'I heard some of the cities were tough in the early days,' Mallory said.
A shadow crossed Daniels' face. 'It was, in some parts, for a while. The riots had died out by the time the call filtered through — no one had the energy left. But there were still some parts of the city you didn't go into, if you know what I mean.' He looked across the huts at the darkening sky.
Daniels had an impressive charisma that underscored his bearing. Mallory could imagine him in his civilian days, well groomed, wearing expensive, fashionable clothes, maybe in some professional job; maybe a lawyer.
'How are you finding it?' Miller had such a bright-eyed-puppy manner that Daniels couldn't help but lighten.
'Hard, but rewarding.' He smiled. 'You'll enjoy it here.'
'Any missions yet?'
'No, but it's only a matter of time. They want to be sure before they send anyone out there.'
'What made you come?' Mallory asked.
'You don't think I came out of obligation? An overarching desire to give something back to Christianity? To the world?' Daniels eyed Mallory as if he knew exactly what was going through the new arrival's head.
'Don't mind him,' Miller said. 'He's just an old cynic.'
'No,' Mallory replied. 'I don't.'
Daniels shrugged in an unconcerned way. 'My partner was killed in the fighting. We'd been together for a while. It left… a big hole.' He chose his words carefully. 'There was nothing for me in Bristol. I thought there might be something for me here.'
'I'm sorry,' Miller said. 'Were you planning on getting married?'
'Gareth was the religious one,' Daniels said directly to Mallory. 'He was the one who went to church every week. I could take it or leave it. But he died with such dignity. Faith right up to the last. That was my moment of epiphany.'
'That's a good enough reason,' Mallory said.
With some land of unspoken agreement made amongst them, they set off together for the refectory.
'You don't seem much of a Christian, Mallory,' Daniels noted wryly.
'I'm not much of anything.'
'Yes, he is,' Miller said brightly. 'He just doesn't know it yet.' He proceeded to tell Daniels how Mallory had saved him.
'Self-preservation,' Mallory said. 'Two were a better defence against those things.'
'Pants on fire,' Miller gibed.
They joined the queue filing into the refectory. The aroma of spiced hot food floated out into the cooling twilight, setting their stomachs rumbling. The air was filled with the hubbub of optimistic voices, the sound of people who still couldn't believe they were getting a square meal.
'Tell me,' Mallory said to Daniels, 'when we met Blaine earlier, there was another group of knights in training, away from the main lot. They had a blue flash on their left shoulders.'
'The Blues? They're the elite. I think they used to be squaddies stationed at one of the army camps out on Salisbury Plain — it would take me years to get to their level of training. Blaine keeps them apart from the rest of us, but that's OK by me — you can see it in their eyes.' He waved a pointing finger in front of Mallory's face. 'Army eyes. You know what I mean?' Mallory did. 'Anyway, they're involved in some on-going mission. They go off for days at a time. Come back exhausted and filthy.' 'Oh?'
'Don't bother asking questions, Mallory. You'll soon find that no one tells you anything here.'
The refectory was a long, narrow barn with a high roof and open beams permeated by the smell of new wood. They picked up trays and cutlery before passing by tables at one end where the kitchen staff loaded up plastic plates with a stew of carrots, potatoes, parsnips and oatmeal, bread and a small lump of cheese.
'No meat?' Mallory protested.
'Once a week,' Daniels said, 'They're keeping a tight rein on supplies. Just in case.'
'In case of what?'
Daniels shrugged.
They sat together at the end of a long trestle table reserved for the knights, away to one side. On the other tables, about a hundred and fifty people packed into the first sitting, their freedom from the day's chores making their conversation animated. Gardener joined them soon after, taking a seat opposite Mallory with a gruff silence.
'What did you do in the old days, Gardener?' Miller asked chirpily.
'Binman.' Gardener stuffed an enormous mound of vegetables into his mouth. 'And I tell you,' he mumbled, 'this is better than having your hands covered in maggots and shit every morning.'
'I don't want to hear about your sex life, Gardener,' Daniels said.
'I hear the Blues headed off hell for leather at noon,' Gardener continued. 'Don't know what got them all fired up, but Blaine had a face that could curdle cream. And Hipgrave was pissed off because Blaine didn't send him out as leader. Again.'
'He is so desperate,' Daniels said.
'You know what he did this morning-' Gardener cut off his sour comment when he spotted Hipgrave heading across the room with his tray. The captain had lost his sneer and appeared uncomfortable in the crowd. He hesitated briefly when he noticed Gardener and the others watching him and then veered off his path to another table so he wouldn't have to sit near them.
'Thanks for small bloody mercies,' Gardener muttered.
Mallory spotted a table on the far side of the room where all the diners sat in complete silence, intermittently praying and eating. He pointed it out to Daniels.
'Headbangers,' Daniels said, chewing slowly on a piece of potato. 'The price we pay for bringing all of the Lord's flock under one roof.'
'Leave them alone.' Gardener continued to tuck into his dinner with gusto.
'You would say that — you're one of them.' Daniels turned to Mallory. 'They're Born-Agains, or evangelicals or whatever it is they call themselves. They have a hardline view of the Lord's Word-'
'They stick to the text of the Gospel,' Gardener said, 'unlike some of the weak-willed people in here.'
'There are so many branches of the Church in here… sects — cults, even…' Daniels shook his head. 'Some of them, they're like a different religion. I don't know where they're coming from at all.'
'You don't have a monopoly on God's Word,' Gardener noted. 'It's open to different interpretations.'
Mallory stabbed a chunk of parsnip with his knife, then thought twice about eating it. He noticed Miller looking dreamily around the refectory. 'You're going to say this is like Disneyland for you, aren't you?' he said.
Miller grinned at how easily Mallory had read his thoughts. 'Well, it is a wonderful place. All these people… all this hope… and faith… under one roof. It's what I wanted to find. I just never really expected I would.' A shadow crossed his face.
'But?'
'It's a bit weird, too.' He looked guilty at this observation.
'You don't know the half of it.' Gardener had so much in his mouth that he spat a lump of mushed vegetables back on to the plate with his words.
Daniels shook his head wearily. 'I'm asking Blaine to include etiquette in his tiresome list of lessons to be taught.'
'There's been talk,' Gardener said. 'Some strange stuff happening around here.'
'Oh, here we go again.' Daniels rolled his eyes. 'Lights in the sky. Mysterious this and strange that. Usually reported by people who've had the Toronto Blessing one time too many.'
'You're a cynical bastard, Daniels, and no mistaking.' Gardener swallowed his mouthful and stifled a belch. 'See? Etiquette.'
'Heavenly,' Daniels replied. 'Which finishing school did you go to again?'
'What strange stuff?' Miller said.
Gardener leaned across the table conspiratorially. 'Ghosts, for one. And not just one. Some old bishop… Seth Ward, someone said… he was seen crossing the nave. One of the brothers saw a man's face pressed up against the windows in what used to be the old cafeteria… all hideous, like. A cowled figure in the cloisters…'
'I can't believe you fall for that nonsense!' Daniels said.
