Dancing in the Palm of His Hand by Annamarie Beckel Page A

Silberhans?”said Hampelmann. He waited a moment, ignoring Lutz’s raised hand, then continued. “And now, finally, we come to Frau Rosen.”
    Freude pounded a fist on the table. “She and her daughter are together in one cell. A violation of procedures.”
    Hampelmann avoided looking at the man’s stained and broken teeth. “
Nein
,” he said slowly, “it is not a violation. The daughter has been detained only for questioning. She, herself, has not been accused. It would be a violation of the law to hold a mere witness, and a child at that, in solitary confinement.”
    â€œI don’t like it,” said the executioner. “Mother and daughter should not be held together.”
    â€œWhat can it hurt?” said Lutz. “The girl is young, only ten or eleven.”
    â€œHumph! I’ve seen witches as young as five,” said Freude. “What say you, Judge Steinbach?”
    The judge’s eyes slid to Chancellor Brandt, then to Hampelmann. “We’ll leave things as they are,” he said softly.
    Hampelmann nodded, then referred back to the report. “In searching Frau Rosen’s premises – her bakery and living quarters – the bailiff found more than a dozen white feathers and nearly ten oddly shaped stones, as well as carvings, one of which had been made into the likeness of a woman.”
    Lutz raised his hands so quickly a torch flared, making Judge Steinbach jump. “Items any child might collect,” he said.
    â€œMy daughter collects nothing of the sort,” said Hampelmann. “She would be admonished severely for doing so. Items such as these are an invitation to the Devil.”
    â€œSurely,” Lutz protested, “you can’t take these few items as evidence of witchcraft.”
    â€œ
These few items
, as you choose to call them, are not the only evidence. Have you forgotten that Frau Rosen’s husband died suddenly, with no warning or explanation? And Herr Kaiserbecame ill and nearly died after registering his complaint against her with the Lower City Council.”
    â€œMoreover,” added Father Streng, “her daughter was born crippled – almost surely a sign of the sinfulness of the mother.”
    Lindner uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. “And then there is the bad weather for two years running.
Hexenwetter
, witches’ weather. The poor harvests have left many people starving.”
    â€œThe mere occurrence of
hexenwetter
,” said Lutz, “hardly indicates that Frau Rosen is responsible. That could have been the work of the witches just executed.”
    Chancellor Brandt flicked a finger against Hampelmann’s ledger. “Since Herr Lutz seems so eager to explain away the evidence and to defend the accused, I propose, Judge Steinbach, that he be appointed their lawyer.”
    Lutz’s mouth dropped open. “But...but I was only raising questions.”
    Hampelmann twisted his gold ring. Dare he contravene Chancellor Brandt? The words of Jean Bodin came immediately to mind:
avarice, ambition, cruelty, or thirst for revenge could render a judge vulnerable to spells
. The chancellor’s motive was revenge, a desire to punish Lutz. Hampelmann had to speak up. Duty demanded it.
    â€œWith all due respect to Chancellor Brandt,” he said carefully, “I’m not sure that such an appointment would be fair to either Herr Lutz or the accused. The man has little experience with witches. Perhaps he should be permitted to observe and learn from these initial hearings before he is assigned such a demanding and dangerous responsibility.”
    Judge Steinbach folded his gnarled hands and laid them gingerly on the table. “It is a difficult question.”
    Chancellor Brandt’s hooded gaze went around the table, meeting the eyes of each man in turn, Hampelmann’s last. “Are we all agreed then?”
    A trio of
ja
s sounded: Father Streng, Freude,