heard the thrum of the
string, and then a piercing scream. Anguish for the black man welled up
in her.

Her torn robe was flapping as she ran out the door. She almost fell as
someone seized the back of her robe and yanked on it. She twisted out of
the robe and ran on, naked.

She heard John's shrill voice. He had reached the ground floor.

She was out of the house. In an instant her bare body was rain-wet from
head to toe.

A group of big men holding horses stood across the street, under the
overhang of the house opposite Tilia's. They were wearing swords and
purple surcoats over mail shirts. They looked at her gloomily and made
no move to stop her.

She had no idea where to go, but downhill was the easiest direction.
Maybe hide in an alley. Knock on a door and beg for help. Try to get
across town to Sophia.

Anywhere, if only she could get away from John.

Many times she had nightmares of running from something that was trying
to kill her. Sometimes a monster or a demon. Sometimes from crowds of
roaring people carrying torches. Always in those dreams she could not
make her legs move. It was like trying to run through water. Always she
tried to scream for help and no sound would come from her throat but a
whisper.

Now she was able to run full speed away from that house where death and
destruction were running riot. And running as fast as she could was not
enough! It would not get her away fast enough from John and his armed
men and that horrible cardinal. She was able to scream at the top of her
lungs, but to no avail. Nobody would come to rescue her. Nobody would
help her.

She had also had nightmares about running through the street naked, with
hundreds of people watching. In those dreams she had been horribly
embarrassed. Now she was really doing it, and she did not care about her
nakedness.

She darted past the carts and the horses and mules and their drivers
that filled the street from side to side. She was running naked and
barefoot over the cobblestones.

She ran past the red and yellow cart at the head of the line of wagons
and saw sitting beside the driver a man with a full white beard. He was
looking down at her. For a moment she thought he was a rabbi. Then she
saw his shaven scalp and brown robe. One of those Christian begging
monks. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but she was past him
already.

She heard hoofbeats behind her, and gooseflesh broke out all over her
naked body.