Between Two Fires

The angels watch as the devils run rampant on the earth. The angels know that war is coming, and yet God does not answer them.

Robert visits the horses in the stables to get away from Cardinal Cyriac. Robert hates being the cardinal’s lover, but he does not see any way out of his situation. Robert thinks about his brother, Matthieu, and decides to send Matthieu another barrel of wine when he gets the chance.

At the Grand Tinel, Robert admires the grandeur of the papal palace. The pope enters and sits between two fires that the physicians tell him will keep the disease away from him. The pope announces that there will be a new crusade to take Jerusalem back. The pope also decrees that there will be a pogrom against the Jewish community. Robert hates the thought of harm coming to the Jewish community. However, he loves that the pope makes him feel that he is part of something.

The page of the Comte d’Évreux (actually Delphine and Thomas, respectively) looks upset after the pope speaks. Delphine tells Thomas not to drink the wine. Servants create a fake forest in the hall, and nude women with stag masks walk through the forest.