Page 65 of Sinistram
“You didn’t ask for our help,” Rosso replied, as his companions spread out and began to gather the downed and dead Sinistram members.
“I wasn’t in the mood for praying,” Travis returned.
“We have a phone number,” Lieutenant Colonel Rosso remarked in a dry tone.
“You came all the way from Rome in a helicopter?” Travis asked.
Rosso shook his head. “Took a jet to the nearest airport, and a helicopter from there. Those hover planes are only in the movies, unfortunately.”
“How did you know what was going on or where we were?” Travis asked.
Rosso gave an enigmatic smile. “We were notified by the Keepers.”
“What will happen to the elders and the other Sinistram priests?” Brent was going to have to think through the role of the Keepers later, when the adrenaline had time to settle.
“That’s for the Holy Father to decide,” Rosso replied. “The survivors will be tried, defrocked, and detained indefinitely. They will no longer pose a danger.”
“What about the Pittsburgh chapter of the Sinistram?” Travis asked, and Brent could tell his friend was doing his best to rein in his temper. They were both exhausted and wounded, and the adrenaline of the life-or-death fight was just starting to wane.
“A thorough investigation will be made,” Rosso assured them. Behind him, the guards escorted cuffed and muzzled elders and Sinistram priests to the helicopter, and carried the dead on litters.
“The situation is…unprecedented,” Rosso replied. “The tribunal will interview the membership, weigh the evidence, and make a determination. Until then, the chapter and the library will be on lockdown, under the protection of the Keepers.”
Rosso looked at the Precepts volume in Travis’s hands. “I’m not sure how you got that, but it belongs to the Sinistram.”
“It was given to me by one of the Keepers who wanted to stop what was going on,” Travis replied. “Thanks to him, we were able to avert a major disaster.”
“Just to be clear, they intended to bring about the Apocalypse, the End of Days,” Brent interjected. “They were all prepared and tired of waiting, so they thought they’d wipe the slate clean and start over.”
Russo’s discomfort was clear, despite his professional demeanor. “We’ve been made aware.” He looked suitably abashed. “I regret that you and your friends were endangered.We are in your debt, and I promise that we will investigate how the chapter hid its changes from us so completely.”
He cleared his throat. “But I must insist on the return of the Precepts.”
Travis hesitated, and Brent could guess his conflict. They had only the reputation of the Swiss Guard to vouch for its integrity, but the tome clearly wasn’t safe with the Sinistram, and Brent couldn’t imagine that any of the other organizations they worked with could provide as high security as the guards.
After a moment, Travis placed the grimoire in the briefcase, which Brent saw was etched with protective sigils and runes.
“Keep it out of the wrong hands,” Travis said, with a pointed look at Russo.
Brent wondered whether the Occulatum or the Logonje had also gotten word to the Vatican. Despite their assistance with the grimoire, he struggled to imagine the Keepers ratting out their superiors to the Holy See.
In minutes, the Swiss Guard had loaded their prisoners aboard the helicopter.
“You have the thanks and blessing of the Holy Father,” Russo told them. “I hope our paths need not cross again.” He strode back to the helicopter, which lifted off as soon as he was aboard.
“I kinda wish they had shown up in those striped outfits with the puffy sleeves and the halberds,” Brent said as they watched the helicopter fly away.
“I was disappointed when I found out that they have modern weapons, even machine guns.” Travis looked toward the departing helicopter in the sky. “I don’t know how that’s escaped notice by video game creators.”
“People don’t worry much about sacrilege these days, but that might be a bit over the top,” Brent replied.
“Probably so.” Travis looked across the field as a man strode toward them. “Head’s up. Your CHARON person is heading our way.”
“He’s notmyperson,” Brent grumbled.
The guy looked like ex-military, with a muscular build. He wore a black shirt and pants clearly inspired by special ops. Brent knew him as Clark Davis, but he doubted that was the man’s real name.
“Lawson. You called. We came to avenge Shane. Remember that when you’re thinking of how much you hate us,” Davis said.
