At last, some actual writing. Just two pages, but the story is off and running. We begin with Miguel de Morillo (one of the original two inquisitors in Seville, appointed 1480, “questioning” Rodrigo’s uncle, a local craftsman and suspected converso organizer. The goal in the opening sections is to establish a tone of general terror throughout Seville, and introduce several main characters, notably Rodrigo (14 at this time), Morillo, and Torquemada, our main inquisitors. The uncle will survive this initial treatment, but will be damaged for life as a result, a fact that will become important later when we revisit him in 1492.