Chapter 41: Daughters of Betrayal
— Pov Ignis —
I. Shadow Play in the Eternal City
The night in Rome was a living creature, a predator that breathed through the worn cobblestones and cracked marble facades. The lantern lights danced like specters on the walls, casting shadows that twisted like venomous snakes. I ran, not as a fugitive, but as a cornered animal smelling the blood of its own trap. The boots of the Vatican hunters echoed behind me, a war drum marking the rhythm of my condemnation.
—"Cut off all exits!"— a voice shouted from somewhere among the rooftops—. —"Don't let him reach the river!"
I dodged a pile of rotten crates in a narrow alley, my ragged breath burning my throat. The stench of decaying fish and old urine reminded me of the alleys of my childhood, where I learned to steal bread before I learned to pray. How many times will I have to flee from the same demons in cassocks? I thought bitterly.
