“That’s not what happened.”
“He is telling the truth, Greta,” said Karl. “He was only trying to protect your son.”
Johann nodded. In halting words he described what had happened up on the rooftop. “Tonio is somewhere in town,” he concluded. “The ritual failed. But all this can only end once I stand face to face with Tonio. I still don’t understand what Tonio tried to achieve with the ritual. If he is the devil himself—”
“I don’t care what unfinished business you might have with Tonio or with the devil himself,” said Greta, cutting him off. “I want my son back.”
“And I my grandson.” Johann frowned “Damn it. If only I knew where Tonio was hiding and what shape he has taken on this time. The pope mentioned something earlier on. He said . . .” He closed his eyes and focused. “He said Tonio likes to spend his time at Romulus and Remus’s place of retreat.”
“The two panthers?” Greta shrugged. “That would be inside Castel Sant’Angelo, in their cage. But why should someone like Tonio spend time inside a cage? It doesn’t make sense.”
“You’re right,” said Johann with a sigh. “But those were the pope’s words. At—”
“Romulus and Remus’s place of retreat, I know,” said Greta. “Words spoken by a lunatic. Keeps panthers as pets and names them after the founding fathers of Rome. Even at Santo Spirito the nuns used to whisper about the Holy Father, calling him a fool. How many of the poor and sick could have been helped instead of wasting all that money on fireworks, games, and big cats? It’s almost like we’re back in ancient Rome.”
One last rocket suddenly fired, exploding far above their heads. At the same moment, something exploded inside Karl’s mind.
In ancient Rome.
“What did you just say?” Karl looked at Greta with astonishment.
“I said that it’s almost like—”
“No, no, before that! You said that Pope Leo named his panthers after the founding fathers of Rome. That’s it!” Karl slapped his hand against his forehead, and suddenly he stopped feeling cold. He was still shivering, but with excitement. “Do you get it? It’s not about the panthers. It’s about the real brothers.”
“You mean . . . ?” began Johann.
“Exactly.” Karl nodded. “At the place of retreat of Romulus and Remus. That’s what the pope said.”
“And where is that?” asked Greta.
Karl picked a rotten leaf from his hair and spoke quickly. “Over a month ago I went to the Mons Palatinus to sketch. There’s a cave there—I even told you about it. Remember? I told you about a heathen monument.”
When Johann said nothing, Karl went on. “It’s said that inside the cave, a she-wolf nursed the two brothers after they were washed ashore in a willow basket. Apparently, the cave used to be a well-known place of worship, but now it’s partly collapsed. Only very few know where to find its entrance.”
“That’s right—I remember now! Ha! Why didn’t I think of that myself?” The doctor gave Karl a slap on the shoulder that nearly sent him back into the Tiber. “I must be getting old. The Lupercal, the wolf’s cave! I’ve read about it, and indeed, you did tell me about it. One of the many heathen places left in Rome. And it would suit Tonio. He loves the underworld, and inside this cave, he would be right in the center of Rome and yet completely undisturbed. The perfect hideout.”
Johann shouldered his bag and started to clamber up the bank toward the lane. He turned around impatiently to Karl and Greta. “What is it? If we want to save my grandson from Tonio’s clutches, we mustn’t lose any time! Karl must lead us to the Lupercal.”
“I have heard of this cave,” said Karl. “But to be honest, I don’t know where exactly it lies. The entrance is buried beneath rubble.”
“Isn’t that great,” Greta groaned. “The Palatine Hill is the biggest hill of Rome, where one derelict temple follows the next. How are we supposed to find a buried cave?”
“And there’s something else,” said Karl. “The locals who told me about the cave said it was cursed. They called it la porta infernale.”
“The gateway to hell.” Johann nodded. “If there were any doubts left that Tonio resided there, they have now been removed. The devil reigns in Rome. And, by God, we are going to find him!”
Act V
Dante’s Inferno
28
THREE FIGURES IN WET, DIRTY CLOTHES HURRIED TOWARD the Campo Vaccino and past the tall Trajan’s Column. It was the middle of the night, and the only people in the streets were vagabonds, thieves, and murderers, but no one bothered the three figures. They stank ten paces against the wind.
Greta bounded ahead of the two men. Near the Sant’Angelo Bridge they had found three torches, left behind from the fireworks display, offering at least a little light against the darkness. Greta ran so fast that the torch was in danger of going out. She couldn’t believe how drastically her life had changed in the last few hours. Only the day before she had been firm and unswerving in her faith. Faith had offered her comfort and kept the fear at bay. And now she had joined her old friend Karl Wagner and her father, whom she’d never wanted to see again, to find the man who called himself Tonio del Moravia and who, so her father believed, was the devil.
Greta’s heart was racing. Every minute was precious! At least one good thing had come out of the last few hours for her: they had shown her just how much she loved Sebastian, more than anything else on this earth. If she should succeed in rescuing her son, then she would never give him to anyone else again. The last two years seemed like a blurry dream to her now. Despite her fear, she felt strangely clearheaded, liberated. And she knew that she could never return to Santo Spirito. Her life of solitary silence was over once and
