IK3 Read Free

Gavin’s nape prickled. The white dragon had been the bane of
    Brtion, brought by the Saxons. Sigurd was also Balor’s pet, which meant
    these disappearances had something to do with the evil immortal who had
    once been a god. He glanced over to Chloe again. Thankfully, she still had
    not moved.
    “Have you heard of a man named Adam Baylor?”
    Mr. Smith nodded, seemingly not surprised at the change of subject. “Lucas
    told me he owned a brokerage firm in London, but secretly was laundering
    money to spread terrorism and support the drug trade. Both Lucas and
    Michael told me he wants the same artifacts that I’m searching for.
    Shameful that he would exploit such treasures for money to help criminals.
    I’ve hired detectives to look into his resources, but to no avail.”
    “You will not find anything. Interpol and Scotland Yard have both
    investigated him. We know there are two sets of books, but the man is
    clever and has layers of protection surrounding him. Most of his minions do
    not even know for whom they work.” Gavin leaned forward. “But what is
    important is that he is seeking the Celtic relics mentioned in the
    manuscript.”
    This time Mr. Smith did look surprised. “You know about the manuscript?”
    “Lucas was the one who found it and we were partners.” Gavin wasn’t sure if
    Smith was aware of the real worth of the relics he was seeking. “I did not
    get a chance to read it though.”
    ‘Perfectly understandable since it was written in medieval Gaelic,” Mr. Smith
    said. “Luckily, Mr. Ramsey was fluent in the language.”
    So was he. Both of them had been alive in the Middle Ages. “What clues did
    the manuscript provide?”
    Mr. Smith sighed. “It’s rather complicated. Neither Mr. Ramsey nor Mr.
    McCain thought the manuscript to be actually medieval.” When Gavin raised
    his eyebrows in question, Mr. Smith hurried on. “Supposedly, the four
    relics—the Spear, the Sword, the Platter, and the Chalice—were part of the
    original treasure the Knights Templar dug up at Solomon’s Temple and took
    back to Europe. When that horrid King Philippe began prosecuting them in
    1307, some Templars managed to escape to Scotland with the treasure.”
    Smith frowned as if trying to remember more.
    Gavin strove to keep his face impassive. He remembered standing with
    Lucas, watching while Jacques de Molay, their leader, burned at the stake.
    Balor’s work, turning both a pope and the French king into murderers. Later,
    Lucas had shifted to his wolf and destroyed two of Balor’s minions. “Go on,”
    Gavin said.
    “The treasure was under the guardianship of the Sinclairs at Rosslyn until
    the Inquisition in 1590. According to Mr. Ramsey, it was then moved to Oak
    Island in Nova Scotia. Have you ever heard of the Money Pit there?” Mr.
    Smith asked, veering off the subject, “It’s quite interesting how many
    different levels there were and how the water keeps filling—”
    “Yes,” Gavin replied quickly. “There have been books written about it. What
    was Lucas’ theory?”
    Smith looked disappointed at not being able to tell the story, but he went
    on. “After serious excavations began in the 1800’s, Lucas thought the
    treasure was probably removed again and brought to the States and split
    up.”
    “That would make sense. What else?”
    “Well, this is the intriguing part.” Mr. Smith’s voice dropped almost to a
    whisper. “Supposedly, an elite branch of the Templars, the Priory of Sion—
    just like in the DaVinci Code!—are still in existence today and wrote the
    manuscript in code to provide clues where to look!” He winked
    conspiratorially. “For those who have eyes to see.”
    Gavin started. That phrase was Templar code, handed down to the Masons.
    Did Smith actually know the real relevance of the relics? That they held the
    power of the Celtic gods?
    “Did the manuscript provide clues for all the relics?”
    “No. Only the first one, the Spear. But then, Michael