The Florentine Emerald

In this epic historical adventure, a quest for love and enlightenment brings the Renaissance-era Florence of Leonardo da Vinci and Lorenzo de Medici to life Cardona, 1478. About to die in the dungeons of a Spanish castle, Mauricio's father reveals the secret of his concealed Jewish ancestry. For centuries, the Coloma family, descendants of the rabbi Abraham Abulafia, has set out to protect an emerald ring with the inscription  Light, light, more light. After his father's execution, Mauricio is forced to flee Barcelona and travel to Florence in the hope of selling the ring to Lorenzo de Medici. In the city of the arts, he meets some extraordinary characters—including Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, and Leonardo da Vinci. Mauricio seems poised to live the life he has always dreamed of, and yet, deadly dangers lurk: secret plots, murder, warfare, the ascent of the sinister Savonarola. But who is behind it all—and why seek to ruin Lorenzo and Mauricio? What is the source of the power of this emerald they all want to possess at any cost, and what mystery lies behind its cryptic inscription?