The Greening of the Laurel

by Kate Riley

On the 16th of March, 1244, 220 Cathars descended the mountain fortress of Montsegur, voluntarily walking into a burning pyre. Legend has it, that four believers escaped the night before, with the Cathar treasure containing valuable books, documents and the Holy Grail. The hunt to eradicate the Cathars and find the treasure continued for decades after. In the 13th Century, an anonymous troubadour wrote a prophesy that is well known in the Languedoc. "At the end of seven hundred years, the laurel will be green once more." The year is now1940, France has been invaded by Germany, and in the Languedoc countryside, 16-year old Meli Durand, has strange dreams demanding that she remember who she is. Mysterious things begin to happen to her and as she tries to unravel the mystery, her grandmother Isabel, clings tightly to the family myth and secrets too dangerous to reveal. As the war unfolds, Nazi Lieutenant Colonel, Wolfgang Koch has been assigned the task of finding the fabled treasure by occult-obsessed Himmler who is determined to present the Grail to Hitler. Failure is not an option. Against the backdrop of a world at war, and with the 700th anniversary rapidly approaching, Meli will need to understand her own role in a family legacy that one person will do anything to hide and another will do anything to find.

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2020