Chapter 5, The Messenger Summary

The evening before arriving in Puente de la Reina, Paulo and Petrus spend the night in a monastery where they are prohibited from speaking a word during their stay. Their accommodations are meager: a hard bed, clean sheets, a pitcher of water and basin for washing. Paulo observes the monks during the evening meal and learns that they only communicate with their eyes.

Before crossing the bridge into town Petrus stops upon seeing two boys playing with a ball. The guide sits off to the side and watches how Paulo reacts to the children. When the ball lands near Petrus he picks it up and tosses it to Paulo. One of the boys asks for the ball back, but Paulo refuses. The boy tries a different tactic by offering to show Paulo the whereabouts of a sacred relic. Paulo...