Languedoc, South of France
Jacques raged, swinging his cane in the salon, narrowly missing Michael's head, blinded by his anger. Even though he was old and in his decline, he was formidable.
“Why do you not listen to me?' he screamed in Michael's face. “You are like a little girl, too afraid to say a word. I do not believe you are my son. You must be another man's son. I could not have spawned anything like you. Luc…Luc should have been my son.”
Jacques's face was apoplectic, purple as he brought his cane down with two hands on the sideboard, splitting it in two.
Michael regarded him impassively, careful to conceal his feelings. He thought, I hope he has a heart attack and dies.
“Maybe I should give my orders to Luc to carry out.”
Michael felt a momentary relief at the possibility of having his burden shifted to Luc.
“There has always been something wrong with you, no strength, no will, scared of everything. Say something! Answer me! Are you afraid?”
Michael answered, “No, Papa,” and looked at the floor.
“Will you do as I say?” Jacques screamed.
“Yes, Papa.”
“Will you?”
“Yes, Papa,” he replied louder.
“They are in France,” Jacques roared. “I want it ended! Today!”
Later, Michael stood between the rows of grapevines, surveying the depressing sight. He was in the Languedoc, the region of France that was nearly mythical. It was imbued with mystery and beauty. Yet, his future inheritance seemed to be the only place in the Languedoc where nothing grew. It seemed to have an evil cast. Someday this will all be mine, he thought, wryly. He watched as two huge figures hoofed a trail of dust toward him.
He straightened and waited with dread.
“We saw you out here picking grapes,” Bernard called, laughing at his own lame joke, knowing the grapevines were withered.
“Oui, I must not text you,” Claude said, mockingly, “so here we are, in person.”
Michael shook his head and looked away in disgust. How did I end up in this accursed place talking to depraved murderers? If I were not born into this loathsome family it would have been so different. I'd have a family instead of blood on my hands. I am happy the family tree ends with me. He thought about how women found him odious. They seemed to be repelled by him. Their whole attitude was summed up by his last date, eight years earlier, who told him he was repulsive.
And what was this family guarding that had such a vile undercurrent to it? It was blind faith that propelled them to continue their hereditary duty, and he was certain that even his father did not know the whole secret.
Claude and Bernard were looking at him expectantly.
“I believe my father has new orders, a very special job for you.”
****
Ty and Ashi were both speechless. “Grand Master” was a de Charney!
“If you are not here to see Grand Master, then why are you here?”
“Everything we found led us to believe that a long time ago, Charles de Charney possessed what we are looking for,” Ashi said. “But now that we are here, we also think Grand Master had all the answers and was waiting for us to discover them.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” he laughed heartily. “All the answers. Ha ha. A few of them anyway.” His eyes twinkled. “You are a sharp young lady, Ashi.”
Ty nearly jumped in his chair but Ashi calmly asked. “How do you know my name?”
“I do watch the news. Thanks to CNN you are known around the world.” He sank into his chair. He suddenly looked tired. “But I really thought Vincent was going to make the discovery.”
“Did you know my father?” Ty asked.
“Only through the internet. Certain members of my, ah, group, knew him, met with him.”
“Your group! Did your group back my father’s research?”
“We provided him with help, yes.”
“You gave him information. You chartered planes for him. You constantly pointed him in the right direction.”
“Yes, Yes.”
“Well, why did you not just tell him the truth, plainly?” Ashi asked.
“Yeah,” Ty added. “It was like you were playing a game with him, and now, us.”
The smile disappeared from Jean-Henri’s face. “Oh, no. It is certainly not a game. No. All the members of my group have sworn an oath never to reveal certain secrets. Somebody outside the group needs to make the discoveries. Now it will be you, yes?”
“I don’t get it,” Ty said. “I know you're sworn to secrecy and needed someone like Vincent to reveal the secret, but why now?”
“Oh, it is time. It is time.” Jean-Henri rose from his chair and walked to a glass case, which he unlocked. He removed an old leather-bound book and put on his reading glasses.
The Eastern Star rises to its zenith. Over two hundred years marks the lands of Avalon. The key dispels mists over that which was kept hidden. A new Jerusalem for the world to see.
Ty recognized it as the same prophecy Vincent had written in his journal.
“You see, the danger is over.”
“What danger?”
“You are living in an age of such freedom you cannot even conceive of how it might be in an oppressive world. Do you know what heresy is? It means there was only one belief system allowed in the world and anything you said that did not agree with that belief system was considered heresy. Heretics were killed.”
He continued, “Today, you are free to disagree. There are many different belief systems in the world. Rather than fighting among the beliefs as to who is the most powerful, or the most right, or forcing beliefs onto people who don’t agree with them, people look for commonalities. They look for the beliefs that are the same, bring the people of the world closer together. Yes, it is a different day and age. So the time is right but we still need the key. We led others before Vincent...”
“Garrett Cooper and Trent Mansfield,” Ty said.
Jean-Henri nodded. “We provided clues and the resources but the physical key is needed.”
“A person is the key. And, only a righteous person can unlock the secret--even Garrett believed that.”
“Oui, yes.”
“You are Rex Deus,” Ty stated flatly. “You are wearing their ring.”
“Yes, of course. I was the oldest son in my family. I remember when my own father passed the ring and the knowledge to me. Now I am the last de Charney,” he added sadly.
“There are no other relatives to pass the information to?” Ashi asked.
“That is a another story entirely. I am hoping there will no longer be any secret and so it will not matter that I have no heir.”
Jean-Henri pushed on the arms of his chair, lifting himself to his feet. “So without any further delay, I would like to show you…, I am forgetting my manners. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat,” Ashi said.
“Ashi!” Ty said, frustrated. He couldn’t wait to see what Jean-Henri was going to show them.
“Just kidding.”
“Not funny, Ashi.”
She linked her arm in his, walking closely to Ty. They followed Jean-Henri out of the study, through the house until they reached a huge bank of windows and doors, facing the rear of the estate. They stepped outside, where a golf cart was parked.
“It is not far, but I no longer feel comfortable making the walk,” Jean-Henri explained, gesturing toward the cart.
He drove over the sloping back lawns and onto a dirt path, leading through a wooded area and stopped the cart by a lake, which had not been visible from the ground floor of the mansion. Several rowboats were moored. They were not typical rowboats; they were large and the wood was maintained to a high gloss.
“Please,” Jean-Henri said, gesturing again.
Ashi and Ty stepped in and sat. Ty took a seat at the oars.
“I am sorry,” Jean-Henri said, apologetically. “There was a bridge to the island at one time but one of my ancestors felt it would be safer to limit the access to it. He simply let the bridge fall into disrepair until it collapsed.”
“That is an island?” Ashi asked.
“It is hard to see that from here. From up there though…” He turned and looked back. The uppermost part of the estate was visible above the trees.
Ty rowed in silence until he heard the crunch of the bottom of the boat on the gravel on the other side. He jumped out and pulled the boat further up onto the shore. Ashi jumped out and Ty gripped the older man’s arm to steady him and help him out. They followed a wide, stone path through the woods, which opened onto a large terrace, in front of a chapel.
Ty’s heart pounded and he could hear the rush of blood in his ears. He felt like he was sleepwalking as he crossed the terrace, leading the way. He knew this was it, what he and his father before him had been searching for their whole lives.
“It was ostensibly built as our family chapel.”
Ty could hear Jean-Henri explaining, but he could not attend to his voice. His eyes just roved over the exquisite building. There were spires and stained glass windows and at one end there was a semi-circular apse. They were headed toward the heavy wooden doors at the entrance, projecting out on a semi-circular landing, and flanked by columns.
Jean-Henri skirted around Ty and opened the door. They stepped inside to a cool interior, lit dimly, only by the colored light filtering through the windows. As their eyes grew accustomed to the dark, Ashi gasped.
“It is so beautiful!”
Ty could not even reply. Every surface, even every inch of the ceiling revealed intricate carvings. Even the pillars were delicately carved into lovely patterns.
“How come the whole world does not know about this chapel? Why is it not famous?” Ashi asked.
Jean-Henri chuckled. “We have kept it well hidden. And, of course, the only way to get here is over de Charney lands, and then, only by boat.”
“But it was never meant for the masses, was it?” she asked.
“No.” Jean-Henri shook his head.
Ty spoke for the first time. “There is something about this place that is not like any chapel I’ve ever seen. There is a front half. There is a back half. There are columns…”
Ashi clapped her hand to her forehead. “I see this before. I know this place. Ezekial!”
She was so excited she couldn’t get her words out. Ty looked at her curiously.
“You, Grand Master, told us to look in Ezekial!” she continued.
Jean-Henri was smiling enigmatically.
“Ty, don’t you see? Ezekial has a whole section about rebuilding the temple. This is not a church. It is the third temple! This is it!”
“This is it! Charles de Charney sent his son all over the world to find a place for the treasure and to build a New Jerusalem, but he built it right here,” Ty said. He looked around in a 360 degree circle.”
“I would bet you this is built exactly as Ezekial specified, with the exact measurements,” Ashi said.
“I would venture, you are correct,” Jean-Henri replied.
“Hey, there are no crosses or statues of saints here,” Ty remarked. “It really is the third temple.” He leveled his eyes at Jean-Henri and bored into him. “Okay, here is the million dollar question. Is there a treasure here?”
“I believe there is. Come, follow me.”
He led them to a side aisle and walked up to the altar. Off to the side there was a set of stone stairs, leading under the altar. The first few were visible and then the rest were lost in darkness.
“Down there.” Jean-Henri pointed. “The crypt.”
“How do you know there's treasure?”
“There are many reasons that point to it. But, at one time my ancestor, also named Jean, brought an English queen down there, a Rex Deus queen. After she witnessed what was in the crypt, she swore allegiance to Jean de Charney, promising all the protection she could muster, for being shown a great secret here.
Ty hesitated until the older man pulled an old lantern off a pillar, apparently placed there for visitors to the crypt. He lit it and handed it to Ty.
Dad, are you here with me? This is what you were looking for. Ty wasn’t afraid but he felt his hands trembling. He stepped down and held onto the cold, stone walls with his free hand. The lantern only illuminated a few steps at a time and he heard a sound behind him- Ashi. As he continued down, the air was noticeably cooler with a musty smell, as if the air didn’t circulate this far down. They reached the end of the stairs and walked down a short corridor. The corridor ended abruptly, with a wall. Ty felt in every direction for another corridor, with Ashi helping. They had no recourse but to turn back. They walked up the stairs where Jean-Henri was waiting for them, leaning nonchalantly against a pillar.
“What was that all about?” Ty asked.
“The crypt was walled up a long time ago.”
“Why?” Ashi asked.
Jean-Henri shrugged.
“Can it be opened?” Ashi asked.
“There is a problem. He walked to a wall and under a window, he scraped between two bricks with his fingernail. A pebble-sized piece of mortar was in his hand. “The place is crumbling.”
“What are you telling me?” Ty asked, his voice tinted with anger. “You led us to a treasure, practically told us where it was, and now we can’t see it? It’s a joke, right?”
“Please be calm, my boy. I mean no harm. No, that is not what I was telling you. I know there are technologies in existence, which could scan the crypt and tell us what is inside. If it is just bones then we leave it alone. If not, well then, we very carefully open it up.”
“Sub-surface Interface Radar. Yes, we could do that.” Ty’s shoulders relaxed. “Sorry,” he added, more as an afterthought. “We wouldn’t have found this place if it weren’t for you. Can I bring in equipment? How about my team? Can I send for my team?” Ty asked.
“Please do. Call a press conference as well. We wouldn’t want this relegated to the back pages of some obscure archaeology journal,” Jean-Henri suggested. “I can provide you with whatever you need. Please ask and it will be at your disposal and, I’d like for you to be my guests until you complete your research and press conference. I’ll send my chauffeur to pick up your luggage from your hotel.”
“We are very grateful for your hospitality,” Ty said.
“Yes, thank you very much for everything,” Ashi echoed.
As they passed out the front door of the chapel Ty looked up. There were words carved into the lintel.
Jean-Henri, observing him, translated the saying, “Nothing is wanting but the key.”
They went back to the mansion, discussing the details of the search and press conference. Ty spent the next few hours making phone calls, arranging for the Sub-surface Interface Radar, or SIR, equipment to be sent overnight. He made sure Cheryl, Rishi and Therese would be able to book a last minute flight. Eduardo and Jenna would not be able to come for the simple reason that they did not have passports. He spoke to Sam, who arranged for security to be present as soon as news of the chapel hit the media, and made plans for a press conference. They grabbed a few bites to eat in between phone calls and by the time everything was ready it was dark outside.
“I hope you will forgive me, but I do retire early,” Jean-Henri said, and walked slowly and tiredly up the stairs.
Ashi turned to Ty. “Are you sleepy?”
“It’s been a long day but no, I’m not tired. I’m really excited. I’ll never be able to sleep.” Ty turned on his camera and pointed it at Ashi. “So what do you think, Ashi?”
“About?”
“About everything.”
“It seems like it cannot be true because it is so easy. Jean-Henri wants to help so much.”
“I know. He seems too nice. Do you think he can be trusted?”
“Yes,” Ashi said, laughing.
“You’re laughing because you trust everyone.”
“You should not have asked me then.”
“You’re the only one around I can ask. What else do you think?”
Ashi’s smile turned to a thin line as she instantaneously turned serious. “I think someone tried to kill us. Someone killed Richard and someone killed your father. There is still a killer somewhere out there.”
“Don’t worry, Ashi. No fear, right?”
She smiled at him.
“So what do you want to say into the camera?”
“Find your light. Tune yourself to it. Be aware of it as you carry it with you throughout your day.”
“That’s it? Now say something important,” Ty joked.
She laughed along with him and asked, “When is everyone getting here?”
“The team is getting here tomorrow, along with the equipment. The press conference is being set up for the day after tomorrow. We’ll do the imaging in the morning and then hold the press conference.”
“Good. I cannot wait.”
“Me neither.” Ty kept the camera trained on her. “So what do you think is in the crypt?”
“I do not know.”
“You act as if you don’t care.”
“Does it matter what is in there, Ty?”
“Yes, yes it matters very much. My father gave his life for whatever is in there.” Ty lowered the camera for a second and asked, “Why don’t you care?”
“Since I left Bhutan I learned so much.”
Ty began recording again.
“I learned so much history. I found that since people started writing history down, one thing happened over and over. People in power ruled by telling people what to think and believe. They would not allow people to think what they wanted or to believe what they wanted. The leaders ruled with a metal hand.”
“Iron fist?”
“Is that what I want to say? Yes, they ruled harshly. Like Jean-Henri said, you could be killed for believing differently or speaking a different truth. In some parts of the world it is still like that. But in many areas it has changed. It is one of the many things I love about the United States. All different kinds of people with all kinds of beliefs and customs live side by side with each other in peace and harmony.”
“The other thing that has changed is how much information is available. Now, there are books and CDs and DVDs about every kind of path to enlightenment you can imagine…and you are free to choose. It’s an amazing time we live in.”
“Okay, so what? I’m not following you?”
“The point is that back when the Romans were going to destroy Jerusalem, information had to be hidden and preserved or it would have been destroyed, along with the group hiding it. Since that time, it has never been safe to reveal it. Only within the last half century has it been okay to acknowledge the existence of secret, esoteric information.”
“I agree. Besides the fulfillment of the prophecy, that’s why Jean-Henri feels it’s time to show what the Templars found so long ago.”
“Yes, but whatever information it contains, even if it is the fast track to enlightenment, is already out there. It exists in some other form and it is readily available. It’s incredible that even twenty years ago you would have to go to different libraries, do research, order books. Now it’s all there on the internet. That knowledge is already out there, waiting for you to go look for it, to knock on the door, to merely desire it.”
“You’re saying that if I want to find the way to heaven, all I have to do is desire it?”
“Yes, the path will be shown to you. It is inside you already. It is inside you and outside you. Just ask for it. Well, there is one more important thing- after you ask, you have to believe, expect, and look around you for your answer.”
Ty laughed. “Ashi, you’re assuming that all that’s buried in the crypt is secret knowledge, maybe Jesus’s true teachings. What about treasure? What if there’s a billion dollars worth of treasure down there?”
“Well, in that case, some treasure would be nice. A little bit of gold jewelry would be very nice.”
Ty laughed. For the most part, Ashi was unadorned with jewelry.
“Really, Ty, you have so much money. Is that what you are interested in finding?”
“No, and I don’t think my father cared about monetary treasure either. It was always about solving the mystery and it was about the secret information. My dad had no doubt and I have no doubt either. The treasure includes their knowledge which has not seen the light of day since the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the first century CE, maybe the original version of Christ’s teachings.”
Ashi sat thinking for a few minutes. “Don’t you think your Christ is in your heart, that he can give you confirmation he is there and guide you to the next step. His teachings are not lost or buried. They are and always have been available.”
“That’s something you believe, but I don’t know how available they are to someone like me.”
“They are available,” she replied. “It is like many people, starving, looking down at the ground, searching, picking up one rotten, wormy apple after another and discarding it. They are praying to God for help and to save them from starving but all they have to do is look up. They would see they're standing under an apple tree and they just have to reach and pick a nice, fresh, juicy apple and eat it.”
Ty thought about it for a moment. He laughed. “I just can’t get over it. You’ve been helping figure this out all along but you never really cared about the treasure.”
“It has been like watching a movie and participating every so often to keep it moving along. I am very curious about the end of the movie though.”
“You don't know the end?”
“I have a good idea.”
“But your work. Didn’t you come here to help Vincent find the treasure?”
Ashi laughed heartily. “No, that was never my mission. My work was to demonstrate to the world that every person is able to get past what they believe about their limitations. If one person can do the extraordinary, then every single person has the power inside to do the extraordinary.”