S amuel wiped his nose on his shirtsleeve and looked up at Cardinal Polletto, who gave him an encouraging nod and smile. Moron!
Seeing Cardinal Polletto there at the castle surprised him, and talking to his mother, knowing she was a part of everything that had happened to him shook him to the bone. Once more, Cardinal Polletto’s words, that Father Tolbert was his father, didn’t make sense, and Samuel refused to believe it.
Samuel and his brothers had made a pact. They’d lost trust in everybody and were determined to escape, for good, even if it meant defying the people they loved most. Everybody had let them down. They were on their own.
Samuel took in as many details about the castle as he could, as they made their way along a dark, eerie hall, downstairs, and then outside.
Along the back of the castle were two sections of stadium seats, with large, bright lights shining down. Samuel stole a glance at his brothers, who, as planned, were taking in as much as they could remember too.
Eduardo nodded to Samuel’s right. Carefully, he turned and saw thick woods and brushes down a slope of rocks. Cardinal Polletto babbled on about their place in history, but Samuel had long since tuned him out. I’m getting out of here. That’s all the history I need.
Yet, something stirred in his gut as they walked through the elaborate stages. When the cardinal first mentioned their royalty and place in the world, a surge of unfamiliar recollection engulfed him, and he felt truth in Cardinal Polletto’s words. Even now, as he looked out into the darkness and stared across the water, something raged inside him, fighting to burst out. A power he’d felt several times since he’d been taken away.
Samuel forced down the feelings, and fed the cardinal a few,
“Yeses,” and “Uh huhs,” but continued to scan the area, making mental notes every step of the way. Later, he and his brothers would devise a final strategy, and run away as far as they could.
As Cardinal Polletto droned on, the voice of Samuel’s mother forced its way into his mind. Hearing her speak was something he’d longed for since this entire ordeal began, but something was wrong. How could she allow this to happen to me? Why? And what about my father?
Samuel shook it off. Cardinal Polletto looked down at him.
“It’s one of the most important days in all the world,” said the cardinal. “Everyone coming will be your servant.” Samuel fixed his gaze hard on the cardinal. “How long have you been seeing my mother?”
He didn’t know where the words came from, but the look on Cardinal Polletto’s face told Samuel he’d hit his mark.
Cardinal Polletto cleared his throat. “I’ve known her for quite sometime. She’s been waiting for this day ever since I told her who you are.”
“Who am I?” asked Samuel.
“You’ll know soon enough.”
Samuel stepped forward. “Did you kill my father?” The cardinal’s face went ashen. “Absolutely not. Why would you ask such a thing?”
Samuel moved even closer. “If I am who you say I am, and I find out you’re lying, I’ll kill you.”
Cardinal Polletto slapped Samuel hard. “Don’t you ever speak to me that way again.”
Samuel let the blood flow from his nose. Felipe and Eduardo took his side. “So, you are lying.”
Cardinal Polletto snatched Samuel and pulled him back toward the castle. Felipe and Eduardo ran to keep up. When they reached the front door, Father Sin was waiting, and soon they were back in their room.
Deep into the night, the three boys whispered what they remembered about the area surrounding the castle. Samuel’s nose stung, but he didn’t care. As they talked and planned, his mind drifted. Uncle Robert, where are you?
59
R obert paced the villa like a caged animal. Rinaldo and Dianora were the best lead they’d come up with since spotting Samuel at Torre Astura, and it had dissolved, leaving nothing behind, and nowhere to go.
Worst of all, he had watched Sister Isabella get shot and killed. Sister Isabella wanted to see Samuel rescued as much as he did, and her sacrifice to save Thorne only intensified his desire to rescue the boy, and destroy The Order for good.
Robert’s anger burned hot, but was nothing compared to that raging inside Thorne. Friends since thirteen, he knew her well, and watching her sit quietly, cleaning her weapons, told him she was boiling over, and that someone was going to pay big when the time came.
Father Kong and the others, according to the mandate set down for members of The Hammer of God, made final arrangements for Sister Isabella’s funeral and burial. It would be a private affair, attended by only members of the team. Morale was low. Her death had taken the fight out of all of them.
The phone rang. One of Father Kong’s aides answered, hung up, and whispered in the priest’s ear.
“Dianora lived,” said Father Kong. “She’s unconscious, but she’ll pull out of it.’
“Maybe we can talk to her again when she does,” said Thorne.
“It’s possible, but I’m sure she’ll be heavily guarded,” said Robert.
“So, let’s not count on it.”
Robert’s words deflated everyone further. Thorne cursed loudly, and didn’t apologize for it. The phone rang again, this time Father Kong answered it. His eyes widened.
“We’re on our way.” He looked over at Robert. “We have to go to the hospital immediately. Cardinal Maximilian is awake, and Bishop Ruini is dead.”
The hospital was even more crazed and abuzz with chaos when Robert and the others arrived, with twice the crowd at the front door.
Father Kong slowed down, but at the sight of a large contingent of police, kept going, and pulled around the corner. Robert and Thorne ducked down. Their pictures had been plastered on every television station in Rome, and the police had offered a reward for their capture.
“We’ll go inside and get the details,” said Father Kong. “You and Miss Thorne wait for us in the other car. I’ll call you when I can.” Robert and Thorne switched places with the men in the second car, parked in a barren alley, and waited. The phone call Father Kong received back at the villa delivered good news and bad. Cardinal Maximilian had awaked from his coma, but Bishop Ruini had fallen to his death from a fifth floor window. They weren’t sure if he was pushed or jumped.
“I wonder what this means?” Robert thought aloud.
“It means we’re close,” answered Thorne.
“But why kill Bishop Ruini?”
Thorne rolled down her window. “Maybe he wouldn’t talk.”
“Maybe, but why not kill Cardinal Maximilian too?” Thorne didn’t answer. She checked the ammo in her shotgun and counted the extra shells in her jacket pocket.
An hour passed, then two. Robert saw a car pulling up in the rear view mirror. It slowed down and eased up beside them. Robert and Thorne readied their weapons, but when the car stopped, Father Kong rolled down the passenger side window.
“Follow me back to the villa. I think we’ve found Samuel.”
60
“B ishop Ruini was a mole,” said Father Kong, ashamed. “He’s been feeding information to The Order. For how long, we’re not sure.” The priest gave them more details, explaining that Cardinal Maximilian had awakened, and overheard bits and pieces of a conversation between Cardinal Polletto and the bishop. Evidently, Bishop Ruini was ordered to finish Cardinal Maximilian, but when the cardinal opened his eyes, the bishop broke down in tears, opened the window and jumped.
