The blue board

Overview of the Nile and Al-Furat: "Manuela could not believe her eyes. She pressed her fingers on the message from the General Inspector and turned it into a ball, squeezing it with her fist. So, contrary to her expectations, they ordered her to continue the mission. The information she provided them with did not convince them of the necessity to stop chasing the men; rather, it seemed that this information had the opposite effect. And here is the message confirming to her that Torkimada has become more determined to go in the same direction. Dona Viguero. She jolted up as she remembered the man with the eagle face, whom she had completely forgotten while engrossed in reading the message. Dona Viguero. It would not be prudent to stay here longer, and your companions might notice your absence. Should I inform Torkimada of my decision? She remained silent, her mind filled with conflicting thoughts. She recalled a specific scene from the day Torkimada came to her and explained the details of the mission that would be entrusted to her. An innocent question escaped her: I understand your fears, Friar Torkimada, but are you truly and wholeheartedly sure that the religion of these two men, the Muslim and the Jew, is your real motive? At that moment, she did not know that a Christian monk would accompany her. The General Inspector’s response came to her immediately, bluntly and directly. Suppose that is true, Dona Viguero, where is the mistake? She dared to go further. The mistake is in taking innocent lives just because they differ from us in religion. Don’t you see that this contradicts the teachings of the Lord? Torkimada furrowed his brows and looked sharply at her as if piercing through her. Does this mean you sympathize with heretics and invaders? The question shocked her, so she answered defiantly, lifting her head: Don’t go too far, Friar Thomas. I am Spanish and proud of it, and I love my country. I have no dream but to see it regain its freedom and unity as soon as possible. But there is a big difference between fighting a war to expel an invading army and seeking to eliminate a person with cold blood without accountability or punishment just because he believes in a religion different from yours. This is not a war, Friar Torkimada. This is called tyranny and a crime. And to reassure you, I do not sympathize with either Jews or Muslims, but I was raised with a message of love in my heart, that’s all." The setting of this novel is Spain, during its fall and the defeat of the Muslims and their exit from it. The novelist, through a reading of the history of this period, seeks to recall it with the sensibility and imagination of a novelist. The author reviews events from the Inquisition to massacres and burnings where Arabs, Muslims, and even Jews were annihilated, as well as the conspiracies through which each king and queen of Spain ignited the war and continued it until they reached the moment of victory, which they achieved through deception.