The number seven flashed on the screen.
He located the visitors. Two were in the shaft, while the others were walking in that direction. The technician swore and turned off the computer. He was always the last to be told. A guided tour for two turned into one for several more and nobody had bothered to say anything. Well, too bad. He wasn’t about to put in any overtime watching a half dozen VIPs on yet another magical mystery tour.
73
Loki fought back with all his strength, but the Russian cuffs hindered his hands and feet, giving him no room to maneuver. The guards were carrying him like a sack of potatoes. He begged for mercy, even though he knew it would make them even more contemptuous. Like them, he had never felt the slightest compassion for anyone.
The sound of the waves slapping against the cliffs rose in the starry night, mixing with the song of nightingales perched in the yew trees that lined the overlook.
The small group made its way to the chapel, the scene of so many horrors, the walls soaked with the memory of countless torture victims.
Loki hoped the maiden would be set for a quick death.
Under the crucifix, the board members formed a half-circle around the bloody maiden. Loki was placed in the device. He held back his tears and spoke to his companions. “I take responsibility for my actions and remain a loyal servant of the Orden. I worked all my life for Halgadom. Grant me a quick death.”
The group moved in closer. Heimdall was the first to speak. “Do you recall the leniency you extended to our brother from London the last time you officiated at a ceremony with this instrument — an instrument that you yourself placed in this chapel?”
“No! He embezzled from us!”
“He was a good friend. I didn’t say anything to save him, because Orden comes first. But in his memory, you will meet the same fate. Think about Sol and your charming daughter, Joana, who is already in Valhalla if the gardener has carried out his orders. We will remove all traces of Operation Hiram and become what we were meant to be: invisible, working in the shadows. And then the day will come when we reveal ourselves to humanity.”
The metal creaked as the guards closed the cover on Loki.
Through the crack between the lid and the maiden’s side, Loki saw the pious move in even closer, and he heard Heimdall’s final words.
“You have twenty minutes to live. Experience the maiden’s bite to the fullest.”
Darkness filled the space around him.
74
There was a commotion at the entrance. Marcas looked up and saw Joana pushing Jade in front of her and Klaus with another man. Marcas tensed and stepped toward them.
“Inspector, this is a Glock 19, and it’s still pointed directly at you,” Sol said. He turned to the new arrivals. “Welcome. Did you have any trouble getting in?”
Joana pushed the two captives next to Marcas, “Not at all. Klaus knocked the conservator down the stairs leading to the entrance and we took his keys.”
The newcomer turned to Marcas. “I’m sorry, my brother, for dragging you into all of this. I fear it is raining hard.”
Marcas nodded. He had used the term himself. “Raining” was Freemason code for imminent danger.
“My brother, I’m the one who involved you.” Marcas turned to Sol. “Let him go. He’s got nothing to do with this.”
But Sol had Klaus bind the man’s wrists.
“Oh, but he does, more than you imagine. We’ve been watching him for years now — the son finishing his father’s work. When you met in Paris the other day, he did tell you all about it, didn’t he? Mr. Jouhanneau knows so much about us, Inspector. It would be a shame for him to miss the finale. And besides, do you really think I would try this without a guinea pig?”
Jouhanneau looked at Marcas. He nodded but said nothing. Jade glanced at him, grimacing. Jade’s face was drained of all color. Her hand had to be hurting. And Marcas knew Sol would kill them without giving it a second thought.
Joana led Jouhanneau to the center of the temple and forced him to sit. Marcas started to struggle, but Klaus kneed him in the stomach.
Jouhanneau turned to Marcas. “This is my path, brother.”
Sol opened one of the new vials and brought it to Jouhanneau’s lips, pulling his head back by the hair and forcing him to drink. The man choked, then swallowed. Sol unbound his hands and helped him lie down on the cold ground as everyone else looked on.
Marcas felt he had reached the end of a long journey. He could see no escape.
Nothing happened for a few minutes, and then Jouhanneau began to jerk. He looked around, his eyes wide with fear. He cried out and seemed to be trying to lift his arms and legs. But he couldn’t.
“I can’t… I can’t…” His whispered words became a shriek of alarm. “The flesh falls from the bones.”
75
The group stood in silence for a long moment, until Jouhanneau coughed and moved. Everyone stared at him as he sat up without any sign of emotion. He lifted his arms and formed a triangle in front of his lips. He was smiling.
Sol walked over and stood in front of him.
“What is it like to fuse with the gods?”
Sol nodded to his guard, who pushed Marcas and Jade against the wall. Joana stood back.
Jouhanneau was as still as a statue. He didn’t seem any different, but something had changed in his face. His eyes were emanating a dull energy. Marcas had trouble looking at him.
Sol apparently hadn’t noticed. He grabbed the second vial and waved in front of his guinea pig. “Your silence doesn’t matter. The bad side effects of the drug seem quite limited. I, too, will complete my quest in this sacred place, built by pure men who believed in the forces of nature not yet contaminated by the God of the Jews and his bastard son.”
Jouhanneau turned to him. “You know nothing about what is, what was, and what will be,” he said in a toneless voice. “The veil of knowledge will not rise for you.”
“Is that so? We’ll see about that.”
Sol poured the liquid down his throat. He licked his lips, then coughed and closed his eyes. A twisted smile formed on his face.
Marcas and Jade inched closer together.
Seconds later, Sol opened his eyes, grabbed his walking stick, and pointed it at Jouhanneau.
“On your knees, Freemason.”
Jouhanneau’s voice rang out. “No. A free man kneels before no one.”
Sol gave the guard the signal. A shot rang out, echoing in the cave.
Jouhanneau collapsed, clutching his stomach.
“You bastard,” Marcas roared.
Joana pistol-whipped him. Marcas stumbled against the wall. Jade tried to help but her hands were still tied.
Sol stood over Jouhanneau. “I feel an incredible force rising in me, as if I were young again.” His faced was a mask of cruelty. “I am an SS again, marching for the glory of the West. Tell me, Mason, before I do away with you for good, what did you feel? Did you see your God?”
Jouhanneau stared at him.
“You couldn’t understand. I saw myself. That is all.”
“You’re lying, dog.”
Sol raised his stick and brought it down on Jouhanneau’s shoulder.
“No!” Marcas shrieked.
But Jouhanneau did not scream. Sol seemed possessed.
“In prehistoric times, shamans sacrificed animals to win the favor of the gods,” Sol shouted. “It’s all here in the paintings. You’re just an animal. I’m burning up. My strength is taking over.”