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Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 51
On the evening of January 7, 1598, Mikhail Nikitich Romanov came to visit his elder brother Fyodor in the white-stone chambers in Zaryadye, famous throughout Moscow. Jumping out of the sleigh and shivering from the bitter cold, he almost ran towards the door.Inside, the walls and ceiling of the chambers were generously decorated with paintings, narrow windows with a semicircular top were covered with carved bars, benches along the walls were upholstered in red velvet. The host was seated at a long oak table laden with jugs, dishes, jugs, and goblets. Fyodor, seeing his brother, smiled and pointed to a chair upholstered in embossed leather, inviting him to join the meal. But he, gesturing for the servants to leave, immediately blurted out:- The king is dead!Fyodor Nikitich gasped, crossed himself at the red corner, muttering hastily "Peace, Lord," and impatiently asked:Who did you leave as heir?Michael spread his hands.- Nobody. He said - everything is the will of God, and with t
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Having safely passed the frontier outpost, in the summer of 1601 Dimitri ended up in Lithuania. He went deep into the Commonwealth, hoping to join the retinue or army of some noble gentry who might be interested in the history of the prince.But it turned out to be more difficult than he thought. Previously, in Poland, he was considered a nobleman, the uncle of the king, and all doors were open for him. And how to make friends with the lords, if you are a poor, obscure youth? Very soon, Dimitri realized that not only getting close, but even getting to know some nobleman would be a difficult task. Realizing that he could not dream of joining anyone's army, he decided to enter the service of a rich pan.At first, he went to Orsha, hoping to find work with the owner of his former castle. But it turned out that Jan-Stanislav Vapovsky, to whom, while still being Francois, he bequeathed all the lands, he sold them to the crown, and no one now lived in Orsha Castle. Dimitri spent a few more
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 53
In the middle of the huge hall for receptions stood a table filled with dishes and candelabra and many chairs, and at the head of the table Dimitri saw the same chair as in his room. The guests bowed in respect. A tall, stout gentleman of about fifty with slicked-back hair and a long black beard stepped forward, dressed in a dark blue coat and burgundy kuntush. It was the owner of Sambor, the governor of Sandomierz, Jerzy Mniszek. He warmly and respectfully greeted Demetrius and even asked permission to hug him. After talking for a couple of minutes with the prince and princes Vishnevetsky, he made a broad gesture with his hand, pointing to a young man and a girl of about fifteen standing among the guests.- Let me introduce you, Pan Dimitri, my son Nikolai and daughter Marianna, or in Russian - Marina.They approached and bowed. The prince bowed his head, and, raising it, met Marina's eyes and ... It seemed to him that the whole world around him had disappeared, he could not see anyt
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 54
Dimitri formed his own yard. Pan Mniszek put at his disposal a whole wing of the Sambir Castle, and now the prince had his own butler, kravchiy, bed-keeper, steward, chalice, treasurer and even huntsman. Demetrius was given royal honors, and many fugitive Russians, now living in Lithuania and Poland, already called him sovereign.The prince sat in his office and wrote letters to be sent to Russian cities. In them, Demetrius announced that he was the son of Tsar John, announced his imminent arrival and urged to meet him with humility, without resistance, open the gates of the cities and recognize him as his sovereign.Having finished another letter, Dimitri got up and went to the window. Through the multi-colored rhombuses of the stained-glass window, he thoughtfully watched how, under the leadership of one of the knights, Pan Mniszek, fifty soldiers were marching in the courtyard of the castle. Anyone else in his place would have thought about how he could defeat the powerful Russian
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 55
Unlike Demetrius, who attracted more and more supporters with his wise actions, the tsarist governors, and Godunov himself, made mistake after mistake. After the victory at Bryansk, Shuisky, furious that all the surrounding towns and villages supported the "imposter", ordered the local population to be killed indiscriminately. Hundreds of families were slaughtered and hanged, and the inhabitants of the Seversk land, seeing such lawlessness, swore allegiance to Demetrius and swore to fight to the death. Everyone understood that those who surrendered would not be spared cruel reprisals.Meanwhile, Boris, having received detailed reports of the victory, sent Peter Sheremetyev to the army, who expressed royal disfavor to Shuisky and the whole army for not being able to capture Dimitri "by their negligence and non-service." The governors, among whom there were many "wavering", were seriously offended, and although they had not yet openly opposed Godunov, they were already thinking about mo
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 56
Dimitri could not sleep that night. He understood that now nothing could prevent him from sitting on the throne of Moscow. "I'm the tsar! It's impossible to believe! Dear God, I thank you for everything: for immortality, for the fact that of all the Russian people it was Dimitri who got in my way, and, of course, for the fact that I won this fight. Give me a sign, let me know who I am: it can't be that normal for an ordinary person to be so lucky. Are the thoughts that hovered in my head true? Am I really something more than just a person?"Demetrius was bursting with pride. He did it, he did it! With a miserable army of four thousand spears, he was able to defeat the formidable Russian Tsar, who, if desired, could put up a hundred thousand soldiers. And now they are all in his, Demetrius, hands! He will dispose of them, he will overcome the Turks, make an alliance with the European sovereigns and become the strongest, the greatest among them!The only thing that depressed him was the
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 57
Two days later, Prince Rubets-Mosalsky was already in Tula and informed Dimitri that Fyodor and Maria Godunova had been poisoned. Having crossed himself, the tsarevich ordered to get ready and the next day went to Moscow. On the way, he drove into villages and villages, everywhere he was met with bread and salt, joyful cries and assurances of humility. The prince spoke kindly to everyone, promising to be not a judge, but a father.Finally, on June 20, 1605, Demetrius entered the capital through the Serpukhov Gates. Ahead of him marched the Polish guards, an equestrian squad with trumpets and fluttering banners, drummers marched behind them, priests with crosses walked sedately behind them, behind - Cossacks, archers in scarlet caftans and other troops. The procession was closed by a huge number of carriages and wagons, in which the boyars and prominent citizens from all over the Russian kingdom rode. In the midst of all this splendor, on a richly decorated horse, the prince rode in fu
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 58
Two days before his mother's arrival, Dimitri went to meet her. He himself wondered how eager he was to see this woman. During those fourteen years that he was in a new body, he got used to it and to the idea that Maria Nagaya was his mother. And now, previously deprived of maternal love, he was in a hurry to meet the one that would give him sincere, disinterested care.Dimitri was waiting for Mary in the village of Taininskoye, where rich tents were set up. In the early morning of the eighteenth of July, a messenger arrived with a message - the queen mother is following and "will soon be there." In impatience, the king jumped on his horse and galloped towards her.Soon the cortege of Maria Nagoya appeared. Dimitri set off his horse at a gallop, and, approaching, dismounted and rushed to his mother's carriage. She pulled back the curtain, looked at her son for a long time ... and tears gushed from her eyes. She opened the door and took Dimitri in her arms, and he clung to her chest an
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- Eternal Life;Cursed Gift
Epilogue
Michael Gold paused, trying to catch his breath. He seemed to be reliving the terror that had seized him in the mountains of South America.“And Plath is gone?” exclaimed the vicar ruefully.Alas, John, yes. A strange insanity has deprived me of this most valuable relic!- What a pity! What do you think it was?“I have puzzled over this for three hundred years, explaining everything as the revenge of higher powers. It was only three years ago that I read an article in The Sunday Times that I think explains the panic attack that happened to me then. The article said that a certain John Balderston, director of the London Lyric Theater, was preparing a play for staging, where the characters were transported into the past as the action progressed. He wanted to come up with something spectacular so that the audience at that moment felt the psychological tension. And Mr. Balderston turned to his friend, the physicist Robert Wood, for help. He made a pipe, like an organ, but longer and thick
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Gold wearily rubbed his face with his hands.“Those days are hard for me to remember, John. Then I committed one of the most shameful acts of my entire life. But I swear I'll be completely honest about everything.'I have no doubt, my friend,' nodded the vicar. - Few people could speak so frankly about themselves, not only good, but also bad.— So, we got into a small pirogue and sailed up the river. Usually, for the construction of boats, the Indians took a tree with a wide trunk and burned out the middle. But this boat turned out to be wicker and very light. The current here was weak, so Anka and Yakumama rowed tirelessly.About five hours later we landed on the shore, and I saw a path cut through the jungle, as wide as I had ever seen in these places. It turned out that the Indians dragged boats along it to another river, which they called the Serpent, and the Europeans - Madre de Dios. Even such a light pirogue as ours was not easy to drag, but we managed and by the evening reache
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On one of the days of the Month of Seva, Apu Uma sent for Istvan. He hurried to the leader and found him in great agitation. Forgetting to offer mate to the guest, the Indian said:“Our scouts have spotted a white party, Amauta. They go through the jungle towards Antavara.The priest's heart jumped with joy, but at the same moment he thought - if the Europeans capture the village, they will also learn about the mines. No, this cannot be allowed.- How is it - "go"? After all, the selva is impassable.- How do we go? Cut through the road with knives and axes.— How many of them?The chief frowned and drew seven parallel lines on the dirt floor. Thirty-five people, Isstvan realized."And when will they get to us?"- In two or three days. We need to organize protection.“No,” the priest said thoughtfully. “We have to set up an ambush. Then, firstly, they will not find the village, and secondly, thanks to a surprise attack, we will have an advantage.After thinking for a moment, Apu Uma n
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The Indians made a noise, and Istvan could not believe his ears. What nonsense? This is impossible! But no, he saw the living dead with his own eyes!"But the corpses didn't disappear until the third night," he muttered.The sorcerer chuckled and nodded again.— Yes, but here they bury in the wall. Apparently, in the ground they deteriorate faster. At first I did not know this and could not understand why they did not turn into nzambi. The first two had to be killed, their minds barely affected. Then I realized that here the body was lying in the wall and tried to pick it up later. This is how I determined from experience that it is best to raise the "dead" on the third night.- Can they be cured somehow? Return to normal life?- Of course not.How long do they exist in this state?- Who is like. If you feed them on time, then some of them last for four or five years.“Now tell me, why can’t they be killed?”- Why, maybe. They just don't feel pain and follow orders as long as they can
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The Incas got up early. Not finding Istvan, they were alarmed. When he, half-dead from fatigue and experienced horror, dragged himself to the gate, he was greeted with a joyful uproar. Sampa Anka grabbed him under the armpits and helped him to the hut.“What happened to you, white brother? he kept asking. - Where have you been?"I'm sorry, Anka," Isstvan whispered, sinking onto the couch. “I’ll tell you everything, but right now I don’t have the strength.”He slept for almost a day and woke up cheerful, completely recovered from the shock of the night. Hardly waiting for the morning, Istvan went to Apu Uma and told about everything that he had to endure.Sampa Anka, who sat silently beside him, stared in horror at the priest, while the chief shook his head grimly.“You broke my ban, Amauta,” he said when Istvan finished his story.“Sorry, Great Leader, but I couldn’t help but watch your people die.“I understand that you were guided by a kind and brave heart. But what have you achieve
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The next morning, having somewhat calmed down, they again retired to the hut.- Understand, spirits are not like that at all! Istvan admonished his friend. “They were real flesh and blood people. There must be some other explanation.“Okay,” he nodded obediently, “then explain to me what the secret is.”“That is what we must find out. Tell everything you know about them.Sampa Anka shrugged.- There is nothing to tell. Ordinary guys.What could unite them?- Nothing. Only that they all died.- When exactly?The young man frowned as he remembered.“Well… Vira eight moons ago. Llapi four moons earlier. The other two, it seems, shortly before your arrival.This information did not give Isstvan anything, but he stubbornly bombarded Anka with questions, trying to find at least some thread.Did any of them get sick?- It seems not.- So all four died according to the prediction of the sorcerer?After thinking, Sampa Anka nodded confidently."And their bodies disappeared on the third night?"
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Returning to his room, Istvan was lost in thought. Let's say the evil Aya Naya really kills the Indians, but how and why? However, the methods may be different, for example, to send damage. For what purpose does he do this? And, most importantly, why do corpses disappear? Perhaps the spirit of the deceased raises his body and takes him somewhere? No, what nonsense!Isstvan's mind was in confusion. But he was a man of action, and therefore he soon questioned the leader and his son about all the details. It turned out that the bodies disappear on the third night after the funeral.When an old man died two weeks later at the other end of the village, Istvan decided to follow his grave.“This is unreasonable, brother,” Apu Uma admonished him, “and very dangerous. Only Viracocha knows what happens when the body disappears. Suddenly all living things around perish?“Believe me, Great Leader, I will find out the truth,” Isstvan replied grimly. “I don’t want an incomprehensible curse weighing
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Listening to the leader, Istvan could not recover from amazement. So the Templars were in the West Indies long before Señor Columbus?“The Order was rich,” he reflected, “and could well equip an expedition to search for new lands. The Templars sailed here and found huge reserves of silver and gold. So that's where the legends about the untold wealth of the order came from! Some came to rule the Incas, others left, taking away priceless treasures on ships. And then what? They returned forever ... Probably, it was under Philip the Handsome, who banned the order and arrested everyone he could find. But many Templars escaped and lived here until their deaths. Why didn't they leave offspring? Posing as gods? Of course, they were monks! They could not have intercourse with women and remained faithful to their vow even in such conditions. How many times have I broken my vow of chastity? Eh..."This discovery shocked Istvan. All his knowledge of the history of the conquest of the West Indies
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Religion occupied a huge place in the life of the tribe. Everywhere in the village and beyond there were so-called waki - sacred things and places. Uakoy could be anything - a bunch of stones stacked in a special way, a rock, a hill, a stream, a spring, an idol carved from wood, like standing on a kurikancha. The Indians carefully looked after all the Huacas. A special place of worship was Nayakuna Pirka - a long stone wall built to the east of the village, which consisted of separate cavities. In them, the inhabitants of the village buried the dead, closing each niche with a wooden door.As Istvan mastered Quechua, he learned more and more about the views of the Indians.“There are three worlds around us,” said Sampa Anka, “underground, earthly and divine. The underworld, Uku Pacha, is ruled by the ferocious god of death, Supai. All dead, unborn babies, some snakes, worms and seeds live there. In the earthly world, Kai Pacha, we are people, but also animals, birds, plants and ghosts.
