The Abbot moved tentatively towards the huge four-poster bed dominating the space and began to make out the gaunt shape, white and insubstantial, lying in the middle of it. In the dim glow it looked as though the Prelate was trapped in the centre of a web of tubes and wires like a cave-dwelling spider. Only his eyes appeared to have any substance. They were dark and alert and watched his visitor make his approach.
The Abbot reached across the acres of linen to take the Prelate’s claw-like hand. Despite the stifling heat in the room, it was as cold as the mountain. He lowered his head and kissed the ring hanging loosely on the third finger which bore the seal of his exalted office.
‘Leave us,’ the Prelate said, in a voice both dry and laboured.
Two Apothecaria in white cassocks rose from their seats like phantoms. The Abbot had not even noticed them in the shadows. Each checked and adjusted something on one of the many machines, turning up the alarm volumes so they could hear them from the stairs, then silently glided from the room. The Abbot turned back to his master and found the bright eyes burning into him.
‘Tell me. . everything. .’ the Prelate whispered.
The Abbot outlined the sequence of the morning’s events, leaving nothing out, while the Prelate continued to skewer him with his needle eyes. Everything sounded worse spoken out loud than it had when rehearsed in his head on the way over. He also knew from experience that the Prelate was not a man given to leniency. He had been Abbot himself the last time a novice had betrayed them, during the time of the First Great War, and his ruthlessness in clearing up that potential mess had ultimately provided his ticket to the Prelature. The Abbot secretly hoped that a successful containment operation now might do the same for him.
The Abbot finished his report and the old man’s eyes released him and fixed instead on a spot somewhere in the darkness above the bed. His long hair and beard were wispy and whiter even than the sheets that covered him like a shroud. His only movements were the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and the quiver of arteries pulsing weakly beneath the paper-thin skin.
‘A sister?’ the Prelate said finally.
‘Not yet confirmed, your holiness, but nevertheless a source of grave and immediate concern.’
‘Grave and immediate concern. . for her, perhaps. .’
The Prelate’s speech was fractured into small clusters of words, each sentence broken every few seconds by the respirator as it pushed air into his tired lungs.
‘I’m glad your holiness agrees,’ the Abbot replied.
The sharp eyes turned on him once more.
‘I have agreed nothing,’ the Prelate replied. ‘I assume by this visit. . where you bring me nothing. . but bad news. . and question marks. . that you wish for me. . to grant you permission. . to silence the girl.’
‘It would seem prudent.’
The Prelate sighed and returned his gaze to the canopy of darkness above his bed.
‘More death,’ he said, almost to himself. ‘So much blood.’
He took several deep breaths and the hiss of the respirator rose to fill the silence.
‘For thousands of years now,’ he continued in the same halting manner ‘we have been keepers. . of the Sacrament. . a secret that has been handed down. . in an unbroken line. . from the original founders. . of our church. Dutifully. . we have kept the secret. . but it has also kept us. . It keeps us still. . locked away from the world. . demanding so much sacrifice. . so much blood. . just to keep it hidden. Do you ever ask yourself. . Brother Abbot. . what is our purpose here?’
‘No,’ he replied, unsure of where the question was heading. ‘Our work here is self evident. It is God’s work.’
‘Do not patronize me with seminary platitudes,’ the Prelate said with surprising energy. ‘I am not a fresh- faced novice. I mean our
‘Of course.’ The Abbot frowned. ‘Our calling is righteous. We shoulder the burden of mankind’s past for the sake of its future.’
The Prelate smiled. ‘How blessed you are, to have such confidence in your answer.’ His eyes drifted upwards once more. ‘As death creeps nearer. . I must confess. . things look very different to me. . Life shines. . in strange ways. . once lit by death’s dark light. . But I will be cured of life. . soon enough. .’
The Abbot began to remonstrate, but the Prelate raised his almost transparent hand to silence him.
‘I am old, Brother Abbot. . too old. . As I approach my second. . century, I feel. . the burden of my years. . I used to think. . the long life, and staunch. . health one enjoyed. . as a result of living. . inside this mountain. . was a blessing. . I believed it was proof. . that God smiled upon us. . and upon our work. . Now I am not. . so sure. . In every culture. . and in all of literature. . long life is ever portrayed. . as nothing more. . than a terrible curse. . visited upon the damned. .’
‘Or the divine,’ the Abbot said.
‘I hope you are right. . Brother Abbot. . I have given it. . much thought of late. . I wonder. . when my time finally comes. . will the Lord be pleased. . with the work I have done. . in His holy name. .? Or will He be ashamed. .? Will all my life’s efforts. . prove to be nothing. . more than a bloody exercise. . in protecting the reputations. . of men who have long since. . turned to dust. .?’
His voice trailed away with a dry rattle and the dark eyes flitted across to a pitcher of water by his bed.
The Abbot poured a glass and lifted the Prelate’s head to it, helping him take tiny sips between the relentless insinuations of the ventilator. Despite the oppressive heat, the Prelate’s head felt inhumanly cold. He laid it carefully back down on the pillow and returned the glass to the table. When he looked back, the Prelate’s eyes were focused once more on the patch of nothingness above his bed.
‘I stare death in the face. . every day. .’ he said, studying the darkness. ‘I watch him. . and he watches me. . I wonder why. . he keeps his distance. . Then you come here. . talking soft words. . that do little to hide your. . hard desire for blood. . and I think to myself. . perhaps Death is cunning. . Maybe he keeps me alive. . so I can grant you. . the powers you request. . Then your actions will provide him. . with far fresher souls. . than mine to sport with. .’
‘I do not desire blood,’ the Abbot said. ‘But sometimes our duties require it. The dead keep secrets better than the living.’
The Prelate turned once more and fixed the Abbot with his unwavering gaze.
‘Brother Samuel. . may disagree. .’
The Abbot said nothing.
‘I am not going to. . grant your wish. .’ the Prelate said suddenly, his eyes crawling over the Abbot’s face, feeding on his reaction. ‘Locate and monitor her. . by all means. . but do not harm her. . I expressly forbid it. .’
The Abbot was stunned.
‘But, Your Holiness, how can we let her live if there is even the smallest chance she knows the identity of the Sacrament?’
‘I doubt. . she knows anything. .’ the Prelate replied. ‘Having a telephone number. . is one thing. . Having a telephone. . another thing entirely. . Do you really think Brother Samuel. . would have had time. . to make a call. . between learning our great secret. . and his unfortunate death. .? Are you really so eager. . to take a life. . on the basis of such. . a slender possibility. .?’
‘I do not think we should take even the smallest chance, when our order is at risk. The Church is weak. People don’t believe in anything any more. Any revelations now about the origins of their faith may destroy everything. You have seen within these walls how some react when the Sacrament is revealed to them, even after they have been carefully screened and prepared. Imagine if it were revealed to the world? There would be chaos. With respect, Your Holiness, we need to protect the Sacrament now more than we ever have. The future of our faith may depend on it. This girl is too dangerous to live.’
‘All things must end. .’ the Prelate said. ‘Nothing lasts forever. . If the Church is weak. . then maybe all this. . has come about for a reason. . Maybe it is time. . for us to put ourselves. . in the hands of fate. . Let the dice fall. . how they may. . I have made my decision. . Tell my attendants. . I wish to rest. . And close the door. . as you leave. .’
The Abbot stood for a few moments, not quite believing either that the interview was over, or that his petition had been denied. He watched the Prelate staring upwards like the carving upon a tomb.
