September 15th 2012, 6:03 pm, Peosta, Iowa
"Could somebody please tell me what just happened!" stammered Jed as he was led the final few steps back into Father Antonius' office; each monk gently grasping him by an elbow to steady the shaking man. Their return to the main level of New Melleray Abbey had taken much longer than their original descent, due to gravity and tired legs. But, after his initial grumbling, Jed had remained silent during the entire journey upward until his nerves and muscles began to fail him and he had called for a halt, just shy of their destination. His last few steps were aided.
"Please, be seated my friend," encouraged Father Antonius as he nodded to Brother Tobias, implying that he should fill a glass with water from the perspiring, beaded decanter sitting on the corner of the main desk.
Once filled and passed to Jed, the weight of the glass only exacerbated the shaking of the man's hands.
"Thank you, but please!" said Jed with no little impatience, "who was that man, what in heaven's name did he mean and why am I sitting here in Peosta, Iowa of all places!"
Jed's conscience kicked in, immediately. His intention wasn't to come off as being rude to these kind men, but the absurdity of the past hour had him grasping, awkwardly, for any straws of normality. He took a shaky drink of water and listened with a more disciplined demeanor as Antonius gently replied.
"Pastor, I realize that all of this is much to take in at one sitting. However, now that you have seen and met the one who leads us, I believe that we can now shed some light on, not only who he is, but who you are as well.
"Who am?"
Brother Tobias continued where his Monseigneur had left off, "Jed, you have just met the head of our Order. The head of all Orders, if truth be told; though even Rome is unaware of his existence."
Jed lifted his head briefly in surprise, but lowered it again as Tobias continued on.
"Our father, the Cleric," he paused and glanced at his superior who simply nodded before he continued, "is steward of . He is ancient beyond reckoning due to the extensive use of which has prolonged his life far beyond normal mortality, and ..." Tobias paused before concluding, "that life is finally nearing its end ... whether by the fingers of natural death or the eventual cunning of his enemies."
Jed lifted his bowed head from the table and finally managed to look both
Antonius and Tobias in the eyes. "All this is very interesting, Brother
Tobias, but your words are just as cryptic as everything else both you, Father Antonius and this ... man have told me since I walked into this ... movie set you call a monastery. Would somebody give me a straight answer and please tell me who this man is that is presumed to dictate my entire future to me?"
Antonius put his hand on Tobias' shoulder, returned Jed gaze and answered.
"Very well, my friend. I will be succinct." He put a finger to his lips, in thought, before continuing. "Pastor Matthews, the one whom we call our father - whom his enemies call the Cleric - was once known simply as Brother Silas at the very beginning of our order - The . Antonius eyed Jed meaningfully before concluding, "over one thousand years ago."
"One thousand!"
"Pray, let me continue Pastor Matthews," interrupted the monk. "Yes, one thousand years ago he was known as Brother Silas. But, years ago he was known only as Shem; brother to Ham and Japheth; the youngest son of Lamech's firstborn ... Noah."
"Noah," replied Jed with a dull stare, swiveling his head from one monk to the other.
"Yes, Noah," replied Tobias.
"The Ark variety of Noah."
Antonius replied with a straight face, "Yes, Mr. Matthews, we are speaking of the same man."
Jed tilted his head upward and covered his face with both hands, in an exasperated gesture.
"I mean no disrespect," Jed muffled through his hands, "but am I to understand that I was just introduced - and rudely spoken to - by Shem, son of Noah, from the Book of Genesis who, as you have said, must be over five thousand years old?"
The two monks looked at each other, briefly, and replied in unison, "yes."
"You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?"
"You must believe what you will, Reverend Matthews. I know what we are asking of you is a leap of faith beyond all natural expectations. But, as God above is my witness, I proclaim to you now that what we are speaking to you is the absolute truth."
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Jed removed his hands from his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. "OK, for the sake of argument, assume that I'm suspending my substantial disbelief for a moment. If that man Shem, what did his words about needing me mean?"
Father Antonius pulled around a chair from behind his desk, as Tobias continued to stand near the doorway, and continued in gentle, measured tones.
"Reverend Matthews, to our knowledge, there are only two men left in the world who possess the mental capacity to manipulate to their will that are not wholly given over to evil - that would be Father Shem and yourself."
Tears glistened in the aged monk's eyes before he continued, "all love, loyalty and friendship aside; this is what makes the loss of our beloved servant, Sage, all the more tragic."
Jed couldn't help but tear up at the older man's display of emotion; his brief memories of Sage, again, returning to the forefront of his mind. But, his frustration persisted.
"So ... what," he said horsley, after a moment. "I'm like Batman or something." Jed nervously chucked before continuing. "I'm Luke Skywalker ... it's me against the Evil Empire and Yoda is dying? With all due respect, what do you really expect me to do?"
He stood from his chair and began pacing in what little space was given to him in the tiny office.
"Guys, you've got me with the whole business. I can't deny that something is churning on the inside of me nor can I doubt what I've seen this stuff do through both Sage and myself."
The anxious muscle in Jed's neck steadily tightened as he continued, "You all seem like sane individual's, so if this or whatever is real, then your story about Yoda ... sorry, I mean Shem, is probably real as well."
"But," here he stopped pacing and looked Brother Antonius in the eye, "again, what do you expect me to do about all this? Do you want me to take the Ring to Bree, then cast it into the fires of Mount Doom? Don't you realize that I am nothing!"
In spite of himself, Jed's voice rose to an angered pitch, "I am a sidelined pastor, psych-ward patient who can't even fathom that any of this is really true, let alone imagine that I can do anything about it. If what Joseph or Shem or the Cleric - or whoever he is - said is true; then it's the two of us again a network of thousands. But wait, it gets better! Gandalf is dying and it's up to poor little Frodo to save the day! Do I have this about right!"
It was at about this time in his tirade when Jed began to swoon and the brothers hastily ushered him back to his chair and refreshed his glass of water.
"Unfortunately," said Brother Tobias, once Jed had taken a moment to compose himself and nodded for the monks to continue, "your assessment of the situation is not far from the mark. However, Jed, we are here to assist you and all is not hopeless. We have a body of lore available to us that will give us the advantage over our enemies."
"We have a plan, Jed," added Father Antonius, gently. "We only need your help to bring it to pass."
After a long pause, Jed lowered his forehead to the table and whispered the words, "I'm listening."
___________________________
Father Antonius' voice lowered to an almost conspiratorial level before he continued.
"Jed, before Father Shem fled from the Middle East and arrived in the New World, certain books containing not only what is common knowledge of to its users; but also, hidden lore in a language that was unknown during the middle ages, were hidden by him. Our enemies know nothing of this monumental secret.
This time, it was Antonius' turn to rise and begin pacing.
"The later translated Latin portions of these books, if studied and practiced, would put you on par with any practitioner of who walks the earth today, save but a few. However, the untranslated lore written in those books goes back to the most ancient of times and contains secrets that would make you as powerful as the most lethal of our enemies."
Jed's mouth dropped open as Antonius continued, "It is these hidden books that you must find."
"Me?" Replied Jed, incredulously. "So, now I'm Indiana Jones as well as Batman," he said sarcastically before catching himself and adding, "I apologize, Father, and I mean no disrespect." Jed sighed, "please continue. I paying attention."
Antonius nodded and gave a small smile before continuing. "Pastor, thirty minutes more with Father Shem will clue you in on the whereabouts of these priceless books - books that he risked his life to protect and preserve against time and the elements."
Antonius' smile widened as he added, "Once acquired, any modern scholar in ancient paleo-Hebrew will be able to translate the body of obscure lore. That language was lost to all, including the Servants, until the mid nineteenth century." The lore that it contains is much, much older and it has been transcribed more times that can be imagined. But, it was transcribed and translated correctly - the last time in paleo-Hebrew before that language became dead to, what was, modern man at the time.
He, again, paused then held Jed's gaze with renewed intensity. "Jed, our Father is only willing to release the whereabouts of these books to a Servant, at the onset of his death. He perceives that his days on this earth are finally coming to an end. Sage couldn't have helped us. In the early days, Father Shem was healthy enough to maintain the secret whereabouts of the books. In recent years, Sage simply wasn't healthy enough for travel and wouldn't have survived the quest. Our father wouldn't send one of us, for none of us possessed the gift.
"The one whom he loves has the gift ..." whispered Jed, as a lump formed in his throat.
Antonius gave Jed a moment, then continued quietly, "This leaves you as the only trusted and qualified individual left to obtain the books, learn their secrets and employ them as a weapon against our enemies."
Stopping before Jed's chair, Antonius intoned ominously, "If you fail to do this then a reign of terror and evil will sweep across this earth, the likes of which none of us have ever seen."
"Jed, will you help us," said Brother Tobias softly. "You would be bringing to a conclusion the life's work, not only of ourselves, but also of Father Shem, Sage and countless other who devoted all their years to safeguarding it to the end of days - which undoubtedly, are almost upon us."
Jed thought of Sage's burned body and watery eyes before he passed. He thought of the induced shield that saved not only his life, but the life of his wife in the Mercy Hospital parking lot - all at the cost of Sage's life.
In a horse whisper, he heard himself simply say, "yes."
Moments passed between the three men before something tickled at the back of Jed's mind.
"Father Antonius, you mentioned that there were still a few who also knew of the ancient lore inscribed in ancient Hebrew.
"Ah yes," replied Antonius. "We will speak, sometime, of Shem's brothers."
TO BE CONTINUED IN JANUARY 2025
