he wanted was to get married, but that Anya had taken one look at him and Father Makofsky and had turned and fled toward the ghetto.
Erika dreaded the thought of going near that filthy place, but before she knew it, her feet were carry ing her toward the Judenstadt. She passed a church where some well-dressed Jews had fled seeking sanctuary, and the city guards were dragging them down the steps in irons while a group of cutpurses and whores stood around laughing at the luckless Jews.
But she also saw the neighbors—her neighbors!—welcoming some of the refugees, who were sick with fright, and snatching them off the street moments before they were found out by the authorities. It disgusted her to see good German families taking such vermin into their homes and offering them protection. They were nothing less than traitors to the race, as far as she was concerned.
The Reiters had taken a roundabout route to the Pinkas Gate, but by the time she got there they had already found some way of squeezing past it and entering the ghetto, and the street was overflowing with different factions arguing over tactics and strategy.
“I say we burn down the whole ghetto!” said one of the Catholic defenders.
“Not before its riches have been secured and returned to the emperor and the Church,” said another.
“So the plan is to loot first, then burn.”
“Right.”
“Why don’t we attack Bethlehem Chapel instead?”
“What the hell for?”
“It’s an easier target.”
“That’s because there’s nothing to steal.”
Erika felt herself being pulled in several directions at once as she got caught up in the maelstrom. The opposing streams repelled each other like oil and water, while a couple of Jews bobbled around between them like bits of driftwood.
One of the Papists grabbed the el der ly Jew and cursed him for supporting the Protestant rebels, and was about to slay him on the spot when Sheriff Zizka arrived with a crew of his brothers, and swung his club at the Jew’s attacker, smacking him so hard that the man’s nose and mouth bled all over the front of his shirt.
“How can you protect our enemies when they’re prepared to use black magic against us?” one of the assailants challenged him.
“They’re entitled to the same legal protection as anyone else,” said the sheriff.
By this time the gate had broken open, and the mob rushed in. Then suddenly everyone stopped in their tracks and stared open-mouthed at the hellish sight of a creature from the bowels of the earth standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by burning houses.
Erika heard the old Jew ask the sheriff, “Tell me, pane Žižko, why are you helping us?”
And she couldn’t believe her ears when the sheriff answered, “Some of us remember when the Jews helped defend the city by digging a moat around the New Town, even though—”
“Even though you wouldn’t allow us to swear an oath of loyalty to the homeland,” said the old Jew.
Zizka nodded gravely.
“We also supplied you with food and weapons, and what did it get us?” said the Jew.
“It got us expelled from Bavaria,” said the other Jew.
“Well, I say the hell with the Bavarians,” said Zizka.
Awful screams and howls came from one of the burning houses, and strange lights danced before her eyes.
“What the hell’s going on in there?” asked the sheriff.
The rabbi said some magic words in his Satanic language.
But only Erika knew the answer to the sheriff’s question. She yelled the sheriff’s name, and when she got his attention, she announced, her voice strong and unwavering, “There are two men in there, sent by my master, to plant a jar of cow’s blood in the Jews’ houses.”
CHAPTER 36
THE BIG FELLOW YANKED OPEN the drawers and dumped out the contents, tossing papers right and left, until he found a brass optical scope and some kreuzers that he stuffed into his pocket, and the grand prize—a thick gold pocket watch on a chain. He tossed the watch to the man with the gun, who caught it one-handed and flipped it open.
“My, my. Will you look at the time,” said the man with the mustache, glancing at the pocket watch.
His aim never faltered.
At least I knew who the leader was now. My eyes flitted to the other one, looking him over for any weapons besides what he was already carry ing. The heavy leather sack hanging around his shoulders seemed to contain nothing but loot, but I couldn’t be sure.
“What are you looking at, Jew?”
The other mercenary waved the