Book of JUDAS

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

The Vatican, Rome

Colonel Renauld sat behind a large ornate wooden desk in his office. There can be few senior-ranking positions in any army that command such a grand and prestigious setting. His office was on the third floor of a tower, close to the public entrance of the Vatican. The bare stone walls were bedecked with coats of arms and weaponry from medieval times.

The week’s events had been testing. Even for him, the regimental leader of the Swiss Guards who was renowned for his unquestioned loyalty to the Cardinals and the Vatican, the latest news on the Book of Judas had been a revelation. He contemplated again the significance of such a book’s existence. He had known about the Satanica and their ruthless ambitions for years but that was more hearsay and story-telling than sensible, hard facts. Never had all the parts of the jigsaw clicked together as quickly as they had since the meeting called by Cardinal Camerlengo Fiore in the Sala Consistoriale.

Colonel Renauld’s allegiance and devotion to the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Paul XII was absolute. A religious man who saw himself as a “protector of the faith”, his job safeguarding the Pope himself had been relatively easy over the past few years because ill health had deterred the Pontiff from travelling and attending public occasions. Instead, he had watched from the sidelines as the senior cardinals jostled for position to fill his shoes. His own appointment as Head of the Swiss Guard was decreed by the new Pope so he had a vested interest in making sure that he supported the right candidate. He had placed the full weight of his influence behind Cardinal Fiore since he saw him as the natural successor.

There was a knock on the door.

“The Cardinals are here to see you, Colonel.”

“Show them in, Major,” he barked without looking up.

As the Major held the door, Cardinal Deacon Weiss and Cardinal Bishop Lefebvre stepped in, fully clad in the velvet robes of office. Immediately, the Colonel jumped up to welcome them.

“Your Eminences,” he said, stooping to kiss the rings on their outstretched hands. “That will be all, Major,” he added and the large panelled door swung closed.

The Cardinals were staunch allies of Fiore and part of the select few who were privy to the secret knowledge of the Book of Judas. With the exception of the Pope and Lefebvre and Weiss, who worked directly for Camerlengo Fiore, only three other Cardinals, namely Alphonso, Giacoma and Gregory were party to the truth. In the Swiss Guard, it was just himself and the Vatican’s Head of Special Projects who had been briefed for this special assignment. Colonel Renauld knew that to do his job effectively he would have to enlarge the circle that was privy to the details of the Book of Judas. He had it in mind to brief Major Dupont, his loyal number two in the Swiss Guards, over the next twenty-four hours.

“What is it, Colonel? Why the urgent call to your office?” asked Cardinal Weiss.

“Have you seen this, Your Grace?”

The Colonel picked up a folded newspaper from the corner of his desk and handed it over to Cardinal Weiss who proceeded to unfold the pages.

The headline on the front page stood out in bold letters alongside a photograph of a stern-looking police superintendent for Oxfordshire:

RITUAL KILLING TERRIFIES LOCAL RESIDENTS

The article had top billing, covering half a page in the English national broadsheet.

Cardinal Weiss read on. The article spared nothing as it told of the brutal and sadistic death of an Oxford Professor, disfigured beyond recognition. The Satanica − it had to be. His thoughts were confirmed a few lines later.

“The police found the body spread-eagled, staked to the wall in the shape of a crucifix. His skin had been peeled from his chest and pulled taut to his arms to form ‘wings’. The Police found the victim’s blood had been used to daub the initials ‘MM’ behind the door. The Superintendent admitted they were lost for a motive or reason for such a ritual slaying.”

“Well, if we didn’t know before, we know now − the Satanica know about the book and they will be, like us, trying to trace the scrolls Trenchard’s kept hidden for so many years.”

Cardinal Weiss was in his late fifties with greying hair, a craggy face and large bushy eyebrows. He was well known amongst his peers for his wisdom and his hard line attitude to the scriptures and despite the secularisation of the Catholic Church caused by the Vatican’s unyielding stance on modern day matters, he firmly believed in the values of the old school.

Cardinal Weiss handed the paper to Cardinal Bishop Lefebvre.

“Have you informed Goran?” enquired Cardinal Weiss.

“No not yet – I’m scheduled to speak with him again in two hours.”

“What are your views, Colonel?” asked Cardinal Lefebvre, putting down the newspaper.

Renauld had a sharp mind that paid great attention to detail. He was mildly curious at the scant attention Lefebvre had seemed to give to the article.

“My proposal is as follows − the paper has included a short biography of this Professor Palanski. Apparently he worked at the Ashmolean Museum where Sir Lawrence Trenchard was the Curator. Although I don’t think the local police will ever put this connection together, I think we can safely assume from the work of the Satanica that this professor must have been knowledgeable about the Judas Scrolls − he must have had a close association with Sir Lawrence and indeed he may even have known the scrolls’ whereabouts!”

Cardinal Weiss nodded,

“I think that’s a reasonable assumption.”

“The Satanica have tortured him – anything that he knew will now be passed on to them, which means they have a head-start on us.”

“Maybe he didn’t know too much,” ventured Cardinal Lefebvre.

Colonel Renauld glared at him. He didn’t care much for this cleric but he had to go through the motions, after all he was one of Cardinal Fiore’s closest aides. To him he looked like a weasel with his black goatee beard covering a pointed chin and those beady eyes, too close together behind round metal-framed spectacles. On several occasions he had found the Cardinal prying into affairs of the Pontiff that were not in his domain.

“My proposal is this…” he continued, directing his attention back to Cardinal Weiss.

“I’ll speak to Goran. I imagine he’s probably already seen the papers and put together the same thoughts as we have − the most important task right now is to locate the two Trenchard brothers. We know they returned for the funeral and that their grandfather will have passed everything on to them. And since the Satanica will also know this – their lives are now in grave danger!”

Renauld paused for their approval before continuing. He could see that he had their undivided attention.

“Our objective must be to claim the book before the Satanica − if necessary we must destroy it, or bring it back to the Vatican where its contents can be buried forever. The brothers will either be carrying out their grandfather’s legacy or they’ll have been scared into hiding – either way we must find them. If they’re searching for the book and have the means to find it, we must order Goran to shadow them. They’ll be in constant, grave danger from the Satanica and unbeknown to them, he must monitor their progress until the time comes when the book is found – that’s when he must strike.”

Cardinal Weiss was the first to speak.

“Your plan is a good one Colonel − he must locate them with God’s speed. The future of our Church depends on it. Inform Goran of this message.”

“Yes, and we shall inform Cardinal Fiore immediately,” replied the beady-eyed Lefebvre.

The meeting was closed. The Cardinals turned and made their way back down the winding staircase to the courtyard below and Colonel Renauld watched them cross the Piazza in the direction of Cardinal Fiore’s private quarters.

Two hours later he made a call to England.