Forbidden Power

Chapter 9- Inside the Crypt

"LONG LIVE POPE ANACLETUS II!" The madman yelled in Italian before charging at me. Or, rather, charging for the weak link first, Marco.

"I won't let you kill an innocent!" I bellowed, jumping in the way and meeting the old vampire's onslaught with defense of my own. He thinks he knows so much just because he's old. He's never met anyone like me.

I hit him hard with my powers, instantly bringing him to his knees as I manipulated the mana in his body. Vampires don't have blood any more, but they do have mana energy that keeps them alive, and unfortunately for him, I am the master of mana manipulation. Ooh. I should get that as an official title. Or a hashtag at the very least.

My mind wandered for a moment as I effortlessly crippled Pietro. He looked at me in shock and horror.

"What...what is THIS?!" He screeched from his humble position on the floor. Marco whipped his head around and stared at me in shock, bouncing his head between me ad Pietro like a cat watching tennis. In other circumstances, I would have found that humorous, and considering my adversary was no match for me, I did find the situation funny.

"THIS is the power of the royal beast, Father," I answered mockingly. "Now I suggest we end this peacefully or I will end you altogether right here with your treasures."

I'm still an archaeologist, and these relics from the Crusade fascinate me. Not to mention this vampire who has lived nearly a millennia. I really don't care to kill him, even if he is a trap-loving lunatic. He's still an old, really old, family friend.

"Look, I'm not here to take this stuff from you. How you've acquired it interests me, but I seriously only came to go to the archives and see if you could help me get any progress with this puzzle ball. That's it. I'm not your enemy, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't run off with my stuff like an old bat in the belfry when the sun comes out," I told him, hoping maybe he would see reason. He blinked twice before staring up at me with a dumbfounded expression.

"You...don't want to steal my treasures?" He asked. I shook my head. He looked at Marco and narrowed his eyes. "What about him?"

"He's coming with me because I don't trust you not to drink his blood while he sleeps. I'll take responsibility for him," I said. Marco started weeping softly, but I ignored him. "Do we have a deal?"

"Fine. But you never breathe a word of what you have seen and learned here," Pietro finally nodded and smiled smugly. "Come with me."

"Oh, no. Last time you said that you flitted off and let me fall into a trap. Nope. You're going to sit here and tell me all I want to know, and then you're giving me access to the archives before Marco and I leave merrily on our way," I told him firmly.

Pietro eyed me before nodding slowly. "I agree. Okay. I agree. I know when I've met my match, though it be a rare treat to have an actual challenge."

"Good. Now I'd like to see some of the amazing relics you have stashed here...only the ones you want to show off...and hear your story. Start anywhere you like," I told him and sat cross-legged on the floor like a preschooler in front of a teacher at story time. Pietro looked at me in astonishment. I think my absence of fear was enough to convince him that I was secure in my ability to subdue him if he tried any more tricks.

"It's been a long time since I've been able to be the real me. I would like to show off these beautiful pieces that mean everything to me...and my faith," Pietro said, looking back at the caskets. "Some of these do hold my beloved family members, the other dates. You noticed, eh?" He looked at me, and I nodded.

"Smart boy you are. I've brought monks to pray here for hundreds of years, and none of them have noticed the pattern. The middle section is the place of relics. This is the very armor of King David himself, discovered in his tomb in Jerusalem during the first Crusade, of which my Great-Grandfather took part. He was a devout Jew, but he disguised himself and joined the Crusaders, traveling to Jerusalem and finding the relics of his people there. The Crusaders took them out of the Holy Land by force, and my great-grandfather risked his life to preserve these. There were some who still occupied that area that were willing to hide the pieces he brought them, some for a price and some for their faith. After the Crusades were over, he went back with my grandfather and retrieved the relics he hid and transported them back to Europe. To Rome. And there they stayed until our power began to be threatened. Motivated by the need to move the relics to a safer place, I sought the papacy and amassed some support," he paused, his eyes looking into the distant past as he relived it. I shifted, hoping my phone was picking up the recording of this fascinating history.

"I used my position to have this church built under the guise of stirring up support in Spain, though that was never my true intention. As soon as the church was established and the relics were safely moved here, I 'died' and came to Spain to become head of the church I had built and to guard the sacred items within until such a time as they might be needed in their true home of Jerusalem again. I had no support in Spain, and so no one bothered me or even realized my true identity. Eventually for the pure fact that the church is old, monks came seeking a place of residence and refuge from the world," he paused and looked at me expectantly.

"Yes, I have questions. When and how did you become a vampire?" I asked.

"Ah, yes. I had just come into power as Anacletus II when I received a mysterious visitor. A person claiming to have been one of they who hid the relics for my great-grandfather. The man had been paid a king's ransom, and he thought that he was returning the favor when he bit me and turned me into a vampire," Pietro nodded at the memory. "After all, who has not sought after immortality? It hasn't been so bad. Apart from feeling it is wrong to take human life. I always try to choose those who are already weak and dying, who have no hope otherwise. I'm still a man of faith. It is hard to reconcile the two."

"I understand that. Our family runs a blood bank, so I've never gone hungry, but I'm sure that would be hard. We deliver by mail, you know. I could sign you up. The blood is willingly donated by humans who do not lose their lives in giving it," I offered. Pietro looked at me with interest.

"Yes, yes. I would like that. It would relieve a great burden," he nodded enthusiastically.

"Good. I'll let my grandfather know you're interested. It's only been set up in the last one hundred and fifty years. I suppose it has been longer than that since you last had contact with John Fairchilde?" I asked. For an old family friend, it was odd that he didn't know about our lucrative business.

"At least three hundred years since we were last in contact, yes. I have not contacted many from my old life as my primary goal in my existence is guarding these treasures," the old recluse explained.

I nodded. Makes sense. "Now that our nature has been discussed, I'd like to see what relics you would feel comfortable showing me. This is fascinating! I only wish to know for the sake of knowledge," I promised him. He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment before deciding to acquiesce to my request. He moved to the first casket marked with 1930 and pulled it out. Slowly he opened it one nail at a time. I waited in place, not wanting to appear as excited as I felt inside. I've been in ancient Egyptian tombs and seen old stuff, but these things he's got down here could be the stuff of legend. It could change history as we know it. I regret promising him that I only wanted to see the relics. The world deserves to see them, but maybe another visit will be in order to convince the crazy bat.

The lid came off, and I gasped. "I have an idea of what I'm looking at, but I'd like you to explain these to me..." I breathed, gazing at the lettering, the gold, the feeling of seeing something incredibly sacred.

"In this box are items found in Solomon's treasury. A portion of it had collapsed, as my great-grandfather reported, but another portion remained intact. These are some of the items from there."

"And what exactly are they?" I prompted.

"These are pieces of jewelry as well as the signet ring belonging to the Egyptian bride of Solomon. As you know from the Torah, Solomon took a daughter of the Pharoah as a wife. These items are marked with his seal, and this is his signet ring, believed to be given to his daughter for her correspondence with him after she left Egypt," Pietro gently moved some of the incredible jewelry back, revealing a small box made of gold. "And this is a box containing letters written from the Pharoah himself to his daughter. Each of them included a piece of jewelry for her as it seems she was very unsatisfied in her marriage. The jewelry is still with each letter. I have read the letters and looked at the jewelry. Onyx and jade and diamonds make up most of it. Beautiful and exquisite."

I really want to open the box and see this for myself, but the old pope closed the casket with a smack of his hand to knock the nails back down and moved on to the next one without letting me actually touch a thing. I promised I would be respectful to his treasures, but darned it I don't want to incapacitate him and look through these things with the eye of an archaeologist!

"This one," he continued, pulling out the next casket. "Is very special to me in particular. It holds a manuscript written by the prophet Daniel, which was found in a different place than the other treasures here, and some Persian treasures believed to be owned by Daniel himself as he held a high position in the courts of Darius and Nebuchadnezzar. It is proof of the greatness of the Jewish nation," the man held his head up high, and I nodded at him. He eyed me for a moment before deciding to open the lid.

Sure enough, there were recognizably Persian items within including animals carved out of ivory and intricately painted, coins, a gemstone-encrusted dagger, a golden headpiece for a high official, a gold-plated shofar, and a double lion-headed harp that had long lost its strings. I also saw a stone tablet with recognizable Hebrew writing and recognized some of the words as being from the book of Daniel in the Torah. My eyes were roving over the wonders when I saw Pietro's lips turn into a sly smile out of the corner of my eye. I instantly went on my guard, preparing to fight him if needed, but instead of attacking, he reached into the casket and removed the stone tablet. That's when I realized it was actually a stone box protecting a very fragile scroll.

"I have looked at it. It is the book of Daniel. All of it," Pietro told me proudly.

"Looking at its condition and the type of parchment used, I would venture to say it is an original copy..." I observed.

"Not an original copy. The original copy," Pietro grinned, baring his fangs with his wide smile.

I nodded, having no proof that there was another copy like this in existence. Pietro seemed satisfied with my response.

"The other caskets hold treasures from the time of the Greek occupancy of Jerusalem and also of the Roman occupancy," Pietro said with a now bored shrug. Like I wouldn't want to see those?! Whatever.

"Okay, so what's in the one marked 1145? Why is that one different?" I asked, pointing to that one. Pietro looked at me and frowned deeply.

"I cannot show you that. It is too sacred," he said with a shake of his head. I pursed my lips and glared at him.

"Really, dude? You know I can take you down and look on my own if I want to. I'm only being polite by asking," I threatened him. He narrowed his dark eyes, glaring at me suspiciously for a moment before coming to a decision.

"There is nothing in that casket," he told me.

"Like I'm going to believe that," I argued.

"There is nothing in it because the second crusade never happened, boy. You haven't learned your history as well as you thought you did," he mocked.

"I did know that the second crusade didn't happen, but I also know a significant find when I see one. I'll buy that there's nothing inside the casket, but I won't accept that there's nothing significant about it," I argued, losing my patience with this guy.

Pietro paused and sized me up. I stood my ground under his scrutiny. I'm already down here. Might as well see everything. I don't know why, but I get the feeling these little treasures are not what he is really so hyper about protecting down here.

"You can see," Pietro nodded at me. "Because I have come to respect you in this short time. He cannot." Pietro nodded toward Marco, who backed away in fear.

"Very well," I agreed. "Then set him free to go pack his worldly belongings. I've already said he's coming with me."

Pietro glided over to Marco and grabbed him by the hood on his cloak.

"Hey, wait!" Marco yelled, starting to flail as Pietro literally dragged him out. I quickly got out my cell phone and snapped a couple of pictures of the contents of this casket as well as the wall of caskets. My parents and grandparents won't believe this unless I show them. Other than them, I won't let these pictures put this church in danger. I have a feeling that what else is here could start a war, and I don't want to see people die.

I checked and saw that my recorder was still rolling and slid my phone back in my pocket and began to pick up and examine the Persian objects casually until Pietro came back.

"They are beautiful. I have touched them and examined them myself thousands of times, and yet they still fill me with awe and excitement," he said softly. "These treasures from the ancient world are magnificent, but they are as nothing..."

He walked up to the coffin in the middle marked with 1145 and pulled it out. Just as he said, it was empty. He reached inside the hole that the casket came out of and activated a lever. The wall of caskets jolted, and he placed his hands on each side of the opening for the middle casket, pulling them toward us with his vampire strength. Ah. So only a vampire could actually open this. He thought of everything, didn't he? I have to respect his ingenuity.

I stepped forward and grabbed one side, pulling on it and making faster progress than him, finally creating an opening big enough to walk through. Pietro went first, and I followed. What was inside stopped me in my tracks, and my mouth fell open. Is this for real?!