by D. N. Carter
“Yes…for I trust all in here with my life totally…including you,” Paul replied and sipped some of his drink, tasting it on his lips and sipping a second mouthful. “And as Thomas said, Percival has a past, one we do not need to know, only his actions now, for he is indeed perhaps the most honourable one of us all now.”
“And he is courageous,” Theodoric said as he pulled his tankard nearer and looked into it. “He followed Paul beneath Jerusalem in the tunnels despite being terrified of such confined spaces…he also went to sea, to do battle no less, when he cannot swim.”
“I think I am beginning to understand where you are all coming from… but this mention of how you saved Reynald and Gerard. This does trouble me somewhat. Why did you not kill them when you had the chance or hand them to Saladin’s forces?” Upside asked.
“I will not have their deaths stain my soul as I was once told about, nor could I let my brother die,” Paul explained.
“We are all brothers here, Baldwin…and I sense a great unease from you about your present predicament and I do not mean being a Templar in these lands now,” Thomas said as he stared at Upside.
“I,” he started to reply but paused for several long minutes before continuing. “I question much about what we do under the command of Gerard and Reynald. So much is wrong…I fear it would have been better if you had killed them or handed them over to Saladin. And I am honoured that you trust me enough to know that I will not reveal this secret,” Upside said quietly. “You know you can never reveal you helped them and I just pray they do not make much news of it if they manage to get back safely.”
“’Tis in the Lord’s hands now. I am sure we shall discover soon enough if they make it or not,” Paul replied, his mind wondering how Stewart was.
“These are mad days indeed, for before we set sail there were many who questioned the wisdom of Reynald’s plans and even more questioned Gerard’s eagerness to follow. I know of several knights who are close to converting to Islam and actually siding with Saladin…but we pray people like Balian and Count Raymond can force Reynald to stop his mad ways,” Upside revealed sadly.
“You give yourself away as being of a like mind, my friend,” Thomas remarked and leaned over and patted him on the arm. “As I said, you have a place here with us if you so choose. Despite what rumours you may hear, we are not slack, lazy nor spend all our time with women of lesser repute… well, not as much as is claimed.”
“I can vouch for the first two parts but the third…well?” Theodoric joked and waved his hand side to side.
“We have a good life here. Yes we play hard, but we work even harder. Think about it,” Thomas said and raised his eyebrows.
All turned to face the doorway as Alisha quietly entered the dining room. She was smiling broadly and all noticed this. Paul stood up to greet her.
“’Tis Nicholas…his fever has broken…he asks for food,” she said softly and smiled again.
“Good news indeed…truly good news,” Upside replied and sighed with clear relief. “So would your offer extend to Brother Nicholas too?”
Thomas looked up at Paul. Paul nodded without hesitation.
“Of course,” Thomas replied.
Upside looked back at Paul with the realisation that despite appearances, it was ultimately Paul that had the last word as Thomas had sought his permission first before answering. Stories of Thomas and his men were many. Their chivalry and honour on the battlefield was admired and respected by all sides. They were a brotherhood more unique than the Templars themselves, Upside thought as he considered his offer. He knew he could no longer follow Reynald and Gerard for he had lost all faith and respect in them. He looked on as Alisha stepped closer to Paul and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. These people were more noble and honourable than any others he knew save Princess Stephanie, he thought. He lowered his head and sighed.
“Have you filled the time piece?” Alisha asked as she approached a water clock. She lifted the lid and checked inside its water container area. “No, I see,” she said feigning an angry face but immediately followed by a large smile. As she turned away from the water clock she stubbed her toe on a large circular stone dish type apparatus. “Paul…!” she exclaimed and rubbed her toe.
“’Twas I…I left them there,” Theodoric said and quickly moved to pick up the apparatus. As Alisha sat down beside Paul, he placed the apparatus on the table.
“Theo…get that off the table,” Sister Lucy demanded, frowning at Theodoric.
Theodoric shook his head as he pulled the apparatus towards him.
“Pray tell what manner of apparatus is that?” Upside asked.
“Oh this…’tis a wondrous item. Very old…it makes the threefold water we have been giving Nicholas…though some argue it’s for making rope… ha, rope!” Theodoric explained, his face looking proud as he gestured for Upside to look closer.
Fig. 54: Shisk Disc.
“How does it work?” Upside asked curiously.
“Well…we are not really sure,” Theodoric started to explain as he pushed the apparatus across the table to Upside. “But we do know that it somehow transforms the structure and nature of water by spinning in through a vortex…and it is amazing for healing and for keeping you fit and healthy.”
Upside looked over the apparatus carefully.
“How is it made for it is of stone no?” Upside enquired as he ran his fingers over the circular part of the apparatus.
“That I also cannot answer for the method of its construction was lost to antiquity. We can make a similar system, but these ones, the old ones, work the best,” Theodoric explained.
“’Tis what has saved Nicholas,” Alisha said softly.
“It will not hide the scars of his burns will it?” Upside replied, shaking his head sadly.
“You will be surprised, my friend. Look at me,” Theodoric replied indicating with his hands to look him up and down.
“But you have no burn scars,” Upside frowned.
“Exactly…but I was once burned quite badly. Remember most of what we are made from is water,” Theodoric explained and sat down opposite Upside and clasped Sister Lucy’s hand.
“Are we? Then make more of these,” Upside said, looking surprised.
“We cannot. We have tried, but it is made of the hardest stone known to man. It takes a specially cut diamond to work such stone, and even then, our methods crack or flake the stone,” Theodoric explained.
“So are they a gift of God…or what?” Upside asked, bemused, as he studied the apparatus closer.
“You could say that in a fashion,” Attar remarked. “They are from a time far back in antiquity…further than even the myths of the Celts tell us… further than all of our religious books tell us, further than we can imagine.”
“All about us…wherever you travel in this world…you will discover mysteries that are in plain view and have been for thousands of years, yet no one questions what they are or why they are there,” Theodoric started to explain. “Just look at the perfectly executed carvings on the obelisks and some of the benben stones of Egypt alone. Carved with such precision in solid granite with unimaginable accuracy with perfect symmetry that mere hand carving cannot replicate. And there are many wonders we possess yet simply do not understand what they are really for or how to use them…but they prove there was once a time of high civilisation beyond that of ours.”
“You are telling me a higher civilisation once existed before us?” Upside asked, looking at Theodoric and then Attar before turning to face Paul.
“Yes…just as every religion and myth tells us,” Paul answered. “Theo… do you still have that strange poem you copied from that ancient Indian poem?”
“Of course. ’Tis in my journal upstairs. I shall fetch it now,” Theodoric replied and immediately left the room.
“He moves fast and agile for a man his age does he not?” Upside stated and as he watched Theodoric practically run from the room. “Threefold water perchance?”
>
“And the love of a good woman,” Sister Lucy smiled. “Just don’t get him started on music please,” she whispered and laughed.
“Music…’tis truly the one language that unites us all,” Upside replied.
“You like music?” Attar asked, surprised.
“Yes. ’Twas my life long before I became a knight.”
“Really? Please, if you do not mind, tell us how you became a knight then?” Paul asked.
“’Tis not a great story…other than to say I believed music was the secret of life. I thought it could heal for music touches the soul so deeply. I can play many instruments…though I have not touched one in many years,” Upside explained just as Theodoric rushed back into the room, sat down and quickly opened a leather bound journal. “And I became a Templar after meeting Gerard in Antioch…and I believed in him, back then,” he said and sighed heavily.
“Ah, here it is,” Theodoric said with a large grin. “Here, let me read it to you and see what you make of it. It says…‘Tell your children when you sit together the legends of the cities of a thousand towers of glass and iron, so tall they touched the clouds. Towers that never rusted, and shone forth in the evening light. Where men travelled in chariots without horses, faster than a frightened mare, or descended deeper than the realms of demons into long tunnels where metallic worms whisked them to remote places of outer darkness; where from such places they would ascend again riding upon magic tubes of iron to travel across the known world and beyond, from castle to castle anywhere in just a day, or even to the moon on flaming broomsticks. Such towers of glass and iron, like giant swords pointing heavenward were lit not by sun but by tiny glass bottles that even common men used to make light brighter than day all night. Such cities, many thousands of years ago, were then lit yet more by a terrible new sun that rose in the west, that burned hotter than a thousand thousand fires, for men possessed such terrible catapults of war that a single shot could destroy a city faster than a hundred armies. They did all this magic by black essence of earth that gave them wondrous powers, to see even the ends of the world upon small boxes in their homes like the scrying glasses of the forest wizards and Shamans, yet then all men possessed such magic, could talk across the seas and be heard using tiny magic boxes we have nonesuch today. Yet when this essence of earth ran dry for they abused the earth and she gave her essence no more, then they turned these awesome weapons of war upon themselves and their cities of magic melted like icicles upon a warm spring day. Yes tell your children this story, for one day men will dig deep in the earth once again for magic metals, and once more will make cities of ten thousand towers of glass and iron, and new terrible hot suns will rise in the West…” [93]
“And this came from where?” Upside asked looking puzzled.
“India…well, I found the original poem there but it was from an even earlier poem of what we would term Celtic origin, from the Emerald Isle no less. I was actually looking for details on ancient flying vessels,” Theodoric explained almost excitedly. He shook his head smiling as he recalled an earlier time.
“Celts…my mother told me my ancestors came from them. She was the one who taught me to love music, especially Celtic for it is music about a time before time she said. So beautiful it reaches into our souls. If the whole world could but listen to this music, see the beautiful and intricate artwork they created…then perhaps we would all live in peace she would oft tell me,” Upside explained quietly whilst still studying the water apparatus. After a few minutes sat in silence, he looked up realising everyone was looking at him, surprised. “Oh…I am sorry. I embarrass myself.”
“No you don’t. You have just confirmed exactly why you would make a remarkable addition to our brotherhood,” Thomas remarked, smiling and nodding his head.
“Theo…your burns. How did you come to have them?” Upside asked and looked at him.
“Oh boring story really. Wrong place and wrong time and all that,” Theodoric shrugged off Upside’s question and poured himself some wine.
“No Theo…it was far more than that and you should answer the man,” Sister Lucy said and frowned at him hard.
Theodoric shook his head no and took a large mouthful of wine.
“Please Theo for there is still so much we do not know of you,” Alisha asked softly. “Tell us and then I will take some food to Nicholas.”
“Ah my dear Ali, a sweet smile will not work upon me,” he replied and raised his glass to her and took another, smaller, sip of wine.
“You stubborn goat…if he will not, then I shall,” Sister Lucy said bluntly as Theodoric looked at her and shook his head no. “Then you should leave the room for you should be proud of what you did and how you were burnt.”
Theodoric shook his head again and then looked down at his wine as he cupped the glass with both hands.
“Please tell,” Paul said as Thomas leaned nearer to listen.
“’Twas many years ago…when your mother was pregnant with you. About eight months gone,” Sister Lucy started to explain as Theodoric looked very uncomfortable. “Your mother was held inside an iron cage flooded with oil…with your brother Stewart tied together,” she explained and paused as Theodoric shook his head again. “Turansha.”
“Him…why is he always somehow involved?” Paul interrupted. Alisha held his arm seeing the immediate tension in his voice and reaction on his face.
“He and his master threatened to set your mother on fire…to burn her and your brother alive trapped inside the cage set within a cave unless Theodoric revealed a secret…which he refused,” Sister Lucy explained then paused as all looked at Theodoric. “Your mother, she made Theodoric swear not to reveal the secret…and when Turansha went to light the pool of oil, Theodoric jumped upon him, despite being doused in oil himself and held Turansha and the flaming torch against him as the flames ignited his clothes…but as he burned, he held on to Turansha pushing him ever backwards away from your mother…,” Sister Lucy continued emotionally as she clasped his hands.
“Then how did you survive…and that evil man?” Alisha asked as Paul sat in stunned silence at the revelation.
“My then husband…he arrived…and…and he pushed them both into the stream that ran through the cave. ’Twas the day he was killed as he rescued your mother. He opened the cage, unbound the ropes and chains and led them out…and stood his ground and shielded them as many crossbow bolts and sword blows rained down on him…,” Sister Lucy explained as tears welled in her eyes. She struggled to stop herself from crying as her bottom lip quivered. “But as Turansha pulled himself from the stream, also burnt, he ordered his men to get him out fast as more of my husband’s men arrived…”
“Why have you never told us this before?” Alisha asked, utterly surprised.
“Would it make any difference?” Theodoric finally answered and emptied his glass in one large mouthful. “’Twas all my fault in the first place… that is why I do not speak of it.”
Sister Lucy hit him hard on the shoulder, looked at him and shook her head in disbelief at his comment and then hit him again. “When will you ever accept it was not your fault?” she demanded.
“So you saved not only my mother and brother but also me before I was even born?” Paul exclaimed.
“That time yes, but I could not save her the next time,” Theodoric sighed.
“Why…why is Turansha so hell bent on some path of evil intent toward my family…and why try to kill us in such a vile, gruesome and cowardly manner?” Paul asked.
“’Tis not just your family…’tis also Alisha’s, that is why you can never trust the man, never!” Theodoric answered and looked at Paul with a hard stare he had never seen before. “Ever!”
“That is why I and my men have vowed we shall watch over you for as long as we must. Our somewhat pitiful lives at least have some purpose and meaning by doing so,” Thomas said as he sat up straight.
“Your lives are of value…much value,” Paul replied looking at him.
“T
hat is kind of you, Paul, but we know our failings and shortfalls, accept them but try to make amends…and here, here you have given us a home for our brotherhood…that is why we shall continue to serve you for we know, as I said earlier, there is a greater force at work here than we understand… isn’t there, Theo?” Thomas explained and turned to Theodoric.
“And for that we are extremely grateful,” Paul replied and thought for a moment. “Turansha. What makes him so full of evil intent and malice?”
“He was not always so. He was once a poet, a musician and quite soft at heart. Believe it or not so was Reynald,” Theodoric started to explain.
“Reynald. He told me I should ask you about his dreams…about who he is,” Paul interrupted.
“That, my dear Paul, time itself cannot explain,” Theodoric started to reply and then rubbed his chin for several moments. “But let me say, both men were of a kind and gentle disposition in their youth. Full of ideals and dreams of chivalry and honour…but then life and reality got in the way and crushed those sensitive emotions…some people break or even kill themselves, but some go the other way. They become embittered and hard of heart. They lose sight and all sense of doing what is right. ’Tis hard to explain…but I know this deep inner feeling for I nearly went down that road myself.” He looked at Sister Lucy and feigned a brave smile and kissed her hand. “’Tis part of the reason I let those closest to me believe I was dead also, for most of me had died inside anyway,” he sighed. “I never felt part of the world we live in…I have always had this belief I was from elsewhere…well.”
“I know that feeling well my friend for I too have always felt that way,” Upside said.
Alisha wiped her eyes as tears were welling in them. A deep sadness touched her as she looked at Theodoric sat opposite her. Paul held her hand tighter as he too looked at him. So much remained hidden and secret about Theodoric still.
“You spoke of the Celts…as I said my mother’s descendants came from them, so I am told, but I have to tell you, like you, I have always felt this world is not mine, not of me, ’tis why I sought answers and a sense of belonging and why I joined the Order in the first place,” Upside explained.