Library Of Gold
He was one of Russia's most infamous rulers, and he alone held the key to a legendary Byzantine collection of books, given to him in the dowry of Princess Sophia of Constantinople. Ivan Vasilyevich–otherwise known as Ivan the Terrible–owned a library filled with rare and priceless tomes that men would kill for.Would die for. But the czar carried the knowledge of its whereabouts to his grave. And it falls to archaeologist Annja Creed, almost five hundred years later, to discover the secrets of the Library of Gold.When the opportunity to unravel the mystery of this so-called eighth wonder of the world lands in Annja's lap, she can't resist. Armed with a diary of cryptic clues, she embarks on a journey to Russia, where she must somehow find her way into the very heart of the country, beneath the Kremlin.But Annja soon discovers she's racing a ruthless KGB agent driven by sinister motives. She finds herself deep beneath the Russian soil in a dangerous game of cat and mouse… Will she be the next to mysteriously disappear from history?
Читать Library Of Gold онлайн беплатно
History has a way of hiding its secretsâ¦
He was one of Russiaâs most infamous rulers, and he alone held the key to a legendary Byzantine collection of books, given to him in the dowry of Princess Sophia of Constantinople. Ivan Vasilyevichâotherwise known as Ivan the Terribleâowned a library filled with rare and priceless tomes that men would kill for. Would die for. But the czar carried the knowledge of its whereabouts to his grave. And it falls to archaeologist Annja Creed, almost five hundred years later, to discover the secrets of the Library of Gold.
When the opportunity to unravel the mystery of this so-called eighth wonder of the world lands in Annjaâs lap, she canât resist. Armed with a diary of cryptic clues, she embarks on a journey to Russia, where she must somehow find her way into the very heart of the country, beneath the Kremlin.
But Annja soon discovers sheâs racing a ruthless KGB agent driven by sinister motives. She finds herself deep beneath the Russian soil in a dangerous game of cat and mouse... Will she be the next to mysteriously disappear from history?
âColonel! You should take a look at this.â
The guard led them outside St. Basilâs Cathedral and over to one of the trash cans in Red Square. He pointed inside the mouth of the barrel.
Sitting on some discarded trash was a womanâs hand.
Goshenko reached in and pulled it out, which caused the captain of the guard to recoil. But the hand wasnât flesh and blood. It was stone. The stone hand of the Virgin Mother.
The colonel looked at it for a moment and then held it up so Danislov could see its hollow center. âI want to know what was hidden inside here, Sergeant. I donât care what you have to do, just get me whatever it was.â
âUnderstood, sir.â
âThe American, Annja Creed, and her companion are staying over at the Marriott on Tverskaya Street.â Colonel Goshenko nodded, satisfied. âI suggest you start there.â
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Joe Nassise for his contribution to this work.
Contents
Chapter 1
Footsteps in the dark.
Thatâs all Ridolfo di Fioravanti heard at first, the tramp of booted feet somewhere in the distance, but it was enough. Though he couldnât see them yet, he knew who was marching down the long, dark tunnels toward him and the rest of the men working on the project. He knew that when they were at last revealed in the light of the oil lamps there would be no doubt of their intentions.
He had begun to suspect what was being prepared for them when the guards changed. For weeks the work crews had been accompanied by a squad of soldiers, there, he suspected, to prevent the workers from making off with the tools more than anything else. But within the past week the soldiers had been replaced by men wearing the black uniform and dogâs head insignia of the Oprichniki, the czarâs secret police. This was not a good sign. The Oprichniki were nothing more than sadistic thugs in uniform, brought into being to help the czar quell internal resistance and turned loose to terrorize and torture anyone he saw as a threat.
Ridolfo should have seen it coming. When Czar Ivan had first summoned him to his palace and told him what he wanted to do, Ridolfo had been too caught up in the technicalities of the project to see the danger. Heâd let his excitement overcome his good sense and now it seemed he was going to pay for that oversight.
But not before he saw to his familyâs welfare.
He crossed the room to where his nephew, Giuseppe, was helping some of the other workers pile debris from an earlier excavation into a cart. Grabbing the boy by the arm, Ridolfo led him off to one side.
âI need you to take a message to your father for me,â he told the boy.
âNow?â
âYes, now.â
âBut Iâll miss the end of the shift!â
The conditions they were working in were arduous, at best, and for a moment Ridolfo didnât understand why the boy would want to be slaving down here when he could be out in the sunlight above. But then the meaning of the boyâs statement filtered past Ridolfoâs fear enough to make sense. The workers were paid at the end of each work period. If Giuseppe left now, heâd forfeit the effort heâd put in up to this point.
If he doesnât leave now, heâll be dead.
âI will collect your wages myself,â Ridolfo told him with a smile on his face. âHave no fear.â
Ridolfo was the chief foreman and designer of the project, which made the lie seem convincing. Thankfully the boy took it at face value.
Ridolfo reached inside his shirt and removed the slim leather journal he kept secreted there. He passed it to Giuseppe.
