Stone of Fire: An ARKANE Thriller (Book 1)

Chapter 15

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
 May 20, 12.32pm

      Leaving Morgan by the pillar of St James, Jake walked towards the cloister, his steps quickening as the noise escalated. The cathedral was hardly silent, but raised voices were attracting attention even amongst a multitude of pilgrims. The cloister was a large quadrangle that led to the cathedral relics and the Library. Its stone tessellated floor was surrounded by buttressed arches and opened out to the azure Spanish sky. Jake stood behind one of the arched pillars and watched as three men argued with a gesticulating priest. He recognized them as ex-military operatives like himself from their stance and the faint shapes under their clothes indicated that they were armed. One had the pale horse tattooed on his arm. They were from Thanatos. He would have to create a diversion long enough to allow Morgan time to find the stone, and then they would both get out of here.
     The largest man was holding the priest’s arm and pointing into the church, clearly demanding that he show them the bones of St James. They weren’t going to waste time looking for the stone discreetly, they were going to use brute force. Pilgrims and other priests were moving closer, but the threat of the three men was enough to keep them at a safe distance. Pushing the priest in front of them, the men started to head towards the church entrance and Jake’s position. He still wore the original stone that he had shown Morgan. He quickly weighed up his choices, then unhooked the stone from around his neck. He stepped out in front of the men, who were now only a few meters away.
     “Father, I found it!” he shouted as if talking directly to the priest, holding the stone in front of him on its leather string. The mercenaries started running towards him, pushing the priest to the ground. Jake sprinted away from them into the main body of the church. The three men, weapons drawn, followed close behind.
     Jake ducked low behind a group of pilgrims as they entered through the main door. They were huddled together, an emotional group intending to finish their journey at the statue of St James. Jake stayed with them, head bowed yet watching as the men scanned the room, their weapons concealed again. They couldn’t risk having their guns out in a such a crowded place. It would be mayhem within seconds and the tourist police were nearby in the square below. Jake moved with the group towards the main altar, aware that Morgan was somewhere close and that he didn’t want to lead them to her. He needed to create a diversion. Looking towards the main altar, he saw a heavy rope hanging down and knew just what he could do to bring everyone’s attention onto him.
     He had read that the cathedral held one of the most famous Botafumeiro or Incensory in Christendom. It was the largest censer in the world, weighing over 170 pounds. On holy days and high mass, the Botafumeiro was filled with incense and swung over the crowd of pilgrims who crushed into the cathedral for a blessing. The heavy smoke from the incense settled over the gathered faithful, a heavenly scent to some, and a choking, cloying stink to others. The smoke curled its way up, taking prayers to God, bridging the gap between the spiritual and physical worlds. Jake also knew that one of its purposes was to mask the stench of pilgrims who had rushed to the church after days on the trail without washing. The heavy rope that linked the pulley system for the giant thurible was tethered near the main altar. It went right up into the dome above the main crossing of the church, the highest place to swing the incense over the faithful.
     One of the men spotted Jake and shouted. He saw them rushing towards him, hands on concealed weapons and they spread out to trap him near the altar. Jake sped towards the rope for the Botafumeiro, drawing a knife from his leg holster. He grabbed the attachment end of the rope, wrapped it around his waist and leg. He slashed the stable line that held it in place and the pulley system hoisted his weight high into the church. One of the men reached for his arm but the rope whizzed Jake away up into the dome. Nearby pilgrims watched in wonder as he was taken into the air high above the altar. Priests started to run towards the sight, shouting at him and waving their hands. They were appalled at the sacrilege, calling urgently for security.
     Jake laughed at the sight of them all rushing to stop him, for by then he was flying in the dome, swinging above them. It was indeed a marvelous view from up here. With the cross of the church below him and the flash of cameras lighting the scene, he rocked his body back and forth causing the pulley to swing as it would do with the incense. The three men faded back into the crowd, obviously waiting for security to bring him down. At least their attention was now on him and not on looking for the stone. They thought he had it up there with him. The only question remaining was, how would he get back down?

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