Lomeli hears the rumors and feels a stab of unease. He has known these men for decades. None is truly worthy of Peter’s throne. But then again, has anyone ever been?

The First Blow

An official document is drafted with the timeline of the Pope’s final hours. But something doesn’t fit. The Pope dined early, retired to his quarters, and was found dead at 11:30 p.m.

Too neat. Too clean.

Lomeli decides to call Cardinal Tedesco in Venice to inform him of the death. But when the phone rings and the patriarch answers, his reaction is too cold, too brief. As if he already knew the news before Lomeli spoke it.

As he hangs up, suspicion casts a shadow over his mind.

“This won’t be a conclave. It’ll be a war.”

Part Two: The Rules of the Game

The conclave is a war waged in silence, between prayers and secret ballots.

As cardinals arrive at the Vatican from all corners of the world, Casa Santa Marta becomes a hive of intrigue. 117 princes of the Church , locked away with no contact with the outside world, until one of them becomes the successor of Peter.