TEMPLARS QUEST: GHOST KILLER (TEMPLARS QUEST CHRONICLES Book 1)

by Thomas H. Ward

  “Adam, that’s incredible. I’ve seen a lot of stuff in my life, but never anything like that.”

  “Yes, it was a miracle,” Adam said.

  That’s what happened on September 14, 2025 when young Adam de Molay became the new Knights Templar Grand Master.

  THE SWORD OF JERUSALEM

  APRIL 20, 2026

  There was a lot of work to do before leaving on the Quest. Using the ACWWW, the Army Command World Wide Web, I found out that the summer solstice would occur on June 21st which left us two months to find the correct location to be in, when the sun rose on that day. One of the clues on the sword stated; at the head of the trail, leading into the fissure, look for the cross and the Solstice Sun will light the way.

  That meant we had to be at a certain location when the solstice occurred or we would miss the sun lighting the way. We would have to leave tomorrow, if possible. The twenty-four new Templar Warriors, Maggie, and I were working feverishly to make ready for our journey.

  We had no idea where the treasure was actually hidden, but only the clues from the Sword of Jerusalem. Over the past six months I had studied the clues and had a general idea, or should I say a guess, of where the treasure could be located.

  Now you’re wondering: What is ‘The Sword of Jerusalem’? Why is it so important?

  I first found out about the sword on August 3, 2025. Adam’s grandfather gave it to him before he died. I had no idea what the sword was really for or how important it was. I had no idea it was blessed by God and was a powerful weapon in the right hands. If it got into the wrong hands, no one knows what could happen. The following is the true story about the Sword of Jerusalem.

  On September 13, 2025, the day before the sword killed Christian, Adam took me to his bedroom to show me the secret sword. I had never seen it close up, out of its box. After walking in the room, he closed and locked the door. He said, “What I’m about to show you is the most amazing secret you’ll ever see. Only a few people know about this.”

  I said, “Don’t worry; your secret is safe with me.”

  Adam stood there next to his bed and took a deep breath. “Ok.”

  He reached under his mattress and pulled out a wooden box. Opening the box he took out the old broadsword. The scabbard looked old. The handle or grip was inlaid with gold and contained embedded rubies. The pummel had a golden cross on it. Holding the sword in both hands, he kissed the handle and then pulled the big blade out of its scabbard.

  “This is the Sword of Jerusalem.” Adam said.

  It was a beautiful looking weapon. The long blade almost glowed as he held it up in the air. It was shiny and looked like new. I was amazed by what I saw. Adam gently laid the sword on the bed.

  “Here, look at this,” Adam said, while pointing at the sword. “But don’t touch the blade. The rubies in the handle are a symbol for the blood of Christ.”

  I bent over and closely observed the blade. Some kind of foreign writing was etched in the metal blade. “What does it say?” I asked.

  Adam didn’t reply. He turned the sword over, showing the opposite side. There was more writing and a map etched into the metal. Adam said, “This is why Christian really wants this sword.”

  The map was so tiny I couldn’t make it out with my bad eyesight. I didn’t know the language it was written in. “Ok, I give up. What does it mean?” I asked.

  Adam turned the sword back over to show me the text. “This writing lists all the items in the Templar Treasure.” Turning the blade back over, he pointed at the map. “This map shows the location of the treasure.”

  I asked, “Do you mean the treasure items taken from Jerusalem?”

  “Yes. I told you before, these are holy items. These items were once in the Temple of Solomon. They prove there is a God and there was a Christ. Men have killed each other for a thousand years to find this treasure.”

  “Holy crap.” That was all I could mutter while glaring at the magnificent sword.

  It was amazing. Now I knew the treasure was real, according to the sword and Adam. I commented, “Let me get this straight. If you have this sword, then you can find the treasure.”

  “That’s correct. This is why we can’t let Christian obtain this sword. No evil man should be in control of God’s Treasure. I fear my uncle would use it to gain power and wealth.”

  “Why do you think he’d do that?”

  “Well, Grandfather told me that Christian was outcast from the Knights Templar years ago because he tried to steal the sword. Grandfather also believed that Christian killed my father so he could become the next Grand Master in order to obtain the sword.”

  I nodded my head and thought, this thing has turned into a very big and dangerous mess.

  I said, “If that’s true then we certainly can’t let your uncle take custody of you.”

  “It’s true, alright. Grandpa would never let Christian near us.”

  “Didn’t you tell me you saw the treasure once?”

  “Actually, I’ve never seen it, but I know it’s real because of this sword.”

  I pointed at the sword. “Can you read this writing?”

  “Yes, I know exactly what it says. Grandpa taught me. He could read the ancient Latin writing.”

  A light went off in my head. “Now I get it. Christian needs you to tell him what the sword says.”

  “Yes, I think you’re correct,” Adam said. “What are we going to do?”

  I didn’t reply right away. I had to think about this. Certainly, if this whole story is true then I can’t let Christian obtain the sword, or Adam. The question is, if I don’t give him what he wants, then what will he do?

  Adam was looking at the sword as I put my hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Adam. I’m not gonna let Christian take you or the sword. I promise you that.”

  Adam gave me a hug. “Thank you, Grandpa.” We hugged each other and chills ran down my spine. Goosebumps popped up on my skin as I thought about the Power of the Sword and the secrets it held.

  We stood there looking at the blade. Adam said, “You’re the only one I can trust, other than Emma. Would you like to know what the writing means?”

  I thought for a minute. “Only tell me if you really want to.”

  “I have to tell someone who’s trustworthy, just in case something happens to me.”

  We bent over the sword. Pointing at the words he said, “This Sword is gifted to the Knights Templar Grand Master by Baldwin the Second, King of Jerusalem. Year of our Lord 1120 A.D.”

  “That’s incredible,” I murmured.

  “The treasure contains: One hundred thousand gold coins, fifty thousand silver coins, five hundred golden goblets, one thousand silver goblets, twenty thousand pieces of gold and silver jewelry, ten thousand various pieces of art, and twenty thousand gold crosses.”

  “Is that all it says?” I asked.

  “No. It also says the Holy Lance, the Sangreal, and the Ark of the Covenant are part of the treasure. There’s a date … 1124 A.D., Year of Our Lord.”

  I touched Adam on the arm. “If this is real and the Ark of the Covenant is part of the treasure, that’s amazing. No one knows what type of power the Ark has. I wonder if the Ten Commandment tablets are inside.”

  “It doesn’t say what’s inside the Ark.”

  “The main story about the Ark is that when Jerusalem was invaded it was taken to Ethiopia. No one has seen it since. Does the writing mention that?” I asked.

  “No, it only lists the treasure items.” Adam flipped the sword over. “Now, let me show you the map. It also gives clues as to the location because the map is not very telling.”

  I pulled out my reading glasses and looked at the blade. There was a map that showed a river and what looked like some mountains. There was a hooked ‘X’ marking the treasure location.

  Adam began to tell me a story about the Templars’ history.

  “The Knights Templar were founded in 1118 by Hughes de Payen. This occurred after they had a meeting
with King Baldwin II, the King of Jerusalem. His older brother was Godfroi de Bouillon who led the crusaders to victory in the Holy Land twenty years earlier.

  “The Knights offered themselves as an order that would protect the roadways for pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem. They were given an entire wing of the royal palace for their headquarters. The wing had been built upon the foundations of Solomon’s Temple. They received their name ‘The Knights of the Temple.’ Their real mission was to excavate the tunnels under Solomon’s Temple looking for the treasure.

  “In 1129, the Roman Catholic Church endorsed them as Holy Warriors and the protectors of Christendom. The Templars' reputation for bravery was well known. They were not allowed to retreat from battle and were obliged to fight to the death. They were also pledged to secrecy about the workings of the order.”

  “That’s very interesting, Adam.”

  “Oh, there’s a lot more, but I’ll tell you later.”

  “Now, tell me about this map?”

  Adam stared at the sword. “I’ll explain the clues as best as I can.

  “Upon arriving at the new land, sail south along the coast. Follow the coast which turns north, where the water is warm. Sail north, along the coast until you reach a great river that flows from the north.

  “Sail up the great river for three days. Land at the point on the west bank marked by a stone cross where another great river mergers. The cross will point the way.

  “Proceed west on the cross marked native trail for 40 days until reaching the stone trees. Beware of hostile natives along the way.

  “Follow the cross west for another eight days to the rock castle.

  “Go north for 15 days on the marked trail to a fissure in the earth. Here at the head of the trail, leading into the fissure, look for the cross and the Solstice Sun will light the way.

  “It’s signed by Jacques de Molay, Grand Master 1306.”

  I said, “This means the Templars came here in the 1300’s which was before Columbus.”

  “Columbus was actually searching for the treasure,” Adam replied. “Do you have any idea where the treasure might be hidden based on this map and clues?”

  “No. I though you knew where it was,” I said.

  “Grandpa tried to find it over the years, but he never did.”

  I advised, “We need a real map to see if we can determine what these clues mean. Back in those days the country was crisscrossed with Indian trails. The American Indians traveled by foot and took the most direct path. It appears that the Knights used the Indian paths. Many of our modern highways followed those trails.”

  “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense,” Adam replied.

  “I think that’s enough for today, it’s getting late. We’ll work more on this tomorrow.”

  I was really interested in cracking the clues to find the treasure location. Actually going there to find it would be another problem, but the thought did intrigue me.

  ANALYSIS OF THE SWORD CLUES

  APRIL 21, 2026

  Now I have a small army getting ready to follow the clues on the sword. The first clue stated: ‘Upon arriving at the new land, sail south along the coast. Follow the coast which turns north, where the water is warm. Sail north, along the coast until you reach a great river that flows from the north.’

  I had done a lot of research and came to the conclusion that the Templars sailed from England, using a Viking map. They traveled south down the east coast of the United States. Then they sailed around the Florida peninsula, where the water is warm, into the Gulf of Mexico. Following the Florida coast north, they sailed to the great river that flows from the north, which has to be the Mississippi River.

  The second clue states: ‘Proceed up the great river for three days. Land at the point on the west bank, marked by a stone cross, where another great river merges. The cross will point the way.’

  The problem is there are two large rivers that enter or merge with the Mississippi. They are the Red River and the Arkansas River. Either one of these could be a three day sail from the mouth of the Mississippi. We will have to look for the cross that points the way, but I doubt that after seven hundred years we’d be able to find any sign of a cross.

  Clue three advises: ‘Proceed west on the cross marked native trail for 40 days until reaching the stone trees. Beware of hostile natives along the way.’

  I found an old army trail map from 1860 on the ACWWW that showed only one trail that heads almost due west. I overlaid this map with a river map and a modern highway map. The interested thing was that the Red River and the Canadian River, which turns into the Arkansas River, both flow from the Amarillo Texas area.

  The maps all converge in the Texas panhandle near Amarillo. This meant that the Templars basically followed a trail near the Red River until it ended and picked up another trail heading almost due west. Or they followed the Arkansas River and then the Canadian River to the same area. Indian trails did follow rivers whenever possible because it made passage easier and it provided a source of water.

  In any case, it didn’t matter what river they followed, if any. The key location was Amarillo, because the old Army trail and modern highway I-40 both went through Amarillo.

  Highway I-40 clearly followed the old Army trail. It was almost an exact match when I overlaid the two. There was another important part of the clue. It was the comment: ‘Beware of hostile natives along the way.’

  In those days the most hostile natives in that area were the Comanche Indians. They controlled most of Texas including the panhandle up into Oklahoma. The Knights Templar certainly would have run into these natives who were the ‘Lords of the Southern Plains.’

  The Comanche Indians were feared by all the other tribes because of their fighting ability and fierceness. These warriors killed most people who trespassed into their territory. They took no prisoners except for children and women whom they made into contributing tribal members over the years.

  The Comanche territory, at that time, was the prime feeding area for the American Bison. So they defended this area to the death. I have read stories about them painting their faces black and red to scare their enemies when they went to war. When going to war they always outnumbered the opposing force by a considerable amount, to assure victory.

  If you were taken alive you could be tortured to death. They considered anyone who surrendered to be coward. Torture at the hands of the Comanche meant a long painful death. Some took pleasure in slowly burning people to death or using them for target practice. Putting as many as 200 arrows into one’s body, they tried not to kill you. They wanted to keep you alive as long as possible. Times were different then and they did what had to be done to keep their lands.

  The last great Chief of the Comanche Tribe was Quanah Parker. Quanah was half Comanche and English-American. His mother was Cynthia Ann Parker, a daughter of a Texas farmer. Cynthia was kidnapped at nine-years-old and was more or less adopted by the Chief of the tribe.

  When she was older, a Chief named Peta Nocona married Cynthia and Quanah was born. He took the name Quanah Parker out of respect for his mother. He once boasted that he had killed more white-men than any other Indian. Quanah Parker was the last in his tribe to surrender to the United States Government and settle on a reservation. He never signed a peace treaty, but he vowed never to fight again. Since he was a respected leader, his word was good enough for all to believe. Quanah Parker was truly a great Native American.

  Knowing these tidbits about the Comanche Indians, I now assumed that we were on the right track. During our trip we could stop and visit the Comanche Nation located in Lawton, Oklahoma. Who knows, we might find some clue or information about the Templars. Even if the Indians didn’t keep any written records, they did keep a detailed verbal history of important events.

  Reviewing clue three again, ‘Proceed west on the cross marked native trail for 40 days until reaching the stone trees. Beware of hostile natives along the way.’ The other parts of this clue, however, need to
be taken into account. Proceed west for 40 days until reaching the stone trees.

  I pulled out a modern road map, as Adam sat down next to me, to study it. Adam asked, “If you travel for 40 days, how far would you get?”

  I replied, “If they walked at five miles per hour for ten hours, then that’s 50 miles a day. Fifty times 40 days is 2,000 miles. But I doubt they could make that kind of speed back then on the old trails. They had to have horses to carry the treasure and equipment. So I guess maybe about 1,200 to 1,500 miles is more like it.”

  “It says, 40 days to the stone trees. What are the stone trees?”

  “I have an idea. Adam, mark off 1,200 miles, heading due west, on the map from where the Arkansas River merges with the Mississippi.”

  Adam did the mileage check. “Look, it puts us near the border of Arizona and New Mexico.”

  I scratched my chin and pulled out a thinking stick – my term for a smoke. I dangled it from my mouth, but didn’t light it. Gazing at the map I said, “Eureka! The stone trees have to be the Petrified Forest, located just inside Arizona, off of I-40.”

  “What’s the Petrified Forest?”

  “I’ve been there a couple of times. The trees are so old, they turned to stone. That’s the stone trees they’re talking about. Those petrified trees are thousands of years old. The stone trees had to be there when the Templars came here.”

  “Good job, Grandpa.”

  “Well at least we’re reasonably sure that the Petrified Forest is the place to start our search. It’s a long way from here. Tomorrow we’ll tell the Templar Warriors where we’re going.”

  Adam is now thirteen years old and is brighter than most kids his age. He is very well spoken and has a commanding air about him. At this age he just lacks experience and a general knowledge of life. Adam has a good heart and at one time wanted to be a Minister. Being tall for his age, Adam stands almost five foot ten inches tall, so you would think he was older than he really is. He is a natural born leader, in my opinion.