The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels
Page 166
Chapter 29
ROME PROVINCE. THE VATICAN ENCLAVE
IN THE CITY OF ROME.
JUNE, 1502. THE SAME DAY.
Andrei arrived at the Vatican soon after. He heard the Black Ones come for the gang leader, even from a distance. The damned soul of the man screamed out loud for mercy when they did. Blindness did not prevent him from seeing them, nor the images of the Abyss they showed to him before they dragged him down.
Pilgrims filled St. Peter’s Square, where they had gathered to hear the pope say Mass. Andrei walked around the edge of the vast square. He stopped when he saw a woman dressed in mere rags. She had a baby hanging from a breast that resembled little more than a sagging flap of skin, and three other small ones close by. When she looked up, she offered him a smile.
He sensed she had a warm soul the moment their eyes met. “How long is it since you have eaten?” he asked her.
She lowered her head. It appeared to him that she felt embarrassed at her situation. “I do not know,” she whispered, her voice weak.
“Is your husband close by?”
“No, he is no longer in this world.”
“I am sorry,” Andrei said. “You need to eat. I have some food.”
Her stomach growled at the mention of it. “I have nothing to pay you with, sir,” she said. “And I shall not give my body.”
He seemed hurt by her words. “I do not want anything from you.”
“I am sorry,” she said. “I am not used to such kindness.”
He passed her a bundle, which she opened. Inside, she found bread and some fruit. She broke off a piece from the loaf and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Ensure your children eat too.”
She stopped chewing when the children crowded around her, seeing she had food.
“Allow me,” he said. “You look after the baby.”
Andrei fed each of her children, though the bread and fruit did not last long. They were starving. The woman looked up at him, and smiled.
“You can have my horse,” Andrei said. “It should fetch a fair price.”
“You cannot give me your horse.”
“I do not need it any longer,” he assured her. “Not where I am going.”
He left her there. The crowd cheered when the pope appeared on the balcony at the top of the square. Andrei moved through the masses. He looked up for a moment and eyed the small figure of Alexander. When he walked to the entrance beneath, the Swiss Guard blocked his path.
“You cannot enter here,” one of them said.
Andrei looked deep into his eyes. “The Holy Father needs to see me.”
The guard returned his gaze, ready to scoff at and dismiss the comment. He found a peace and tranquillity in Andrei’s eyes that touched him deep inside. His demeanour changed at once. When Andrei smiled, he smiled too. He stepped aside to let the old man pass.
Andrei walked through the great halls. When anyone saw him, they just left him be. He made his way to the pope’s private quarters, his instincts guiding him there.
“Can I help you?” the pope’s secretary asked him.
“The Holy Father is expecting me.”
“And your name?”
“It is Andrei, Monsignor.”
“He has not mentioned you.”
“He shall know me when he sees me.”
Sometime later, Alexander walked the same route through the Vatican halls. The monsignor and several cardinals walked with him. His secretary advised him of the man he had met.
“So where is this man?” the pope asked. “I have not the vaguest idea who he might be.”
“I left him here, Holy Father.”
“He sounds like another street urchin looking to exploit my better nature.”
“I imagine so, Holy Father.”
“It is good then that he is gone. I have more pressing business to attend to. Has Cesare returned?”
“Not as yet, Holy Father.”
“Send him to my rooms the moment he arrives. I need to discuss the Florentine situation with him.”
“Very good, Holy Father.”
“Send Piccolomini in to see me. Other than for he, I do not wish to be disturbed.”
The monsignor bowed and kissed his hand. He opened the door for Alexander, and then summoned the cardinal. The others, he advised the pope did not want to be disturbed for the moment.
The pope walked into his rooms. He sighed and threw off some of his robes. The Florentine situation weighed heavily on his mind. After the failure to defeat them, a truce seemed the only option. He gasped when he saw Andrei sat there. “How did you get in here?” he asked.
“We must talk.”
“You cannot come in here. I wish you to leave at once.”
“I am not leaving.”
“Then I shall have you removed. My guards would not be so kind.”
“No, you shall not.”
Alexander could not believe the cheek of the man. “Who are you?”
“I am Andrei.”
“Ah, the mysterious Andrei. Is that meant to mean something to me?”
Andrei stood up and looked into his eyes. “It ought to.”
The man looked vaguely familiar. He could not place him, but knew he had seen him before. “How do I know you?”
“You oft see me in your dreams.”
“This is nonsense. Andrei, if that is your name, I am a busy man.”
“Then it can wait.”
“I beg your pardon,” he said in disbelief. “It is you who can wait. That is if I decide to entertain you at all.”
“You are as old as I,” Andrei said. “You do not have much time left.”
“You are implying what?”
“You have much to atone for, and so little time to do it. You shall entertain me. The destiny of your soul may depend on it.”
“Do you know who you are talking to?”
“You are a man, the same as I. Not as good a man, I grant you.”
“I am the pope!”
“You are God’s elected representative, yes, but you have abused that privilege. I offer you the chance to atone for some of what you have done.”
“This is nonsense. I do not have to answer to you.”
“You do right this moment.”
The pope stopped to gaze at him. He felt threatened and more than a little unsure of his visitor. “I can have you arrested for speaking to me in that fashion.”
“You could,” Andrei agreed. “If you do, then you shall burn for your sins.”
Alexander could see in Andrei’s eyes that he meant it. Images from his dreams flashed through his mind. Although unclear, he did remember seeing his visitor in them. His arrogance, though, was a problem. No one had ever spoken to him like this. Now that someone had, he did not like it. “I have never met anyone with such temerity.”
“You are but a man. Nothing you say or threaten me with shall intimidate me.”
“Even if I were to have you executed?”
Andrei stopped and looked him in the eye. “I have come face-to-face with the most powerful evil in the universe.”
Alexander laughed at him. “You have seen the Devil?”
“And defeated him. So you hold no fear for me, Rodrigo.”
The pope felt he was dealing with a madman. One with such delusions could prove dangerous. But everything about the demeanour of this man hinted that he spoke the truth.
“This is no jest,” Andrei said.
“I know. That is what scares me.”
In that moment, Piccolomini entered the room. He eyed Andrei right away.
Andrei saw the black aura that surrounded the cardinal. It had a much more defined outline than that of the pope. “What I have to say is for your ears only,” he said, returning his attention to Alexander. “Make him leave, or the consequences could prove dire for everyone.”
“I cannot speak with you yet, Francesco,” the pope said to his visitor.
“I beg your pardon, Holy Father, but we h
ave important matters to discuss.”
“They shall have to keep for the now.”
“But they cannot!” the cardinal protested, raising his voice.
“I shall speak with you later, Francesco.”
The cardinal looked sour. “Who is this man?”
“I am not at liberty to say.”
“You cannot say what is more important than our business?”
Andrei walked in a threatening fashion toward the cardinal. A powerful white glow suddenly radiated from him that both the other men could see. The cardinal stepped back, a little afraid. He found the old gypsy very intimidating.
“It is well that you fear me,” Andrei said. “Your black aura is stinking out this room.”
Piccolomini looked away. The glow hurt his eyes.
“You had best leave,” Andrei advised, moving closer.
He offered Andrei one last look, before he left. Andrei waited for the door to close. When it did, he slid the bolt across with a glance of his eyes.
Alexander then watched one of the plush sofas drag itself across the carpet and barricade the door. “How did you do that?”
Andrei did not answer him. “Let us begin.”
“Very well. What is the nature of your visit here?”
“Evil.”
The pope looked perplexed. “You have come to me to talk of evil?”
“The greatest evil of all.”
“You want to talk to me of the Devil?”
“No.”
“But there is no greater embodiment of evil.”
“There is if it walks the earth in the form of a man.”
“Lucifer has taken on the identity of a man?”
“You of all people should know the terms of the truce God made with him.”
“It is a myth.”
“It is a fact! To end the Great War, God entered into a truce with His fallen son.”
Alexander decided to humour the old gypsy. “Then enlighten me, if you will.”
“They agreed they could contest the soul of every man. Every man and woman who has walked the earth has the power to choose their own destiny.”
“We all know God bestowed us with the gift of free will.”
“For that reason, there are rules that restrict them both.”
“And those are?”
“They cannot physically interfere in the lives of men. They can only use the power of persuasion and thought, and for Lucifer, temptation.”
“And is that not enough?”
“Not for Lucifer. He realised if he created a beast in his own image to walk the earth, that creature would not be so restricted.”
“I can see no logic in that. This is a fantasy of yours.”
“The same way Jesus came in God’s own image, so does one walk the earth in Lucifer’s. But where Jesus brought the gift of life and hope, the other brings only death and darkness.”
“Who is this entity?”
“You know of him.”
“How might that be?”
“Your predecessors knew him. Men whom you looked up to and respected.”
“Who is he?”
“He was a ruler of great repute. He carried the banner of our faith into battle against the Ottoman Turks.”
“His name!”
“It is Vlad Dracula.”
Alexander knew the name. He was very familiar with the crusades originated by Sixtus IV. Dracula led the last of these in 1475. He had also seen a document written about the night of Dracula’s alleged death at Snagov. “Yes, I know of him. So you claim the stories written of him are true?”
“Yes, they are true.”
“And what was the purpose of his creation as a demon?”
“To destroy the Church.”
“But why? For what purpose?”
“Lucifer sees a chance to turn man against God again if the Church falls. Sadly, it is one of the easier options for him to exploit.”
“Why do you say that? The Church is God’s great icon.”
“Men like you are making his task an easy one. Your position means you are to live a life of purity, chastity, and servitude. Yet you abuse it. You murder, steal, and involve yourself in all manner of sexual debauchery. In the same manner Jesus was chaste, so must you be.”
Andrei’s words stung him hard, and he had to fight to keep his temper under control. He could not deny, though, what the other man had said. His only interest as pope had been to promote the careers of his children. To achieve this end, he had engaged in every kind of treachery.
“You can still atone for much of this, Rodrigo,” Andrei said. “It is not too late. Change your ways, and do what is required of you this day.”
He did not want to talk about it. “You are connected to Dracula?”
“I am his twin soul. We breathed life in the very same moment.”
“There is more, I wager?”
“Yes, he is my brother.”
“So you are born of royalty?”
“No. We had the same father, but never the same privileges.”
“I understand. Your mother was a mistress of Dracula’s father?”
Andrei shot him a sharp glance that indicated she was not. “My mother endured great suffering during my conception.”
“And yet you turned out the better of the two?”
“It is what God wished.”
“Even so, what brings you to me this day?”
“As the pope, you and your successors have to know how to destroy him.”
“As you say, I am but a man. What can I do?”
“Protect my body. I am the key to killing him.”
“You are the key?”
“Yes, my bones and the bones of my six sons shall provide the weapons to kill Dracula. Only those can end his existence.”
“Your sons are dead?”
“No, they all live.”
“Then is this not a little premature?”
“No, it is not. My time on this earth is almost at an end. My body has to be buried here in the Vatican.”
“That is a privilege reserved for popes and kings.”
“My body is more sacred than that of any such man.”
“That is quite a claim to make.”
“Take your nose out of the air, Rodrigo. You have to ensure my body is buried here, safe from the clutches of Lucifer’s minions.”
“Why here?”
“Those on the Dark Side cannot enter the inner sanctum of these halls. Not even Lucifer can walk here. My body would be safe here till the day the weapons are crafted from it.”
“How should these weapons be made?”
“They must be pointed stakes crafted from the breastbones. Hollow the centres and fill them with holy water. Twelve bishops must bless them every day.”
“I shall write it down.”
“They shall be the most sacred relics, and must be kept as such.”
The pope nodded. “We have to decide where to bury you.”
“It has to be a secure location.”
“There is a vault below the library.”
“Does it contain a crypt?”
He nodded. “It has many.”
Andrei opened his small bag. From it, he produced an old shawl.
“What is that?”
“It is a shawl that belonged to my sister, Tania. Jesus touched this when he brought her back from the dead.”
“When did this happen?”
“The time I faced Lucifer. I told you, there was a great battle between the angels and demons. She died at the hands of one of them. Jesus brought her back.”
“He was really there?”
“Yes, the porthole to Hell closed. It trapped the Archangel Michael. Jesus came and saved him.”
“That is quite a story.”
“It happened. I was there.”
“You are giving this shawl to me?”
“Yes, it is most sacred. I wish the stakes to be wrapped inside it once they have been crafted.”
“It can be kept in here,” he said. “What more is in your bag?”
“I have seven empty vials.”
“What are they for?”
“Each is to be filled with holy water. I shall then place my blood into the water.”
“There is a font inside the door.”
Andrei filled each one. He brought them back to his seat and sat down. Taking a small blade from a pocket, he sliced the top of his thumb. He pressed his bleeding digit over the opening of the first vial. Several drops of his blood fell into the water. He sealed it and shook it so that the two liquids mixed. This process he repeated with each vial.
“What is their purpose?”
“They can be used for many things. The one who goes in search of the bodies of my sons can use these to guide him.”
“Then they had better be added to this box.”
“They shall also glow blue whenever Dracula or one of his kind is close.”
“So they can also be used to hunt him?”
“Yes, I imagine so.”
“Who should that task fall on?”
“I shall be the one.”
“I thought you said your time was almost at an end.”
“It is, but I shall be reborn. I am of the mortal realm.”
“Such a notion is blasphemous!”
“Open your eyes, Rodrigo. The Bible says Jesus shall be reborn. Is that blasphemy too?”
“Jesus is not bound by such restrictions. It does not mean that a mortal man can be born again. That privilege is for him, and him alone.”
“My power comes directly from him. I shall come back many times, for my soul to gain strength and knowledge.”
“I suppose then I had better accept it.”
“If this venture has any hope of success, then you have to believe it.”
“What is that in your hand?”
“It is a map I have drawn.”
“Of what?”
“The location where my sons shall be buried.”
“You already know that?”
“I told them where I wanted it to be. It should make the task of finding them so much easier.”