Before the revolution, Prokop had been a priest. It was said he came from Prague, from a family of Old Town patricians. He joined the Hussites right after the Defenestration, but before 1425 had merely been one of many Taborite preachers—among whom he stood out not only for his good sense, cool head and tolerance, but also by the fact that contrary to Hussite liturgy he didn’t wear an apostolic beard, but pedantically shaved every morning, cultivating only his famous moustaches. This daily ritual had earned him the nickname “the Shaven.” Following the death of Bohuslav of Švamberk, Prokop was quite unexpectedly voted Head Hejtman, supreme commander and chief director operationum Thaboritarum, or “Operational Director of the Tábor” as the title was translated. Soon after his nomination, Prokop acquired another nickname: the Great. Which didn’t just refer to his build. Prokop turned out to be a truly formidable leader and strategist, proved by spectacular victories at the battles of Ústí, Zwettl, Tachov and Stříbro. Prokop the Shaven’s star was shining brightly.

“Brother Prokop!” the gunner repeated. “Do we blast?”

Prokop the Shaven looked at the walls and towers of Kolín, the red tiles merging prettily with the autumn colours of the leaves in the neighbouring forests and thickets.

“Why are you in such a hurry to blast?” he replied with a question. “To demolish? It’s a Czech city, by God! Patience, we’ll soon go to neighbouring lands where you can have a good blast, flatten a few buildings. But I need Kolín intact and negligibly damaged. And that’s how we’ll take it.”

Kolín, quite as though wanting to express its opposition and disapproval, replied. There was a booming and crashing from the walls, belches of smoke appeared on the battlements and stone balls whistled, all ploughing into the ground about twenty paces from the earthworks of the first line of the siege. Lord Diviš Bořek of Miletínek, trapped in Kolín, was lacking neither powder nor the will to fight.

“We shall compel Sir Diviš Bořek to surrender,” said Prokop, anticipating the question. “And we’ll capture the town without destruction, without slaughtering after we storm it and without plundering so that the people of Kolín will think well of Brother Hertvík, who will soon be hejtman here.”

The Hussite commanders surrounding Prokop guffawed in chorus. Reynevan knew many of them, but not all. He didn’t know Jan Hertvík of Rušinov, who it turned out was already certain of the nomination for Hejtman of Kolín. Among the other Orphans, he had seen Jan Královec of Hrádek and Jíra of Řečice before, and guessed that the fair-haired and cheerfully smiling giant was Jan Kolda of Žampach. Among the Tábor commanders, he recognised Jaroslav of Bukovina, Jakub Kroměšín, Otík of Loza and Jan Bleh of Těšnice.