Alcatraz by Michael P. Spradlin

Author:Michael P. Spradlin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

The Discovery

It wasn’t the original Temple of King Solomon. The first temple was destroyed and the one where we stayed had been rebuilt over the original site, or so it was said, but no one was certain. Remember, this was one thousand years ago. There were no real records, no maps or photographs. Just oral tradition and legend and half-truths.

Sir Hughes became obsessed with the temple. He would pace off the rooms. He spent hours measuring walls and making sketches, and inspecting the building from top to bottom. None of the other knights paid much attention, but he had assigned me to his squad—I believe he felt he owed it to my father to watch over me—so I was usually sleeping while he spent his off hours examining every inch of one of the most holy places in the city.

One night, Sir Hughes placed his gloved hand over my mouth and roused me from my sleep. I shared sleeping quarters with Quintas, a brother knight, who snored softly on the pallet across the room from me. He was a heavy sleeper, and it was unlikely he would awaken. Croc woke up and growled in curiosity. Sir Hughes shushed him.

“Do not make a sound,” Sir Hughes whispered. “Follow me.”

Out of habit, I grabbed my sword. In my half-awake state I wondered if I was needed for battle or if we were under attack. Sir Hughes laughed when he noticed my sword gleaming in the flickering torchlight that lined the temple walls. Croc padded along at my side, his ears up, just as curious as I was.

“No, young Borneo,” he chuckled. “Sheath your blade. We have nothing to fear this night.”

He led me to a wall along the southern end of the temple. We stood before it and he placed his hands on the bricks as if he were praying. I was confused and tired. I’d spent many hours in the saddle that day. Why he had summoned me here escaped me.

“Um. Sir Hughes,” I said. “May I ask what we are doing here in the middle of the night?”

“What do you know of this temple?” he asked.

“Only that it is a replacement for the original.”

“Did you know that it was once thought to house the holiest of relics? The Ark of the Covenant, the One True Cross, some say even the Holy Grail itself was kept here.”

“But surely that must be . . . it can’t . . . Sir Hughes, why would such valuable items be kept here?”

“No one knows for sure, of course. The first temple was destroyed during the siege of Jerusalem in the sixth century. King David attempted to rebuild it, but its construction eventually fell to his son Solomon.”

“Sir Hughes, I have observed your . . . behavior. What interests you so about this place?”

“If the holy relics were here, suppose they survived the destruction of the first temple. Where did they go? Do you not think someone would have made sure they were safe? And returned them here, where they could be further safeguarded?”

“Yes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.