The Templars' Last Days (18 page)

Our Grand Master had struck an agreement that would involve not only a safe passage to the Holy City of Jerusalem for a party of pilgrims, but our Grand Master had further received the word of Al-Nasir that he would provide both transport and military protection for the pilgrims, if and when he received word from our Grand Master that the pilgrims were due to travel across his lands.

In exchange for such a favour, Jacques de Molay had given an undertaking that the Knight Templars would never again lead a Holy Crusade against Al-Nasir or any of his family whilst they retained power in the region.

Both Giles and myself could not help but smile at both the foresight and brilliance of such a promise given by our Grand Master.

Once his audience with Al-Nasir had been safely conducted, Jon then spent the remainder of his time reacquainting himself with all the various enclaves of Templars who now lived with their families throughout the Holy Lands, many of whom were now considered as locals; most of whom were now holding high ranking offices within the Muslim establishments.

Thanking Jon on the work he had successfully undertaken, I felt it best to leave Giles to relay the dreadful fate of our Grand Master and our Brother Knights to Jon, whilst I prepared to explain the responsibilities that now sat on our three shoulders and on those of the Knights that had chosen to take to the sea aboard the many Templar vessels which would by now be far from the reaches of King Philip.

Returning to my quarters to retrieve my despatch bag I lingered perhaps a little longer than normal, giving time for Jon to absorb the dreadful news which Giles would have imparted. When I thought sufficient time had passed, I rejoined my two brethren and took out from my despatch bag several parchments which had been carefully folded and bound in ribbon. As I opened each one I informed both Giles and Jon that these drawings were in fact the blueprints of how the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had been rebuilt by Baldwin II after the successful first Crusade.

On top of these I then carefully opened another blueprint; the parchment was visibly much older, with the drawings a little faded in places. This was the original plan from which Queen Helena had built the first Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the spot where it is believed our Lord had been crucified.

Finally I produced a blueprint that I had made, which indicated the differences between the other two drafts. For careful study revealed that there could be established from the lower floors of the current building, an access point to the original structure built by Helena within which were several areas suitable for our purposes.

Jon was somewhat confused as to exactly what our purpose could be with the underground construction of this most Holy Church, and I knew at this point that I could no longer avoid the issue, and asked Jon to take a sacred oath of silence on the Holy Bible before I could go further. Jon clearly put his trust in our long standing friendship, and took the oath freely, thus allowing me to now confide in him the nature of our cargo sat just a few feet below us.

Our task was simple: to use the free passage granted to this party, under the disguise of pilgrims, through the Holy Lands and into Jerusalem itself, to transport all of these Holy relics back to where they rightly belong, to be stored safely and secretly, within the foundations of the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The need for secrecy meant that only we three could work on the project from the start to finish. A further oath of secrecy was required from each of us that we would never speak of this, nor disclose to anyone the location of these Holy relics. The mood of us all was both pensive and excited at the same time. For now only we three knew these genuine secrets and we swore that without being in the company of the other two, we would never reveal the same to anybody in the world.

It was imperative that each of us carried on the work of our Holy Order, but our future lay not in the might of the sword, but in the pen and politics. It was agreed that once our task in Jerusalem was complete, then at that point Giles would sail for Cyprus and work with Foulques de Villaret, the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John, ensuring that the Catholic Church continued to flourish and to protect the office of the Pope.

Jon will sail to Scotland and from there co-ordinate our Templar brethren, ensuring that they integrate themselves into the estates of those wealthy Scottish and English nobles who have expressed their allegiance to the Catholic cause, as well as maintaining good relationships with our friends the Teutonic Knights in Europe.

I will remain here in Jerusalem and work with my Brother Monks across all Christian lands to ensure that we continue to influence the shape of nations through our mastery and unchallenged expertise of Papal law, our unrivalled skills in banking, and our skills in organisation which every Monarch recognises as essential to their own success.

As we speak, our Cogs are sailing to places in the known and unknown world. For although we may lose the income from our estates, our fleet will become our source of revenue. They have some of the strongest trade links within Europe, and now carry with them enough money to ensure they establish, maintain and increase our wealth.

For we can be sure that Philip IV will not rule forever, and when he is no longer, our Holy Order will once more move back into his lands. Without the use of a sword, our people will establish a Holy Order that, in our time and in generations to come, will guarantee that the civilized world will flourish in peace, in love and in harmony, whilst we continue in our service to our Holy Church and to our Pope.

I filled each of our goblets with wine, and made a toast to the new Holy Order that would as from today continue the work started by that Holy Order known as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, which will live forever in its spirit if not in body as the Templar Priests.

The Templar Knights are dead, long live the Templar Priests.