Limassol, Cyprus
Present day
Elli and Giorgos were sitting in Elli’s living room reviewing their progress so far and discussing their next steps in this quest for the truth.
‘Giorgos, I’m leaving for Mount Athos tomorrow.’
‘Have you found a lead or are you working on a hunch?’
‘I read those seven pages that were missing from the Book of the Pallanians that you and Aristo got from Alexandria. It mentions a book of documents and invoices with no lists, but the sum of payment for the construction of what, from the considerable amount spent, seems to have been a huge building or project. But it does not mention the location or the year. Such an expensive construction must have been made for someone very important.
‘I wonder whether it could lead us to the tomb of, perhaps I would dare say, the last Emperor. I know it may be wishful thinking on my part, but there’s no harm in checking it out. There’s another reason for me wanting to go to Mount Athos. The matter of the possible impostor Emperor is bothering me and I want it resolved. I want to ask the abbot or Aggelos whether they know of the existence of any relic that contains parts of that impostor.
‘After Constantinople fell to the Ottomans, the Sultan had the body of the last Emperor quartered and hung on the city walls to crush any remaining morale or flame of rebellion that the inhabitants of the city may have harboured. Someone, at least, some faithful soul must have stolen a part. And it probably ended in a monastery on Mount Athos, as other relics and treasures did after the fall of the City. Alternatively, there may be a body part in the Topkapi.
‘The Sultan must have kept something and it would have been probably transferred there as part of its collection when the Topkapi was first built. If such a body part exists, and assuming we can be sure of its authenticity, we can carry out a DNA test to confirm once and for all whether there was, indeed, an impostor on the throne at that critical time.’
‘I will do some digging on the matter of that construction. I will let you know if I find anything. In the meantime, have a good trip.’
‘Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be more than a couple of days. I will see you when I get back.’
‘It’s a date.’