Silver Knight

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Bishop Soratino, this is Diana. I’m in Rome. When do you think we could meet?”

  “Ahh, Diana, it’s so good to hear from you again. How about tomorrow at ten?”

  “That’d be great.”

  “Did you come alone?” he wanted to know.

  “Like I said before, I don’t know what else to tell you,” I said. Being a horrible liar, I evaded a direct answer.

  “Well, I just thought I’d check,” he sounded genuinely disappointed.

  “So I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye,” I said and hung up.

  Helen retired to her room for a nap but still wired with energy after the flight, the rest of us decided to walk around to see some of the city. Rome was the capital of Italy and its largest and most historical city spanning roughly two and a half thousand years of time. Founded in myth by twin brothers Romulus and Remus who as infants were raised by a wolf. While building the city, the brothers argued, and Romulus killed Remus. I felt a sense of déjà vu in Rome, even though it didn’t look anything like what I remembered from my dreams…

  * * * *

  27 BCE

  Barely visible in the far distance, Mount Vesuvius squatted threateningly, but it would be another 107 years before it would violently erupt. Unaware of that fact, I shivered and turned my back to it, looking instead into the dark cave entrance. There was a clammy feel in the air around my bare arms. A white cotton dress draping over my shoulder was tightened around my waist with a wide leather belt. Sandals cushioned my feet with long leather ties winding up my calves. A gold snake armlet tightened about my bicep when my arm flexed as I shifted my grip on the long pole in my hand. It was a type of javelin with a silver spear tip.

  There was a reek in the air that was incredible, worse than any dead animal could ever be. Hearing a snuffling sound, a munching crunch and then a sucking, I slowly crept forward. I saw the dim flickering light of a torch ahead of me. Drawing nearer, I could see a woman laying on the cave floor and over her hunched a figure in a tattered black cloak. The cloaked arms surrounded the woman as if they were embracing.

  Trying to creep a little closer, my toe struck a pebble that rolled echoingly across the floor. The figure drew back and half turned, clawed hands releasing the woman to the floor. It was Mary I saw despairingly. She looked at me with horror in her eyes and a pleading, with blood and a wispy white substance flowing from wounds near her collarbone on her chest.

  I was so frightened but also infuriated. Mary was an innocent and my friend. Leaping forward and taking the javelin in both hands, I rammed it with all my strength into the eye of the creature in the cloak before it could move. Black goo spurted from the wound, and a high keening sound rang through the cave. Inky smoke started to swirl from the feet of the creature. Stepping back and pulling the javelin loose, I rammed it into the demon’s chest with all my might and released it as the demon began thrashing about. When the demon burst into a cloud of smoke, the javelin clattered to the black stained cave floor. I knelt by Mary, but there was no hope. I had been too late to save her.

  Leaving the cave, even with night approaching, I saw him on the hillside beneath the lone tree. A soldier of the new Roman Empire with Augustus now as Emperor, he stood as if he were a god save for the sorrowful expression on his handsome face.

  “Ahh, Diana, no,” he shook his head. “You are the one. I wasn’t sure until now.” At his words, my heart seemed to freeze. I could hear the metal studded leather straps attached along the bottom edge of his armor slap against his thighs as he moved forward.

  “That thing just killed Mary. Should I have let it live uncontested?” I challenged, raising my chin high.

  “I care not about that creature. What concerns me, Diana, is the fact that you have a debt to pay to me.”

  “What debt could I possibly owe to you?”

  “Years ago, my friend, he who was as a brother to me, died so that you and I could be together. I promised you then that you would suffer for that death when you stabbed me in the back.”

  “Alexander?” I whispered, not able to gain any volume sick as I was at Mary’s death and now this. What was going to happen? But I knew. I cleared my throat. “You don’t have to do this. I’ve watched you, and I know that you don’t kill others for their souls now.”

  “I killed for you, Diana. I took a soul for you. And you still have to pay,” he said coldly.

  I held the javelin grimly in both hands as he came towards me slashing his sword back and forth. The javelin gave me reach, but I was not experienced with its use. In the cave winning happened because of surprise, not through any particular skill of mine. Alexander was an accomplished soldier, a military leader through the ages. There was no way that I would win, but I had to make the attempt.

  Hoping to at least get a decent stab in, I unexpectedly ran towards him. He easily parried the javelin tip away from his body with the sword and then grabbed my arm, twisting it cruelly until it almost snapped. Screaming and with tears starting in my eyes, I released the javelin to him, and he threw it from us.

  Gasping I fell to my knees when he released me, cradling my arm against my body with my head bent. He placed his hand upon my head, and for a moment it seemed he was stroking my hair in apology. But then his fingers entwined in it, yanking my head back, stretching my neck painfully. This is it, I thought. He was close, and surprisingly I realized he too was kneeling. Pressing his body to mine, it felt as if he were bringing me closer, holding me. His other hand he brought up to stroke my face and wipe away the tears with a gentle thumb. He looked at me as if memorizing my face, like he never wanted to forget what I looked like.

  As we knelt together, the tension seemed to leave him, and an indefinable look entered his eyes. He released the pressure on my neck somewhat and slowly lowered his face towards mine. His face just an inch away, he paused to study my reaction, and I waited, expectantly. Then his lips touched mine in a tender kiss—a kiss filled with sweetness, longing. His hand became gentle on my back, and I forgot everything, as desire seemed to consume me. There was no pain from my arm. I did not know that I was kneeling with him outside the cave in which a demon had just been killed. Recalling nothing, I only felt. And what I felt was that I wanted him to kiss me forever.

  But it was not to last. When he finally lifted his lips from mine, he looked at me in silence for a moment.

  “You kissed me,” he said finally.

  “Yes.” He had to be able to feel my heart, still racing, pressed against his chest.

  “Why?”

  “It did not feel like a punishment,” I said simply.

  “No,” he said uncertainly, still stroking my face absentmindedly with his hand. “It wasn’t a punishment for you, but you must be punished.” He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself that he had to do it, but it was clear that he was conflicted.

  “You do not have to punish me. Can we not go forward from here instead?” I asked him. He looked into my eyes again and then his eyes strayed lower to my lips. Slowly he bent to kiss me once more. It was the most wonderful sensation, his lips moving almost lovingly on mine. When he raised his head again, I sighed and slowly opened my eyes. I saw the beginning of fear creep into his expression. Fear of what I was not sure, but he was quickly coming to a decision. He jerked away from me and swiftly stood.

  “No we do not go forward. I stand by my promises, and I swore that you would suffer,” he fairly spat at me, his jaw clenched. I saw him raise his sword to bring it down and knew no more.

  * * * *

  The Present

  Well, Roman soldiers aside, Rome was lovely and vibrant with people everywhere. It was so crowded that Sam, Maggie, and I were pushed down a side street we weren’t even aiming for. We didn’t mind because we were looking in all the shop windows. It was there in that side street that I saw a symbol of a burning candle in the bottom corner of a window. It had the words ‘We Welcome the Light’ arced above it. The merchandis
e in the window consisted mainly of jewelry, but there were knickknacks, knives and other things also. Something about that lit candle drew me, so we went into the shop.

  A young man was working on a watch at the counter near the front of the store when we entered. He glanced up and smiled at us but didn’t stop working. We wandered between the tall shelves each taking a different isle and eventually ended by the back wall near an open curtained doorway. Sitting in an overstuffed chair was an old, withered man who looked asleep. At least I hoped he was asleep and not dead, not actually seeing his chest move. We stopped by a rack of knives and daggers near the doorway.

  “Maybe you should get a dagger that will fit down in your boot,” Sam suggested as he picked one up and examined it.

  “It has to be silver to kill a demon,” I reminded him as the one he held had a bronze shade. Unbelievably, the old man in the chair had heard us and looked at me sharply. I thought all old people were deaf.

  “Young lady, are you a warrior?” At his question, I nodded in surprise, and he waved for us to enter.

  “It’s been many years since I met any others,” he said happily.

  “Others?” Sam asked. The old guy looked at the three of us speculatively.

  “Surely all three of you aren’t warriors,” he said. “I’ve never known so many to come together at one time.”

  “Umm, no, it’s just me,” I smiled shyly at him. All this was so new, never realizing that my dreams were true…that I had actually lived over and over, fighting and dying so that the Light would continue. Would I die this time? I rather hoped not.

  He grinned a toothless smile and gestured for us to gather around him. “If you are here to fight, I have some excellent weapons for you. I personally devised many of them to use in my own struggles. During WWII, I was a weapons specialist. It was then that I put together an especially nice grenade that will discharge silver shrapnel. I don’t have any made up right now, but if you will come back tomorrow, I will have my grandson, Antonio, put some weapons together tonight in a pack for you.”

  “Wow, grenades!” Sam exclaimed with a whoop. “That would be totally awesome!”

  The old guy cackled, delighted with his impression on us. “I have several useful silver weapons on hand.” He launched into an involved story about being surrounded by Germans during a battle. He used what he termed “mini” grenades as a distraction, finally finishing the entire battalion off single-handedly. It was a little difficult to follow between his accent and lack of teeth. His heroic, often outlandish actions, sounded much larger than life, but we thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment. As he wound down, we could tell he was getting tired. Finally, “Come back tomorrow afternoon,” he encouraged. We told him we would see him then.

  Before leaving we said hello to Antonio. He seemed surprised his grandfather had spoken to us for so long until he realized we wanted to fight demons. He said we wasn't a warrior but wished us luck. I found a dagger that fit inside my boot perfectly so went ahead and got that as we left the shop. Maggie found a silver cross that appealed to her, and Sam got a pocketknife. Then we went back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

  Helen greeted us with the news that the guys had called and would see us the next morning before I left to go to the Vatican. We found a menu and ordered in, and as we were all pretty beat from the trip, we went to bed early…not that it did me any good.

  * * * *

  116 CE

  I knelt in a secluded, narrow valley with starlight shining down and a crescent moon hanging just above the trees. Mist rose from a small lake forming a haze within the surrounding wood and narrowing visibility on the road. My companion shifted, and I realized we had been waiting, hidden near the road, for some time. When would they pass?

  Daniel had overheard the demon, Asmodeus, earlier that day. He had, in fact, walked into the demon by accident, simply rounding a corner at the wrong time. He had told me that if he had not been that close, he would not have realized that Asmodeus was a demon because he smelled of a spicy, cinnamon odor that nearly masked the demon stink. Apologizing profusely, Daniel had moved on and then double backed to discreetly follow. He led Daniel to a shack located near the docks where the entire area smelled of rotting fish. It was difficult to determine whether any other demons were nearby…but they were.

  Daniel had approached the back of the building and crawled onto a barrel under a shuttered window opening to listen to the demons. Several demons were in the house and clearly identified Asmodeus by name as the leader. They plotted to overtake a trading caravan not just for the souls but also for the goods. Asmodeus apparently grew tired of caves and out of the way hovels, and planned to start living well. He had discovered the scent of cinnamon would help to mask his odor and intended to set up a large house somewhere in Rome. After hearing that, Daniel had come to find me.

  Our plan was simple. We waited on the roadway leading from Ostia to Rome. It was the route the demons would take to meet up with the caravan. I waited with my bow and Daniel with his sword. Only…no demons appeared.

  “Now what?” I asked in a whisper. “Do we continue to wait or should we move further down the road?”

  He shook his head uncertainly and finally said, “Perhaps I misunderstood the night. Maybe we should go to the docks and see if they are still there.” I nodded agreement, and we started jogging down the road back toward Ostia. Situated at the mouth of the Tiber River, Ostia contained the busy harbor for goods that would head to Rome either up river or by road. Roman roads, which connected many of the cities, were the finest in the world, and this one was no exception being broad and paved with flat stones. During the day it was filled with travelers as they passed between Ostia and Rome. This night, it was deserted.

  As we rounded a bend in the road, demon stink nearly overwhelmed us. Before we knew it, we were under attack! A small, vicious creature latched onto my forearm when I brought it up in front of me to ward it off. I dropped the bow I was carrying and taking the arrow, I jabbed it into its eye. Screaming in pain, the creature released my arm, and I was free to draw my dagger.

  Daniel was pinned under a great wolf demon barely holding its teeth at bay. I leaped onto its back and drove my dagger into its side. It bucked and reeled backward finally crashing onto its back with me still clutching it with my arms and legs, holding the dagger into the creature.

  We were at last alone on the road again, the demons gone. Daniel removed his leather belt and wrapped my forearm, stemming the flow of blood.

  “What do you think?” he asked me.

  “I think we were ambushed.” The feeling of anger pulsated throughout my body. “They were waiting. Could this Asmodeus have seen you following him?”

  Daniel shook his head. “I cannot be certain. He did not act as if he knew I followed.”

  “There can be no other explanation though. There is no caravan in this area and these two were obviously waiting for someone…for us.” He nodded in agreement as we made our way back toward Ostia.

  * * * *

  The Present

  The next day dawned with a spectacular sunrise. The sun’s rays sprayed across a thin film of clouds giving them a perfect blush. I was early, not only because of the time difference, but because I was anxious to have my meetings over later that morning. David was going to take the tour of the Vatican while I was meeting Bishop Soratino. If he had to pretend to get ‘lost’ so that he could stay as close to me as possible, he would.

  Vatican City was a walled enclave within the city of Rome that took up about 110 acres and had a population of approximately 800. It had been established back in 1929 via a treaty signed by Mussolini and contained the Holy See, which stood for “holy chair.” The Holy See formed the central government for the entire Roman Catholic Church with the Pope as its principal leader. While walking across a courtyard, the tour group that included David shuffled past. He was looking down at a pamphlet in his hands and was the very last person in the group line-up. I saw his ey
es flick towards me as I walked by.

  I was thoroughly awed upon being ushered into Bishop Paul Soratino’s office. Everything seemed to be crystal or gilt edged and sumptuous. The Church used to be the largest and wealthiest employer in the world, acquiring many luxurious items over the centuries—some of which looked as if they’d found their way into his office.

  “Welcome, welcome. Please come in and sit down,” he spoke with a slight accent, not quite Italian, but I couldn’t place it. He came forward to sit down in a chair and gestured at another for me. “How was your flight?”

  “Fine, thank you. Since I got in last night, the jet lag isn’t so bad now.”

  “Excellent. Well, you are a young one, aren’t you?” he asked with a slight frown on his round face as he looked at me. His hair was entirely white, and as in his video, he wore a long black cassock. It had a belt that after encircling him, hung towards the floor reaching to his knees with a cross swinging from the end.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, feeling an apology was necessary. I felt embarrassed to be so young and, his voice implied, so inexperienced—all too true unfortunately.

  “And the others? They are here too?” he asked.

  “What others?” I asked, knowing he hoped I would say that more warriors had arrived with me.

  “Then there’s just you?”

  “Didn’t you hear from anyone else?” I asked instead of answering outright.

  “No, just you.”

  “Well, I just happened to recognize you. Maybe you should redo your video and include how to contact you.” I didn’t mean to criticize, but if he’d at least said his name, he might have gotten more of a response.

  “I did not want, how do you say, crackpots contacting me,” he said with a smile. “I only wanted true warriors.”

  “Ah, so there’s a demon,” I said hesitantly after a short pause.

  “More than just one, my dear. As I said when we first spoke, there is a reporter here in Rome that has been researching crimes in the areas of the various catacombs, and from what he has revealed, it is apparent that it is the work of demons. For so many people to have died, well over 30 according to Mr. Black’s estimates, it can only be the work of many demons, not just one—an infestation.”