Island of Gaudomelete, Byzantine Empire
637 AD
Amala looks though she has no wish to see. Two soldiers have forced the cloaked man to his knees. They are pinning him flat on his back on the sand, spreading his legs, one raised upon a white rock. Standing over this, a swordsman, both hands on the hilt of his weapon, holds it ready. The Governor nods and the blade rears up, then down on the leg in a crunch, severing the foot, which falls like a stone on the sand. The man’s roar fills the bay, rises to the sky, rebounds from the rocks.
They must be quick, Amala knows, and Master plucks at her arm which holds the bundle of cloths and bandages. He, with his bag of medicines slung over his shoulder and the jug of wine in his hand, limps towards the prone man. Amala reaches him first, crouchin
