over the centuries. The Cardinal Seers have witnessed much. The last Seer in particular.”
“The dead spy, you mean?” John said, smiling.
The Cardinal Vicar crimsoned.
Philip half expected the man to charge them.
“He was…weak,” John said, a grin pulling at his decimated face. “As was his faith. He died a traitor’s death. I read on you his memory, Cormac Pell O’Connor. It was you with him, was it not? Do not answer. I sense it to be true. You ran from me like a coward who nears wetting himself.”
The Cardinal Vicar darkened with fury, his grip tightening on the sword he carried.
The Pope placed a warning hand on the other’s forearm.
“I will kill you, John Lewis Hugo,” Cormac Pell O’Connor said.
“You will return to Annwn voluntarily—or in a casket,” the Pope declared to Philip. “Even with your polluted use of the Word’s most cherished remembrance of His power on this Earth, it will be for naught. The knight at my side will stop you.”
“It is clear to me you both are as weak,” Philip sneered. “This world is weak. It has lost its way. You have been poor caretakers. I am here to rectify that. The Yn Saith who entered Annwn have both been ineffective in their quests. One is so faithless he can barely call his power. The other has lost a hand and his way. Neither is here to protect you, and one portal knight cannot possibly stand in my way. The Vigilo is a shadow of what Saint Peter intended. I will see his glory done and Rome returned to its former heart of spiritual guidance.”
“I will not let that happen,” the Pope said firmly.
“We will see.”
“Show them the Word’s wrath!” the Pope yelled.
Gunfire erupted again, the bullets cutting into the Templar Knights in front of Philip. He was safe, the wall of flesh and Graal might between him and harm. The soldiers advanced, a few dying as bullets infiltrated eyeholes in helms or soldiers not drinking from their bag at the right time, but most pushed forward as they cut down any Vatican guard that got in their way. It was slow moving. But in time, Philip knew, the cavern would be in his possession.
The rest of the Vatican would fall as well.
Seeing the obvious, the Pope and his Vicar joined the fray. Alongside the portal knight, they slashed into the center of the Templar Knights. It was clear they were uneducated in the use of such weapons, but what they lacked in ability they gained in magic. The swords they wielded were not ordinary. They cut through weapons and armor alike, eviscerating the men of Annwn before the Graal could heal. Arms and legs were severed from bodies, heads were decapitated from necks; the two men were soon covered in blood and gore.
The Pope and his Vicar fought valiantly but Philip knew the Vigilo leaders would eventually fall. The army from Annwn was too large.
When they were dead, Philip would take the swords.
The first of many useful trophies
The battle was deafening, the close quarters echoing the chaos. The knight fought like an enraged tiger, lashing out with fire and lightning born of his Arthurian dagger, Carnwennan. The fire consumed the Templar Knights, incinerating those who did not protect themselves with the Graal. The greatest losses were near the knight, who had moved toward the side of the cavern in an attempt to flank the warriors of Caer Llion.
Before Philip could order a counterattack, John charged with a wedge of Templar Knights to the right side, his burned face snarling an inhuman rage. The armored group tore into the Swiss Guards there, swords, axes, and maces chopping down men whose last thoughts were of horror and death. John roared encouragement even as Philip tried to bolster those soldiers in the middle against the Pope. The portal knight fell back toward the middle again as the Templar Knights barreled their way through the Swiss Guards.
The defense there collapsed completely, giving John and several Templars the chance through. Carnwennan slashed in the air, lightning like a whip and blinding all in its path, closing the gap as the Swiss Guard regrouped and held the line once again.
Hacking through the last few soldiers, John and those with him made for the entrance into the cavern and vanished into the upper reaches of St. Peter’s Basilica above.
Leaving Philip alone in the cavern to lead the assault.
Yelling orders at the knight to hold the cavern at all cost, the Pope and his Vicar