Chapter 8:
The night turned into morning, and as the sun rose, the fire died. The pain in Thaddeus’s heart wouldn’t relent. Long after the villagers retreated home, he remained to watch the flames. No expert on the interaction between fire and reeds, he felt it took too long to burn itself out. Geovanni would have been quick to blame the observation on the devil’s work. Thaddeus wasn’t so eager to relieve man of their responsibility for their actions.
The inquisitor remained eager to lash out at any that approached, but he had no target for his wrath. His traveling companion found a place in the reeds with a blanket and dozed off.
Thaddeus found himself ready to blame someone for the deaths of the women. Had the villagers never come, the inhabitants of the hut might still be counted amo
