Chapter 18:
The sound of approaching howls and the beasts that made the spine-tingling calls motivated the men to enter the cave better than any ranting or threats Flavio might make. In theory, the small fighting force might hold off the hound’s attack, but Thaddeus didn’t believe it possible. After the death he witnessed at the villa, the inquisitor thought of no weapon that might harm the unholy animals that now stalked them. If the beasts targeted the men, their mission to rescue Adamo would be short-lived.
Burning torches and weapons in hand gave the men false security. A few moved swiftly into the cave, the stragglers falling in behind the pair from Venice. The deeper the company moved, the less light the sun provided. Soon, only the torches allowed the men to see. If this was a tra
