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| Doge Palace at Piazza St. Marco in modern day Venice |
“Dr. Sara Webb carefully turned the delicate pages of the 14th Century Doge
Palace Jailer Logs in the dim light of the Restricted Document Vault deep
within the chambers of the Archivo di Stato, the home of historical
public documents that date back to the founding of Venice. She thought back to her arrival in Avignon
just three weeks earlier and how her chance encounter on the train with Aaron
Rockchild, a G-4 Leadership Council Officer stationed at the International
Headquarters of the Ancient Esteemed Order of the Emeriti in Zürich, had led
her to Signore Fantini, the affable but dedicated Restricted Document Vault Director. Although she was initially suspicious of Aaron’s
imposing officious manner, she now felt grateful for his knowledge of the
Emeriti Brotherhood’s history of clandestine intervention in the significant World affairs from 337 CE to the present time. The story would require her to utilize all of
her special Forensic Accounting skills to unravel the mystery of the Emeriti
code and the Fifth Element. At this
moment, she was searching for Emeriti links to trade
between Constantinople and Venice in the early 14th Century.
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| Swiss Alps high above the 14th Century trade routes. |
She finally found the records she was seeking; the Log
entry for November 2, 1347 CE, the same year that the Black Plague hit
Venice. The band of Emeriti Scholars had
been arrested on general principle. Upon
further investigation, it was clear that the Jailers were eager to rid
themselves of the Emeriti prisoners after just one day in the dark damp wells
of the Old Doge Dungeon. The last straw appeared
in the entry for November 2, 1347: ‘These men are driving us mad with their
constant nonsensical questions and opinions.
Today, after gruel time, we were told that, 1347 is also a prime number
and is the product of (3 x 449). The
number 3 is a Fibonacci value, and 449, represents the sum of prime numbers,
(79+83+89+97+101).’ Self-preservation
compelled the Jailers to release the Emeriti that afternoon. Two weeks later, on
November 16th, the Plague descended upon Venice. Upon release, according to Aaron’s account,
the Emeriti prisoners ascended into the high Swiss Alps away from the trade
routes, carrying the Coded Pension Fund accounting papers and the encrypted
pendent with them. They remained
isolated, cold, but alive for the next 4 years, emerging in April of 1351. She pondered for a moment to note that in Avignon, it was fire that sustained the Emeriti and in the Alps, it was ice....
[Excerpt from Chapter
3: "The Brotherhood of the Emeriti and The Fifth Element."] ©2013
