Cardinals murmured interest among one another. The Cardinal Vicar remained noncommittal, his own desires kept private. To control the Heliwr was to have unlimited power. If Bran Ardall had been chosen to become the next Unfettered Knight, the boy would be vulnerable to persuasion. The wizard undoubtedly knew this and had already poisoned that prospect. The Vigilo would have to find a way to gain the champion and once again regain an authority to shape the world.
“Another problem to consider,” Cormac added. “The events in Annwn are unsettling, true, but the implications could bring that battle into the Vatican—into this world. If Philip were to pollute and gain the Heliwr, it could be disastrous. It could destroy us.”
“Is the knight in place not capable of protecting the portal?” Clement asked.
“Ennio Rossi,” Cardinal Villenza said. “As we saw with Bruno Ricci two decades ago, even a knight can be bested.”
“McAllister,” Clement snorted. “Even a knight can betray.”
“What Cardinal Villenza suggests is we prepare the Vatican for the worst,” Cormac continued. “The walls that surround the Basilica and the Papal Grounds were built not only to protect the work established by Saint Peter but to contain those on the other side of the gateway. The catacombs lend time to counter any threat that could force its way through the portal and into the Basilica. I believe we should address our defenses.”
“Is there really a threat though?” the Pope countered. “Cardinal Seer?”
Donato leaned forward in his chair, his milky eyes serene. “There is, my Cardinal brethren. Last eve, as I looked into Annwn, terrible things I saw. Philip and his legion of Templar Knights have grown strong and as yeh know, both hate the Catholic Church. Most of Annwn has fallen. But that is not all. Twisted things helped overcome the Ardall boy’s knight protector—some kind of human melding with feral animal. Never before I have seen halfbreed beings such as these, nor have my predecessors documented their existence. The Morrigan saw them destroyed with her arts, but if more exist they could pose a problem.”
“The boy is no longer in Philip’s control then?” the Pope questioned.
“No, both he and the knight were saved by the Morrigan,” the Seer said. “They make way toward the Carn Cavall as we sit here.”
“What is McAllister doing there?” Cardinal Villenza asked.
Silence again filled the room. No one knew.
“And you still cannot view Caer Llion, Seer?” Clement asked.
“Not at all, Yer Holiness,” Donato answered. “The curse tablets set into its walls and very foundations prevent my sight. I am as blind to Caer Llion as I am to these walls.”
“These creatures came from the castle?”
“I have combed the land. They are nowhere else. Created in Caer Llion, I say.”
“This could be nothing to us,” Cardinal Tucci said.
“History has taught much in this instance,” Cormac interrupted. “Men like Philip—the men of his family—are not satiated with the power they accrue. He will never stop, of that you can be sure. He may have these halfbreeds to war with his rebellious fey left in the mountains. But in time, he will turn his gaze this way.”
“Then we have two problems,” Clement summarized. “There is the boy to consider, and what rises from Caer Llion.”
“If these halfbreeds are part of a larger scheme, we must be ready,” Cormac agreed.
“Suggestions, Cardinal Vicar?” Clement asked.
“Fortify our defenses here. Order the portal Archbishops to prepare their knights. And keep an eye on Annwn. If the worst comes, the Vatican must be ready to evacuate everyone who resides, works, or visits. The Swiss Guard will be pivotal for that role.”
“Make it happen,” the Pope ordered. “All of it. The job of the Vigilo is to protect the Word of God and ensure its expansion. If those of this world realized there was another world with many of the fey they have thought mere mythology, pagan influence would ruin thousands of years of doctrine and belief. That cannot be allowed to happen. Give the knights what they need. We must be steadfast to prevent Annwn from ever returning to our shores.” He paused. “And if battle comes it will be one we are prepared for. Understood?”
The Cardinals nodded in unison.
“If you hear of anything else, notify me immediately—unconditionally,” the Pope ordered. “Now, excuse Cardinal O’Connor, Cardinal Ramirez, and myself.”
The sound of their robes a long whisper, the Cardinals left.
“I asked the others to leave; this will not concern them,” Clement said darkly. “It has always been my stance to leave Annwn to its own devices