Joseph owed him life and soon he would summon it.
May 20
Brize Norton Airfield, England.
May 20, 7.08am
“So why Spain?” Jake asked, once they were seated in the 737, waiting for take-off. The plane was set up as a mobile ARKANE base, with a meeting room and galley up front and a central workspace with computers in the mid-section. Weapons, equipment and bunks were to the rear. A couple of crew were readying the plane and Jake had mentioned a team available on standby if they needed backup. Morgan could see that ARKANE was taking this search seriously and she appreciated the extensive support. In a show of good faith, she decided to share the information she had learned even though she still had suspicions about their involvement.
“Before the attack at Blackfriars, Ben and I discussed the more ancient legends about where the Apostles went after Pentecost. It seems logical to think that the stones would be near the bodies themselves, either with a Keeper or preserved with the relics of the saints.”
“That makes sense,” Jake said, “and it ties with our research as well.”
“We should go after the more obvious Apostles first, so I narrowed them down. We know that I have the stone of John, so Patmos, Greece is off the list and we think that Faye has James Alphaeus’ stone.”
Jake nodded.
“ARKANE was given Matthew Levi’s and our researchers think it was Nathaniel’s taken in Varanasi and the stone of Matthias that was stolen in Jerusalem.”
“So that makes five,” Morgan added, “and I’m pretty sure that Everett already has the stone of Thomas. His father’s diaries describe the Maltese and Goan myths around where the Doubting apostle ended up.”
“OK, so we know six are accounted for. What about the other six?”
“Given our time frames, Spain seems the best place to start. It’s a short flight and we can get started quickly. The bones of St James are supposedly stored at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in the north west. There are so many myths about what happened to the Apostles after they left Jerusalem, but James’ story is pretty stable across the many extant documents, so we should try there first. Perhaps Everett will trade if we can show some early success.”
Morgan’s voice trailed off as Jake’s eyes slid away from hers and he busied himself in readiness for take-off. He clearly didn’t share her hopes for a quick resolution. In the last 24 hours, she had been smothering her fear in the intellectual rigor of research but now a gaping wound opened, and she felt a jolt of terror for Faye and Gemma. Grabbing her smartphone, she scrolled to the pictures of her family. One of her with Gemma’s little arms tight around her neck pricked her eyes with tears. She pretending to wipe something from her eye, not wanting Jake to see her vulnerability. Elian and her father had been ripped from her life too soon, and she would not lose her sister and niece this way.
Once they were airborne, Jake pulled out various maps from his bag as well as the Moleskine diaries.
“I thought about doing the Camino de Santiago myself a few years ago,” he said, as he opened them up on the table between them. Morgan glanced up at him, surprised by his words.
“To pay for what sins? What could an ARKANE agent possibly have on his conscience?”
The Camino was a thousand year old pilgrimage route through southern France and northern Spain. Morgan knew that the 780 kilometers were traditionally walked on foot as a spiritual journey, culminating at the cathedral of St James in Santiago de Compostela where the pilgrim received forgiveness for their sins. It was the very church they were heading for.
“I haven’t always been so squeaky clean,” Jake smiled broadly. Morgan noticed the scar above his eyebrow crinkling. He opened the map of Santiago de Compostela, and located the main square. His fingers were long, like a piano player’s,
May 20
Brize Norton Airfield, England.
May 20, 7.08am
“So why Spain?” Jake asked, once they were seated in the 737, waiting for take-off. The plane was set up as a mobile ARKANE base, with a meeting room and galley up front and a central workspace with computers in the mid-section. Weapons, equipment and bunks were to the rear. A couple of crew were readying the plane and Jake had mentioned a team available on standby if they needed backup. Morgan could see that ARKANE was taking this search seriously and she appreciated the extensive support. In a show of good faith, she decided to share the information she had learned even though she still had suspicions about their involvement.
“Before the attack at Blackfriars, Ben and I discussed the more ancient legends about where the Apostles went after Pentecost. It seems logical to think that the stones would be near the bodies themselves, either with a Keeper or preserved with the relics of the saints.”
“That makes sense,” Jake said, “and it ties with our research as well.”
“We should go after the more obvious Apostles first, so I narrowed them down. We know that I have the stone of John, so Patmos, Greece is off the list and we think that Faye has James Alphaeus’ stone.”
Jake nodded.
“ARKANE was given Matthew Levi’s and our researchers think it was Nathaniel’s taken in Varanasi and the stone of Matthias that was stolen in Jerusalem.”
“So that makes five,” Morgan added, “and I’m pretty sure that Everett already has the stone of Thomas. His father’s diaries describe the Maltese and Goan myths around where the Doubting apostle ended up.”
“OK, so we know six are accounted for. What about the other six?”
“Given our time frames, Spain seems the best place to start. It’s a short flight and we can get started quickly. The bones of St James are supposedly stored at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in the north west. There are so many myths about what happened to the Apostles after they left Jerusalem, but James’ story is pretty stable across the many extant documents, so we should try there first. Perhaps Everett will trade if we can show some early success.”
Morgan’s voice trailed off as Jake’s eyes slid away from hers and he busied himself in readiness for take-off. He clearly didn’t share her hopes for a quick resolution. In the last 24 hours, she had been smothering her fear in the intellectual rigor of research but now a gaping wound opened, and she felt a jolt of terror for Faye and Gemma. Grabbing her smartphone, she scrolled to the pictures of her family. One of her with Gemma’s little arms tight around her neck pricked her eyes with tears. She pretending to wipe something from her eye, not wanting Jake to see her vulnerability. Elian and her father had been ripped from her life too soon, and she would not lose her sister and niece this way.
Once they were airborne, Jake pulled out various maps from his bag as well as the Moleskine diaries.
“I thought about doing the Camino de Santiago myself a few years ago,” he said, as he opened them up on the table between them. Morgan glanced up at him, surprised by his words.
“To pay for what sins? What could an ARKANE agent possibly have on his conscience?”
The Camino was a thousand year old pilgrimage route through southern France and northern Spain. Morgan knew that the 780 kilometers were traditionally walked on foot as a spiritual journey, culminating at the cathedral of St James in Santiago de Compostela where the pilgrim received forgiveness for their sins. It was the very church they were heading for.
“I haven’t always been so squeaky clean,” Jake smiled broadly. Morgan noticed the scar above his eyebrow crinkling. He opened the map of Santiago de Compostela, and located the main square. His fingers were long, like a piano player’s,
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