Outremer III

by D. N. Carter

  “This Gilgal…’tis the same as the first camp of Israel after crossing the Jordan yes?” Gabirol asked. The old man simply nodded yes in reply. “’Tis where they laid twelve memorial stones taken from the river bed as recounted in Joshua and Deuteronomy. ’Tis also where the people were circumcised preparatory to their possession of the land, when it is said in Josh, with a play upon the word, ‘This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.’ This is when the Passover was celebrated (Josh 5:10) and the manna from heaven ceased (Josh 5:12) and was to here the Ark of the Covenant returned every day after having compassed the city of Jericho during its siege (Josh 6:11).”

  “My Lord…did you swallow a Bible?” Simon joked.

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  “No, my friend, ’tis simply a matter that my father taught me much,” Gabirol replied and bowed his head politely.

  “Gilgal was once the headquarters of the Israelites and is mentioned often in their subsequent history. Samuel made it one of the three places where he annually held circuit court, the other places being Bethel and Mizpah. The Septuagint text adds that these were holy places. The place continued as one of special resort especially for sacrifices…it was here that Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before the Lord and that Saul was both crowned and rejected as king. It was at Gilgal also that the people assembled to welcome David as he returned from his exile beyond Jordan during Absalom’s rebellion. Do not confuse this Gilgal with the former ancient city associated with Dor upon the maritime plain or with Jiljuilieh, thirty miles south of Dor and four miles north of Anti-patris. The place Paul was being called to was Gilgal Refaim, the Circle of the Refaim or Wheel of Refaim. ’Tis truly a mysterious place,” the old man explained.

  “I hope it does not become the sacrificial place for the children then…and what does this circle of stones look like?” Peter asked.

  “’Tis set upon a high hill…’tis older than Stonehenge in Britain. It consists of five concentric stone rings, the outer of which still stands some seven feet tall with a thickness of eleven feet. In the centre there is a mound, around sixty-five feet in diameter and sixteen feet high. In the middle of it all lies a cairn.”

  “And this is where again?” the farrier asked.

  “’Tis not far from Gamla, some nine miles east off the coast of the Sea of Galilee. ’Tis in the middle of a large plateau that is covered with hundreds of dolmens. It was used as a great calendar. It has two large openings, one that faces northeast, the other southeast. I can tell you from what I know and learnt that it was constructed many thousands of years ago, and then some three thousand years before Christ, the first rays of the summer solstice appeared directly through the northeast opening as seen from the central tumulus whilst at the same time, the southeast opening provided a direct view of Sirius. Calculated years in advance.”

  “So these stones functioned as an astronomical observatory then and Sirius is yet again important?” Gabirol asked.

  “Yes, amongst other things,” the Older man acknowledged. “There are over thirty-seven thousand tons of stone laid at Gilgal…and you, my friends, should ask yourselves why when a single rock and stick would have sufficed.”

  “Then what was it for and why did Turansha specifically choose that location?” the Templar asked.

  “No one can see the shape or layout from the ground. There are no hills that can look down upon it and anyone sat in the middle can see for many miles around in all directions. Only a few wooded areas now remain as you approach up the hill…’tis claimed that the biblical giants, the Refaim, were its builders. In Genesis 14:5, we are told the Refaim inhabit the place called Ashtherot-Karnaim. Just ten miles from Gilgal is the site of an ancient Canaanite city called Ashtarot. It is named after the Canaanite goddess of war and, contradictorily, love. In Joshua 12:4, we learn that King Og of Bashan, who was the very last of the Refaim, lived at Ashtherot and ruled a vast territory from there. The Refaim were a large and powerful tribe, as tall as the Anakim giants…In Chronicles 20, the last of the Anakim is killed. He was a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, whose father was also a giant, killed by David’s nephew Jonathan. These giants were descendants of the giants of Gath and were killed by David and his soldiers. The Jewish oral tradition says King Og stowed away on Noah’s ark and was the only survivor of the Flood outside Noah’s family. Og was descended from the Nefilim, deities who fell from the heavens as has been explained previously. Og had children with Noah’s daughters and they were hybrid giants called the Anakim or Refaim. They existed in ancient times and the Bible records their presence in the region. Substitute one name as representing a whole group of people and you will be closer to understanding what the Bible is telling us.”[108]

  “You have the note…but what happened next then?” the Hospitaller asked.

  “Paul immediately made plans to travel east by ship. Now he wished he had completed his own fast ship design. Aware that he was supposed to go to Gilgal alone, he nevertheless decided to take Ishmael, Thomas and Luke. Theodoric had been deeply shocked by the attack on Sister Lucy and was taken quite poorly and he chose to stay and look after her’.” the old man explained. “He, Sister Lucy and Attar prayed constantly for what else was left for them to do…but pray and wait?”

  “And what of Alisha?” Sarah asked.

  “Oh Paul tried to persuade her to stay home with the others…but she was having none of that. Where Paul was going, to their children, so was she and no force on earth was going to stop her. She developed a steely cold look that seemed to harden her face. Determined would be a great understatement.”

  “I still do not know why Turansha did not just steal all of Paul’s work…why the need to use the children?” Gabirol asked.

  “Because he knew that even should he find the site, he did not have the tools or the knowledge to gain access just as all the myths and legends tell us, but he knew Paul did. He also wanted Paul’s family dead…all of them…but also to receive great wealth and power from another source in the lands…for he had sworn a pact with a very devious and potentially powerful lord who if successful in removing all and any other potential claims of birthright, would be a ruler without equal…both in Outremer and Europe.”

  “And who was that?” Ayleth asked, almost too afraid to.

  “I shall come to that later…but do you recall how Brother Matthew hid behind a tapestry concealed in Kizkalesi Castle…and overheard all that was told to Paul about his and Alisha’s bloodlines and true origins?” the old man asked and paused. “Well Brother Matthew revealed that information to others…the consequences of which led to the kidnapping and ransoming of Arri and Ailia.”

  “So it was that bastard Matthew all along then. Tenno said to watch him right from the start,” Sarah said loudly and clearly angry.

  “It was indeed Brother Matthew who took them…for he had his reasons to.”

  “As you will reveal later,” Simon said, sounding sarcastic, and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I do not understand how Brother Matthew could be in Cairo so freely?” the Templar asked.

  “Remember, Gerard was now Master of the Order, but Count Raymond still had Templars under his charge…such as you and your men, correct me if I am wrong,” the old man replied. “Raymond had signed a treaty with Saladin and Brother Matthew was able to travel openly and safely as part of Raymond’s embassy escort.”

  “But who was the man of power he was really working for?” Gabirol asked inquisitively.

  “That I promise I shall reveal shortly…but as Alisha and Paul set sail having secured passage on one of the very few vessels prepared to sail that day in the high seas, they strongly suspected it was Brother Matthew but they had no idea of who had actually ordered the kidnappings, firmly believing it to be all Turansha’s doing.”

  “So it is all but a trap…to kill them all. Oh I do not think I can hear this out,” Ayleth exclaimed, looking upset. She shook her head a few times, took a deep breath and looked
directly at the old man. “Okay…I am ready. Please continue.”

  Port of Caesarea, Kingdom of Jerusalem, November 8th 1186

  A hard cold wind blew into Alisha as Paul helped her down the docking bridge to the stone harbour wall. Wrapped in wind proof leathers, the wind still cut into her. It had been raining unseasonably hard and large puddles dotted the walkway along the length of the promenade. The night was closing in fast and they were glad to be ashore after the rough sailing from Fustat. Not surprisingly, few people were about and Thomas quickly rushed in front of them keeping an ever watchful eye out for any suspicious behaviour and people. Ishmael followed carrying two large luggage cases accompanied by Luke and Mathew, who had insisted on coming along.

  Running through Paul’s mind always was the constant reminder of his mother’s words. ‘Your son will only hold your hand but a short time, but he will hold your heart for a life time.’ Those words coupled with his previous dreams made for a constant knot in his stomach the like of which he had never experienced before. Alisha still had a determination in her eyes that Paul drew strength from. He felt sure that at any moment he would fall apart inside and just scream. The not knowing, the fear that gripped his very soul in a vice he could not escape from. He constantly felt sick and it became an ordeal to even eat, but eat he must. Alisha felt an overriding sense of anger. At times she found it hard not to blame Paul and she fought to suppress those emotions torn between the love she had for him and her children. She knew and could see the pain in his eyes, and the more she looked, the angrier she became with Turansha. She balanced her anger toward Paul by reminding herself that Turansha had been trying to kill them since before they were even born. In her rush to leave Fustat she had left her dagger, the one thing she went everywhere with, but she had misplaced it and did not have the time to find it. In her mind she constantly told herself all would be well. Paul would give Turansha what he wanted and that would be the end of it. But something did not sit right inside her. She had prayed and prayed until she could pray no more. And now as they walked along the dockside, the weather the worst it had been in decades, at least she took some small comfort in knowing no ships had floundered so Arri and Ailia must have made it this far. Inside her jacket she could feel the little lump made by Arri’s toy, Clip clop. She feared how he would cope without his constant little companion. Her heart broke every time she thought of him and Ailia. She squinted her eyes in the fast fading light as she saw several men at the far end of the dock. Wearing heavy leather weather proof capes and furs, she could see several were Templars by their emblazoned emblems on their chests. One individual was very tall and clearly blonde despite the hood being raised as a misty fine rain started to blow in. As Alisha drew nearer she recognised Brother Teric then as the tall figure smiled reassuringly, she realised it was Abi. Without thinking, she ran toward her and threw her arms around her tightly.

  “My Lord has answered my prayers. Thank you…thank you,” Alisha said emotionally as Abi put her arm around her.

  Paul was more than pleased to see them but also curious. There was no way they could have been there to meet them as word could not have reached them that quickly surely, he thought.

  “Who are you here to meet?” Paul asked, his voice low.

  “You of course…who else,” Brother Teric replied and outstretched his arm to greet Paul.

  Alisha looked up puzzled but grateful. She turned to look at Brother Teric to see Nicholas step forward into view closely followed by Percival.

  “But how…I mean?” Paul exclaimed, surprised, and immediately greeted Percival with a hug.

  “’Twas Abi. She called us,” Percival answered.

  “My Lord, you are solid,” Paul said as he felt the muscles in Percival’s arms as they each held the other’s forearms.

  “How did you know?” Alisha asked emotionally and stepped back from Abi to look at her.

  “I shall explain all. First we need to get you out of this coming storm. We have secured shelter within the Keep and on the morrow’s break we shall head for Tiberias. Brother Teric has already sent word ahead for Princess Eschiva to expect us,” Abi explained.

  “And I pray you will allow us to escort you,” Nicholas said and bowed his head.

  Paul looked at Alisha. She nodded immediately. It was uplifting to see them and the very fact they had come to help filled Paul with hope and a renewed sense of purpose…the sense of utter helplessness at last beginning to be replaced by that hope. He shook his head and prayed inside it was not just a forlorn or empty final hope. He hugged Percival again then shook Nicholas’s hand.

  “We would be most grateful and honoured…but, but we are to meet Turansha alone we were told,” Paul explained and paused. “Or else,” he finished.

  “Then you try telling those two that message,” Nicholas replied and pointed behind them to two men stood next to their horses some distance away.

  The moment Alisha saw them she knew it was Tenno and Taqi. She ran toward Taqi and flung her arms around him, her eyes shut tightly lest a tear should fall. She squeezed and hugged him tightly as he held her. His eyes met Paul’s as he walked toward them. Tenno bowed his head slightly. It had been good to see Abi, Percival, Nicholas and Brother Teric, but seeing Tenno and Taqi filled Paul with a sudden sense that yes, perhaps they will get Arri and Ailia back after all. Lost for words he stood before them as Alisha kept hugging Taqi, her head resting against this chest.

  “How did you know we would be here at this port and not Acre or Tyre?” Paul asked.

  “Because this is the nearest port that will take you across good roads… besides we knew you could not berth at Tyre under Conrad’s control nor Acre upon a Muslim ship. Besides, I just knew,” Abi replied and took Alisha’s hand and beckoned her to follow.

  Taqi gestured for Paul to walk beside him as they started to follow Abi and Alisha toward the old aqueduct, its massive arches still as impressive as the day they were built. Brother Teric and Nicholas followed behind with the horses with Thomas, Luke and Mathew beside them. Paul looked at them briefly and wondered where Upside was. Ishmael carried the two large trunks as if they weighed nothing and when Paul offered to take one, he refused.

  The evening air was cool and filled with the smell of fresh rain. From the open rooftop of the three storey Templar Keep, Paul looked out across the port and even in the darkness he was able to make out the old Roman amphitheatre just a short distance away. His heart ached and he could not shake off the helpless sense he still felt. He looked to the east and the horizon where a star flickered barely visible between a gap in the dark clouds. Arri and Ailia were somewhere out there. His stomach knotted again. He clasped his hands over his sword pommel and vowed that despite whatever stain upon his soul it may create, he would kill Turansha. He had lived with the constant presence of him overshadowing every aspect of his life daily. Enough was enough he vowed. Gilgal was sixty-eight miles away by road, four days’ march if they kept up their speed, but he knew they would have to stop over at Tiberias and wait until the appointed day. An agonising wait he was unsure he could endure. Paul jumped as a hand rested upon his shoulder. It was Percival.

  “My friend, you are not alone in this venture, and we shall get them back I swear to you,” he said softly.

  Paul looked at him. He appeared to stand taller, more confident and he looked incredibly well. Paul knew the sadness Percival had suffered and yet here he was ready to assist him in his gravest hour of need. Nicholas came out and stood beside them before Paul could ask Percival what he had been up to since last they were together. Nicholas bowed his head at Paul in acknowledgement.

  “Whatever it takes and for as long as it takes, we will get them back as he states,” Nicholas said and put his hand out. Paul took his hand, Nicholas’s grip being strong. “Upon my life I too swear it, Paul.”

  Paul looked into his eyes and he knew he was sincere. This was not even his fight yet somehow Brother Teric had managed to arrange it to have him here. Paul lo
oked past his shoulder and saw Alisha approach with Abi as Tenno and Taqi walked up the outside stairs having sorted out the horses for the night. They stopped beside Nicholas and Percival and simply looked at Paul as if waiting for him to say something. Lost for words all he could do was look at them each in turn. But no words were necessary such was the depth of understanding between them all. Paul turned and looked eastward again as Alisha took his hand.

  Port of La Rochelle, France, Melissae Inn, spring 1191

  “You say they came to Tiberias…for that is where I met them. I know now what you speak of in this tale is truly real,” the Templar remarked.

  “But this cannot end well, no matter how highly trained they are if they all turn up as Turansha forbade it did he not?” Sarah asked, looking concerned.

  “Yes he did forbid it as per the instructions…but Paul knew if he turned up with Alisha alone, once he had handed over the details, they would all be killed. He knew that without any doubt. Now with the others on board, he stood a chance of making some kind of plan to rescue them. And that is exactly what he set about doing. At that moment in time, his immediate concern was whether he had indeed understood the code and ultimate location of where to meet Turansha,” the old man explained.

  “And did he understand the correct location?” Gabirol asked.

  “Yes he did. That fact alone is perhaps the one thing Alisha kept on reminding herself. She would stare at the parchment tube with further codes and drawings Paul had produced and wished she had never seen or knew of them. She started to feel they were cursed almost. That fact she hated,” the old man replied.

  “Did she regret having gotten involved with Paul then?” Ayleth asked.