But Sebastian Harsee himself did not seem in the best of moods. He was pale and repeatedly wiped beads of sweat from his brow with a silk handkerchief. He also kept nervously scratching an itch on his neck.
Just like the meeting two days ago, this one had also been convened on very short notice. The reason was that the old patrician widow Agnes Gotzendörfer had been found dead early that morning in her house. This by itself was no reason for the emergency meeting-the dearly beloved Agnes was almost eighty years old-but the gruesome circumstances of her death had further stirred anxiety among the citizenry. Evidently, a window in her house had been smashed in, tracks had been found in the road right in front of the house, and the face of the deceased was frozen in horror. In addition, a severed human hand presumably belonging to Thadäus Vasold had been found on the front steps. His signet ring had still been on one of the fingers. Since then, all of Bamberg had been in an uproar.
“Dear fellow citizens,” the suffragan bishop began in a measured tone, “it appears now that we are no longer safe from the powers of Satan even inside our four walls. The case of poor Agnes Gotzendörfer makes that clear. Now’s the time to act quickly, to find the hideout of these terrible beasts, and to mercilessly eradicate them.”
“Be-beasts?” replied the dean of the cathedral, quaking. “So far, all we’ve talked about is a single werewolf.”
“But we caught him and locked him up yesterday,” said one of the council members, the apothecary Magnus Rinswieser. “Don’t tell me this fellow has escaped.”
Harsee shook his head. “No, no, he’s safely locked away in the crypt of St. Thomas’s Cathedral. We’ll begin with the torture soon in order to learn more, but as I said, it is. .” He sighed. “This fellow is no doubt just the start; there are presumably a number of others who have sold themselves to the devil. The death of Agnes Gotzendörfer proves there are other monsters lurking around.”
“What do you mean when you say you’ll begin with the torture soon?” a council member with a goatee sneered. It was the wealthy young wool weaver Jakob Steinhofer, whose young wife had also disappeared. “Why haven’t you started already?”
“Well, the venerable prince-bishop wanted to hear the judgment of the doctors of law before he makes his decision,” replied Sebastian Harsee, raising his eyebrows scornfully. He pointed at the two earnest-looking scholars sitting across from him. “But that will be in the next few days, won’t it?” Harsee cleared his throat. “I’d like to stress here my difference of opinion with the prince-bishop in this regard. The Inquisition Commission-consisting of the legal scholars, the dean of the cathedral, and yours truly-have clearly expressed our recommendation regarding the torturing of this subject. The prince-bishop, however, has the last word, and he has said he doesn’t want to have anyone tortured without proof. Besides, at the moment, His Excellency is much more interested in the theater and his menagerie. In summary, he asks for a delay because of the scheduled visit of none other than His Excellency, the bishop of Würzburg, tomorrow evening. He surely seeks to avoid any religious dispute and is yielding to the wishes of his great colleague and neighbor. Well, then. .” Harsee waited for his words to die away in the hall while regarding the angry faces with amusement.
Simon smiled grimly. You know how to bring people over to your side, he thought.
“Tortured without proof?” Jakob Steinhofer spoke up, angrily. “How many reasons does one need to have to make this fellow talk? My dear Johanna was mauled to death by this beast. Two city councilmen are among the victims, and now the respected widow of the aristocrat Gotzendörfer, who for so many years guided the destiny of this council-”
“To say nothing about my dear Adelheid,” the apothecary chimed in with a quavering voice. His face was ashen and his eyes full of tears.
“One could almost say this werewolf has very good taste,” Master Samuel suddenly interrupted from the far end of the table. All eyes turned to him and Simon. It was the first thing the doctor had said.
“What do you mean by that?” asked the pale, bloated chancellor Korbinian Steinkübler, staring at Samuel distrustfully with his tiny, porcine eyes. Simon had learned from his friend that Steinkübler came from one of the richest families in the city. He had obtained his position after a long struggle and was known for his absolute loyalty toward the prince-bishop.
“Well, please excuse my rude way of putting it.” Samuel raised his hands in apology. “What I meant to say was, it’s striking how many of the victims come from the patrician class.” He started counting them off on his fingers. “Two aging former councilmen, a patrician widow, and a young fiancée-”
“You forget the nameless prostitute and the miller’s wife,” the chancellor interrupted harshly. He leafed through the papers in front of him. “A certain. . Barbara Leupnitz. You can hardly classify her, or the whore, as nobles.” He smiled peevishly.
Samuel nodded. “You are right. . but nevertheless-”
“What’s the point of splitting hairs like this?” the suffragan bishop inquired impatiently. He rose to his feet and angrily looked at the city physician while beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. “Yes, there are patricians among the victims, but these werewolves stop at nothing and spare no one! It’s quite possible that the faithful come together in the Bamberg Forest, and if we don’t strike soon, their numbers will continue to grow. Therefore. .” Harsee paused, gripping the table tightly as if he was about to collapse. But then he got control of himself again and continued. “Therefore, starting today, guards-along with a courageous group of citizens-will patrol the forests in order to locate suspicious subjects. A so-called civilian militia has already come together, because they evidently no longer trust the prince-bishop. .” He paused for a moment for his words to sink in, then continued. “In addition, I’m considering announcing a reward for any information leading to the apprehension of a werewolf. We will destroy this brood of vipers!”
Pale and bathed in sweat, he took a seat again. By now, Simon was certain that Harsee was coming down with a bad fever, but his sympathy had its limits.
“If you offer a reward, you’ll surely get a lot of tips,” the Schongau bathhouse owner mused, “but you have to wonder if these tips won’t just be invented. For money, people can see a lot-even werewolves.”
“Are you saying the Bambergers would lie?” the young councilor Steinhofer flared up.
“Well, a lie can take many forms,” Simon replied. “Sometimes there is nothing more to it than an assumption.”
“Just stop this nonsense,” the suffragan bishop growled, visibly exhausted. “The reward will be offered, and that’s the end of the discussion. His Excellency the prince-bishop already agreed, and the civilian militia will also officially begin its duties today. As soon as we find the suspects, the Inquisition subcommittee will convene to recommend torture and execution.” He sneered slightly as he once again mopped the sweat from his forehead. “I’m sure that this time His Excellency the prince-bishop will agree. He cannot afford opposing his flock in the long run. And now excuse me.” Looking even paler, Harsee struggled to stand up. “Recent events have been extremely. . strenuous for us. The meeting is over.”
He stood up, pulled his black robe around him, and struggled toward the exit.
A bit later, Simon and Samuel were strolling across the great square in front of the cathedral, where the construction work on the bishop’s palace proceeded unabated.