by D. J. Holmes
***
“Hurry, Jehanne. Say what you are going to say…I’m here for you,” Pierre tells her.
Jehanne begins to talk through the smoke to the crowd, “I forgive you.” Realizing that she needs to speak louder for everyone to hear, she takes a deep breath, and with all her strength she yells, “I HEARD MY ANGELS…I DID HEAR THEM! I FORGIVE YOU…I FORGIVE YOU ALL!”
Though the crowd has not seen Pierre talking to Jehanne, they have heard Jehanne’s last words. The crowd watches Jehanne as she clutches the wooden cross with her left hand, while looking to her right and reaching out for something unseen with her right hand. Pierre pulls Jehanne’s true essence into the Security Room just as the flames rise to engulf her body.
The crowd is stunned as her right arm suddenly falls limply to her side and her body slowly sags forward against the chains, which held her pinned to the stake. As her head lowers, her hair falls forward covering the sides of her face; her legs buckle beneath her. Death has taken the prophesied French maid….
Many people can be seen falling in shock to their knees, asking for forgiveness for any part that they had in her death. A soldier can be heard to say, “We’ve killed a saint.”