Chapter 4
Chapter 4: The Weight of a Single Sole
Elena and Luca escape the crypt via Medici tunnels, returning to the villa where Isabetta awaits. Elena puts on her single gilded sandal, experiencing a vision of Isabetta's ancestor betraying Caterina. She wakes to find Isabetta has taken Luca hostage, demanding the other sandal in exchange for his life. Elena surrenders the sandal, but Isabetta reveals the location of her father's letters before leaving. Elena is determined to reach the vault first.
The crypt fell silent after Isabetta’s heels faded into the nave. I stood frozen, the a sandal in my bag a dead weight against my hip. Luca’s hand found my elbow, grounding me.
“We need to m1o11ve,” he whispered. “She’ll have called her people by now.”
I nodded, my throat tight. The tunnels. He had mentioned them. I let him guide me back through the sacristy, past the altar where the candlelight still flickered, to a narrow door I hadn’t noticed before. It was disguised as a panel of the wall, its edges seamless until Luca pressed a hidden latch. Stone groaned, and a draft of cold, damp air rushed out.
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