Pursuit of the Patriarchs

Chapter 21

Donna was driving north with everyone searching for a sign, except Yuri. He'd no problem with the other three believing in something he didn't, since spies always looked for signs and wrote them off to instinct.

Yuri spent the drive towards Hadrian's Wall in silence. Johnathon knew if he said anything, it'd lead to religious talk. Saying anything would lead to discussions and debates he'd rather not have with anyone. Had it been just him and Johnathon, Yuri would've taken on the challenge of his belief in ghosts, but not angels and God. Being outnumbered meant he kept quiet no matter what was said.

She left the main road to continue north through some village they passed without seeing a sign telling me which village it was. He knew they hadn't reached Hadrian's Wall, but it was getting close.

"Don't ask," Donna said knowing Johnathon was about to do just that. "Don't ask me why I turned, just had to."

"Alright," he said with no need to say anything more.

David became as silent as Yuri, and believed both were more curious than anything. Whatever instinct it was, she'd committed them to going down that dark road with no sign of life.

Two horses with riders flew before them and Donna screeched to a stop coming close to hitting the closest. They weren't just regular riders acting recklessly, but looked like knights of old. Complete with the armor, but both missing helmets. It was a strange sight to see.

"Follow them," David urged.

Without question, she turned down a path that was barely wide enough for the car. The ruts were hard on all of them, but felt gravel start to smooth things out. They got lucky. It was a road they were on. Not a good one, but a road meant they had a chance to keep up.

The headlights lit up white capes with red crosses. He'd seen that symbol before. He just couldn't place it.

"What is this? A joke by locals?" Yuri asked in Hebrew, which he translated for Donna.

"Why?" David asked in English.

"A couple of Knights Templar just happens to ride their horses right in front of us. Recreation shouldn't be this late and should be more of them," Yuri said in broken English that Donna could understand.

That's where he knew those red crosses from. From the back, they looked like actual Knights Templar.

"It does look that way," Donna said wishing she'd recognized them first.

The horses came to a stop before some steep and rocky terrain, causing Donna to hit the breaks even harder than they had on the road they left. Had they not all been wearing seatbelts, someone could've been hurt. She was close to getting out to have a word with them, but turned and saw searching eyes that didn't seem right to any of them.

There was a panicked look as they both searched for danger, but neither seemed to know the car was there. They were right in front of them, and their eyes looked very sober. How could they not see the car and occupants, at least the two in the front?

Donna turned off the car and removed her seatbelt before looking at the rest of them. "Get out, now. This is important," she said already opening her door.

Johnathon looked back and saw David nod in agreement. "Get out. We have to move, right now."

Neither sounded panicked, but both were quite urgent. Johnathon turned and looked at Yuri sitting behind him who shrugged and got out. He was the last to get out of the car wishing he sensed what David and Donna sensed.

Johnathon could hear the horses breathing heavily as they were turned from left to right in military precision. The riders had a long hair, mangled beards and mustaches. Their hair was dark, but couldn't quite make out the color of either. He could smell nothing unpleasant from the two who looked like they needed long showers and had for quite some time. There wasn't even the scent of the horses, which told him it was real without it being real.

There was no other way to explain what he was seeing and hearing but not smelling. It was a bit strange. God, for whatever reason, wanted them to see this as a group. David and Yuri looked at them a bit amused.

"We lost them," the rider in front of him said in a strange language he somehow understood.

Johnathon looked at the others and knew they all understood. There was no need to translate. Everyone understood what was being said. Just like they knew it was an old dialect of French they were hearing. Centuries old dialect that no one had spoken in a very long time.

These were actual Knights Templar. They hadn't traveled to the past. They were witnessing it unfold before them. He wanted to ask if they all knew what he knew, but couldn't speak. To speak would break whatever it was they were experiencing.

Everyone was silent. Yuri couldn't even point out his proof of ghosts. Not that they were seeing ghosts. They were long dead, but they watched as it happened.

God compelled them to be there, every bit as God had compelled Yuri to get to London.