The lights of Rome have dimmed. When the Scorpion and his friends get back to the Holy See, it is a place of fear and death they find, a city cowering under Trebaldi’s boot. Their only chance to destroy the Pope’s power is to heed Rochnan’s last words and look into the past of the Scorpion’s mother. Dodging warrior-monks and Inquisitors, they begin to unravel a story that could yield some answers too horrible to contemplate...

On the run from Vatican agents and Ottoman authorities, the Scorpion is forced into uneasy alliances to continue his quest. Riding towards the Holy Land, the motley band begins to unravel the secrets of the Templars. But as loyalties shift, a confrontation looms, and in the shadow of an inverted cross, a forgotten truth will resurface that could destroy Trebaldi's power.

Adam Sinclair must locate the stolen Seal of Solomon--an artifact under the care of the Knights Templar--before dangerous forces unleash the demons the seal has kept bound for centuries. Reissue.

Is the traditional, accepted view of the life of Christ in some way incomplete? • Is it possible Christ did not die on the cross? • Is it possible Jesus was married, a father, and that his bloodline still exists? • Is it possible that parchments found in the South of France a century ago reveal one of the best-kept secrets of Christendom? • Is it possible that these parchments contain the very heart of the mystery of the Holy Grail? According to the authors of this extraordinarily provocative, meticulously researched book, not only are these things possible — they are probably true! so revolutionary, so original, so convincing, that the most faithful Christians will be moved; here is the book that has sparked worldwide controversey. "Enough to seriously challenge many traditional Christian beliefs, if not alter them." — Los Angeles Times Book Review "Like Chariots of the Gods?...the plot has all the elements of an international thriller." — Newsweek

Betrayed by the beautiful Ansea Latal, the Scorpion has been captured by the Turks - but he cannot afford to tarry: Rochnan and his monks are close on his tail, Ansea is on her way to Cappadocia to find the true cross of Saint Peter and, back in Rome, Trebaldi is preparing his reign of terror. As a prisoner or a fugitive, alone or in the company of people who have sworn his death, the Scorpion must reach Karabas before the agents of the Nine Families and discover the truth hidden deep inside the Holy Valley.

Barber's classic account endeavours to tackle the unresolved controversies surrounding the consequences of the trial.