“The Lord has freed you from your sins, you may go in peace,” Bartolomeo said almost absentmindedly. While the job of a priest was both important and necessary, this simply was not the life he was meant to live. He had barely heard the sins of the penitent, but what did it matter? The Lord would forgive them all the same. Still, Bartolomeo felt guilty about daydreaming of the glories of battle and the hundreds of Ottomans he had slain in the name of God. While most men were left scarred by the horrors of war, the shout of “Deus Vult!” as he led crusaders to destroy the servants of Allah still rang in his mind. He missed his order, he missed his castle and the beautiful island of Rhodes where the seat of the Knights Hospitaller had rested for so many years. Vengeance may be the Lord’s, but it would take a long time for Bartolomeo to forget the Turkish siege that had taken his home from him. Nevertheless, he had a duty to do, and so he turned to listen to the confession of the next man, but before he could say the opening prayer, the supposed penitent cut him off.
“Fra’ Bartolomeo, the Vatican has a job for you. Take this letter and tell no one.” An envelope slipped under the divider with a seal Bartolomeo was shocked to see, even though he had just been told what to expect. Without letting him get a word in, the messenger had left, and in his place was the next layman ready to offer his sins to the Lord.
Bartolomeo tried as best he could to listen to the heartfelt pleas of his congregation, but every ounce of him wanted to open that letter. When the last penitent had finished, he immediately cracked the seal and read the beautifully scribed words, contrasted by the simplicity of the paper they sat on.
“Don Bartolomeo, the seat of Rome has need of your services once more. A boat of no human origin has crashed off the coast of western Italy, containing the body of a giant and a diary written in an unknown language. While the task of discovering its origin is being undertaken at this very moment, once we know where this being came from, it will be you who leads the mission. Your fervor and experience are rare in these years, and it is no secret the itch of battle is consuming you. For the glory of God, Pope Clement VII.”
David had always been one of his favorite Biblical figures, and it seemed Bartolomeo would be the next servant of the Lord to slay a giant.