12

The banks of the Seine

March 13, 1355

The wheel was the most spectacular form of torture. It was used on rare occasions for those accused of the most heinous crimes. It always drew a crowd of fascinated and horrified Parisians.

The scribe and manuscript seller from the Rue Saint Jacques shivered. Gossips still talked about the Aulnay brothers, who in 1314 were attached to the wheels of a cart. Their limbs were broken one by one. Then they were skinned alive.

Master Maillard grabbed Flamel’s arm and pointed to some people who were throwing stones. A riot was brewing.

“You see, the good people want vengeance for their king.”

“Let’s just hope that their love for our sovereign doesn’t cause them to pillage and burn our shops,” Flamel said.

The furrier’s face filled with worry. “Do you think the crowd would do that? But we’re not Jews!”

“We’re tradesmen. And thus profiteers. Haven’t you heard the talk at the market?” Flamel was getting annoyed with Maillard’s ignorance.

“Now, now, neighbor Flamel, you’re trying to scare me. I’m just a humble commoner like these good people.”

“A humble commoner who has a fine home, a cellar full of choice furs, and…”

Maillard turned away from the pyre and scanned Temple Quarter. The city’s beggars and criminals had been squatting in those dark alleys ever since the Templars had been wiped out. They would certainly be keen on joining the rabble-rousers.

“…a very beautiful wife.”

The furrier said nothing.

Flamel couldn’t stop. He wanted to lash out at this ignorant bigot.

“Rumor has it that when the poor attack a bourgeois house, they take pleasure with the lady before they plunder the goods. What do you think of that?”

Maillard didn’t have time to answer before a joyful clamor rose from the crowd.

The henchman had grabbed a torch and was inspecting the pyre, making sure that all the branches and logs were dry and that different kinds of wood had been used. These measures would make for adequate combustion. Vine shoots from the Montmartre hillside, chosen for their length, were piled at the foot of the cross, which needed to burst into flames immediately.

Silence fell on the crowd. The prisoner was led out.