The shepherd's name was Moulos. Nobody knew why. It could be either because he was strong as a mule, or perhaps because he was born out of wedlock; the word had both meanings.
In a short time they arrived at the main square with the huge plane tree. Many people with their goats had gathered. As the people chased the goats aside, they ran helter-skelter with the bells around the male goats chiming noisily. Phobos and his men were there to make sure the whole village saw the spectacle they were preparing. A naked body with a rope around the neck was hanging from the tall tree in front of the church. Anna looked up and stifled a scream as she prodded the goats with her staff to move faster. It was Irene, completely naked, a strong woman's body, blood still oozing out of her tortured dark skin.
Moulos managed to steer his herd of over a hundred goats on the main road to Heraklion. Anna used her staff and shouted loudly to get the goats to obey her. Moulos could not believe his eyes and ears when he saw Anna's skill with the beasts. He moved toward Anna to tell her how pleased he was with her help. At that moment Anna fainted, falling on the hard surface of the road. Running to her side, Moulos knelt down, uncertain of what to do. He had never been this close to a woman before, except for his sisters and this one was beautiful and about his own age. He lifted her up carefully and carried her tenderly to the side of the road. He placed her down on a grassy knoll and worriedly watched her quiet breathing.
Moulos was born in the mountains and had never known any life other than goats and sheep. People said that when he was baptized into the Orthodox Christian faith as a baby, it had been the first and the last time that his body had contact with water. This big man never went to school, and he didn't know how to read or write. However, he had learned a lot from his grandfather, a tall black man who had been washed ashore in southern Crete, perhaps from a slave ship headed to Western Europe.
Christomanolis knew their whole family and had absolute trust in Moulos. Many times he had wondered how a young man could be so honest, giving, and always smiling. Perhaps his disposition came from his kind grandmother, a local village woman, said to be "a little slow," who had married the stranger and given birth to three children.
Moulos poured water from a canteen into the palm of his hand and brought it to Anna's forehead. The cool water roused her and she opened her eyes. She was startled at first, but when she looked into Moulos' eyes, Anna found kindness in them. Moulos offered his hand and helped her get up. She felt much better after drinking some water. The goats had wandered on ahead, leaving behind a strong odor. The Billy goats' stench, in particular, made Anna nauseated. She wondered when Christomanolis would come to get her.