CHAPTER 100

CHAPTER 100

THE TAXI BOAT COURSE what appeared to be a road invented in the middle of the sea, with wooden stakes establishing limits and signs as if it were a real highway. Following a canal behind the Doge's Palace, a few minutes later the boat passed the famous Rialto Bridge, at that moment full of tourists who went up and down from where they had a privileged view of the Grand Canal.

The taxi boat stopped at an anchorage.

— Let's go down here! — Victoria said to Nicole.

The driver of the taxi boat helped Antoine with the wheelchair, leaving the woman on dry land.

— And now, where are we going? — Asked Roman Green.

— Around here, Padre — said the woman, looking at a street guide — the hotel where Fernando Dante is staying is on solid ground.

Following old paths, they reached an alley called Campo de la Guerra.

— The hotel is in that alley — observed Victoria.

— Field of War? — Sounds like a harbinger of busy days ahead — joked Roman Green.

— Field of War! — Nicole said, eyeing the sign indicating a small but pleasant hotel.

Victoria smiled.

— This is the hotel, let's go in!

THE RECEPTIONIST LEADED the quartet to a small and improvised meeting room where Greg and Fernando were already waiting for them.

Everyone greeted each other.

— I'm glad you and your friends came — Fernando Dante started the conversation.

— We couldn't do otherwise — said the woman — we must all join forces to try to identify the Antichrist. As we agreed on a previous occasion, this seems to be the only possible way to stop the plans of the Brotherhood of the Serpent.

— That's true — confirmed Roman Green — now we're curious, why Venice?

All attention was focused on Gregory Evans.

— I'm sure, Father, that if I were in your place I would be seized by the same curiosity, why Venice?

The detective paused as if to collect his thoughts.

— After our last meeting many things happened — continued Evans — of them all, but the most surprising was the attempted assassination of Cardinal Joseph Messina.

— They tried to assassinate Cardinal Joseph Messina?! — Victoria and Nicole exclaimed at the same time.

— Yes — Greg confirmed — and I truly believe it was the Brotherhood of the Serpent.

— But how, Detective? — Green interjected incredulously —, that wasn't publicized, it wasn't in any newspaper!

— You are right, Father Green, this news has not been published and has not appeared in any newspaper, nor will it ever appear.

— But how? — Victoria asked perplexed —, that is a very serious fact! The assassination attempt on the second Vatican man and no notice in the newspaper, no special report on television?!

— I am sure of that, Victoria, and this event is all the more disturbing because it is denied by Cardinal Messina himself — Greg said as he turned his attention to the instant disbelief that broke out on the faces of all his guests.

— What did you say? — Asked Roman Green.

— Are you saying that Cardinal Messina suffered an attempt on his own life and that he himself took it upon himself to suppress the disclosure of the attempt he was the victim of? — Victoria worried in her chair.

— Exactly that — confirmed Greg.

— Greg — Nicole interjected — please explain the situation further! — How did you find out about this assassination attempt, if Joseph Messina himself, the victim of the alleged attack, denies what happened?

Fernando Dante examined the faces of each of his guests for a long time, and in all of them he noticed a mixture of anguish and disbelief.

— Well then — continued the agent — first of all, I have to confess that I was as astonished as you are. I myself was with the Secretary General of the Vatican, who categorically denied that he had suffered an attack.

— Why would he undertake to conceal this attempt to assassinate him? — Nicole asked.

— That's one of the questions I still don't have an answer to, Nick — Greg said.

— One of the questions? And what would the others be? — Asked Father Green.

— Because the chosen assassin was precisely the nephew of another important cardinal of the Church, the Cardinal and Primate of Venice.

— Domenico Di Polli?

— Why has the Church been silent about the existence of the Brotherhood of the Serpent and their unbelievable plan for world domination? Why did they kidnap that boy while there were so many other teenagers in the same conditions here in Italy?

No one dared to answer.

— Anyway — said Gregory Evans, stretching his hands across the table in a sign of fatigue and surrender — why do I have the impression that we're in an uphill battle against forces we can't win?

— Cheer up, my friend — said Father Roman Green, laying a hand on Greg's muscular shoulder — we're with you, we'll do whatever it takes to help you.

— That's right — Nicole confirmed — as powerful as the Sisterhood of the Serpent is, there's one attribute they don't have: they're not invincible. If so, they wouldn't be hiding, and their plans for world domination would have already come to fruition. They have a weakness, and it's up to us to discover it using our intelligence, as well as the best way to exploit it in order to alert the world and the authorities about their existence and their real purposes.

— You said that the murderer was identified as the nephew of the Cardinal Primate of Venice? — Victoria asked.

— Yes, we found Pietro Ferri's body in the waters of the Tiber River.

— Wait a second! Is Pietro Ferri their agent? But he was dead... myself...

— Did you see his body?

She thought for a moment and the answer was clearer than water.

— Wasn't this Primate of Venice that cardinal we saw in the Vatican? Nicole asked, turning to her mother.

— Himself, Nick, Cardinal Domenico Di Polli.

— Does this mean, then, that you believe that Domenico Di Polli belongs to the Brotherhood of the Serpent, and that, in some way, the Secretary General of the Vatican has interfered with his plans?

— Exactly, according to the information we obtained, at the beginning of the current pontificate, Domenico Di Polli lost the position of Secretary General of the Vatican in an internal dispute.

— This position is occupied precisely by the man that his nephew tried to assassinate... Then, with the death of Joseph Messina, the post of General Secretary would be vacant, thus allowing the Brotherhood of the Serpent to obtain a clear path to occupy the position of second Vatican man — concluded the young woman.

— That's true, Nick, but I believe the post of Secretary General of the Vatican would only be filled by this cardinal temporarily. Imagine a representative of the Brotherhood of the Serpent in such a prominent position like this! Now I ask: what would happen if this secret society, using its immense influence, managed to make this cardinal reach a projection never reached before for a religious? At his request, bankers linked to the Brotherhood of the Serpent would forgive debts of poor countries, food would be distributed free of charge to the poor of Africa and Asia...

— That Cardinal would certainly turn out to be the next Pope!

— Exactly! That alone would be a huge victory for the Brotherhood of the Serpent. They would have direct dominion over one of the most traditional and populous religions on the globe. But now let's imagine more...

— More? — Asked the surprised woman — what could be even worse than that?

— Unfortunately there is a possibility that the situation could present itself more direly than that, ma'am! — Fernando intervened

— And as Fernando and I investigate, it looks like things are moving in that direction.

— I confess I'm curious, Detective, what could be even more dire than the Brotherhood of the Serpent electing the next Pope? — Questioned Green turning to the policeman.

— When we last met, I told them that following the trail of the ex-Swiss Guard who kidnapped the son of Professor Hulmann's assistant, our investigation led to a very powerful family in Florence, and that, we believe, this family is part of the Brotherhood of Snake. One thing that caught my attention when we were at the Saldini mansion was the coat of arms of this very important clan in Florence.

— Was your attention caught by a coat of arms? And what did that coat of arms contain? — Asked Roman Green.

— This coat of arms contained an emblem with characteristics similar to the representation of an animal with two heads directed in opposite directions.

— That's interesting — Nicole observed.

— Yes — agreed Gregory Evans — and even more interesting is the explanation of the meaning of the coat of arms given to me by Count Saldini himself. According to him, these heads would represent two very important dynastic lineages that were part of European history in past centuries: the dynasty of the Austrian Habsburgs and the French Merovingians.

— Amazing! — Green exclaimed. — An important Florentine family, in whose veins runs the blood of two of the most important European dynasties!

— But how is this possible? — Nicole interfered — This seems to me a huge mess: a powerful Italian family formed by Austrians and French?

— At the present time this may seem absurd and confusing, Nick — replied Victoria — but keep in mind that in past centuries, to make possible or guarantee privileges, many unions were performed between the most important European clans. In this way, in addition to accumulating prestige and land, this matrimonial policy allowed the safeguarding of the interests of these clans, removing rivalries that otherwise could jeopardize the stability or very survival of the groups involved.

— That's true — Greg continued — so much so that this Florentine clan seems to be just a small offshoot of something much bigger. Now, returning to the analysis of the Saldini coat of arms, it led me to look again at Professor Matheo Rossi, Professor of History at the University of New York. Joseph then revealed to me the existence of an underground esoteric culture developed over the centuries and found amidst the myths and legends preserved in Masonic and Rosicrucian traditions.

— Underground esoteric culture? What is that? — Nicole asked.

— Esoteric culture would be a kind of secret knowledge, Nick. It's known as underground because it exists outside of official knowledge — Green replied.

— And what does this underground culture reveal? — Nicole asked curiously.

— Well then — continued Greg — it is interesting to state that this esoteric culture has always been hidden from general knowledge, being transmitted to those not initiated in the arts of mysteries only a tenuous idea of what was considered by them as the true reality. Legends that, like that of the Holy Grail, seem to reveal this meaning.

— Are you referring to those theories that are so fashionable today, which say that there is a sacred lineage that had its origin in Jesus? asked Roman Green.

— Father Green, you have just hit the nerve. From the revelations made by Professor Rossi, added to the information we obtained from the Secretary General of the Vatican and from you as well, I can tell you that these theories regarding an alleged descent from Jesus have a direct relationship with everything that we are investigating, to not to say that, as I believe, they are intended to provide a favorable climate among peoples for the future appearance of the Antichrist.

— Is there a relationship between the dissemination of these theories about the descent of Jesus, with the appearance of the antichrist? — Victoria asked in surprise.

— You see, Victoria, when I was talking to Professor Rossi, a person of our utmost confidence, to interpret the meaning of the coat of arms of the Saldini clan, he revealed to me that in these esoteric circles people believe that a group of Jews from the royal lineage from the house of David he fled to ancient Gaul, in what is now France. Among them would be Mary Magdalene, who in her womb would carry a son of Jesus himself, and this infant later gave rise to the famous and currently widespread Merovingian Dynasty, however, this lineage is from the family of Solomon.

— Yes, this is not so new after all.

— In theory no, but there was something new about it, the lineage of Absalom, who was also the son of David.

— And what is the relationship between this belief and the future appearance of the Antichrist? the woman asked.

— That seems obvious to me — Nicole interfered — if the Brotherhood of the Serpent manages to spread the belief that Jesus, instead of asking on a cross, had a son with Mary Magdalene, they would be breaking the most important doctrine of the Christian tradition.

— In this way, millions would abandon the faith — added the priest — providing fertile soil for the propagation of a kind of neopaganism. And as Greg said, this would have the ultimate consequence of opening a way for the appearance of the Antichrist.

— This is true, but I wouldn't just say that, I would say more: from the investigations we've done, I can say that, in addition to this objective, these theories have an even greater purpose, they aim to legitimize the appearance of the Antichrist himself.

— How could this legitimize the Antichrist? — Nicole asked curiously.

— Through the Blood Royal.

— Through the blood... what? — Asked Green not understanding.

— Through the Royal Blood — repeated Greg, smiling as he saw the same surprise stamped on his visitors as he had felt upon hearing those words from the mouth of Joseph Messina.

— Merovingian Dynasty, Antichrist and now... Royal Blood! I confess this is all getting a little confusing — said Antoine, scratching his head.

— Antoine — continued Gregory Evans — when Fernando and I were in the Vatican in an interview with Joseph Messina himself, the Secretary General surprised us by explaining in detail how the maximum representative of Lucifer would appear on Earth. According to Cardinal Messina, the Brotherhood of the Serpent has preserved a secret lineage, a lineage carrying an ancient blood, protected and hidden by this secret society throughout the history of mankind.

— And that bloodline would be the Merovingian Dynasty? — Nicole asked.

— Do not. According to what Messina told us, this lineage would be much older, and would have its origin in the pre-flood period, having been the result of the passion between a fallen angel and a beautiful woman of antiquity.

— The Nephlins, described in the book of Genesis?

— Exactly! According to the Cardinal, the descendants that originated from this spurious relationship were diligently preserved by the Brotherhood of the Serpent so that in due time it would be possible for the emergence of a king in whose veins flowed a special blood, capable of carrying out the Euiose of Lucifer, a sacrifice in that the mind of the chosen one, in this case the antichrist, would be merged with that of Lucifer himself.

— Lucifer's Euiosis, merging of the Antichrist's mind with Lucifer's own — stammered Green — and where does that fit in with the supposed descendant of Jesus?

— Brilliant question, Father Green, I confess I couldn't come up with a better one — Greg said, smiling. — Look, let's continue with Cardinal Joseph Messina's explanations. As a priest, you know that God chose the Jewish people to manifest the good news of salvation to the world, and among these, the royal house of David, so that the savior, Jesus Christ, would be born from them, am I right?

Green nodded.

— Yes, that is correct, it agrees with the Holy Bible.

— Is it also correct that the Jews, while acknowledging Jesus as a great prophet, denied him as God's promised Messiah, am I not right?

— Quite right — Green confirmed — they are still waiting for the Messiah.

— Well, according to Joseph Messina, this very ancient lineage that originated in immemorial times, carefully preserved by the Brotherhood of the Serpent, penetrated the royal house of David through his rebellious son Absalom, and inspired by Lucifer, tried to dethrone his own father. With Absalom dead, this special bloodline developed in occult form through a son Absalom had by one of his father's concubines.

— The Royal Blood! — Victoria exclaimed.

— Exactly! — Gregory confirmed.

— But that would have nothing to do with Jesus, because as we know, Christ's connection with the house of King David goes through Solomon and not through Absalom — Nicole said.

— Perfect, Nick, but that doesn't matter to Lucifer's plans — interjected Green — the great deceiver caused the Jews to deny Jesus as God's promised Messiah. Now, using their great influence, the Brotherhood of the Serpent will present the Antichrist as the Messiah of Israel.

— If I understand correctly, you mean that the Brotherhood of the Serpent is about to put into practice an ancient plan to make possible the appearance of the Antichrist. And that through it they will deceive and seduce Israel and the West? The first, with the appearance of their Messiah; the second, with the disclosure of an alleged "legitimate" descendant of Jesus?

— Exactly! — Greg said.

Antoine, who until then had remained thoughtful, interjected:

— That the Brotherhood of the Serpent will deceive the Jews with a false Messiah is quite clear, I just don't understand how they will deceive the West?

— It's simple, Antoine — Nicole explained to him — that's exactly where the subterranean esoteric culture that has emerged to the surface these days comes into play. When spreading the belief that Jesus had descendants and that this continues until our days, the Brotherhood of the Serpent will present its representative as this descendant of Jesus.

— And that he will at the same time be the Messiah of Israel — confirmed Green.

— But what about the Church? — Victoria asked — she wouldn't allow the Western world to easily accept this supposed descendant of Jesus!

— Unless... — Nicole began to outline her thought aloud.

— Unless what? — Antoine asked.

— Unless... one of the Brotherhood of the Serpent took over Peter's throne! — Concluded the young woman.

AFTER HEARING Nicole's words, Victoria turned her shadow to Gregory Evans.

— Is this the reason why you asked us to come to Venice?

Greg smiled and nodded.

— Yes, Victoria. Confirming Nick's suspicion, we can now reiterate what we believe: Domenico Di Polli is one of the Brotherhood of the Serpent, and he used his nephew to try to kill Joseph Messina.

— What do you want us to do exactly? — Green asked.

— I asked you to come to Venice so that, if possible, you could do me a small favor.

— A small favor?

— Well, maybe it's not that small after all — said Greg a little embarrassed. — There is one detail that I forgot to reveal: the nephew of Domenico Di Polli, found dead, belonged to the Italian special forces, so I have no jurisdiction over the investigation of his death. That investigation belongs exclusively to the army.

— And, coincidentally — Fernando intervened — he is the son of a high-ranking person in the army.

— Are they trying to hush up the case?

— That's what it all indicates.

— And you want us to investigate it? — Asked the young woman.

— Exactly, replied the Detective, Domenico Di Polli is the Cardinal of Venice. If I tried to investigate him, with the pretext of the death of his nephew, who worked with me recently, I would soon arouse suspicions, because as I said, this case belongs to the army.

— Now a nice American woman wouldn't arouse the Cardinal's attention, who could then let his guard down by unwittingly revealing something that might help us figure out how to neutralize the Brotherhood of the Serpent.

— And it was with that in mind that I decided to invite them to Venice.

Now I would like to know if I can count on your help?