Black Crucifix
Northern Italy 1096
The sun pierced the morning mist as four horsemen rode into the town of Piacenza. A regiment of guards stood across the entrance to a Gothic building, spears pointing through a wall of shields . Groups of peasants gathered their bags and scurried away.
One horseman climbed down from his steed and walked toward the regiment. The heavily muscled man wore a white mantle with a red cross over his chain mail.
“I am Godfrey of Flanders I come to talk with Pope Urban ll.”
The other horsemen dismounted.
“You may enter Godfrey of Flanders, but only you,” said the head of the guard.
“Wait here.” Godfrey said to his men.
Two guards pushed open heavy wooden doors as Godfrey approached, sword flapping by his side.
The pope sat on an ornate wooden throne at the end of a gloomy hall and raised his head as Godfrey strode toward him. The guards closed the doors and stood either side.
“Your worship,” said Godfrey as he kneeled before the pontiff.
“Arise Sir Godfrey.”
“I am eager to march on Jerusalem my lord.” Godfrey said as he stood.
“I know, but I have a special quest for you, sir.”
“And what would that be your worship?”
“A Job for which you will be well rewarded.”
“The reward of heavenly entry for my men and myself will suffice. As is the reward for other crusaders.”
“Noble, but, although you are Norman, I have need of your... abilities, for which you will be extensively paid.”
“I am Roman Catholic and religion comes before patriotism for me! What is this... need, your Eminence?” Godfrey asked as he moved closer.
The pope stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger of his right hand and grinned. “I need you and your men to use the taking of Jerusalem as a cover to regain an item lost to the Catholic Church for centuries.”
“Of this Holy Chalice I have heard.”
“I know not if the Chalice is real or not. The item I beg you to acquire is real and has been protected for generations.”
“Go on, I will do as you bid.”
“The item is an ornamental crucifix which is in the crypt of the Church of St Augustine perhaps protected, perhaps not.”
“We risk our lives for an ornament!”
“The item is of vast importance and may well correct the course of human destiny. As I have said, I will well reward you.”
“Very well, I will do as you ask. We will leave straight away.”
“If you make haste, you will join up with the main crusade east of Constantinople.”
“Farewell my lord!” Godfrey said as he bowed and turned to leave.
“Oh, and Sir Godfrey. The colour of the Crucifix... it's black!”
After weeks of riding, stopping only for rest and food, Godfrey and his men passed the Byzantine capital. Then, entering the Holy Land, they approached the tail of the crusading army with Jerusalem now only a few weeks away.
The army was composed of Knights and foot soldiers from many western European countries.
Stories abounded of the sacking and burning of Turkish settlements not under Byzantine control. Bags of jewellery and other items were hidden to be collected on the return journey.
“But surely the reward is entry to heaven,” said Godfrey.
Laughter spread through the ranks of soldiers.
“Not far to our target now, sir,” said a knight with a long red beard as he drew level on his grey mare.
Godfrey gazed at him. “Yes.”
“You have joined us at the right time.”
“I have come with the glory of God to re-take the Holy City.”
“And that is all?” asked the knight.
“Yes of course! What else?”
“Forgive me, sir. I wondered why you turn up so late?”
“As you see sir we are Norman. I thought it better for us to ride most of the journey alone.”
“I see, it's just rumoured that...”
“Rumoured! Rumoured what?”
“Well, there's a supernatural icon hidden in the city and that a powerful and rich dignitary would send some mercenary.”
A sudden cry went up from the front of the army, and the red-bearded knight pulled on the reins and rode forward.
Jerusalem was in sight.
As the screams and yells of battle enveloped the city Godfrey and his men moved, while fighting the defenders, toward the Church of St Augustine. Once inside they slammed the fortified doors and locked them. Dragging pews, and anything else they could move, the men pushed them up against the doors.
“Right, to the crypt!” Godfrey shouted.
They passed through the relative calmness of the nave as the fighting raged on out on the streets. Behind the altar the men descended a wide staircase after opening a heavy dark wood door; Godfrey leading the way with a large, blazing candle.
At the bottom the soldiers filed through an arch and, as their leader held up the candle, they gazed into the dark across many tombs. Then, with dancing shadows, Godfrey led the way along a central aisle to a dark wall at the far end of the crypt. A small door pierced the wall in the gloom at the left-hand side. He held the candle up and read the words chiselled into the block above the doorframe: “If here you enter with a pure heart-eternity is yours. If not turn back for you will be damned.”
The door, which had many axe and hammer marks in the wood, swung open. Godfrey turned to his men. “Ye need not enter if ye wish it not!” He then passed through the arched frame followed by all his men. They entered a land where dark grey clouds covered the sky. The only light came from crimson cracks in the cover and a gold which shone through where the clouds reached for the land. Lightning flashed across the sky followed by rippled thunder.
The men halted as a huge figure with out-stretched wings descended out of the gloom. The figure, the colour of sparkling gold, at length stopped descending and hovered.
“Is this the land of Hades?” Godfrey asked.
“Nay, it's not, for look around there's no River Styx!”
“Then where are we, and who are ye?” Godfrey asked.
“They know this land as the Void. It lies between worlds. I... I am the Archangel Gabriel!”
Godfrey gazed in awe. “Sir,we have come at the request of the earthly pope for an item.”
“You have come for the Black Crucifix; so dangerous a thing I must deliver it in this place. The item is not of this world.”
“A crucifix?”
“Your perception of the shape is of vast importance to you.
“I don't understand?”
“You as a Christian see a cross; other religions would see something special to them.”
“Why here and this time?”
“This is the only door to the Void for humans. This time... because of the chaos now happening in Jerusalem.”
The archangel paused for a moment then continued. “You and your men are pure-hearts, but this...” he held up the crucifix and lightning flashed across the face. “If this gets into dark hands, the horrors of Hell can be released upon the Earth.”
Gabriel raised his other hand and Godfrey rose to the same height. “I give you possession of the Crucifix, and I will put in a safeguard.”
Godfrey accepted and found himself back beside his men. The Archangel and the thunder and lightning had gone. “Well, let's go, we have a long, hazardous journey ahead,” he said turning to leave.
After they passed through the arched frame, the door slammed shut. Outside, the attack of the city was at its height. Godfrey grasped the crucifix and he and his men seemed to be looking at the burning and atrocity from beyond. Realisation that this was wrong passed over him. All men are equal, despite their religion, under one god.
They left the area and travelled northward. All day and for most of the night they wearily rode on. On the second night while the entourage were sitting by a blazing fire a beggarman approached and asked for warmth and food.
“Aye, join us,” said Godfrey.
One soldier gave the man the leg off a fowl roasting on a spit above the fire.
“What is your name, sir?” Godfry asked.
“I am Linaeus,” he said while chewing.
“I did not think there was much begging to be done in these parts?” Godfrey asked looking around at the empty darkness beyond the light of the fire.
“I am travelling through this land... travelling North.
“Well, ye are welcome to spend as much time by the fire as ye want.”
Later, in the early hours of the morning as the men lay sleeping, Linaeus slowly approached Godfrey. He searched through his belongings.
Godfrey rolled over on to his side. “What is it you need beggarman?”
“The Black Crucifix, where is it?” Linaeus asked in an other-worldly voice as he turned round with flickering crimson eyes.
Godfrey jumped up drawing his sword. “Begone... demon!”
The shout roused his men from their slumber and chaos ensued. Linaeus flew and grabbed Godfrey by the throat-the sword clattering away into the dark. They rose into the night sky and Linaeus asked: “Again, where is the Black Crucifix?”
“It accompanies me in another world. Devised by the Archangel Gabriel; you cannot enter!”
“Do not be so sure... you know not who I am.” Linaeus said as he let Godfrey drop.
Two of his men ran to his aid as the others gawped at the transformed beggar. Godfrey pushed the men aside and staggered to his horse.
“Flee!” He screamed.
The entourage galloped over heathland as Linaeus became a red dragon, and an explosion of flame followed them. Then the beast flew over them and landed in front.
Godfrey pulled on his reins as the steed reared up in fear. His men jumped off their horses and drew their swords as the dragon strode toward them. Two of the group ran at the beast and were roasted alive in a burst of fire. The other three walked toward it swinging their swords and were raised into the air then flung away to their deaths.
“Now Godfrey of Flanders you will give me the Black Crucifix,” said Linaeus back in human-form.
Godfrey looked around; they stood in the Void's land. “Why is this of so importance?” He cried holding up the Black Crucifix.
“Because, with it I will manipulate the human mind. This world is mine and now human-kind will be mine. I will control the masses through desire for materialism. You do not understand what is to come: horseless carriages, pageless books with moving characters and all kinds of fantasia. There will be no time for spiritual matters!”
“How will you control them if they think otherwise?”
“Oh, that's easy... through exploitation and fear!” he said as a burst of flame made Godfrey shield his eyes with his hands. When he lowered them he was back on the heathland standing by his horse without the Black Crucifix.