PS.
Svetlana and I also spoke about her last chapter of the first volume of Revelation where she
was going to finish Isidora’s story. Unfortunately, Svetlana could not write it down, but I shall convey the final lines about the fate
of this outstanding woman in my own words. I ask you not to judge me too severely, I cannot write like Svetlana:
… The day of Isidora’s execution came. Caraffa did not give the order to torture her, because he was afraid of losing all his
obedient butchers. Besides, he needed to get Isidora to give him the secret of physical immortality, and broken bones and a disfigured
body would not be helpful in this matter, especially taking into account Madonna’s character. Caraffa understood that if he was not
able to break her by torturing and killing all her family, there was no sense in torturing Isidora herself. He was no fool and thought
that only the threat of death could force her to fulfill his demand. He, like many others, measured all by his own yardstick – it is
one thing to watch others die and quite another to burn in the fire of the Inquisition himself...
The day was sunny. The sunrays tenderly touched Isidora’s face, whispering to her: "... you should not be afraid of us". Birds
twittered, passing the sad news of the forthcoming execution to each other; the grass whispered to all about it too. A puff of breeze
touched Isidora’s wonderful hair, blowing her locks about creating an impression that they were alive and shone from within. Isidora
looked incredibly beautiful in the sunrays. It seemed that she was filled with light.
She was carried to the place of her execution in an open wagon. Many gapers gathered on the square, but there were none among
those, that came to watch how an "allforgiving" church would burn a person in the name of God, who would throw a stone, rotten
vegetables, or fruit at Isidora. Her beautiful face and her luminiferous appearance at once extinguished any desire to bait a woman
sentenced to burn alive in any fancier of similar "entertainments".
Caraffa watched the preparations. The hope that in the last moment Isidora would surrender and reveal the secret of eternal life
still glimmered in his devilish mind. Meanwhile Isidora was tied to the post, and everything was ready for the execution. The executioners
waited for his signal to begin. The crowd behaved very strangely. There were no screams and mockery which so often accompanied similar
spectacles. Complete silence reigned over the square. Even being tied to the post, Isidora remained majestic and beautiful. There was no
fear in her eyes, only universal sadness.
Her whole mien, her proudly lifted head could not leave anybody indifferent. Shy screams were heard at first: "Mercy on her! What is
her guilt?!" And soon the crowd exploded with screams, demanding the execution be cancelled. Caraffa waited for exactly this moment to
undertake the last attempt to get his desire – the secret of immortality.
He came to Isidora and said in a low voice:
– See, Madonna, even the crowd does not wish to see you seized with flame... Let us make all of them happy, Madonna. The crowd
will be happy about saving you from the fire, rejoice at realizing that they overcame their fear of the holy Inquisition and be awfully proud
of the victory. I will get immortality and be happy too! You, Madonna, will be alive and nobody could reproach you for treachery or
cowardice. All will think that you were freed by the crowd... So decide, Madonna, I cannot wait an eternity, the torches of the executioners
are already lit, and you need to hurry with your answer. I’ve shown too much patience and waited for your decision too long...
Isidora looked into his eyes and smiled. And this smile said everything to Caraffa. He understood that Isidora would never give him the
secret of immortality. He disappointedly waved his hand and stepped back from her...
– The one sentenced to burn does not wish to repent of her sins, and I have to give the order to begin the execution, no matter how
sorry I am to do that, – Caraffa said, addressing the crowd, and then again waved his hand...
Obedient to his will executioners brought the torches to the straw, and soon the first tongues of flame appeared. Dry firewood kindled
very quickly, and the light wind which quite recently caressed Isidora’s hair now blew up the fatal flame. Isidora had always adored watching
the lively flames in her fire-place, when the merry tongues enthusiastically pounced on the fresh log. And now these tongues of flame slowly
aproached her and, with the same enthusiasm, were ready to convert her body into ashes...
Isidora was not afraid of death. She was ready for it a long time ago. More precisely, she was not dying for the first time. She died every time
when her father was executed, her beloved husband was killed and her dear wonderful girl was burnt. She died every time when the devil in
papal clothing killed hundreds and thousands of gifted people; therefore her own life was important to her only while she could fight this monster.
It’s a pity that the only thing he achieved was to watch her withstand the most frightful thing, the execution of her family, without breaking.
There was only one thing which Isidora regretted in this moment, that being her failure to destroy this monster in human guise. His protective
field remained impenetrable despite her numerous attempts. Meantime the flame reached her feet, her clothes began to smoulder, a bit more –
and she will turn into a blazing torch. Isidora was not going to wait for this moment. She concentrated on her heart and with the force of her
thought made it contract ever more rarely and finally it twitched for the last time and stopped forever.
Isidora quickly and easily left her body and watched from the outside how the avid flame devoured the vessel of life, which she had just
abandoned. Isidora was not willing to wait for the moment when her body would burn completely. She looked at her enemy. Caraffa vexedly
watched how his hope to become immortal burned in the fire. He had failed to break this woman after all. His face grew lean and became old.
This was how Isidora saw him outside her body... and on seeing this; she finally understood how Caraffa’s protection was arranged.
His protective structures were built on the magic of the dead, and Isidora was able to see that only on leaving her body. Why could not
she understand it before! Indeed the Dark ones think in an absolutely different way. But now she knew and did not linger! She had more than
enough force as her burning body was splasing out its vital force. Isidora quickly began to untwine the patterns of Caraffa’s previously
impenetrable protective shield and soon it disappeared without a trace; the moment of truth and justice came. Isidora never thought that it
would happen after her death, but the most important thing here was that she at last got a chance to stop this Pope-monster. She gathered all
her pain and sorrow about the gifted ones, who Caraffa had killed, and inflicted the blow... Isidora put all her unspent love of a mother, wife
and daughter, all her unspent faith in light into the blow and splashed it out on this enemy. Unexpectedly for everybody Caraffa suddenly
clasped his head in his hands, fell down and began to writhe in pain like a snake, continuing to hold his head, as if somebody was trying to
tear it off. At the same time he emitted an inhuman howl which gradually died out, just as did Caraffa.
Dead silence reigned in the square where Isidora’s body continued to burn. At first nobody understood anything. Not everybody saw
at once that the hated by all Pope was truly dead, but when they finally understood what had happened, the crowd exploded with screams,
cursing the Pope. Nobody feared him dead. Someone yelled to go raid the Papal palace and the crowd gushed there. It looked like a mudstone
stream which converted everything into chaos on its way. Isidora saw how the crowd swept away the guards of the palace and threw itself into
smashing not only the busts of Popes but also the precious works of art.
With deep sadness Isidora looked at how the most valuable and unique library collected by Caraffa was destroyed by the crowd in a split
second. People threw priceless manuscripts and books into the fire, tore them to pieces and trampled some with their feet with animal joy. She
saw how the accumulated fear of the Pope-despot vented itself on unique masterpieces. She saw people shoving everything more or less valuable
into their pockets, not understanding that what they had destroyed was exactly the most valuable of what was in the Papal palace – manuscripts,
books, pictures...
Watching all of it, Isidora understood why Sever told her that people are not ready yet and that the time had not come yet. But at the same
time she understood in what Sever and others were not right! If we just wait for people to be ready, it will never happen! This was the major error
of the Light ones. On understanding that, she felt infinitely sad. The Dark ones won, because they never waited for a right time. They acted in any
circumstances and until the Light Forces understand this simple truth, the Dark will always win.
|