80 pages • 2-hour read
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Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.
Jeanne is a peasant girl who develops the power of sight and prophecy after experiencing convulsive fits. She is courageous and empathetic, using her visions to assist those who are overlooked by broader society. Relying on the upper classes' tendency to underestimate peasants, she cleverly tricks her pursuers to protect herself and her friends.
Protected by Gwenforte the Dog
Friend of Jacob
Friend of William
Mentored by Old Teresa
Captured by Sir Fabian
Befriended by The King
Pursued by Michelangelo
William is an oblate at the Monastery Saint-Martin and the illegitimate son of a Crusader and an unknown North African woman. He possesses miraculous physical strength and a deep scholarly intellect. As a biracial youth in medieval France, he frequently faces bigotry and assumes he will be treated as an outsider by those around him.
Friend of Jeanne
Friend of Jacob
Student of Brother Bartholomew
Subordinate to Abbot Hubert
Chronicled by Old Jerome
Investigated by The Inquisitor
Jacob is a young Jewish boy with miraculous healing powers. After hateful peasants burn his neighborhood, he sets out for Saint-Denis armed with deep faith and practical medical knowledge. He maintains a rational, pragmatic perspective that frequently contrasts with the credulous behavior of the knights and monks around him.
Michelangelo, often called the Red Monk or Michelangelo de Bologna, is a gigantic, ruddy, and hairy figure. Initially appearing as a terrifying religious zealot hunting down suspected witches in peasant villages, his imposing stature terrifies those he approaches. His true motives slowly come to light as he tracks the magical children across the French countryside.
The Inquisitor is a highly intelligent Papal spy tasked with investigating the supposed miracles of the three children and their dog. Originally seeking to distinguish himself by destroying their "pagan cult," he secretly tracks their movements, observing their powers firsthand while strictly documenting their actions for the church.
Gwenforte is a beautiful white greyhound with a copper-colored nose. Revered locally as a holy beast after returning from the dead, she is deeply bonded to Jeanne and fiercely protects the children. She relies on her sharp animal instincts to judge the moral character of strangers they encounter on their journey.
Guardian of Jeanne
Companion of William
Companion of Jacob
Antagonist of Blanche de Castile
Investigated by The Inquisitor
Hunted by Sir Fabian
Known publicly as "Hubert the Good," the Abbot of Saint-Denis is a religious authority who is completely incapable of lying. Driven to extreme paranoia by a terrifying supernatural encounter in his youth, he operates as a dangerous and bloodthirsty zealot.
Superior of William
Enemy of Michelangelo
Persecutor of Jeanne
Persecutor of Jacob
Persecutor of Gwenforte the Dog
Subject of The King
King Louis of France is a powerful young monarch. Though he casually expresses bigotry toward his Jewish subjects and supports burning their holy texts, he strictly enforces their physical protection and shows genuine awe when interacting with the magical children.
Son of Blanche de Castile
Employer of The Companion
Friend of Jeanne
Ruler of Jacob
Ruler of William
Approached by Michelangelo
Blanche de Castile is the King's intensely haughty mother. She instantly dislikes the children upon meeting them in the palace corridors, deliberately insulting Jacob and fiercely championing the mass burning of the Talmud.
Mother of The King
Antagonist of Jacob
Antagonist of Jeanne
Antagonist of William
Antagonist of Gwenforte the Dog
Rescued by The Inquisitor
Sir Fabian is the leader of a ragged group of knights tasked with destroying Gwenforte's grove. Disinherited by his family for killing innocent doctors during the Crusades, he suffers from severe trauma and night terrors that manifest as a high-pitched howling sound while he sleeps.
Captor of Jeanne
Commander of Marmeluc
Marmeluc is one of the crusader knights who helps capture Jeanne and Jacob. Unlike his strictly hostile peers, he shows an open curiosity toward different cultures and engages Jacob in a thoughtful conversation to better understand the tenets of Judaism.
Subordinate to Sir Fabian
Captor of Jacob
Old Teresa is the wise woman in Jeanne's peasant village. She takes Jeanne under her wing when the girl begins to predict the future, offering guidance and care until the imposing monk Michelangelo suddenly takes her away to face accusations.
Mentor of Jeanne
Rescued by Michelangelo
Brother Bartholomew is a senior monk at the Monastery Saint-Martin. He delivers bigoted lectures claiming that peasants, women, and non-Christians are in league with the devil, which deeply offends William and sparks a destructive conflict.
Teacher of William
Fellow Monk of Old Jerome
Old Jerome is the librarian of the Monastery Saint-Martin. Acting as a storyteller, he recounts William's early years at the monastery, describing the boy's incredible size and the intellectual disputes that lead to his expulsion.
Aron is a large butcher from Jacob's village. After his community is destroyed in a violent raid, his severe burn wounds are miraculously healed by Jacob using yarrow root and prayer.
Saved by Jacob
Fellow Storyteller of Old Jerome
Yehuda is Jacob's cousin and a highly respected rabbi living in Saint-Denis. He provides a safe haven for the children and patiently explains the rising tensions surrounding the impending destruction of Jewish holy texts in Paris.
The Companion is an elegant, handsomely dressed man serving in the King's retinue. He acts as a decoy monarch in an abbey garden to protect the real king from strangers, though Jeanne's unique vision easily penetrates the disguise.
Decoy and Companion of The King
Discovered by Jeanne
Marie is a brewster with close knowledge of Jeanne's early life. Sitting at a tavern table, she shares the history of Gwenforte's resurrection and details Jeanne's first prophetic fits to an eager audience.
Storyteller of Jeanne
Fellow Storyteller of The Nun
The Nun is a mysterious little old woman who contributes significantly to recounting the children's journey. She possesses uncanny knowledge of the children's private thoughts and visions, leading others to suspect she has strange powers of her own.
The Jongleur is a clever, red-headed traveling entertainer. Observing the children and knights at a market town, he embeds himself with their captors by singing bawdy songs in exchange for food and protection.
Storyteller of Jeanne
Entertainer of Sir Fabian
The Chronicler is a visiting monk from Scotland. He crosses paths with the children at Lord Bertulf's hall and vividly recounts their bizarre, dangerous encounter with a poisonous, flatulent dragon.
Storyteller of Jacob
Guest of Lord Bertulf
Lord Bertulf is a local nobleman who hosts Sir Fabian's knights, the captive children, and a visiting chronicler. He demands that the knights slay a marauding dragon in exchange for an escort to Saint-Denis, setting up Jacob's bizarre confrontation with the beast.