Page 105 of The Sinner and the Priest: Part Two

My brows raise at hearing him refer to Mary Magdalene in this way, but the cardinal stops looking at me as if he wants to commandeer my sword, and more like he understands me.

“My name is Cardinal Sharma,” he says to me with a grim nod. “I wish we were meeting in better circumstances. We are fortunate to have you on our side.”

Sharma is an Indian name, but he speaks Italian fluently with a slight British accent. His good posture is almost aristocratic. Deep wrinkles bracket his mouth and eyes. Age spots on the backs of his hands clutching a rosary. Ink under his manicured fingernails. Could be a scholar—a demonology expert.

“You know Wesley,” I state.

His eyes briefly widen, but then he relaxes with a nod. “I had the privilege of teaching Wesley in the arcane arts at the university. Did he tell you about me?”

“No. I deduced.”

“Mm,” he grunts in approval. “Wesley said you women were smart. I am happy he was right.”

I give him a tight smile because even if that compliment came out wrong, I feel better knowing the Vatican has an expert in the arcane here, so I skip straight to business.

“When I asked if ‘they’ were in there earlier, none of you corrected me. Does that mean you know about Cisco’s sister?”

I look at the darkening storm. It could be my fear playing tricks on me, but I swear it’s growing in size.

“I hoped Francesco read this book with you,” Bianchi replies, fuzzy brows pinching. “But I found this on the steps here. Did you read it? It explains everything.”

When he shows me the book in his hand, a stab of guilt slices through me. It’s the one he gave Cisco in the scavi.

“Um.” I scratch my head. “We hadn’t quite found the time yet, but I think he had it with him when he left in the morning.”

We should have read it the moment we were out of the ruins. God, I feel so bad, so stupid for getting distracted by feelings and sex. The flames gutter on the sword. I glance down at it, alarmed, but I don’t think the men noticed. Bianchi rifles through the open book, and Sharma tries to help him find a page.

I take the opportunity to recenter myself and to fortify my resolve. The past is the past. I’m here now. I can go in armed with knowledge. We’ll be fine.

Bianchi flips another page, and it occurs to me that he found it on the steps.

“Cisco would never discard such a valuable item willingly,” I say, nerves twitching in my belly.

“I am not sure if he is Francesco any longer,” Bianchi replies.

“There.” The cardinal puts his finger on a page, stopping Bianchi’s next turn. “This part she needs to see.”

Bianchi won’t look me in the eyes as he brings the open book to me. His voice shifts to something tight and brittle. The fear I glimpsed on his face when I arrived has returned and is now bleeding from his every pore.

“I can’t read Latin very well.” I scan the pictures above the inscription. I’d always preferred the common languages. “Could you please explain it for me?”

We also don’t have time for my fumbling interpretation.

The ancient artwork reveals two figures in battle: one dark and one light. Two larger figures are behind them in the sky, each before a storm or a sun. They are an angel and a devil, also at war. The angel with the fiery blade is above the light figure. The devil is shrouded in clouds and above the dark one.

“This.” Bianchi taps his finger. “This is the first time the curse was struck. It is a wager, suora. A battle for the very existence of humankind.”

The tornado darkens and expands as if laughing. The wind intensifies.

“We’re facing an apocalypse. I know,” I clip, a little annoyed. They need to get to the point. “How will this story help me save Cisco?”

He urgently flips to the next page. “The wager is won or lost when the devil sibling—” He lifts a single finger. “—loses their soul to evil completely. The problem is that now, with Francesco and his sister, I think the curse is somehow in two siblings at once. It was never meant to be so.”

“She told me he stole it,” I confess in a rush. Alarmed eyes snap to my face, so I quickly add, “I don’t think he did it intentionally. I think he tried to protect her somehow, and the curse jumped to him.”

I hope.

The two men share a look that tells me they’re not convinced, but I’m not giving up on Cisco.