Their meals had gone cold, but none of the three diners noticed as they finished their food in silence. Julian paid the check. Gio excused himself.
“I’m in this study group not far from here. I’ll just leave you and go on my…” Gio began before the professor interrupted.
“Silvestri, do not bore us with your sad excuses to mask the squalid half hearted sexual escapades of yours. Be in my office day after tomorrow ten o’clock. I need not say be on time. I may let you back into the antiquities department. And I may, yet, not kill you.”
***
The professor and Julian got into a cab for the ride back to the university.
“You have a question, Mr. Blessing? I have been doing what I do for long enough to know a question on the cusp,” the professor said and smiled at his turn of phrase, a phrase he had used often with good effect.
“We know where we began. We know where we have been. What remains, professor?” Julian asked.
The professor’s smile was smug but without conceit. Deep lines gathered at the corners of his eyes and mouth. “Professor Bragonier said I would not be disappointed with you.”
“Then both of you professors are too kind,” Julian said.
“The question you ask is the only one worth asking and, to a degree, you know the answer,” the professor said. “What we do in the present, having made discoveries from the past, allows us to rectify the future.”
Chapter Seven
Julian stood on the Piazza della Pilotta in the heart of Rome at the edge of Quirinale hill. The building he faced couldn’t be more different from Sapienza University .
This was an imposing gumbo of neoclassical architecture. The simplicity of lines combined with the sheer majesty of the building’s scale. The entire edifice was crowned with soaring columns that threatened the sky and spoke of a time long past.
Julian climbed the steps of the Pontifical Gregorian University. His appointment was for five o’clock and he was early.
A researcher on the first floor looked shaken when Julian mentioned the name of the man he was to meet. The way was pointed out and Julian took his time climbing the main staircase and walking down the long, broad hallway. He savored the smell of old books and dust as he followed the office numbers and the names in brass plaques beside each door. His appointment would be with a man in a corner office at the end of the hall.
Julian could feel the intensity well before he reached the door and the plaque that read Fr. Marek Soski, S.J. Before he knocked, Julian’s fingers began to tingle and he felt, rather than heard, the words. Soft, warm, intimate, welcoming, the words rang in his mind. “Come in, Mr. Blessing.”
The room was large, and from what Julian could see, unadorned. One wingback chair fronted a large desk. Tall, heavily curtained windows ran the length and width of the room, and the office was swathed in darkness. Sunlight did its best to work through the curtains as they moved in a gentle breeze.
“Thank you for seeing me, Father. There are times,” Julian said as he approached the desk, “when places veiled in darkness were meant to intimidate. Is this such a time?” He smiled.
The voice that answered was a whisper and Julian could feel the smile in it. “Are you intimidated, Mr. Blessing?”
“More curious than anything, but I’m sure you knew that, and many other things, when I arrived,” Julian said. He felt the priest’s answer. “Well before you arrived, actually,” the priest thought.
Julian sat and his host swiveled slowly in his desk chair to face his guest. The priest said, “Cardinal Manning has sent you to see me. Why would he do such a thing?” Soski still didn’t speak above a whisper and even that appeared to tax him.
Julian answered, “The cardinal said you are someone I could rely on. He said we had much in common and that you can help me.” The priest’s signature was there, but well protected. This was a man who was giving nothing away.
“May I ask a favor?” Soski said and Julian nodded. “I speak with difficulty as you have noted. Would you mind if I dispensed with…” He was choosing his words with care and Julian helped.
“Dispense with words? Of course.” Julian had become accustomed to projecting and receiving thoughts. When first he began, he lacked the discipline and control necessary. His initial attempts were the paranormal equivalent of Tourette syndrome with his unguarded thoughts coming out at the most inappropriate times. Those days seemed long ago to Julian, but not so very long ago.
Julian could make out the silhouette of the man behind the desk. As light invaded, and was pushed back by the curtains, he saw glints of white hair and a lean silhouette, but nothing more.
“Thank you for that kindness. An injury left me in a condition where it is difficult to speak. I am fortunate I have this alternative, but it is not one I can use at the corner market,” the priest thought and Julian could feel the man’s smile again. “Now, please tell me how I can be of assistance.”
“Father, there are Russian gangsters who want me dead. They feel they have good reason for that. I, of course, don’t agree. There is also a man who wants to make use of my abilities. I have said no, but he is not a man who will take that for my final answer. I feel safe in saying he will not stop until he gets everything he wants.
“There may be other suspects, but my feeling is one of these two have kidnapped someone important to me. The purpose is either to lure me out or to suck me in. In either case, I do not care if it will secure the release of my friend. As you can see, I am in need of an ally. I would be grateful for any assistance you could give,” Julian said, then waited for his host’s considered response.
“Mr. Blessing, for the struggles you are facing, I don’t know if there will ever be enough allies of the type you seek. Let me state the obvious for both our benefits. Circumstances, it seems, have not conspired to thwart you. They have set out to destroy you. At least that is the way it would appear.”
“Oh, and here I was thinking the situation was hopeless,” Julian said and felt his host smirk.
Soski’s thoughts whispered the same way the priest whispered when he spoke aloud. “You have been careful not to mention names, so let me state them for you. It has taken no divining on my part. None of the talents you and I would usually employ need be utilized in this case. Doubtless, you have heard it before and you will hear it again. Rome is really a very small village. Gossip and gossips abound. Eventually I hear most things that are of importance.
“Bogdan Sokolov is the Russian with an unhealthy interest in you. If gangsters are a blight, Mr. Blessing, Russian gangsters are a pestilence and Bogdan Sokolov is the plague.
“His Eminence, Antonio Cardinal Archbishop Luciano is the prelate who wishes to make use of your unique gifts. Doubtless, you sense the cardinal’s intentions are not entirely pure. So, the use he would make of you would not be for the benefit of any other than the cardinal. Dr. Dwyer is missing. She is very dear to you and her safe return is of the utmost importance and, as is said, speed is of the essence.
“You have demonstrated an extraordinary control, both of your actions since she was taken and your thoughts and emotions right now. I mention this because your self-discipline is remarkable. I will return to the topic though.
“You are correct, of course. It is a near certainty either the Russian or the cardinal is holding her.
“Mr. Blessing, this is not easy for me to say and it will be harder for you to hear. It will be harder still for you to do. It is imperative that you do what you must do rather than what you want to do. You have followed that path so far, but you are becoming frustrated. You must stay the course. For now at least,” the priest said.
Julian followed the priest’s thoughts with great care. More was at risk than he had ever bargained for. He needed information and as much and as quickly as possible.
Soski continued. “Finding the doctor is of paramount importance to you. You must not allow her disappearance, or her wellbeing, to cloud your thinking. She will not be harmed
because, while her value to you is beyond all measure, to the ones who took her, she is valuable only if alive and well.
“You want to act, but you need to be ready to act. What brought you to Rome is not the reason you are here. I am a clever man. Some use the word brilliant, but they do not know me at all if that is what they think. I have, over the years, developed my talents so that now they are substantial. Still, as a clever man, I know the talents you have accessed press against the boundaries of what any of us have known heretofore.
“This is not flattery, believe me. You are a person who has been under much scrutiny, discussion and debate. Your talents are considerable. It is important for you to understand this. However, as yet, your ability to use your talents is insufficient for the tasks at hand. This you do understand, although you wish it were otherwise.
“Mr. Blessing, your potential is unlimited. No one has gotten where you are so quickly. You have an original mind and your approach to things is, let us just say, unique. This heightens exponentially the effectiveness of your gifts.
“I believe you are approaching your current dilemma incorrectly. When you stop seeing your talents as adjunctive to your life and start seeing them as your life, then you will begin to understand. Your understanding will lead you to what you must do.”
“Understand what, Father?” Julian asked.
“According to your teachers, what is it that we do? What is our responsibility?”
“We shine a light into the darkness. We push back the mist and listen to the echoes of a truer reality. In this way, we strengthen our own understanding and help others see that there is another, better way of life.”
“Exactly. Sokolov wants to kill you. Luciano wants to use you. One or the other has taken your doctor in order to get to you. Thus far, your response has been to hide, to run, to chase clues, and to gather allies and information. You are seeing this as a physical threat and so are preparing to take physical action.
“Understand this; do not give credence to what you know to be false. The reality the gangster and the cardinal are presenting to you is their reality, not yours. You, sir, have been playing their game. It is time they played yours and yours exists on a metaphysical plane, not a physical one. You want desperately to act. I am advising you to wait, continue to gather your resources, enhance your gifts and be ready to act correctly when the time is right. You will know when that time is.
“That said,” the priest continued. “I wish to warn you of something and I want there to be no confusion in your mind on this. You will, in all likelihood, be called upon to do things that go against your moral code. I speak of things of which you think yourself incapable. Believe me, we are all capable of a great deal more than we would like.
“You may be given no choice but to use whatever means necessary to protect yourself, the doctor and others from imminent harm. You may have to resort to force, Mr. Blessing. Extreme force. You must be prepared for that.”
Julian nodded slowly.
“There are teachers who can help you,” Fr. Soski said. “I am not one of them, but I can help you in my own way.”
The priest opened his center desk drawer and took out a leather bound volume. The curtains moved and Julian watched his host’s long, thin, fingers caress the book lovingly. With a sigh, he set it on his desk. The priest folded his hands in his lap and the book began to move toward Julian. It stopped half way across the desk.
“What is this?” Julian said and Soski answered immediately.
“It is called the Jesuit Book. It is what you have been told does not exist. You were told, as was I, there is no textbook for what we do. Our teachers did not mean to deceive. They told us what they had been told.
“The book has been compiled in secret over many hundreds of years. That is a lot of people keeping a secret for a very long time. We Jesuits have a habit of documenting what we have been told not to and keeping secrets forever if necessary.
“In this case, the book will help you unlock mysteries that have plagued you and reveal concepts that will reshape the world around you in ways you could have never thought possible. It will allow you to progress further and faster than ever you thought possible. It will give you the tools necessary to push back the darkness in your current situation and every situation thereafter.
“The echoes you hear,” the priest continued, “the ones we all hear, will become stronger and the message will be unmistakable using what you find between the covers of this book. No teacher could do so much.
“Not my original teacher, but a man who taught me some of what I know, gave up his life to safeguard that book. I, too, have made sacrifices to keep it safe. Many others, before us, have suffered and died in order to protect it. There are those who would use the book to undo everything that has been done by the group to which you and I belong. Cardinal Luciano is one such man.
“Take the book if you are willing to benefit from it and willing to safeguard it with your life.
“If this is a burden you do not wish to take up, leave the book on the desk. That reaction would be perfectly reasonable for any man. I realize, however, my words are of little use to you because you are neither perfectly reasonable nor any man,” Soski said.
Julian closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them, then let his hand hover over the desk. The book began to move slowly toward him. He controlled his breathing and centered his thoughts. Julian’s next action would be life altering and he knew it.
He picked the Jesuit Book up when it rested under his hand.
With that action, he stepped off the edge and, for once, did not worry about the fall. He pledged his life without knowing the price involved and with only a vague idea of the risks.
Julian had no choice but to trust the reality he now knew and discounted the one he had known all his life.
***
Julian left the Gregorian University lost in thought. He questioned whether he would be able to keep the book safe. Soski told him to take the book only if he was willing to protect it with his life. “What if I am unable to protect it?” His blue gray eyes mirrored his turmoil.
Although consumed by the ideas that raced through his brain, Julian was not so lost that he didn’t register the light colored Mercedes that pulled away from the curb behind him. He smiled and shook his head as a nondescript sedan pulled away behind the Mercedes.
***
“Please, signore Julian. Do just this one small thing for poor Joselina. The Conaletti family has never been very healthy. The Lord may take me at any moment and then what would become of my daughters? They would be out on the street like common whores. My daughters are not common.”
Julian found himself doing a lot of headshaking since his arrival at Casa Felicità. “Signora Joselina, of course they are not common. It is only…”
“Signorina,” the madam interrupted.
“Pardon me?” Julian asked.
“I have sadly never been married. I am signorina Joselina. It sounds so poetic when I say it, no? The family of Conaletti may not be healthy, but we are proud, so signorina if you please.”
“Yes,” Julian said. “Of course. Per favore, accetti le mie scuse, signorina. My apologies. Still, I doubt very seriously God will be taking you away from us anytime soon. Judging by the flow of traffic, Casa Felicita is on an unbelievably firm financial footing, so there is no worry there, either. And to answer your question for what seems like the fiftieth time, no I cannot turn your plaster statue into gold.”
“But signore Julian, my poor girls – think of the hardship you are causing.”
“I am not causing anything. Listen, marble was good enough for Michelangelo when he carved the Madonna and Child, so learn to live with your plaster copy. Besides, I don’t know where you got all of this, but I can’t turn things into gold,” Julian tried to explain. “I’m pretty sure no one can.”
“But you are a stregone, a sorcerer, you know a wizard. My Belladonna said so and she is with the police. She is not allowed
to lie,” Julian’s landlady cried.
“I am not a wizard!”
“Okay, wizard,” the old woman turned a hard eye on Julian. “Business is business. You do this one little thing for Joselina and I will send Lisa to your room for a week. Hey, she is very popular with Americano tourists. They call her Mona Lisa. The Americani say it is because she is so noisy, but I don’t get what that has to do with the painting. Who can understand Americani? As for my Lisa, she is new, but she makes up for it with enthusiasm. She is very vigorous.”
Julian hung his still shaking head and said, “For the fifty-first time, I am not a wizard and do not send anyone to my room.”
“So! My lovely daughters aren’t good enough for the big shot wizard!”
“Okay! Fine! I’m a wizard! There, are you satisfied?” Julian fired back. “However, wizards don’t turn things into gold. Never have to my knowledge. That is for alchemists. That is their line of work, not mine!”
“Ah ha, God has answered Joselina’s prayer by sending her a wizard. Listen, I checked with a priest I know. He said God created wizards, too, so that means it is okay to do business with you. So, do you know any of these, what did you say, academics?” Her excitement was building.
“Alchemists, not academics,” Julian said and his voice showed his weariness.
“Whatever. Same deal with Lisa if you can put me on to one of those guys and you’ll get a cut. Small cut. Okay, okay – two weeks, but no more. Time is money.”
***
Everything about the Jesuit Book made sense to Julian while it made no sense at all. It was not a large book and not highly detailed. Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough.” The creators of the Jesuit Book understood the subject completely.
The book’s true value, its elegance, lay in rendering complex concepts in concise, deceptively simple terms. The trick was not to over think, jump ahead, or try to out-guess the book and its principles.
Echoes Through the Vatican: A Paranormal Mystery (The Echoes Quartet Book 2) Page 8