Valladolid, Kingdom of Castile, 1370
The bishop was losing his patience. "Tighten the ropes!"
The man who hung suspended in the air in front of the Inquisition Tribunal let out a scream that was immediately cut short. His arms were so stretched that he could barely breathe.
The bishop approached him once more, with disgust in his eyes. "Will you renounce your sorcery and confess Christ as your Lord?"
The tortured man attempted to form words that nobody could make out. With a gesture, the bishop ordered the ropes to be loosened, only a bit, so he could hear the answer.
It wasn't to the bishop's satisfaction. "Tighter!"
Behind the bishop, two young priests were quietly praying for the poor man's salvation. One of them whispered, "My confessor was a missionary among the Slavs. It seemed to me to hear some pagan words among the rubbish this man has said."
"Why would he dare speak the tongue of heretics to a minister of the Church? No, this is the work of demons. Don't let them deceive you."
The bishop's quiet rage was only appeased when the man stopped twitching.
Kiev, Grand Duchy of Lithuania
On a wheat field under a beautiful clear sky, a woman sat alone crying.