Brother John de Benoit was a Templar of the finest caliber, but when he is stricken with the plague after leaving the Holy Land, his only desire is to save the poor and destitute. In a bargain he strikes with a man known only as the Savior. John pays the price to stay on Earth when he sells his soul to the Devil to cure his plague. After his transformation, John becomes an assassin in the Brotherhood Of The Fallen....those who claim souls for everlasting life on Earth. Although John is content with taking souls, he tires of the practice. And his one time friend Cardinal Thomas has a mission that must be done in order to save the papacy. Pope Clement V must die. If brother John wants to ever have enough souls harvested to make it to Hell, he needs a big score....a very big score. If he takes the offer to kill Pope Clement V, and take his soul to his Master, he may just make his quota. The question is....does Brother John understand that Hell is worse than Earth?
Chapter 1
Brother John stared across the rickety wooden table in a boisterous tavern at a man with hazel eyes, silver hair and goatee in a crimson robe. Brother John's brown full face hood was pulled close to his face, the dim candlelight leaving a dark presence inside, showcasing his red eyes.
"Brother John, I need a favor," the man hissed over his wooden mug, handle pointed to the left.
A low growling chuckle came from under the hood. "What is it you seek?" Brother John asked with gravely voice.
"I know you kill anyone for the right price," the man said, glancing over both shoulders. "The Pope must die."
Silence....still as the cold night air in winter.
"You seek an option that will change the course of history....Cardinal Thomas. Why this insane request?"
The cardinal cleared his throat. "This must be done in order to save the church....you know that, Brother John," he hissed, leaning closer. "The Iron King, Philip IV of France is pressuring Clement, and he is bending his knee in obedience like a trained dog."
Brother John chuckled. He lifted his wooden pipe to his lips, his hood still not moving, then lit it. The smoke billowed out from under, still obstructing Thomas' view.
"You know my payment plan, right?" John asked, his eyes rising with a pulse.
Thomas cleared his throat. "I know what you take. And I offer Pope Clement's soul to the Bones Of The Fallen."
Thomas glanced at his bodyguards posted near the door, and the two leaning against the bar scanning the packed tavern.
They were to make sure if the soulless knight were to strangle Thomas, they were close enough to cut his arms off....not that it would have worked.
It was a Monday in the year of our Lord, October 9th, 1307, the night the pair met. Brother John and Cardinal Thomas were both former Knights Templars who had fought in the Holy Land during the VIII Crusade, led by Louis IX of France.
Word had reached some former Templars like Cardinal Thomas and others who stayed in the wings of the Vatican for years after the Crusaders were driven out of the Holy Lands. Pope Clement would rid the world of their order for the Iron King's debts to them.
Thomas leaned in and hissed, "Pope Clement will be issuing the Pastoralis Praeeminentiae in November. But by weeks end, at the stroke of eleven, all our comrades will be arrested and executed. Our days are numbered, old friend. We must protect our former brothers in arms who are now being hunted down like brigands throughout the world."
