golden sheen that had not been there before. Thomas let the wine skin drop to the ground and then, with his eyes on his cousin's eyes, he lifted the cup and drained it. Hic est enim sanguis meus, ” Thomas said angrily. They were the words of Christ. This is my blood.“ Then he gave the cup to Genevieve and she walked away with it, followed by Sir Guillaume. A heretic drinks from the Grail,” Thomas said, and there's worse to come.“ Worse?” Guy asked gently.
We shall put it under the gate arch,“ Thomas said. And when your cannon brings down the rest of the bastions then the Grail will be crushed. What you'll get is a twisted piece of gold and some broken glass.”
Guy Vexille smiled. The Grail cannot be broken, Thomas.“ Then you risk that belief. Thomas said angrily and turned away. Thomas! Thomas, I beg you,” Guy called. Listen to me.“ Thomas wanted to keep walking, but he reluctantly turned back for his cousin's tone had been pleading. It had been the voice of a broken man, and what did it hurt Thomas if he heard more? He had made the threat. If the attack continued then the Grail would be broken. Now, he supposed, he must let his cousin make what ever offer he wanted, though he did not intend to make that easy. Why should I listen,” he asked, to the man who killed my father? Who killed my woman?'
Listen to a child of God,' Guy said.
Thomas almost laughed, but he stayed.
Guy took a breath, framing what he wanted to say. He stared up at the sky where low clouds threatened more rain. The world is beset by evil. he said, and the Church is corrupt, and the devil does his work unhindered. If we have the Grail we can change that. The Church can be cleansed, a new crusade can scour the world of sin. It will bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.“ He had been staring skywards as he spoke, but now looked at Thomas. That is all I want, Thomas.”
So my father had to die for that?'
Guy nodded. I wish it had not been necessary, but he was hiding the Grail. He was an enemy of God.'
Thomas hated Guy then, hated him more than ever, hated him even though his cousin was speaking low and reasonably, his voice filled with emotion. Tell me. Thomas said, what you want now.' Your friendship. Guy said.
Friendship!'
The Count of Berat is evil. Guy said. He's a bully, a fool, a man who ignores God. If you lead your men out of the castle I will turn on him. By nightfall, Thomas, you and I will be lords of this place, and tomorrow we shall go to Berat and reveal the Grail and invite all men of God to come to us.“ Guy paused, watching Thomas's hard face for any reaction to the words. March north with me. he went on, Paris will be next. We shall rid ourselves of that foolish Valois King. We shall take the world, Thomas, and open it to the love of God. Think of it, Thomas! All the grace and beauty of God poured onto the world. No more sadness, no more sin, just the harmony of God in a world of peace.” Thomas pretended to think about it, then frowned. I'll attack Joscelyn with you,“ he said, but I would want to talk with Abbot Planchard before I marched north.”
With Abbot Planchard?“ Guy could not hide his surprise. Why?” Because he's a good man. Thomas said, and I trust his advice.' Guy nodded. Then I shall send for him. I can have him here by tomorrow.
Thomas felt such anger then that he could have attacked Guy with his bare fists, but he held the rage in check. You can have him here by tomorrow?' he asked instead.
If he'll come.
Doesn't have much choice, does he?“ Thomas said, the fury in his voice now. He's dead, cousin, and you killed him. I was there, in the ossuary, hiding. I heard you!”
Guy looked astonished, then incensed, but he had nothing to say.
You lie like a child. Thomas said scornfully. You lie about one good man's death? Then you lie about everything. He turned and walked away.
Thomas!' Guy called after him.
Thomas turned back. You want the Grail, cousin? Then you fight for it. Maybe just you and me? You and your sword against me and my weapon.
Your weapon?' Guy asked.
The Grail. Thomas said curtly and, ignoring his cousin's pleas, walked back to the castle.
So what did he offer?' Sir Guillaume asked.
All the kingdoms of the earth. Thomas said.
Sir Guillaume sniffed suspiciously. I smell something holy in that answer.
Thomas smiled. The devil took Christ into the wilderness and offered him all the kingdoms of the earth if he would give up his mission.'
He should have accepted. Sir Guillaume said, and saved us a pile of trouble. So we can't leave?'
Not unless we fight our way out.'
The ransom money?“ Sir Guillaume asked hopefully. I forgot to ask about it.”
Much bloody use you are. Sir Guillaume retorted in English, then he switched back to French and sounded more cheerful. But at least we have the Grail, eh? That's something!“ Do we?” Genevieve asked.
The two men turned to her. They were in the upper hall, bare of furniture now because the table and stools had been taken down to reinforce the barricade in the courtyard. All that was left was the big iron-bound chest that had the garrison's money inside and there was plenty of that after a season of raiding. Genevieve sat on the chest; she had the beautiful golden Grail with its green cup, but she also had the box that Thomas had brought from Saint Sever's monastery, and now she took the cup from its golden nest and placed it in the box. The lid would not close because the glass cup was too big. The box, whatever it might have been made for, had not been made for this Grail. Do we have the Grail?' she asked, and Thomas and Sir Guillaume stared at her as she showed how the cup would not fit in the box.
Of course it's the Grail. Sir Guillaume said dismissively. Thomas went to Genevieve and took the cup. He turned it in his hands. If my father did have the Grail. he asked, how did it end up with Cardinal Bessieres's brother?'
Who?' Sir Guillaume demanded.
Thomas stared at the green glass. He had heard that the Grail in Genoa Cathedral was made of green glass, and no one believed that was real. Was this the same grail? Or another green glass fake? The man I took it from. he said, was the brother of Cardinal Bessieres, and if he already had the Grail, then what was he doing in Castillon d'Arbizon? He would have taken it to Paris, or to Avignon.
Sweet Jesus Christ. Sir Guillaume said. You mean that isn't real?“ One way to find out. Thomas said, and he held the cup high. He saw the tiny specks of gold on the glass and he thought it was a beautiful thing, an exquisite thing, an old thing, but was it the real thing? And so he raised his hand higher, held the cup for another heartbeat and then let it drop to the floorboards. Where the green glass shattered into a thousand fragments. Sweet Jesus Christ. Sir Guillaume said,” sweet Jesus goddamned bloody Christ.'
It was on the morning after the fire had burned out so much of Castillon d'Arbizon that the first people died. Some died in the night, some at dawn, and the priests were busy carrying the consecrated wafers to houses where they would offer the last rites. The shrieks of bereaved families were loud enough to wake Joscelyn who snarled at his squire to go and silence the wretched noise, but the squire, who slept on straw in a corner of Joscelyn's room, was shivering and sweating and his face had grown evil-looking dark lumps that made Joscelyn wince. Get out!' he shouted at the squire and then, when the young man did not move, he kicked him towards the door. Out! Out! Oh, Jesus! You shat yourself!
Get out!'
Joscelyn dressed himself, pulling breeches and a leather coat over his linen shirt. You're not ill, are you?' he said to the girl who had shared his bed.
No, lord.'
Then get me bacon and bread, and mulled wine.“ Mulled wine?”
You're a serving girl, aren't you? So damn well serve me, then clean up that damned mess.' He pointed at the squire's bed, then pulled on his boots and wondered why he had not been woken by the cannon which usually fired at cock-crow. The loam in the gun's barrel set overnight and signor Gioberti was of the opinion that the dawn shot did the most damage, yet this morning it had still not been fired. Joscelyn strode into the parlour of the house, shouting for the gunner.
He's sick.' It was Guy Vexille who answered. He was sitting in
a corner of the room, sharpening a knife and evidently waiting for Joscelyn. There is a contagion.'
