The Dark Temple

by The Dark Temple (retail) (epub)

  ‘The Nazis made use of this one during the occupation, and then expanded it to serve as a travel hub for high-ranking government officials,’ Henri explained as the carts approached the bend up ahead. ‘It was meant to be a secure way of transporting the fascist elite through the city without fear of being assassinated.’

  ‘Fear of the Resistance, no doubt?’ Marceau interjected, looking rather proud of that thought.

  ‘Quite,’ Henri replied, ‘but like many structures the Nazis built using slave labour, they were never finished or even used, as you can now see.’

  Harker saw exactly what he meant as the cart finally turned the corner and the tunnel suddenly opened up into an impressive station point, bearing a striking resemblance to a London tube platform except it was only half finished. Another track ran parallel to theirs and led off down another dark tunnel while on the other side, dark grey tiles ran alongside only half of the platform, allowing cracked concrete and strips of rebar to show underneath. Cobwebs hung from the wire mesh covering drop-down cylindrical lampshades above them, and large numerals had been sprayed in sequence directly onto the walls, each with that familiar metal eagle emblem next to it, which the German army was known for.

  ‘It was supposed to be linked to the main Paris railway so that Hitler’s personal train could make full use of it but, given that the Fuhrer visited the city only once and insisted he travel by car, work stopped on the project and it subsequently became irrelevant.’ Monique smiled at Harker’s look of intrigue as the cart reached the end of the platform and entered another lit-up tunnel. ‘Fascinating, isn’t it?’

  It then rumbled over its electrified tracks for another thirty seconds before it came to a stop at the last illuminated wall light, next to a small metal platform similar to the one right back at the entrance.

  ‘Everybody off,’ Henri instructed.

  Harker exited the cart and offered to assist Marceau, whose podgy stomach was getting in the way of him standing up, but his helping hand was batted away. Henri and Pierre meanwhile took up position at a grey metal door with added strips of steel bolted across it for extra strength. They again both produced long keys and inserted them in the locks on either side of the door.

  ‘It takes all three of us, each with a key, to gain access to this place.’ Henri explained.

  ‘As it should be,’ Pierre added then they both turned their keys at exactly the same time and swung the door backwards.

  ‘You don’t have a key, then?’ Harker asked Marceau with a hint of sarcasm, but the doctor didn’t look put out.

  ‘Oh, I do have a key, but it doesn’t open doors,’ he said ominously.

  As Harker was led inside, he felt the first pang of concern arise in his chest and he very slowly clenched his fists just in case they might soon be needed.

  The interior was pitch-black but, to Harker’s relief, the air smelt far cleaner, He watched with growing apprehension as Henri reached up towards something dangling above him and, with a small tug, the overhead lighting flickered on.

  If Harker had been having misgivings about taking this trip into the bowels of Paris, they were immediately dispelled by what he saw. And, as Marceau closed the door behind them, he stepped forward and took in his new surroundings.

  The room was large, about half the size of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, with smooth concrete walls and the height of a two-storey house. The ceiling was supported by two thick concrete pillars positioned halfway along each wall. Directly in front of him was a long granite table facing the rest of the room and thirteen stone chairs set around it, six each on facing sides and a single one at the head. The far end of the room looked like the chancel end of a church, with a magnificent carved arch rising above a white limestone altar with two wide marble steps leading up to it, while behind stood sculptures of three haloed saints gazing down on a box about half a metre by half a metre which was crafted of yellow amber panelling.

  ‘What is this place?’ Harker asked as he now took note of the beautiful paintings hanging on the walls, seemingly displaying the images of a range of saints from St Peter through to John Pope Paul II, and above the altar itself two stunning oil paintings of the Virgin Mary hung beneath one of Jesus Christ himself.

  ‘We’re currently almost directly underneath the northern leg of the Eiffel Tower. The Gestapo used this as a place to torture and kill anyone they deemed to be an enemy of the state, and it remained very much a secret until the US army discovered it soon after the liberation of Paris. Goes without saying therefore, it was a place few ever got to talk about,’ Henri explained solemnly.

  ‘Charming history it has,’ Harker said with a wince. ‘I’m surprised it wasn’t demolished.’ His comment was made with no malice and he stepped forwards to the granite table as Pierre now began to speak.

  ‘We’ve been aware of you for a while now, Alex, but it was only in the last few days that you truly came to our attention, with particular interest. Your uncovering of the location of the blessed candle has been timely to say the least, but many of us – as I do – believe that fate has played a hand in it.’

  ‘I told him the truth,’ Marceau insisted and looking offended, ‘but he thinks I’m crazy.’

  This received a warm smile from the others and Henri moved closer to Harker, clasping his hands together piously. ‘I’m afraid Gérald’s interpretation of events is a bit more colourful and elaborate than our own. Father Davies and he were able to track down the original blessed candle that I believe is now in your possession and perhaps its origins are as exactly as Gérald claims, but I’m afraid our own involvement and knowledge comes from a far more recent period in history.’

  Marceau continued to look offended and Henri sought to soothe his friend’s irritation. ‘But it’s no less worthy and there’s truth in it I’m sure… on some level. Please allow me to now show you something that might offer some perspective.’

  ‘That would be nice,’ Harker replied. ‘I’m guessing the glowing oval rock we found is this blessed candle you’re referring to?’

  Henri merely smiled then he and the others began to make their way towards the altar at the other side of the room. ‘Let us show you.’

  With Marceau close behind, Harker followed them past the granite table towards the altar and up the marble steps rising behind it, to the yellow amber box, whereupon they all came to a halt.

  ‘St Paul, St Peter and St John,’ Harker decided, pointing out individually the three sculptures facing the amber box from each side.

  ‘That is correct, for who else could we ask to watch over such an important item,’ Pierre replied, crossing his hands respectfully, and then glancing up to the image of Christ gazing down on them. ‘After him of course.’

  That comment drew a smile from Harker who now began to examine the unique-looking box positioned in the alcove beyond the altar. All sides of it were constructed of a light amber resin, almost honey-like in colour which was interrupted by darker shades and textures just below the surface, making it impossible to see clearly inside. There was no latch or lock on it that he could make out, but at one side two gold hinges revealed which way the box would open.

  ‘We four belong to the order of Tharmis, and our associates have protected what lies within this box for centuries. Until very recently our role was simply one of vigilance, but as of today it becomes one of war.’

  Henri then reached over and gently pulled back the amber panel at the front and although he was still mystified as to what it all meant, Harker now understood how he himself was connected. There in the middle of the box an oval crystal stone perched on top of a red velvet cloth, but that’s where any similarities ended. For this stone was not transparent but instead a dark red colour and with no engravings so far as he could tell. There was no light emanating from it either but whoever had created this one must surely have created its sister.

  Although the others all gazed at it in reverence, it had little effect on Harker and he shot Henri a blank look. ‘S
orry to burst your bubble but, like I told Gérald and as you know, I’ve already seen one of these.’

  Everyone else but Henri looked shocked by Harker’s seeming indifference, and the older man lifted the stone from its resting place and held it up with both hands.

  ‘But do you actually know what it is?’

  ‘Unless it’s some piece of alien technology that opens portals to a parallel universe then no,’ Harker replied. He glanced back towards Marceau, who was tutting away unhappily at the lack of respect their guest was showing. ‘What I do know is that Father Davies had secured the other one before he went – frankly – batshit crazy, and there are other people out there who are prepared to kill for it.’

  Harker was getting close to the end of his tether and apart from the impressive room he found himself in – and it was impressive – so far nothing he had seen was anything to be astonished by.

  ‘If you don’t believe I’m telling you the truth, then perhaps you will take more seriously those others that do believe,’ Henri said coldly. ‘I believe you’ve already met the Red Death… long dreadlocks, brutal disposition and a heart as cold as ice.’

  Finally, here was something Harker could take rationally. ‘Yes, we’ve already met. She killed an acquaintance of mine and tried to kill me.’

  ‘Trying to get hold of the candle, no doubt.’

  ‘As a matter of fact, yes.’ Harker replied, now keen to know more about her. ‘Who is she?’

  ‘Well, as you now know, she’s come to be known as “the Red Death” due to her unsavoury willingness to leave everyone she meets in a bloody mess, but her real name is Avi.’ Henri replied, and it was clear he was encouraged to find Harker was at least listening to this part with interest.

  ‘Avi?’

  ‘Yes, Avi Legrundy. But where she comes from I have no idea,’ he glanced over at Marceau, ‘unless you believe Gérald’s theory. That woman first appeared on our radar a few weeks ago when she paid a rather unpleasant visit to Gérald while looking for information on the candle in Father Davies’s possession. Suffice to say she left an impression.’

  ‘She left more than that,’ Marceau interjected now rolling up his sleeve to reveal a deep scar on his forearm in the shape of a swastika. ‘She told me this was a sign of good luck… but for her, not me.’

  ‘That same symbol was left on the boy Father Davies killed,’ Harker said grimly. ‘And it was also on the other candle, but there were fifteen swastikas instead of just one.’

  ‘That we didn’t know, but it goes without saying that she obviously likes to mark her prey,’ Pierre contributed, patting Marceau reassuringly on the back.

  ‘Why she uses this mark I don’t know,’ Henri continued, ‘but it confirms her relationship to the candle in some way or another.’

  Seeing the mark disfiguring Marceau’s arm had brought a certainly reality into the discussion, and Harker’s mind became flooded with questions. Could he really even contemplate that this Avi Legrundy was possessed by a demon – or was a demon herself!

  Henri now held the stone out in front of him where it began to glow bright red, as he fixed Harker with an empathetic stare. ‘It’s a lot to take in, I know, but I need to justify to you the importance of this blessed candle because in less than twenty-four hours, the lives of over four billion people will be snuffed out otherwise, from the face of this earth… and that is just the beginning.’

  Chapter 19

  ‘The Order of Tharmis was formed back in the late eighteenth century, with protection as its primary goal,’ Henri explained before passing the glowing ‘blessed candle’ over to Pierre, who clasped it protectively between both arms, ‘However, our mandate has changed much since its initial inception.’

  ‘Mandate for what?’ Harker demanded, becoming frustrated with the way his host seemed to skirt his way around a subject and it was an irritation Henri himself immediately sensed.

  ‘My apologies, Alex, but I’m just not sure how much you already know. Allow me therefore to start at the beginning. Let’s sit down.’

  As they headed back to the granite table near the doorway, the man’s voice deepened as he began to explain. ‘Have you ever heard of the three days of Darkness?’

  ‘The prophecy, or the plague of Egypt?’ Harker replied, knowing both stories well.

  ‘The prophecy, but both are related.’

  It was only after a pause that Harker realised he wanted him to recount the story himself. ‘OK, well, the prophecy was first told by the Blessed Anna Maria Taigi back in the 1800s. It was said that, at the end of time, the world would be consumed by three days of darkness, during which Satan’s horde of demon generals would devour most of the earth’s population. The stars would be blotted out and all light banished form the planet, and the only beacons that would protect the faithful would be blessed candles whose illumination would keep those who were deemed worthy alive.’

  Harker glanced over at Pierre and the glowing stone he held in his hands before continuing, ‘It was a prophecy echoed by many over the centuries and it’s supposed to be the same as the ninth plague of Egypt that Moses brought down on that ancient superpower to negotiate the release of the Israelites.’

  ‘Very good,’ Henri replied as they both sat down at the table. ‘Your knowledge on the subject seems sound.’

  ‘Not really,’ Harker replied. ‘Every child in Sunday school has heard of the plague and the three days of Darkness.’

  ‘True. But I’ve no doubt that is where the teaching ends and yet there was far more to it than just that.’ He shuffled about upon his stone seat, clearly settling in to divulge something further. ‘There was also a lesser known Vatican official, Cardinal Vicci whose prophetic vision revealed to him that the “blessed candles” were not, as many thought, church candles blessed by a priest, but actually, tangible artefacts forged by God Himself and given to the Israelites to ward off future plagues.’

  ‘Never heard of him.’ Harker replied, feeling his patience being pushed to the limit now.

  ‘You wouldn’t have since it’s not common knowledge, ‘Henri replied. ‘But what he saw was that these plagues would not be the same as bestowed on Moses from heaven, but would be created and unleashed by the fallen angel himself.’

  ‘The Devil!’ Harker exclaimed, taking all this with the pinch of salt it clearly deserved.

  ‘Yes, the prince of darkness himself, who would turn the plague against God’s children as a final act of scorn against the beings he detests so much.’

  ‘OK and, with respect, so what? It’s just a story, and there are many of them out there.’

  ‘It’s more than just a story,’ Henri replied as he placed his elbow on the table and leant in closer. ‘The Cardinal’s vision also included a location for where the blessed candle could be found – and so it was.’

  With a wave of his hand Pierre now approached and placed the still glowing red rock on the table before them, resting the item in a small concave dimple carved into its surface.

  ‘Does the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church mean anything to you.’

  Harker recognised the name and with that came a glimmer of what the man was getting at. ‘You’re talking about the Ark of the Covenant, aren’t you?’ he asked, incredulously.

  Michael gave a slow nod but with his expression blank. ‘Yes, the place believed to be one of a handful of places where the Ark still resides until this day.’

  The Ark of the Covenant had always inspired a strange fascination in the people’s minds due to the films and popular culture surrounding it. But, although this piqued his curiosity, he was a long way yet from finding this whopper of a tale credible. ‘Are you telling me that the Cardinal’s vision led him to the Ark of the Covenant, and inside it he found this?’ He pointed sceptically at the glowing rock. ‘This blessed candle!’

  ‘I’m not saying it held only the candles, for it without doubt carried the Ten Commandments, but haven’t you ever wondered why every description or illustration ma
de of the Ark always has rays of light emanating from it?’ He persisted Michael continued in his efforts to convince whilst ignoring Harker’s look of total disbelief at what he was being told. The older man rubbed a finger along the candle’s surface and nodded. ‘It’s not simply something I believe, Alex. It’s something I know to be true.’

  Harker gave a clearly resigned sigh. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I have seen it with my own eyes,’ Henri replied with the utmost sincerity. ‘But allow me to explain before I get to that.’

  ‘That would be good.’ Harker declared and although intrigued by his new friend’s story, nonetheless highly sceptical.

  Without pause Henri dived into his explanation, all the while his eyes barely blinking. ‘When the Cardinal received his vision, it did indeed lead him to the location of the Ark – in Ethiopia, just as he had been told. Inside it he found the blessed candle that sits before you now. But his vision did not just bless him with a location but also a warning that the Devil would unleash his army of demons upon the world during three days of darkness, and that this candle would not only repel the satanic onslaught but also have the power to stop it from ever happening in the first place. He brought this same candle back to the Vatican but, rather than see it as a protector, the then pope and his council saw it as the work of the Devil, and Cardinal Vicci was eventually excommunicated and banished from the Church for his apparent deviance and deception. Then the Church took his written prophecy and locked it away but, before they could do likewise with the candle he absconded with it and formed a secret protectorate that could keep it safely hidden until such time as it was needed.’

  ‘The order of Tharmis.’ Harker suggested, noticing how Marceau and the others were now circling the table – like knowledge-hungry children – all wanting to hear their favourite story.

  ‘Correct. It has been over two hundred years since the order was created and during all that time we, as those before us, have kept the blessed candle safe. Until now.’