4
Sedlec Chapel, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic. 11.02pm
Franco Messina had been to Sedlec before, but never in the middle of the night when the bones of the crypt seemed to glow. What was sickly yellow in the day, resonant of pus and decay, was transformed into golden marvel in the candlelight. Incense hung in the air, delicate smoke blurring the edges of the scene.
The ossuary contained around fifty thousand skeletons arranged in bony sculptures and macabre shapes. Most of the bones came from the Black Death but there were rumors that other bodies had been hidden here. For who would notice fresh bones in the bell shaped mounds in the shadows of the chapel? Franco looked up at the great chandelier, which apparently contained bones from every part of the human body. It had eight candelabra,
