the driveway and raced away.
The old woman smiled to herself. “We have found our new Pythia,” she murmured.
Chapter 12 – Power Tools
It was late afternoon when Abraham decided to allow himself the indulgence of half an hour in the treasury. It was a secret room concealed behind a panel in his office wall. Only a few trusted followers knew of its existence. The room’s contents were too precious to become common knowledge.
He typed a code into the keypad next to the steel door. It swung open on noiseless hinges and then shut behind him. The design of the interior resembled a bank safe. A windowless space with rows of small metal doors lining the walls. Individual security keypads were mounted on each one. A fluorescent fixture glared down from the ceiling on a bare table standing in the center of the room.
Abraham walked up to one of the small metal doors and typed a code into its keypad. When the door swung open, he withdrew the most recent addition to his collection and placed the object on the table. It was a small round shield that a warrior would strap to his forearm. More properly, it would be called a buckler. This one was green. At its center were painted five small blue shields arranged in the shape of a cross. Each shield was decorated with five gold circles. The monetary worth of the buckler was negligible. It wasn’t made of gold or adorned with precious gems but its value lay in its miraculous history. In that regard it was priceless.
During the Middle Ages, Portugal was overrun by Moors who wished to convert their foes to Islam at the point of a sword. Christians had fought against them for centuries in an effort to reclaim their country. In 1139, Don Afonso Henriquez was about to engage the heathen horde on the plains of Ourique. Shortly before the battle, he saw a vision in the eastern sky of Christ on a cross. He believed this to be a portent of victory. His troops went on the slaughter the Moorish army and, at the end of that day, Don Afonso was named the first king of Portugal . In commemoration of his vision, Afonso adorned his buckler with five shields forming the shape of a cross, each with five bezants representing the wounds of Christ. An invaluable treasure and clear proof of divine favor.
Abraham moved the buckler to the left side of the table and went to another compartment to retrieve a second item. It was much smaller than the shield. A jagged piece of iron. A fragment broken from the tip of a spear. Utterly worthless for the raw material from which it was made. But, once again, appearances could be deceiving. This bit of common metal was a piece of the Longinus Lance. The spear which had pierced the side of Christ when he died on the cross. It was called the Longinus Lance because it had belonged to a Roman centurion of that name but the weapon had other names too. Most often it was called the Spear Of Destiny because it was said that whoever possessed it could never be defeated in combat. Another portion of the spear tip had briefly belonged to Adolph Hitler during the Second World War. When he lost it to the enemy, his fortunes changed for the worse. That piece was now housed in the Vatican under the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The fragment which Abraham was holding had once belonged to Louis IX of France . The king had enshrined it, along with the crown of thorns from the crucifixion in Saint Chapelle in Paris . Both objects disappeared from history after the French Revolution. One of them had now found its way into Abraham’s private collection.
The old man moved the lance tip to the right side of the table. He went back to the metal doors again. This time he retrieved a helmet and carried it back to the table. Metcalf examined the object in detail. It was of Roman design, fabricated of copper and iron. It conformed closely to the shape of the head, covering the ears. A neck guard protruded from the back and cheek protectors jutted from each side. It was surmounted by a
The old woman smiled to herself. “We have found our new Pythia,” she murmured.
Chapter 12 – Power Tools
It was late afternoon when Abraham decided to allow himself the indulgence of half an hour in the treasury. It was a secret room concealed behind a panel in his office wall. Only a few trusted followers knew of its existence. The room’s contents were too precious to become common knowledge.
He typed a code into the keypad next to the steel door. It swung open on noiseless hinges and then shut behind him. The design of the interior resembled a bank safe. A windowless space with rows of small metal doors lining the walls. Individual security keypads were mounted on each one. A fluorescent fixture glared down from the ceiling on a bare table standing in the center of the room.
Abraham walked up to one of the small metal doors and typed a code into its keypad. When the door swung open, he withdrew the most recent addition to his collection and placed the object on the table. It was a small round shield that a warrior would strap to his forearm. More properly, it would be called a buckler. This one was green. At its center were painted five small blue shields arranged in the shape of a cross. Each shield was decorated with five gold circles. The monetary worth of the buckler was negligible. It wasn’t made of gold or adorned with precious gems but its value lay in its miraculous history. In that regard it was priceless.
During the Middle Ages, Portugal was overrun by Moors who wished to convert their foes to Islam at the point of a sword. Christians had fought against them for centuries in an effort to reclaim their country. In 1139, Don Afonso Henriquez was about to engage the heathen horde on the plains of Ourique. Shortly before the battle, he saw a vision in the eastern sky of Christ on a cross. He believed this to be a portent of victory. His troops went on the slaughter the Moorish army and, at the end of that day, Don Afonso was named the first king of Portugal . In commemoration of his vision, Afonso adorned his buckler with five shields forming the shape of a cross, each with five bezants representing the wounds of Christ. An invaluable treasure and clear proof of divine favor.
Abraham moved the buckler to the left side of the table and went to another compartment to retrieve a second item. It was much smaller than the shield. A jagged piece of iron. A fragment broken from the tip of a spear. Utterly worthless for the raw material from which it was made. But, once again, appearances could be deceiving. This bit of common metal was a piece of the Longinus Lance. The spear which had pierced the side of Christ when he died on the cross. It was called the Longinus Lance because it had belonged to a Roman centurion of that name but the weapon had other names too. Most often it was called the Spear Of Destiny because it was said that whoever possessed it could never be defeated in combat. Another portion of the spear tip had briefly belonged to Adolph Hitler during the Second World War. When he lost it to the enemy, his fortunes changed for the worse. That piece was now housed in the Vatican under the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The fragment which Abraham was holding had once belonged to Louis IX of France . The king had enshrined it, along with the crown of thorns from the crucifixion in Saint Chapelle in Paris . Both objects disappeared from history after the French Revolution. One of them had now found its way into Abraham’s private collection.
The old man moved the lance tip to the right side of the table. He went back to the metal doors again. This time he retrieved a helmet and carried it back to the table. Metcalf examined the object in detail. It was of Roman design, fabricated of copper and iron. It conformed closely to the shape of the head, covering the ears. A neck guard protruded from the back and cheek protectors jutted from each side. It was surmounted by a
Similar Books
