“Folk are tired. Of war, poverty, hunger, anarchy, the constant presence of armies, violence, killing and pillaging. So if any man begins to declare peace, a return to law, order and a system of values, if any man promises calm, stabilisation and the rebuilding of structures, he gains supporters immediately. And moderate advocates of compromise are declaring slogans like that and gaining support. At the expense of Prokop and the Orphans, who are losing support. Drunk on blood, the revolution has devoured its own children. The revolution has become too revolutionary, to the extent that it suddenly horrified the revolutionaries themselves. The radicals were suddenly horrified by radicalism, the extremists by extremism and the fanatics by fanaticism. And suddenly almost all of them moved to moderate positions. The Chalice—yes, but extremism—no. Hussitism with a human face. An end to war, an end to terror, out with the radicals, out with Prokop the Shaven, out with the Orphans, long live negotiations, long live pacts…”

“Pacts with whom?”

“With Rome, of course. Rome learned its lesson at the Battle of Domažlice, where the legate Julian Cesarini, the Spaniard Juan Palomar and the new Pope were defeated and driven away. They now know they will accomplish nothing with the Hussites by force but must use cunning. They know they have to take advantage of public feeling, win over the advocates of compromise and negotiate. Give up something in order to gain something. They are already talking. And will reach agreement. The Chalice will remain, but it’ll be a tiny little one. Freedom of religion will be tiny. The extremists and incorrigible radicals will be exterminated. The undecided will be intimidated. And there will be compromises. There will be compacts. Rome will clinch the deal, the Pope will bless it, the new Archbishop of Prague will sprinkle it with holy water. The Church will recover its stolen wealth and estates. Sigismund of Luxembourg will regain the throne of Bohemia, because somebody has to be a guarantee of restoration and order, and how can there be order without a king? Thus Sigismund will take his seat in the Hrad! He will be the arbitrator between the peoples and will issue decrees for numerous nations. Then they will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into sickles. And everything will be splendid.”

“No, it won’t. It won’t happen. That would be treachery.”

“It would be. And will be.”

“Do you think the men who defeated five crusades and sent them packing will permit that? The victors at Vítkov, Vyšehrad, Sudoměř, Malešov, Ústí, Tachov and Domažlice? Will the Czech people, loyal to the Chalice, permit it?”