port of La Rochelle.

It was with a great reluctance that Admiral Thibaud obeyed his instructions, but in doing so he made his feelings well known to Jon, as to just how disgruntled he was with the Grand Master that he was not allowed to captain the cog which would transport Jon on this mystery mission. If he could not sail then he had best choose one of his most capable and favourite captains, Andre Royier.

Jon was pleased with the choice, for Andre appeared to be about the same age as himself, and although his time under the sun and sail had given his face a hard weather-beaten look, his eyes betrayed that a much more tranquil individual lay underneath. However, the pressure to sail as soon as possible meant Jon would have to wait until they were at sea before he could get to know the captain better.

There followed some frenetic hours of hard labour, during which the 'Marian' was stripped of all but the essential items which would be required to meet the crew’s needs of food and fresh water, that resulted in the 'Marian' being released from her mooring ropes in time to slip quietly out of port on the late tide.

As Admiral Thibaud de Montbazin watched the 'Marian' leave the safety of the harbour and head out to sea on an unknown mission, he slumped back into his chair in his quarters aboard the fleet flagship. He allowed himself a melancholy smile as his mind slipped back to his days of youth and old adventures, whilst he broke the seal on a second scroll from the Grand Master, which he was not to open until Jon had left port.

The contents made Admiral Thibaud sit bolt upright in his chair, and then he read the contents once more:

To Admiral Thibaud de Montbazin, guardian of the Templar fleet and all who sail under your illustrious command, health and prosperity.

Be it known that I, Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Order of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, do request your loyal services once more.

You are requested to make available your whole fleet within the divers Templar ports of France by the end of September, in the year of our Grace 1307, for the carriage and dispersal of the property, Knights and soldiers of our Holy Order to places yet to be confirmed.

You are to make known to me, Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Order of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, as soon as possible, the number of vessels within each Templar port.

This news must not be shared with anyone, for our lives depend upon your total secrecy.

May God provide you with the strength and health to complete this mission.

Admiral Thibaud’s face broke into an uncontrollable grin – it was to be a Crusade, a Crusade!!

When Admiral Thibaud had recovered his composure, he summoned his scribe, barked out his orders, and instructed them to be despatched to each captain and each port with the utmost urgency and secrecy.

It was only after he had placed his seal on the last order and was satisfied that the orders were safely on their way, that Admiral Thibaud once more allowed his imagination to run wild with the thought of the pending adventure to the Holy Land.

From aboard the 'Marian' Jon watched the lights of the port of La Rochelle become but a distant flicker, before he summoned Captain Royier into his company. The captain had generously allowed Jon the comfort and privacy of occupying his quarters, for which Jon was most grateful. Sitting around the table Jon handed to Captain Royier the sealed instructions which bore the unmistakable mark of the Grand Master.

Captain Royier gingerly broke the seal, opened the scroll and began to read the contents. Looking up briefly with some bemusement, Captain Royier lowered his eyes and this time much more slowly read them again. Finally, ensuring he had read the instructions correctly, he asked Jon if this destination was really where he wanted to go. Jon confirmed in the affirmative and added that they needed to get there as quickly as 'Marian' could manage. Without any further question, Captain Royier reached for his charts and plotted the course.

William’s agents had sent word to him that they had located the Pope at his residence in Poitiers, and William lost no time in sending off a despatch rider with a request from the King to be granted an audience with the Pope on the 7th day of September. Knowing that this would be granted, William felt there was no point in wasting time in waiting for the confirmation that the Pope had acquiesced to the request, so he and the Royal party made ready to set off for the historic town of Poitiers.

All the news from the King’s spies and agents across his lands confirmed that the Knight Templars were continuing in their preparations for the promised Crusade to the Holy Land, even though the final arrangements regarding many of the details and tactics of such a Crusade were still to be decided and agreed upon by the Pope, the King and the two Grand Masters of the Holy Orders.

Encouraged by all of these reports, especially of the latest news of another transfer of treasure to the Parisian preceptory, William felt it best that the King was also seen to be behaving in his normal manner, which frustratingly for him would belie the true need for the utmost urgency in all matters. Nevertheless, William instructed that the formality of preparations that was required to be observed, in order that the Royal entourage would leave the palace in Fontainebleau with all its usual pomp and circumstance.