A Matter of Degrees

by Alex Marcoux

  “Oui! Terribilis est!” the guide corrected her pronunciation.

  “What does that mean?” Jessie asked.

  “It means—this place is terrible!” The man said with a smile.

  “What an odd thing to say at the entrance of a church,” Taylor mumbled as she entered. She quickly recoiled when she saw the statue that greeted them inside the church, a frightening, cowering demon. “My God! What kind of church is this?”

  The guide, still holding the door, “That’s Asmodeus—the demon that King Solomon allegedly tamed.” The baptismal font was just above the devil’s head. “I was just running out for a bite to eat. I should be back in a half hour, or so. Enjoy your visit.” The guide ran off, leaving Jessie and Taylor to explore the ancient church.

  * * *

  Later that afternoon, Taylor and Jessie stopped at a quaint cafe in town for lunch. An elderly man escorted them to an outdoor table.

  “How’s your new manager?” Jessie asked as they were seated.

  “Sidney? I think she’ll work out fine. She’s very different from Mark, though.”

  “How so?” Jessie recalled the dream she’d had of Mark Rutledge, Taylor’s former manager, only weeks earlier. She shook the thought of him severing her in two with a sword.

  “She works on the opposite side of the county, for one. But also, Mark was involved in my personal life, not only my business. Sidney is more…detached.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a good thing?”

  “Yes. Don’t get me wrong. She’s very professional. She’s admitted from the beginning that she’s here to make me money, not to make friends. Mark’s priorities were obviously a little different.”

  After Jessie and Taylor had finished their lunch, an elderly man brought them coffee. “Did you go up to the church?” he asked in perfect English.

  “Yes,” Taylor answered. “Parts of it were quite beautiful. Other areas were baffling.”

  “You mean the Devil?” the man asked.

  Taylor nodded, then sipped her coffee.

  “I was a little disappointed,” Jessie admitted. “I was hoping for a more in-depth discussion with the guide.”

  “The guides are generally very good.”

  “He was running out to lunch when we arrived.”

  “My name is Joseph. I’m no guide but I’ve lived here most of my life. Maybe I can answer some of your questions. What interests you about Rennes-le-Chateau?”

  “Was the church connected to the Merovingian Dynasty?” Jessie asked.

  “Oh, yes. Some believe that the Knights Templar hid treasures there—including the Ark of the Covenant—before their demise, while others speculate that ancient scrolls which include the genealogy of the Merovingian Dynasty were hidden there.”

  “What’s the Merovingian Dynasty?” Taylor asked.

  “The descendants of Jesus,” Jessie answered.

  “But Jesus didn’t have children.”

  “That is indeed one theory.” The man continued, “Another theory suggests that Jesus didn’t die on the cross but moved to Rennes with Mary Magdalene where they had a child, and Jesus later died peacefully here, in Rennes. Some even believe that Jesus is buried under Cardou Mount or Corpus Christi, meaning the corpse of Christ.”

  “Interesting,” Jessie said. “Your English is very good, by the way.”

  “I was born and raised in Connecticut. I moved here after the war.” The man smiled. “I take it you’re Americans. Travel safe, ladies. I heard the United Nations admitted stalemate yesterday, and there was an incident at the American Embassy in Germany as well as at Kennedy Airport.”

  Jessie had heard that the United Nations stepped away from discussions. “What happened in Germany and at Kennedy?”

  “There was a suicide bombing at the Embassy and apparently intelligence uncovered a bomb threat at the airport. They closed Kennedy yesterday and from what I understand there was rioting and looting while security attempted to clear the terminals. Well, ladies,” he smiled. “I hope I answered some of your questions.”

  “You have. Thanks for the information,” Jessie said kindly.

  “Excuse me. I need to get back to my other customers.”

  * * *

  The couple walked silently side by side as they approached the security checkpoint. The guard asked for Jessie’s ticket, and she handed it to him with her passport. As he fumbled through her papers, Jessie turned to Taylor. She had had a wonderful week with her and didn’t want to say goodbye. Jessie hugged her silently. She didn’t want to let her go.

  “Here you are, Ms. Mercer,” the guard said. She was expected to move into the security area, the point at which the women had to separate.

  Jessie released Taylor and looked into her eyes. She didn’t say anything, and kissed her.

  “Don’t go,” Taylor pleaded as Jessie started to leave.

  “You know I have to,” she whispered. “I love you.” Jessie would never forget Taylor’s eyes, as they pleaded with her to stay. Getting on that plane was one of the hardest things Jessie had ever done.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rachel pulled the scarf around her neck shielding herself from the bitter December wind. She hurried alongside Washington Square Park searching the NYU campus for Heyman Hall. Here, West Kerry was giving a lecture, and she wanted to meet him before the period was over. Once inside the building, she scanned the directory, which directed her to a second-floor auditorium. She entered the rear of the lecture hall while Kerry was addressing his attentive students.

  West did a double take as Rachel moved to a seat in the rear row. His motion caused the students to look in her direction. She nodded at him, smiled, and then he continued his lecture.

  “In Genesis, the serpent plummets from grace. He falls from the tree of life and is forced to stay on earth, banished from the heavens.” Professor Kerry flashed an overhead showing an Egyptian woman standing beside a raised snake with four loops in its tail. At its mouth was an ankh.

  Rachel pushed up her sleeve, revealing the birthmark on her wrist. Even she admitted that it resembled an ankh.

  The professor removed his glasses and set them on the podium, then strolled with his slight limp to the wall near the slide’s projection. “This illustration is on the tomb of Thutmose III,” he pointed to the projection. “The ancient Egyptians believed that the greatest achievement was to raise the serpent. The looping tail signifies the spiritual centers within each of us that are affected as we raise the life force, or Kundalini energy. According to the mystery teachings and the Eastern tradition, this is how we reach enlightenment.”

  Although Rachel was baffled with the subject matter, she enjoyed watching West strut, tall and slim beside the Egyptian image.

  West referred to his notes at the podium. “Even Jesus told Nicodemus, ‘as Moses raised the serpent in the desert so must I be raised up to eternal life.’” Using a pointer stick, the professor pointed at the ankh near the mouth of the snake. “Eternal life. It was the ancient Egyptians’ belief that while they were here, they needed to raise this energy to fully realize their true nature and find eternal life.” As West finished his lecture, he glanced at his watch. “Our time is up. Same time and place on Tuesday.”

  Rachel waited while the students scattered. The men quickly disappeared while an entourage of the women lingered behind, flirting with the professor. Eventually he excused himself and climbed the auditorium stairs to where Rachel was seated.

  “You have quite a following, West.” Rachel gestured at the young women now leaving the auditorium.

  He smiled, reflecting a boyish grin. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? I thought the project was finished.”

  “It is. There’s something else I was hoping you could help me with.”

  “This was my last lecture today.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s going on four o’clock. Would you be interested in getting a bite to eat? I missed lunch.”

  * * *

  Within
a half-hour, Rachel and West were seated at a small restaurant near the campus. There were few customers eating at this time of day.

  “When is the Merovingian piece airing?” West asked.

  “After the first of the year. It turned out very well. Thank you, West.”

  “It was my pleasure. You’re working on something else I can help you with?”

  Rachel smiled at the thought of working with the professor on another piece. “Maybe,” she cleared her mind. “I’m still poking around at Freemasonry. I heard something and I was wondering if there was anything to it.” She glanced around, assuring that nobody was listening. “I heard that Freemasonry is devil worship.”

  “Oh…I’ve heard that angle before, also.”

  “Is there anything to it?” Rachel asked, urging him on.

  “There are thousands of Freemasons. I’ve known many personally over the years. I just can’t believe that all these men would be involved in devil worship.”

  “I’ve heard that one of the sacred names used in an initiation is Abaddon.”

  “Ah, The angel of the bottomless pit! Abaddon is referenced in Revelation and does imply the devil. Are you familiar with Sumeria, though?”

  “Wasn’t it an ancient society, predating the Egyptian dynasties?”

  “Yes. You’ve been doing your homework. It was an advanced society that existed between 5000 and 3500 BC in the Mesopotamian region, actually Iraq. Interestingly enough, nothing was known about Sumer until about one hundred sixty years ago. That’s when archeologists found buried cities and palaces, and retrieved thousands of clay tablets that detailed Sumerian life. It’s very well possible that one day we’ll know more about the Sumerians than we know about the Romans, Greeks, or Egyptians.”

  “Why?”

  “The other civilizations used papyrus to write on—thin strips of plant pressed together. Unfortunately it disintegrates over time, so much of the Roman, Greek, and Egyptian documentation was lost through aging, as well as fires from wars. But the Sumerians inscribed their records on wet clay tablets. Then they dried and baked them, and stored them in huge libraries. From what I’ve read, they’ve uncovered about a half million of these tablets.”

  “A half million?”

  “Yes. And many have not been translated, yet. This was an extremely advanced society that seemingly showed up from nowhere and lived for about two thousand years. We owe the concept of spherical astronomy, our timekeeping system, and the modern zodiac system of twelve astrological gods to them. One thing that is quite fascinating is that the Sumerians had an uncanny knowledge of the solar system. They correctly recorded our solar system with the exception of a tenth planet. The strange thing is that in 1981 scientists started theorizing the existence of a tenth planet based upon a telescopic sighting.”

  “How is that possible?” Rachel found it hard to believe. Of course, much of what West told her was that way. But she still sat and listened, engrossed as always.

  “If you think that’s strange…even though the Sumerians only lasted about 2,000 years, they recorded a celestial cycle that takes about 26,000 years to complete.”

  Now he truly had her attention. “How? How come we don’t hear more about the Sumerians?”

  “Probably because the loonies in the field believe that the Sumerians were created by little green men from outer space to be a slave race. So much of the information is not taken seriously. But mostly because their civilization conflicts with our own; they were a polytheistic society.”

  “They believed in many gods?”

  “That’s correct. And…let’s just say there has always been a filter that screens out undesirable data regarding scientific discoveries.”

  “You’re not serious.”

  “Very serious. Think about it, the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian were started by influential groups whose interests were to discourage mankind’s pursuit of our true creation.”

  West retrieved a notepad from his jacket and jotted down names of books. “There’s a lot of information available on the Sumerians. Some of the more controversial theories are represented in the works of Immanuel Velikovsky and Zecharia Sitchin.” He handed Rachel the slip of paper. “In case you ever lack good reading material.”

  The waiter brought their salads and Rachel mulled over the information until he was gone. “This is all very interesting, but what does any of this have to do with devil worship and Freemasonry?”

  He smiled, then sipped his wine. He enjoyed having such an attentive audience, and Rachel had become his favorite student. “The Mesopotamian tablets tell stories similar to those you would find in the Bible. There is a creation story, the story of Adam and Eve, the great flood, the tower of Babel, and so on. But…the Sumerian tablets have different twists to these stories.

  “For example, like the Bible, the Mesopotamian story of Adam and Eve is believed to be symbolic, not literal. In their story, it was believed that Adam and Eve—or the first man and woman—were created to till the soil and tend to the gardens of the gods. Remember? They were polytheistic. As long as they accepted their servant status, their needs were met and they were able to remain in a paradise. But…there was one thing they were warned never to do. Never to seek certain types of knowledge, and this is symbolized in their story as two trees, the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Or in other words, they were warned never to seek spiritual freedom and immortality. Now, in the story, Adam and Eve live in material bliss until a third party gets involved. This person is represented by the snake.”

  “The devil?” Rachel took a bite of her salad.

  “In the Bible—yes. According to the Mesopotamian tablets, however, the snake represents one of the gods by the name of Enki. Anyway, Enki suggested that Eve involve herself in the fruit of a tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And she does, as well as Adam. This angers the other gods, because the last thing they want is for mankind to seek spiritual immortality. They want mankind to remain servants, forever.”

  “So, the gods send Adam and Eve from their paradise.”

  “Yes, so their lives are consumed with maintaining their physical survival, and there is little time to seek spiritual enlightenment. The Sumerian’s recorded that Enki was banished to earth, forever, by the other gods, who exposed him as being the source of all evil. It’s recorded that the gods called him Prince of Darkness, and he was referred to as Satan, Lucifer, Ea, the devil, and Abaddon.”

  “Interesting twist.”

  “Remember when we first spoke, I told you about this secret brotherhood that was formed in Ancient Egypt? They taught the ancient mysteries and organized the masons into special groups?”

  “Yes, I remember,” Rachel said, and took another bite of her salad.

  “It is believed that Enki formed this brotherhood. It was known as the Brotherhood of the Snake.”

  For a second Rachel had difficulty swallowing the food lodged in her throat. She coughed to clear her passageway. “Excuse me…So, according to the Mesopotamian text it is possible that Freemasonry could be devil worship?”

  “Yes. But the term devil is generally perceived as being evil. According to Egyptian writing, this brotherhood was committed to the teaching of spiritual freedom.”

  “You make it sound like he was a good guy.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly say good. Eventually, the brotherhood became corrupt, and the dissemination of knowledge became restrictive to the point where it became a tool of spiritual repression. Only pharaohs, priests, and a select few were admitted into the mystery schools. And according to Egyptian lore, the teachings became distorted by Enki’s son, Marduk.”

  A chirp from West’s phone sounded. Beeping interrupted them. “Excuse me,” he retrieved the phone from his pocket and glanced at a text message. “Would you mind if I call home?”

  “Not at all.”

  He smiled and touched the screen of the phone and waited. “Hi, Rose.”

  Rachel tried to a
ppear uninterested in the professors conversation, but that was furthest from the truth.

  “No, Rose. Eat without me.” He glanced at his watch. “Yes, I should be home in about an hour or so. I’ll see you then.” He disconnected.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. Rose has been so nervous since the Kennedy Airport riot and the United Nations turmoil. Have you heard the latest?”

  “The United Nations reconvened discussions this morning.”

  “Yes, and it sounds like the member states are acting like children. The countries are dividing allegiances, and they’ve completely lost sight that Iraq continues to advance upon Kuwait.” West shook his head.

  Now it was Rachel’s turn to change the subject. “How long have you been married?”

  “I’m not married.”

  “Sorry for being presumptuous. How long have you and Rose been together?”

  West smiled warmly. “Rachel, Rose and I aren’t together. Rose is my sister. She’s going through a divorce, and she’s staying with me until things are resolved.”

  Rachel felt her face heat from embarrassment. “I apologize, I just thought…”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s it going between you and Stanley Chancellor?”

  “He’s been out of the country for weeks now.”

  “I see. Are you guys…serious?”

  Rachel smiled. “No.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Since Jessie had returned from France, she was having the hardest time concentrating on work. She turned away from her monitor and gazed out her office window. She couldn’t get Taylor off her mind. She knew that her request to remain with her through the holidays was a reasonable one. She relived their airport parting over and over again, each time, analyzing what she saw in Taylor’s eyes. Then it hit her; it was so simple. It was disappointment.

  The knock at her office door jolted her back to reality. “Come in,” but her voice was too high and she coughed to clear her throat. “Come in.”

  The door creaked ajar and Clark Coburn stepped in. “Good afternoon, Brennan. How was your vacation?”