At one of 300 small islands off the coast of Nova Scotia, there was one island that measured 1,000 feet wide by a mere three quarters of a mile long. Legend would have it that Divine Intelligence brought the Templar treasure ship to this particular island.
According to ancient chronicles, the guardians used the knowledge they protected to find the optimal location for concealing the written word and other precious possessions that would be sought by man for thousands of years.
The world and everything in it was created by following specific patterns and order. Those patterns and order were now being followed to the New Jerusalem. Templars had gone there before. They went to prepare the land for the final resting place of one of the most precious cargos known to man: the Holy Grail.
The Holy Grail was believed by some to be the cup used by Jesus and his disciples at the last supper. Others believed it to be the vessel that held the knowledge of the universe. Some believed it held the actual bones of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The truth would be known upon its re-discovery.
* * * *
“Welcome, gentlemen. We have need of your skills. We have devised a plan by which we can conceal our most precious artifacts and obscure the path to attainment by the unscrupulous. Together with your ability to work in the ocean without breathing apparatus, and our engineering capacities, we will ensure the future of mankind. We have the key to the first door in paradise. We would like to propose a merger for the project at hand. Will you take this step with us?”
“Captain Lavier, you honor us. My men and I are at your disposal.”
“We understand there’s been a rearrangement of power aboard the Ophir. Will this be a problem?”
“Not at all. While I am captain of the Ophir, Captain Antonio will continue to be an active member, mentor, and counselor.”
“Excellent, Captain Contona. We should work well together.”
Captain Lavier, Captain Contona, and acting Captain Antonio worked till almost dawn. They discussed and revised the blueprint laid out by the Knights who were well known for engineering and architectural feats. The channels and drains needed for their Oak Island tomb would be the most important aspect to be accomplished.
“You ... load the logs in a cross hatch, two layers deep.” Captain Lavier barked his orders to the crew of three ships.
“Captain O’Keefe, if you will, have your men take the clay and other materials to mix with the sea water and create a sealing mud for the opening channels and tomb that we construct beneath the surface. The wave action at 80 feet becomes much milder and will make movement easier for them. All five channels must be lined solid to filter the sea sand. It will prevent clogging and provide a better drainage system.”
“Aye, Monsieur Lavier.” Captain O’Keefe had chosen to stay with the Templar engineers to assist in the construction of traps that would foil any attempts at theft. When the trap was set, O’Keefe sailed toward the Continent of Asia, close on the heels of the Ophir.
Using a combination of native and imported materials such as oak logs inscribed with Roman numerals for appropriate placement, eelgrass, coconut fiber and a waterproof mixture of clay, sand, and water, the Templar engineers constructed a very special tomb. This tomb would hold and protect the holy relics placed there for many centuries. Floodgates in the pattern of an open hand spreading from the palm to the perimeter of the island, were designed to prevent access to the tomb. The water gates, controlled by the waves, tides and currents converted the oscillating movement of the seas into energy. The energy would be used to complete underwater work.
Each of the fingers on the hand that held the coffers would have to be manipulated in the right order, and at the right time, to free the ancient booty from its hold without endangering the excavators. It was an ingenious construct that would confound the most advanced engineers, turn technology into useless mechanics and cause many adventurous or greedy men to feel the sting of failure.
It took three years to dig and rig the pit with effective and deadly traps that would frustrate the attempts of man to come. Until one of great virtue and reason should find the way to plug the waterways, lock the floodgates erected to protect the treasure from mortal man and open the real entry to the unnatural vault.
With a sense of humor, the engineers created hope by placing layers of flooring at different levels. Should the determined discover the first floor, he would also discover a false floor leading to yet another lower and more dangerous level. With serious intent, they set charms in place and worked the magik given to them by the ancients to prevent its discovery, before a righteous man was called into action by his faith and love of the world.
At 90 feet, a stone inscribed in Aramaic would lead looters on with additional temptation. Man would try to decipher the ancient code, and men would lose their lives trying to reach the bottom of the pit. They would not lose their lives not because they lacked virtue or reason, but because it was not yet time. The world was not yet sufficiently enlightened.
Captain Contona and his consultant, Antonio, stood watch, as did Captain O’Keefe while the noble engineers completed their task. The skies turned dark. Thunderclouds, black and ominous, accumulated above the surface opening to the buried treasure. Captain Lavier stood at the bow of his ship with raised voice, thundering incantations to seal and obscure the entrance to the revered collection of spiritual relics and magik tombs, that they might be hidden from man’s eyes. The winds screamed as the energy rose and rose. At the highest pitch, a roar of thunder heralded the bolt of lightning that followed. It struck the ground with such force that its vibration was felt on the mainland.
As the seas and heavens calmed, the grand Knight turned and blessed the pirate ships.
“May the heavens show you the way. May you be guided and protected by the League of Mercy and God’s hand.” All three ships turned and sailed toward their final destinations.
* * * *
In the deep waters off the coast of the Mariana Islands, named after the queen of Spain, a crew of vampire pirates laid in chains for three days before the last metal cage was prepared and put into place. The crew had sailed the seas, searching for decades, before finding a suitable place for their final resting. They were led to this place with no hand on the tiller.
The moon was full as it rose into the sky. It had an orange hue suited for such a solemn occasion. The call for all hands went out to the crew. No sound carried in the breeze as they moved toward the mast. Captain O’Keefe stood before the men and let his voice be heard.
“You’ve been good mates, and better crewmen could ne’er be found, but it’s time for a final count. Be there any among you experiencing a change of heart? If so, let him step forward.” After a few seconds passed, no one stepped forward.
“There be no shame if you did. I ask only so that we can make sure you and your wishes might be accommodated. We head for the long sleep and there will be no turnin’ back on whim. So I ask one final time. Is there any among you who has had a change of heart? If you have any concern, ask now.” One man stepped forward.
“Captain O’Keefe, I be among the young on this ship and do not possess full understanding of this final step. The crates are strong. I have little fear there. We need no breath. The pressures of the ocean deep will not affect us. These things I understand. What I don’t understand is how we’ll be protected from the monsters that exist in the dark of Davie Jones. Our crates are small and puny compared to some.”
“A fair question, mate. All I can tell you is that there are forces at work that have created a bargain ‘tween them and us. They’ll be our guides and guardians, so says Captain Antonio. This is an adventure new to us all. I understand your fears. I asked the same questions whispering from your minds. Would I send you without knowing that you will not come to harm? Nay. I would not.”
“What guarantee is there?”
“None. I can’t guarantee today, let be tomorrow. Can you? Can anyone, save our Lord and Savior?
What I can tell you is that we’re bein’ watched by those with greater power. They control the deep. The creatures told of in story are real, but answer to them. I got this from Captain Antonio himself, and he himself will be with the Lumurians of ancient times, times before man himself existed.”
Another man stepped forward. “Captain ... what of you?”
“I stay with the ship ‘til each is sequestered safely in the deep. I’ve chosen to go down with my ship. Once all’ve been lowered and tethered, The Wasp will be set afire at sunrise. My hand will strike the match. This is my choice. I have no questions left. My wanderlust is quenched. My curiosity satisfied. This was my time; I lived it fully.” The men drew their swords. With the blade pointed skyward, they touched the cross-guard first to their left shoulder, then to their foreheads, and finally thrust high in salute. The Captain nodded in acknowledgement. The men replaced their swords smartly into their scabbards.
“Are there anymore items to bring forward?” No more stood forward. The pact was made.
A lone voice spoke from a distance. It moved on the wind, strong, clear.
“You have chosen your fate; so it shall be. Take heart. The day will come when man will have progressed beyond any imagination we’ve shared. On that day a man, worthy and true, will step forward and bring change into the world that even the most advanced among men will shake his head. He will be known as the Captain of a hoped for future, and a harbinger of death to many traditions and beliefs. It will, in the end, be his undoing. The world will move in a surprising and totally new direction from which there will be no return. When the turmoil has calmed, we will rise again. It is then that we will join man and take our rightful place.
I salute you, Captain O’Keefe. Your courage and decision will be rewarded and remembered until that day comes and long after. May Davie Jones give you peace until that time.” Captain Antonio stood proud of his crew. Using his power of remote viewing, he watched as the cages were lowered into the deep waters of the Mariana Trench. Long-bodied creatures floated nearby. Their intelligent eyes watched the first cage touch the surface of the water.
The largest of the cylindrical creatures released spurts of water from an orifice propelling it forward to wait by the crate. It excreted ink thickened with mucus as it moved its body over the gentle swells. Its startling array of colors danced to an ancient rhythm around its body. Its eyes, calm and soft, observed the strange creatures moving about the ship.
“Who will be the first lad to test my promise?”
“I, Cap’n’.” He was the smallest of stature. Although he had a young man’s face, he was the oldest in the crew.
“Good man, James.” James climbed the rail and stepped into the crate. The men watched as it was lowered and disappeared beneath the surface.
The structured crates’ gibbets were formed from woven steel strips forged of the finest tinsel possible by the smiths of Spain. The strips created a closed rectangular basket to protect the sleeping lamia. The creature wrapped eight arms around the crate and dove. Its club tipped tentacles trailed behind.
Ocean predators would not be able to penetrate the cages, nor would they be able to crush them in powerful jaws, although some monsters of the deep could swallow them whole, it was told.
The steel strips were set far enough apart to allow for circulation of the currents. Free circulation would prevent the heavy cages from being easily torn from the ‘O’ rings tethered to solid rock. The rings, part of a port that sank many centuries before, were constructed of a material unknown to man. Each cage was placed in crevices hidden to predator’s eyes and protected by the luminescent creatures of the sea.
And there, in the dark waters of the deepest part of the ocean, the vampires would sleep until such time as the world was ready for their re-emergence.
Captain O’Keefe watched as the cages were placed in a queue for the men to board. The creatures came forward and took each cage in turn. When all 37 cages had been taken, the sun was just rising over the horizon.
The Captain of The Wasp saluted his men. A blood tear escaped and ran down his petrified cheek. The match was lit. The Wasp and its Captain disappeared, never seen nor heard from again.
* * * *
The giant squids’ bodies continued to glow in the freezing waters of the trench. A shark at least 60 feet in length, with a head and jaw almost as big as The Wasp itself, swam at a distance from the cages and their escorts. Its huge eyes rolled back into its head as its lips pulled back to bare its teeth. It charged the floating meal. A bell tolled in the deep as the jaw with seven rows of teeth as big as a man’s head opened, ready to tear its prey apart.
The resonance of the bell was thunderous, its peel of such strength that the reverberation aimed at the shark’s midriff hit like a sledgehammer. Its body bent in half from the blow. Blood poured from its eyes, gills and mouth. The shark’s entrails followed its body down like a kite tail as it spiraled onto the ledge of the trench. The waves traveled undersea and registered on a volcanic island situated in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. A chain reaction began to build that would take almost three quarters of a century to surface. When it did, it would have cataclysmic effects on the population. The year was 1812.