The Icon of St. Sofia, Chapter 2
Om avsnittet
The Continuation of The Adventures of Sigegard Ainsworth, a pastiche of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.
Chapter Two: In which Ivan argues with Simon concerning the provenance of the ruby, but despite his protestation, his wife Sofia dies and the pendant asserts its power.
https://johndaviddukejr.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sige-2-icon-chapter-2.mp3
An Excerpt:
The ministers saw that Ivan’s eyes now burned red, and at first they saw the wrath of a king, but tears rimmed his eyes, and he began to weep. “O Father!” he said to Simon. “Father! My beloved priest! I have sinned and brought misfortune to my bride and to Russia! I would have my wife die a blessed death.”
The Metropolitan cocked his head. “A blessed death is granted to all Orthodox, my son. For your wife, at stake is beatification. Moreover, I assure you, not my will, but God’s will, granted to her on the basis of your penance.”
Ivan wept.
Simon continued, “Nevertheless, the same curse that you have wrought by putting your hand around the ruby of blood shall overcome all who do the same, but none shall be great, Ivan, as you are great. And Russia shall never be counted as a great nation.”
Ivan said, “I shall bury the pendant with her, and end this horrible curse.” The Metropolitan nodded, rose, and when Ivan rose, the two embraced, as brothers who have experienced the sting of battle together might embrace.
Sofia was stricken and lay dying on her bed, her face growing ever paler as the ruby drew her life away from her. Ivan never left her side. On the seventh day of April she succumbed. As Ivan wept over the corpse of the Mother in Russia, some witnesses claimed that her last words were to Ivan, a whisper that said, “I am being received into the bosom of Our Blessed Mother.” Other witnesses were adamant that her dying whispers could not be thus deciphered, but all agreed that she died peacefully, apart from much pain.
When she died, Ivan unclasped the pendant from around her neck and entrusted it to no one, preferring instead to tie it to his body next to his skin, beneath his undergarments. This he did in plain view of many witnesses.
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