Chapter 53

When I got outside, Koma was sitting at the patio table talking to Quanta and his wife. Myrna was listening with wide eyes at whatever they were saying. I sat down and poured another cup of coffee, waiting to see if there was something in the works I didn't know about. There wasn't, but Koma told Quanta to meet us in the village in about an hour and got up, motioning for me to follow him. Myrna smiled at me when I got up and walked off with Koma. When we got away from the patio, he led me into the jungle on a faint trail. We walked for about fifteen minutes and came to a small clearing with a spring bubbling out of the ground. He sat, leaning up against a tree, motioning for me to take a seat opposite him.

"Jon, what I am about to tell you has been passed by word of mouth to the bearers of the torch for centuries. This all started back in the crusades, and it was an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Knights Templars. We all got together and formed the Torch Society in order to preserve all the valuable artifacts we could and save them from being destroyed. If I remember your history, many of the most important artifacts from the crusades were taken away to be hidden by us, to keep them from being destroyed by the zealots that wanted Muslim as well as Christian treasures destroyed. The church was behind most of it, because they considered the zealots to be pagan and offensive. We worked closely with the Templars to sneak them out of the holy city and then hid them to keep them safe. They, of course had their own agenda, but it all worked out in the end because our national treasures were hidden. Only the torch bearers know the locations of most of these artifacts. It is all recorded in a book in South Africa that is hidden away at a remote temple high in the mountains. The monks still guard it, and unless you have the sign of the torch, you will be run out of the temple. We have maintained this society for centuries and still do to this day. This is a great honor we pass to you, and do not accept it unless you are ready to give your life to keep the secrets safe. Once you have committed to the Torch Society, you will have doors opened to you in most countries that no white man has ever known about. Before you answer and I tell you the rest, I want you to think about what you are becoming part of. Quanta's wife is a ju ju woman, often called a witch. She is very powerful in her own right, and belongs to a vanishing breed of women who have been around since the beginning of time. They have always married kings and chiefs to further their power and that of the men they marry. Before I go any further with this, I want you to think about it and decide if you wish to become a torch bearer. When you decide whether to go for it or decline, I want you to know you will still be a chief to our people. You do not have to accept this honor and we will have no ill will toward you if you don't."

I just looked at him, wondering what I had gotten myself into, and how this might help me in my job, recovering children. I knew from past experience that traveling to another country to recover a stolen child was dangerous. This would also give me an advantage if I needed help. I knew I wasn't interested in the artifacts, only the help. I could always use it if I had to go to another country like I did a few years ago. I had gone to Qatar to get two boys back. Their father had smuggled them out of the country to keep them from being raised by their mother. It had been an uphill battle the whole time because the father refused to discuss anything about them when we met. A team of three men and I had lived in abandoned buildings for a month until we could find an opportunity to snatch them. We finally were able to grab them and spirit them away, back to the states. They were almost as happy to leave as we were to get them out. The reunion with their mother brought tears to us all, and made it all worth while. Thinking about the help I might have had from torch members in that country helped me finally make up my mind. Yes, I would become a part of it, and if I needed help again in a desert country, I would have locals who knew the area to help me as needed. This alone made the aspect of joining them worth while. Koma had been watching me closely the whole time I was thinking and he must have sensed I had made up my mind in the positive. He got up and embraced me saying; "Welcome, my brother, now let us walk and I will explain the rest to you as we go to the village. Your friend and the shaman will be waiting to fulfill the final steps."

We walked while he talked, and to say I was shocked and amazed was an understatement. The knowledge he passed on to me was something that would make an archaeologist's mouth water. Not only did I find out where the many treasures were if I so wished to look, but that there were hidden temples that stored books and scrolls with the knowledge of hundreds of years of intensive study by scholars all over the world. Koma told me where I could go if I ever needed money and recover things I could sell to live like a King with the society's blessing, if I so wished. He said that if I traveled anywhere in the world, my name, and the names of my family would be known to the members of the society, and that they would always be safe from harm. I found out that the society had enforcers in almost every country that looked out for the members and their families. The members of the society numbered in the millions world wide, and the number of torch bearers only numbered around a thousand or a little more. It was a closely guarded secret that was passed down by word of mouth only. We were considered the bearers of the ancient secrets, and only when one was killed or died was he replaced by another. The society's faith and knowledge were only known by the torch bearers, and I would soon become one. Quanta was considered to be an elder by the society and would be almost lifted to godlike status today when he received his third torch. There were only three others who bore this honor.

I asked Koma why I was chosen, and he stopped and looked at me for a moment before answering.

"You, even though you are white, are honest to a fault and you saved an elder's family when you didn't have to. You fought and were wounded because of your actions and you also lost men. You could have left them to their fate but instead, you saved them. For this reason alone, we have watched you since that time, trying to figure out a way to ask you to become part of our society. The opportunity came when I went to Nigeria to ask for help from Quanta to save my people. When he told me about your unselfish actions all those years ago, we hatched the plan to have you buy this island and free my people. Quanta knows you all too well, my brother, and he knew how you would react to what was going on here. It surprised both of us when you demanded that he come first and look at the situation here. Sukie was as surprised as he could be when he tried to bully Quanta and found out under his mild exterior he was made of iron. It is my great honor to be the one who will witness the induction of a torch bearer, as well as see one of us become the holder of the third torch. This is something that only happens every hundred years or so, and I am humbled to see my people witness this. You will be the second of your race ever to receive this honor, and I am proud to call you my brother."

I walked the rest of the way to the village in silence, thinking about all he had told me. By the time I met with Pala again I was feeling humbled. The reality of what was going to happen was starting to set in. We were taken into his hut where Quanta was already seated, and I was told to remove my shirt. I did, and Quanta stood.

"This is my friend Jon Morgan, who saved my family from certain death at the hands of an evil person. He gave me money for my family when he didn't have to. It is to him we owe our position in society in my country. I took the money he gave me so many years ago and had my wife bless it so that the evil ones who had it before could not taint it with their ghosts. Yes, I knew where the money came from, but because of the way you have unselfishly used it to help others, that was no longer important. I could stand here and spend the whole day telling all of you how many people young and old he has helped, but that would sound like I was boasting about my friend."

When he said that, I looked around me and realized that almost the whole village was standing around the hut, listening to what was going on. My attention was drawn back to Quanta as he continued.

"I am proud and humbled to see my friend become a part of our society and world. I have chosen his name, which will be known by all from now on. He shall be called THE PROTECTOR, as this is what he has been doing for many years. He saves and protects the little ones and their families from those who would prey on them. He uses the money he gave me to invest to help them make a new life. He will make a great member of our society and be loved by all. I, Quanta Mutamba, Elder of the Torch, have spoken!"