Although excited by the prospect of advancement, ávila felt wary. “What is the mission? And what if I choose not to carry it out?”
“You will not be judged in any way, and you may keep the money in return for your secrecy. Does that sound reasonable?”
“It sounds quite generous.”
“We like you. We want to help you. And out of fairness to you, I want to warn you that the pope’s mission is a difficult one.” He paused. “It may involve violence.”
ávila’s body went rigid. Violence?
“Admiral, the forces of evil are growing stronger every day. God is at war, and wars entail casualties.”
ávila flashed on the horror of the bomb that had killed his family. Shivering, he banished the dark memories. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if I can accept a violent mission—”
“The pope handpicked you, Admiral,” the Regent whispered. “The man you will target in this mission…is the man who murdered your family.”
CHAPTER 67
Located on the ground floor of Madrid’s Royal Palace, the armory is an elegantly vaulted chamber whose high crimson walls are adorned with magnificent tapestries depicting famous battles in Spain’s history. Encircling the room is a priceless collection of more than a hundred suits of handcrafted armor, including the battle garb and “tools” of many past kings. Seven life-size horse mannequins stand in the center of the room, posed in full battle gear.
This is where they decide to keep me prisoner? Garza wondered, looking out at the implements of war that surrounded him. Admittedly, the armory was one of the most secure rooms in the palace, but Garza suspected his captors had chosen this elegant holding cell in hopes of intimidating him. This is the very room in which I was hired.
Nearly two decades ago, Garza had been ushered into this imposing chamber, where he had been interviewed, cross-examined, and interrogated before finally being offered the job of head of the Royal Guard.
Now Garza’s own agents had arrested him. I’m being charged with plotting an assassination? And for framing the bishop? The logic behind the allegations was so twisted that Garza couldn’t begin to untangle it.
When it came to the Royal Guard, Garza was the highest-ranking official in the palace, meaning the order to arrest him could have come from only one man…Prince Julián himself.
Valdespino poisoned the prince’s mind against me, Garza realized. The bishop had always been a political survivor, and tonight he was apparently desperate enough to attempt this audacious media stunt—a bold ploy to clear his own reputation by smearing Garza’s. And now they’ve locked me in the armory so I can’t speak for myself.
If Julián and Valdespino had joined forces, Garza knew he was lost, entirely outmaneuvered. At this point, the only person on earth with power enough to help Garza was an old man who was living out his final days in a hospital bed in his private residence at Palacio de la Zarzuela.
The king of Spain.
Then again, Garza realized, the king will never help me if doing so means crossing Bishop Valdespino or his own son.
He could hear the crowds outside chanting louder now, and it sounded like things might take a violent turn. When Garza realized what they were chanting, he couldn’t believe his ears.
“Where does Spain come from?!” they shouted. “Where is Spain going?!”
The protesters, it appeared, had seized upon Kirsch’s two provocative questions as an opportunity to rant about the political future of Spain’s monarchy.
Where do we come from? Where are we going?
Condemning the oppression of the past, Spain’s younger generation was constantly calling for faster change—urging their country to “join the civilized world” as a full democracy and to abolish its monarchy. France, Germany, Russia, Austria, Poland, and more than fifty other countries had abandoned their crowns in the last century. Even in England there was a push for a referendum on ending the monarchy after the current queen died.
Tonight, unfortunately, Madrid’s Royal Palace was in a state of disarray, so it was not surprising to hear this age-old battle cry being raised again.
Just what Prince Julián needs, Garza thought, as he prepares for ascension to the throne.
The door at the far end of the armory suddenly clicked open and one of Garza’s Guardia agents peered in.
Garza shouted to him, “I want an attorney!”
“And I want a statement for the press,” the familiar voice of Mónica Martín shouted back as the palace’s PR coordinator manuevered around the guard and marched into the room. “Commander Garza, why did you collude with the killers of Edmond Kirsch?”
Garza stared at her in disbelief. Has everyone gone mad?
“We know you framed Bishop Valdespino!” Martín declared, striding toward him. “And the palace wants to publish your confession right now!”
The commander had no reply.
Halfway across the room, Martín spun around abruptly, glaring back at the young guard in the doorway. “I said a private confession!”
The guard looked uncertain as he stepped back and closed the door.
Martín wheeled back toward Garza and stormed the rest of the way across the floor. “I want a confession now!” she bellowed, her voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling as she arrived directly in front of him.
“Well, you won’t get one from me,” Garza replied evenly. “I have nothing to do with this. Your allegations are completely untrue.”
Martín glanced nervously over her shoulder. Then she stepped closer, whispering in Garza’s ear. “I know…I need you to listen to me very carefully.”
CHAPTER 68
Trending ↑ 2747%
ConspiracyNet.com
BREAKING NEWS
OF ANTIPOPES…BLEEDING PALMS…AND EYES SEWN SHUT…
Strange tales from within the Palmarian Church.
Posts from online Christian newsgroups have now confirmed that Admiral Luis ávila is an active member of the Palmarian Church, and has been one for several years.
Serving as a “celebrity” advocate for the Church, navy admiral Luis ávila has repeatedly credited the Palmarian pope with “saving his life” following a deep depression over the loss of his family in an anti-Christian terrorist attack.
Because it is the policy of ConspiracyNet never to support or condemn religious institutions, we have posted dozens of outside links to the Palmarian Church here.
We inform. You decide.
Please note, many of the online claims regarding the Palmarians are quite shocking, and so we are now asking for help from you—our users—to sort fact from fiction.
The following “facts” were sent to us by star informant [email protected], whose perfect track record tonight suggests that these facts are true, and yet before we report them as such, we are hoping some of our users can offer additional hard evidence either to support or refute them.
“FACTS”
? Palmarian pope Clemente lost both eyeballs in a car accident in 1976 and continued to preach for a decade with his eyes sewn shut.
? Pope Clemente had active stigmata on both palms that regularly bled when he had visions.
? Several Palmarian popes were officers of the Spanish military with strong Carlist ideals.
? Palmarian Church members are forbidden from speaking to their own families, and several members have died on the compound from malnutrition or abuse.
? Palmarians are banned from (1) reading books authored by non-Palmarians, (2) attending family weddings or funerals unless their families are Palmarians, (3) attending pools, beaches, boxing matches, dance halls, or any location displaying a Christmas tree or image of Santa Claus.
? Palmarians believe the Antichrist was born in the year 2000.
? Palmarian recruitment houses exist in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, and Ireland.
CHAPTER 69