The Blood of the Gods

Chapter Two

“I don’t understand,” Renault said sitting at a table across from Napoleon Bonaparte and Maximilien de Robespierre. His near death experience still shaking him to his core.

“You were holding one of the Brotherhood’s most priceless artifacts,” Napoleon began. “Gungnir, the spear of Odin, or the Spear of Destiny. It’s gone by many names, the church also called it the Holy Lance or Lance of Longinus, but that’s misleading as it has never been in the Orient, at least not in the last 10,000 years.”

“You mean to tell me that the spear is 10,000 years old?” Renault asked.

“Older actually,” Robespierre interjected.

“To be frank,” Napoleon began, “I was very skeptical about everything in the Brotherhood when I was inducted, but today you have eliminated any skepticisms I have.”

Renault sat puzzled. “How?”

“The Brotherhood of the Elders was formed 800 years ago,” Napoleon started. “It was first known as The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon. That was a cover name, meant to hide the true nature of the Brotherhood. Yes it was a christian military order and needed to maintain its cover by fighting in the crusades and protecting christian pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem, but its founding members discovered something in the Temple of Solomon. Hughes de Paynes and his compatriots discovered a secret in the Temple that shattered their very beliefs like waves on rocks.”

“What was it?” Renault asked.

“You’re not a member of the Brotherhood,” Robespierre said.

“Not yet,” Napoleon corrected. “This is very big for the Brotherhood Maximilien and I believe we should begin the initiation procedure.”

“No, absolutely not.”

“Why?” Renault asked. “Why me?”

“Renault,” Napoleon continued. “You have the blood.”

“The blood?” Renault quizzed.

“The Blood of the Gods,” Napoleon said. “Very few men carry the blood. The Brotherhood has been searching for someone like you for a very long time, since well before I joined. The blood allows you to use the weapons of the Gods to their full potential. Gungnir for instance. It doesn’t vibrate or glow for anyone else. The wood is so old it has fossilized and the metal isn’t steel, but it can cut through steel, pierce any armour.”

“How do I have this ability?”

“Like I said, it’s in your blood, actually some have suspected it might be your entire body, blood, skin, bones, all of it is linked to the Gods.”

“What do you mean Gods?”

“A valid question,” Napoleon responded. “One I can answer, but not until you are initiated.”

“Which will never happen,” Robespierre interjected.

“Well you’re big on votes Maximilien, why don’t we put it to one. If Renault can gather the Trinity he will gain membership immediately upon his return. All those in favour?”

Everyone but Robespierre raised their hands in agreement.

“It’s settled then,” Napoleon announced.

“What is the Trinity?” Renault asked.

Napoleon nodded his head to one of the other members and they rushed off to get something from the shelves of the repository. They returned just as quickly as they left with a large clay tablet.

“Here,” Napoleon motioned for Renault to join at the Corsican’s side. “The Trinity are three keys designed as swords. They’re like Gungnir, weapons of the Gods, but their purpose is more significant than Gungnir's, which is simply a weapon. The keys unlock the doors to Eden, at least that’s what the tablet says.”

“Eden,” Renault began. “As in the garden?”

“One and the same, but that’s just a metaphor. Eden is the home of the Gods, the beings that were here before us. The tablet says their blood will receive immense knowledge upon their return to Eden.”

Renault took all of this information in. It was a hard thing to swallow, all of this was happening so quickly.

“And why do you want me to have the knowledge of the Gods?” Renault asked.

“To help bring an end to tyrants,” Napoleon remarked. “Mankind is meant to be free from the rule of authoritarians. It is what the Gods wanted for us and the knowledge they possess will help us rid the world of Kings.”

“I can’t argue with Freedom,” Renault replied. He took a deep breath. “Why am I the one who needs to get the swords? You don’t have any other people within the order who can retrieve them?”

“We do, but none of them have the blood. Not only will you be able to retrieve them, but you will be able to use them as well.”

“Use them?” Renault asked.

“We’re not the only ones looking for the swords,” Robespierre said. “There are others who would use the knowledge of the Gods to e*****e Humanity.”

“You’ll have to excuse Maximilien, he has a flair for the dramatic. Yes there is another group who would use them to extend their rule over the world. They are the ones who had the Brotherhood persecuted and sent us into the shadows 400 years ago. The leader of the group is the man they call the Imperator. I believe him to be the Roman Emperor, but Maximilien disagrees.”

“There’s nothing Roman about him,” Maximilien chimed in.

“Nevertheless,” Napoleon said in an attempt to steer the elder man back to the topic at hand. “You will not be the only one searching for the swords. We don’t know much about the Imperator, but he has allies in the courts of some of Europe’s most ancient Tyrants. So you must act fast. We can only help you so much, but the Brotherhood is at your disposal and we too have members all over the continent.”

“Even the New World,” Robespierre interjected; “should your search take you there.”

“This is all too much,” Renault said.

“I understand that Lieutenant,” Napoleon replied. “But this mission is important for the Freedom of all of Europe, not just France. If the Imperator gets his hands on the sword it will make him unstoppable.”

“Well Colonel,” Renault sighed. “I suppose I really don’t have much of a choice do I?”

Napoleon shook his head. “Not really, no.”

Renault hung his head for a moment in silent reflection. After the moment had ended Renault relented, accepting that this was better than death.

“Where do I start?” Renault moaned.

“It starts with a battlefield promotion,” Napoleon replied while handing Renault a parchment. “Captain Lefevre, you’ve been assigned to me as a personal assistant. I have already sent word to your watch commander that I will be enlisting you and of your promotion.”

Renault was shocked by the promotion, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t happy about it. He knew who Napoleon was and if he was being taken under the wing of such a promising up and coming officer then his career would also be on the rise.

“Next, you will head to Aachen. That will be a challenge. I have heard from the front that we have conquered from Namur to Antwerp, it’s still 100 kilometers from Namur to Aachen through enemy territory, but we can get you to Namur. From there you will have to figure it out on your own.”

“Great,” Renault replied.

“We can assign you a platoon?” Maximilien said.

“It’s better I be on my own. It would be hard to move as a unit through enemy territory. I can also speak Flemish, my mother was born in Liege, I can pass for a Belgian.”

The two older men looked at each other. “Alright, you will go alone then,” Maximilien said.

“Take whatever you need from the armoury,” Napoleon added. “We will have a horse ready for you.”

“Is it possible for me to leave in the morning?” Renault asked. “I’ve been awake since dusk and I will need all my faculty if I am going to take on this task.”

“We can arrange quarters for you here for the night,” Napoleon responded. He motioned for someone off in the dark corners to get a room set up. “I’ll also have some papers drawn up should you be questioned by any military personnel on your journey while in France. Outside of France you understand I have no jurisdiction.”

“I understand.”

“And you understand if you’re caught we cannot help you,” Maximilien added.

“Yes, I understand that too,” Renault replied.

“Good,” Maximilien said. He turned to Napoleon; “It’s been good meeting your in person Colonel. Best of luck in Corsica and I hope to see you again soon.”

“And under better circumstances,” Napoleon replied. The two nodded and shook hands before Maximilien left the room.

Renault sat quietly during the exchange watching two of the Titans of the Revolution interact with one another.

“Colonel, if I may ask,” Renault began. “What can you tell me about the Elders?”

Napoleon sat down across the table from him and poured them both a glass of wine. “I’m a little more forthcoming with information than Maximilien,” he smiled. “Throughout the world there are places, sites, cities, that are now overgrown with humanity, but were built by the Elders. You would know them as the Pagan Gods. Odin, Zeus, Osiris; from the best of our knowledge and understanding they were actual living beings. Our primitive ancestors deified them to explain their extraordinary abilities, but I, as well as the Brotherhood believe it just to be simple science. When you have technology so advanced, primitive peoples will believe it to be magic.”

“So the Gods actually exist?” Renault asked.

“Not exactly,” Napoleon replied as he sipped his wine. “They’re long gone, as all living creatures, they too succumbed to the inevitability of time. That said, they left their mark. Their blood runs through you, and others, though so infrequently we have seen someone with the blood of the Gods in centuries.”

“I see.”

“Those who have wielded the swords in the past; Roland, Arthur, Attila, they all held the blood as well, it allowed them to do the things they were able to do. The magical, for lack of a better word, abilities those leaders were said to have, it was all the weapons in their possession.”

“Would that mean my father had the blood?”

“No Renault, that’s not how it works. Everyone has the ability to have the blood in their bodies, but it isn’t activated in everyone. Something happens when your body is formed in your mother’s womb that causes the blood to present itself. We don’t fully understand it yet.”

“If everyone is special, no one is special,” Renault remarked.

“Exactly,” Napoleon agreed. “If the Elders made all of humanity like them it would eliminate humanity’s free will to choose it’s own destiny. Allowing man to have a glimpse into the world of the Gods was their way of assisting us on our journey, but not interfering with that journey.”

“This is a lot to take in,” Renault said.

Napoleon smiled. “Of course it is, and there is so much more for you to learn and know, especially with the blood, but I do recommend you get some rest. The journey ahead of you is long and arduous and you will more than likely need to fight your way out of some situations.”

Renault nodded in agreement.

“Francois will show you to your room. Should your journey take you to Corsica I will gladly dine with you. Best of luck Captain.” Napoleon gulped the last of his wine and headed off in the same direction Maximilien did earlier. The man called Francois appeared a moment later and ushered Renault down a well lit hallway to a small stateroom where he was to rest up for his journey ahead.

“I will return at dawn to take you to the stables. Your gear will be ready for you there. Are there any weapons in particular you would like me to prepare for you?”

“The musketoon I came in with,” Renault said. “Four pistols, a sabre and Gungnir.”

“Sir…” Francois began, likely about to say he couldn’t procure Gungnir for him.

“Your bosses said any weapon. If you have an issue I’m sure you can catch Colonel Bonaparte before he leaves and ask him yourself.”

Francois motioned that he wouldn’t be doing that and left the room. Renault kicked off his boots and poured himself one more glass of wine before dozing off on the down mattress in the corner of the room.