Chapter Five: Friday the 17th of September 1852
11:30 PM, The Reliquary at the Carmelite Convent Chester, England
Rose finished reading the story of Saint Ostric’s exaltation and rise to heaven. She stared at the hand-painted drawing in the margin, showing the monk being carried to heaven by the Archangel Ariel. Down below on earth, the Saxon and Celt armies watched with King Aethelred on his knees in prayer.
She smiled, admiring the illustration of the bizarre tale and its scenes. She considered the beautiful but simple drawings ironic, given the tale of souls in peril. She was proud of her accomplishment. It had taken nearly a year to learn to read the Latin language and countless visits with Mr. Cooper to translate and understand words and phrases. It was an arduous process pulling
