Completed drafting Chapter 1, in which Morillo spends a good deal of time interrogating Lope de Triana (Rodrigo’s uncle) and at the end of which he (Morillo) is informed of Torquemada’s appointment as IG, a position he very much coveted for himself. Morillo will be even more hacked when later in the novel Torquemada sends his butt after Rodrigo as a clandestine member of Columbus’s crew. One of the many goals here, character-wise, is to ensure that Morillo has the pissiest attitude possible since he is the personification “the devil” being outrun per the title. We move ahead in Chapter 2 to some more important developmental character work, including meeting Rodrigo and his family, and the scene in which he is first given Ain Fir, the falcon, as a companion (sort of a coming-of-age ritual thing since Rodrigo is 9 at this point). This scene occurs immediately after Lope learns of his wife’s impending execution (or “relaxation” by the church). We need him to be seriously motivated to fuck over the church, the inquisition, the whole process, without any regard for his own well-being, though with a daughter yet to raise, he will need to give at least some thought to this attitude. I think though that the daughter (Rodrigo’s niece) ends up with Rodrigo’s family, making me wonder just what happens to Lope in the end. Does his grief (over Catarina) and bitterness (over Morillo) do him in somehow?