The Hackeborns of Przewóz announced that they would find young Heinrich’s killers, no matter what. The gorgeous and spirited Jutta of Apolda, on the other hand, wasn’t at all upset by the death of her suitor.

Young knights organised a hunt for the criminals, riding from castle to castle amid a blowing of horns and a thumping of hooves, but the expedition was more of a picnic than a hunt.

Ziębice was visited by the Inquisition, but not even the nosiest busybodies managed to find out the nature of their business.

At the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Wrocław, Canon Otto Beess prayed zealously before the high altar and thanked God, his hands held together in prayer and his head resting on them.

In Księginice, a village near Lubin, Walter of Barby’s senile, utterly decrepit mother thought about the approaching winter and the hunger that was sure to kill her in the early spring, now that she had been left without care or help.

There was much noisy conversation in the Bell Inn in Niemcza. Wolfher, Morold and Wittich Stercza, along with Dieter Haxt, Stefan Rotkirch and Jentsch of Knobelsdorf, yelled, swore and threatened, drinking tankard after tankard. The servants bringing the drinks cringed in terror hearing descriptions of the torture the revellers intended to inflict on a certain Reinmar of Bielawa in the not too distant future. Just before dawn, their mood was improved by an unexpectedly astute observation from Morold. Every cloud has a silver lining, stated Morold. Since Kunz Aulock has gone to Hell, Tammo Stercza’s thousand Rhenish guilders will remain in his pocket. Meaning in Sterzendorf.

Four days later, the news also reached Sterzendorf.

Little Ofka of Baruth was very, very disgruntled. And very cross with the housekeeper. Ofka had never been fond of the housekeeper, for all too often, her mother made the housekeeper force her to do things she didn’t like, in particular eating kasha and washing. But that day, the housekeeper had really got into Ofka’s bad books—she had dragged her away from playing. The game consisted of dropping flat stones into fresh cowpats; owing to its joyful simplicity, the pastime had become popular among Ofka’s peers, chiefly the offspring of the castle guard and domestic staff.