ABOUT THE BOOK
Dara Roux, abandoned when she was 7
years old by her mother. Exceptionally
gifted in foreign languages. Orphan.
Mackenzie Yarborough, no record of her parents or where she was
born. Exceptionally gifted in math and problem-solving. Orphan.
Jennifer Torres, both parents killed in an automobile accident when
she was 16. Exceptionally gifted in music and art. Orphan.
Three high-spirited 17 year olds, with intelligent quotients
in the genius range, accompany their teacher and mentor, Carolina Lovel, to
Frascati, Italy, a few weeks before they are to graduate from Wood Rose
Orphanage and Academy for Young Women.
Carolina's purpose in planning the trip is to remove her gifted,
creative students from the Wood Rose campus located in Raleigh, North Carolina,
so they can't cause any more problems ("expressions of creativity")
for the headmaster, faculty, and other students – which they do with
regularity. Carolina also wants to visit
the Villa Mondragone where the Voynich Manuscript, the most mysterious document
in the world, was first discovered and search how it is related to a paper
written in the same script she received on her 18th birthday when she was told
that she was adopted – a search, more dangerous than she could have imagined,
that will fill in all of the missing pieces of her past and help each of her
students to discover something meaningful within themselves.
For more information about The Cadence of Gypsies, visit www.barbaracaseyagency.com
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AN EXCERPT
It was always the older ones who
felt the need to challenge the ancient gypsy traditions. The children who weren't yet adults, but who
felt they were old enough to thwart authority and desire independence.
"I want lots of gold,"
said Milosh who had recently turned 17 years old--a man in his opinion. The oldest in the group, soon he would join
the adults. "Teach me the spell to make me wealthy."
"You must be careful for what
you wish, Milosh." As always, the choovihni was patient with her young pupils. "But I shall teach you the spell for
attracting material goods." She sat
in the shade of the tall elm with her full skirt spread out around her and
waited until everyone was quiet and settled before continuing. "First, write down whatever it is you
desire on a clean sheet of paper, then place the paper on a small square of
green cloth. You must concentrate on it
for a few minutes. That might be hard
for you, Milosh," she teased. The
other students laughed. They liked for
Milosh to be put in his place. Just
because he was the son of the Bandoleer, it didn't make him better than
everyone else--even though he acted like it.
And he played mean tricks on the younger ones who were too timid and
afraid to say anything. "Try to
visualize the object before you--the shape, texture, color. Feel pride in owning it, the pleasure you
hope it will bring, what you will do with it." She looked at each of her students, making sure
they understood. "Then hold the
paper to your forehead and say three times:
'I have you, I hold you, I keep you.'
"Fold the paper into the green
cloth and tie it with a length of red wool.
Tie seven knots into the wool and as you tie each knot, say, 'You are
mine, I own you.' Put the green cloth
with the paper in a small box, and each day, for seven days, hold the box to
your forehead and say three times, 'You are mine, I own you.' After you have done this, put the box away in
the back of a drawer."
"Will I have lots of gold if I
do that?" Milosh asked.
"It will bring success to
those who are patient and deserving," Lyuba answered.
For the next several hours, Lyuba
taught the children other spells: the spell using the power of trees, a ritual
to cleanse the aura of their individual spaces, the spell for strength. When they got older, she would teach them the
spells for attracting romance and for keeping a loyal lover. For now, however, she would teach only those
things that were appropriate and what they could understand.
When the day's lessons were
complete, and the elm's shadow once again lengthened, the parents came for
their children. Concerned, Lyuba watched
Milosh return to his hut alone. His chakra, that point of light indicating
the heart, was dark and brown rather than green as it should be. Much was expected of the only son of the
Bandoleer. He held promise, but he had
much to learn. Unlike his father, he was
impatient and quick to judge others. His
focus was on material things, and he ignored what was important. There was also a darkness in his spirit;
something that could be dangerous if not corrected.
He would go and prepare the paper,
wrapped in green cloth and tied with a thread of red wool, and wish for much
gold. He had not understood.
