Betrayed by Christopher Dinsdale Page B

reside. Hiram Abiff, the architect of the Temple, designed and built Solomon’s Temple using the perfect symmetries of mathematics. It was the mathematical perfection of the building that allowed the Temple to be worthy enough for God Himself to call it home. That is why we strive for all of our temples, including the one we’re standing in right now, to be mathematically perfect.”
    Connor peered closely at the tapestry. “What is that golden box, the one sitting on the pedestal within the Holy of Holies, Sir Rudyard?”
    â€œDo you see the two golden angels on top of the lid, wings extended towards each other, their tips almost touching? That is the Ark of the Covenant. It is made of solid gold.”
    â€œSolid gold?” repeated Connor, trying to imagine such a huge quantity of the precious metal.
    â€œYes, but the real treasure was actually the item kept within the box itself.”
    â€œWhat was it?” asked the boys, in unison.
    â€œThe Ten Commandments. The very tablets on which God had written his laws on Mount Sinai for Moses to take to the Israelites. It is said that an army who goes forth into battle with the Ark of the Covenant fights with the power of God. Needless to say, an army led by the Ark becomes invincible. The Bible records battles where a powerful light flashed out from the Ark, destroying entire enemy armies in a single instant. After word of The Ark’s power reached nearby kingdoms, attacking armies would flee at the sight of it.”
    The boys stared silently at the image of the golden box. The possibility of such a thing existing on Earth was simply too overwhelming for Connor to even contemplate.
    The chapel grew noticeably darker as the sun dipped below the jagged hills of Orkney Island. Noticing the loss of light, Sir Rudyard led the boys outside and back into the castle.
    â€œYou have had a long journey. Your battle training will begin tomorrow, so I suggest you find a mat in the Great Hall and get a good night’s sleep.”
    The three said good night and the boys walked across the Great Hall, pulled out two unused woven straw pallets from a pile in the corner and joined a dozen other men already asleep on the floor. Angus’s eyes were shut before his headhit the ground, and in no time, he was snoring contentedly.
    Connor collapsed onto his pallet and allowed his body to sag under the exhaustion of the past three days. His mind, however, swam with the wonders of all he had just experienced since arriving at Kirkwall Castle. He simply couldn’t fathom what might be in store for him on the morrow.

Six
    Connor and Angus quietly arose before dawn while dozens of knights remained sprawled on the floor of the Great Hall, snoring off the previous evening’s consumption of strong ale. They quietly piled their mats in the corner of the room then made their way out into the fresh air of the outer bailey. Striding through the morning light, they wandered excitedly around the compound until they could peer over the wall of the sea fortress. They were surprised to see so much activity on the shore below. Leaving the comfort of the small village on the opposite side of the bay, a handful of fishermen made their way down to the dozen skiffs lined up on the shore and pushed them out into the cold sea, their nets ready to haul in the day’s catch. Only one of the large still lay beached on the water’s edge, and workmen continued to swarm all over its length. The boys were amazed as the sailors carefully inserted a huge, newly-hewn mast into the heart of the ship using a complex set of pulleys, scaffolding and ropes.
    The boys turned away from the wall and made their way to a small stone hut at the southernmost tip of the fortress. It was positioned so that it overlooked the entire harbour, giving the building a clear view to any ship that left or entered the waters of Kirkwall. Connor and Angus could hear a bellowssucking away at the morning