A FEW MINUTES LATER, Alissa returned the call:
— Hello, love...
"...My father said there was once a master sculptor named Iacobus de Cartago, who carved an immense stone chain at the request of an important authority in Murcia, Don Pedro Chacón y Fajardo. The raw material for this artistic work, unique in its kind, was extracted from a quarry located near the city, on the way to Cartagena. That's why, as you may know, the mountain pass connecting the port city with Murcia is called — The Peak of the Chain.
— Yes... we went there once a few years ago...
"... Very well... as soon as the sculptor finished the work, they gouged out his eyes and cut out his tongue. According to legend, it was because he dared to damage one of the stone links, cracking it from top to bottom..."
— I don't like this at all — whispered Gregory Evans, discovering a certain similarity between the murder of his friend, Jorge Viana, and the sculptor's punishment.
"...That's all he knows..."
With that, Alissa intended to end the conversation and get back to her precious sleep.
— Wait... — asked Greg, needing more information. — I'm going to read you a quatrain. I want you to tell me if it rings a bell.
"...A verse at this time of night?..." his wife complained, mumbling.
Greg knew his wife's master's thesis had been on Nostradamus; she was the ideal person to help him.
— Please pay attention and listen... — He picked up the printed sheet of writing on the table and began to read calmly, underlining each syllable:
— Under the chains Guien of the wounded sky, not far from there lies the hidden treasure, which, after being imprisoned for long centuries, will die if it encounters the stimulus of the protruding eye...
Alissa didn't know whether to answer or remain silent. Finally, after a brief pause, she decided to speak out of consideration for her husband.
"...You're the second person I've known who has tried to relate the Vélez chapel to these Nostradamus verses... — she said quietly. — ...The truth is, I'm going to end up believing you're right...
Greg didn't know who his wife was talking about, but it caught his attention to know that someone else, before him, had investigated the meaning of those verses.
"Explain yourself, because I'm very intrigued," he encouraged her to continue speaking.
"...A few years ago, I received a visit from an Italian researcher, a certain Mucelli, if I remember correctly, who was surprised to see the artistic elements that adorn the exterior of the Vélez chapel, including the niche supporting the pillars. of stone, whose hands touch the dog and the fleur-de-lis that are part of the Chacón y Fajardo shield..."
Alissa cleared her voice and continued...
"...Well, this Mucelli believed he observed a certain parallel between stanza XXVII of Nostradamus's first century and the chapel's iconography. According to his theory, the word "guien" may refer to — — Chien... — "In other words, "dog" in Old French...
"...Yes... You should also know that the fleur-de-lis is the flower of the Virgin Mary, sometimes called "the flower of heaven."
— Therefore, the first line of the quatrain: "Under the Guien chains of the wounded sky"... can be interpreted as "Under the chain of the dog and the fleur-de-lis."
"...But there's more..." he added, professorially. — Nostradamus literally writes in his stanza: "Trouve Moorra, l'oeil crevé de ressort," and ressort, in French, means not only "impulse," but also "half-hidden" and "secret."
— And what does that mean?
"... That, according to Mucelli, near the cathedral of Murcia is hidden a treasure or perhaps a great secret that would be directly related to the fact that they gouged out Iacobus's eyes. Don't forget the end of the quatrain: 'he will die if he finds the stimulus of the protruding eye.'"
— It is obvious that he refers to the sculptor...
"... Yes..."
Gregory Evans felt satisfied. That was all he needed to know.
— Thank you, love... I love you...