Sean interrupted. “I feel like you’re about to refute that theory.”
“Am I that transparent?” Tommy asked. “Okay, fine. Yes, the zealot thing is a good theory. The verses, however, don’t suggest that any of the other men were armed. If they had been, wouldn’t they have tried to fight off the authorities for their messiah? You have to figure the brothers known as the sons of thunder would have done something about it had they been armed.”
“James and John, right?” Sean said.
“Correct. They were known to have a temper, as was their father. It would seem much of their angst was against the empire.”
“So it would follow that they would have been armed, or at least tried to fight.”
“Exactly,” Tommy said. “If they were carrying weapons, seems likely someone else would have been hurt.”
“Okay,” Adriana interrupted. “What are you getting at? Peter was the only one carrying a sword. Fine. So? What does any of this have to do with Charlemagne and your medallion?”
“So we come back full circle to the mission of the messiah. See, most of the disciples believed that Jesus was here to set up an earthly kingdom. They were hoping He was going to overthrow the Romans and set up the new Jewish empire. He had to correct them on that belief constantly. Even when He did, they wouldn’t accept it.”
“You’re saying Peter was ready to be the first soldier for the new Jewish nation?” Sean asked.
“At first, I thought maybe that was the answer. Now, I’m not so sure. He would have talked with the others. The entire group would have been carrying weapons if that was the consensus.” Tommy shook his head. “No, Peter was the only one. That makes things interesting.”
“Looking forward to seeing where you’re going with this.”
Tommy raised a finger. “I thought you might be. Remember how I told you about the sculpture in Cologne?”
Sean gave a nod. “Yeah. The nine heroes.”
“Yes. The Nine Worthies. There is something peculiar about that sculpture. Before you ask, I’ll just go ahead and tell you. Every single man depicted is carrying a sword. While the clothing and facial hair are all somewhat skewed to the era in which each of the heroes lived, their swords are all the same.”
Adriana raised an eyebrow. “You mean they all look the same?”
“I mean they all are the same,” Tommy said. “That makes no sense. The sword that Joshua carried had to be different than the one Charlemagne took into battle.”
“Maybe it’s just an artist error,” Sean said. “That sort of thing happens all the time. Much quicker to keep it uniform. Plus, Charlemagne’s sword is on display in the Louvre.”
“A valid explanation,” Tommy admitted. “I thought the same thing at first. Sidebar, I’m impressed you know where his sword is. Then I started analyzing the rest of the sculpture. The clothing, while somewhat similar, does have unique traits that date it to the appropriate time frame. Same with the shields, the crowns, even the hair on their heads. Why then, if the artist was so meticulous about everything else, would he make the swords identical?”
Sean’s mind connected the dots rapidly. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that all of those guys carried the same sword?”
“It’s possible. Or does that sound crazy?”
“Kind of. You’re talking about a sword that would have been passed down through millennia. Not only would it have had difficulty surviving the hundreds and thousands of years, but how would it have been passed down from generation to generation without eventually getting lost? Not to mention it would have worn down over time.”
Tommy smirked as if he knew Sean was going to out all those things. “I’m not saying it’s correct. All I’m saying is that it’s interesting to consider. Look at the facts. Every man in the sculpture experienced incredible military success. They were nigh unbeatable in battle. What if their abilities were something more than human?”
Sean and Adriana were both taken back by the question.
“What do you mean, more than human?” Adriana asked. “You don’t mean they were extraterrestrials or something?”
“No,” Tommy said, shaking his head. “I’m not saying those men in the sculpture were from outer space. The sword on the other hand…”
“So you’re suggesting that the sword — the one Peter had — was the same sword used by all those guys from the Nine Worthies? Not only that, you’re saying it had some kind of power?”
Tommy could see the doubt on his friends’ faces. He’d doubted the theory himself when he first made the connection. Now, he wasn’t so sure he was wrong.
“There can be no denying the facts. These men were all men of incredible military prowess. They were nearly unbeatable in battle, in spite of overwhelming odds. It was almost as if they had an unfair advantage.”
“Yes,” Adriana said, “but let’s say that sword does have some kind of otherworldly power. How does that transfer to one person’s entire army?”
“It wouldn’t have to do much,” Tommy said. “Look at the story of the three hundred Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae. Those three hundred soldiers held off tens of thousands from the Persian army.”
“They had a tactical advantage with the bottleneck in that spot, though,” Sean argued.
“Sure. But fighting all day, every day? Had to be exhausting.”
“Are you saying Leonidas had the sword, too?”
“No,” Tommy said. “But I’m saying it wouldn’t take much — if there were something that could help a small group of troops — to turn the tides of battle.”
The others considered his point, and the room fell into a long silence.
Tommy’s phone rang in his pocket, interrupting the quiet moment.
“Hello. Tommy here.”
Sean and Adriana watched and listened as their friend went through the motions of his phone conversation. When he ended the call, Tommy’s eyes burned with a grave intensity.
“That was Helen and Joe.”
Sean grinned. “Mac and Helen? How are they?”
“They’re good,” Tommy said in a serious tone. “I put them in charge of the dig site in France. They said they found something.”
“What?” Sean asked.
Tommy stared blankly beyond his two friends. “It was in a stone cylinder.”
“What was?” Adriana said.
“A vellum codex. The writing had faded, but was still visible due to the way it had been completely sealed in wax. They said they’re still working on the entire translation, but it references all nine of the heroes from the sculpture by name. It was stamped with a Templar cross. And it mentioned the sword.”
Adriana broke the stillness after a minute of contemplation. “Okay, just so I understand what you’re saying, this codex mentioned Templars. Does that mean we’re looking for the Holy Grail now? Or a sword?”
Tommy shook his head. “Not the grail. I think we’re looking for Excalibur.”
Chapter 7
The dramatic church spires soared above the rest of the old city. Wet cobblestone streets curved in and out between the buildings. Cafes made of brick stood across from taverns built from stone. In spite of the rain that fell earlier, the cafes still had their outdoor sitting areas open, though no one took the offer. The empty chairs were a permanent fixture, something that probably couldn’t be done in an American town. The seats would have been stolen long ago.
Europe had its share of thieves, but they were too busy picking pockets or targeting items that would fetch a higher price than simple street chairs.
Inside the tavern, a group of revelers laughed and shouted, sharing stories from the day or maybe from long ago.