Abraham moved the buckler to the left side of the table and went to another compartment to retrieve a second item. It was much smaller than the shield. A jagged piece of iron. It was a fragment broken from the tip of a spear. Utterly worthless for the raw material from which it was made. But, once again, appearances could be deceiving. This bit of common metal was a piece of the Longinus Lance. The spear which had pierced the side of Christ when he died on the cross. It was called the Longinus Lance because it had belonged to a Roman centurion by that name, but the weapon had other names too. Most often it was called the Spear of Destiny. It was said that whoever possessed it could never be defeated in combat. Another portion of the spear tip had briefly belonged to Adolph Hitler during the Second World War. When he lost it to the enemy, his fortunes changed for the worse. That piece was now housed in the Vatican under the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The fragment which Abraham was holding had once belonged to Louis IX of France. The king had enshrined it, along with the crown of thorns from the crucifixion, in Saint Chapelle in Paris. Both objects disappeared from history after the French Revolution. One of them had now found its way into Abraham’s private collection.
The old man moved the lance tip to the right side of the table. He went back to the metal doors again. This time he retrieved a helmet and carried it back to the table. Metcalf examined the object in detail. It was of Roman design, fabricated of copper and iron. It conformed closely to the shape of the head, covering the ears. A neck guard protruded from the back and cheek protectors jutted from each side. It was surmounted by a horsehair crest and a visor inlaid with precious gems. Unlike the other two relics, this object had great monetary value. Each stone in the visor was worth a fortune—unsurprising since this helmet had been worn by an emperor. Yet its most valuable feature was something the casual observer couldn’t see. An iron spike embedded inside the helmet. A simple iron spike. Unremarkable in itself, but millions had died because they believed in what it represented—or didn’t believe.
When Constantine the First was emperor of Rome, his mother Saint Helena converted to Christianity. She went to the Holy Land in order to find sacred relics. She was able to locate the true cross and the nails that were used in the crucifixion. She sent two of the nails back to Constantine. According to legend, she had one of them placed in her son’s helmet and the other in his horse’s bridle. It was believed that the relics would protect him from harm.
Metcalf was holding in his hands the helmet of the Emperor Constantine. He felt sure that the emperor’s success as a military commander was due in large part to the sacred objects he carried with him into war.
There were many tales associated with Constantine. Like Don Afonso, the emperor had been blessed with a vision. Just before a decisive battle, he saw a flaming cross appear in the eastern sky. A cross shaped like a P with a letter X through it. In Greek, the letters P and X or Chi and Ro spelled the first two letters of Christ’s name. Constantine took this as a sign that the Christian god favored him. At the same moment, the emperor heard a voice telling him, “In hoc signo vinces.” In this sign conquer. The warrior’s cross led his troops to victory that day.
Abraham set the helmet down in the center of the table and regarded the prizes of his collection with satisfaction. A shield, a lance, and a helmet. All of them had brought triumph in battle to their possessors. Taken together, they should prove to be invincible. The French had a name for such relics. They called them objets de puissance. Objects of power.
Metcalf looked up from the items on the table to survey the locked compartments that lined the walls. He had spent a lifetime acquiring their contents. Each artifact carried the sanction of God. Metcalf would need all their powers if the prophecy was to be fulfilled.
He knew that the Blessed Nephilim had lost faith over the years. They had waited more than a century for the Second Coming, but Judgment Day was long overdue. Metcalf feared for his wavering flock. The influence of the Fallen Lands crept ever closer to his refuge and to all the far-flung communities under his care. A stray television broadcast, a radio transmission, the internet. Their messages raised troublesome questions in the minds of his followers. No matter how tightly he restricted their access to the outside world, he could feel them slipping away. God would hold him accountable for this. If he failed to control the Nephilim, his punishment would be eternal damnation. The humiliation of such a fate horrified him. God would cast him into the sulfurous pit along with the Fallen that he so despised. He could never allow that to happen.
The prophecy had shown him a way out of his dilemma. God had spoken directly to him through
