tribulations they had already suffered, they did not know if they had any resistance left. They reassured each other that their faith was strong, but the cold wind was in danger of winnowing the small flame of their fear into a blaze.
In the claustrophobic confines of the compound, grim and conflicting rumours circulated endlessly: the Dark Forces of the Prince of Lies were moving to wipe the Church from the land; it was the sign of the Second Coming; the apocalypse was at hand.
Expectations were high of another assault on the cathedral, and with each day that passed peacefully the tension increased. The Chapter of Canons authorised the reinforcement of the already sturdy walls from a supply of sheet metal, then trebled the number of guards and increased the frequency of patrols along the walkways around the battlements.
At the same time, the already rigorous routine of the knights was stepped up into a relentless round of weapons training, physical exertion and tedious study that stretched from first light to compline. The only positive aspect for Mallory was that it kept him away from the hours of prayer and chanting that dominated every aspect of life for the brethren.
His trip into the city with Miller had given him a taste of what he was missing in the cathedral, but there was little chance of repeating the excursion. Though they had got back into the complex with ease, losing themselves among the team of workers repairing the badly damaged gates, the clampdown meant it would be too risky in the future. Suddenly Mallory felt like a prisoner.
'Do you think it was the Blues who attacked Melanie?' Miller whispered to Mallory as they watched the elite squad moving through their practice with machine-like efficiency. 'They scare me.'
Mallory leaned on his sword, a well-worn Reformation model. 'Don't waste your time thinking about it, Miller. We're never going to find out, and even if we did we wouldn't be able to do anything.'
'That's not right, Mallory. We can't just ignore something so wrong.'
'Miller, sooner or later you're going to realise that the world is filled with injustice. It's situation normal. You might as well get wound up about stopping the rain.'
'You two! What do you think you're doing?' They turned wearily at Hipgrave's clipped tones. The captain had been bawling out one of the novice knights for clumsy swordplay, even though he was barely out of his teens and had been suffering from malnutrition when he wandered into the cathedral an hour after Mallory and Miller. He was still painfully thin and weak thanks to the meagre diet offered in the refectory.
'Just taking a break,' Mallory said.
Hipgrave stormed over and yelled into Mallory's face. 'There's no break on the battlefield! Get fighting!'
Mallory didn't flinch. 'You've seen Full Metal Jacket, haven't you?'
Hipgrave had clearly not encountered insubordination in his brief time as a captain. For a couple of seconds, he stared so blankly that Mallory could almost see the thoughts moving across his face. Finally, everything came together with the realisation of what Mallory had said, that the other Knights were watching, that he hadn't responded quickly enough or cleverly enough or with enough discipline. Unable to cope, he backed away and took his embarrassed irritation out on the knight he had just been berating. Yet his flushed cheeks revealed his awareness that his position had been undermined. Mallory expected a response sooner or later, probably when he didn't expect it; more, he didn't care.
'That bastard's the worst kind of bully.' Gardener adjusted the bandages he had wrapped around his hands to help him grip the sword better. For someone in his fifties, he was leaner and fitter than many half his age. Mallory noted when it came to training that the Geordie had an attention to detail — like the bandages — that made him an effective force. 'He won't do it to your face 'cause he's too weak. He needs taking down a peg,' he added.
'If we were in 'Nam we could frag him,' Mallory said wryly. 'Full Metal Racket.'
Hipgrave gave the order to fight and Mallory and Gardener stepped into the sequences of feints and strikes they had been learning. Beside them, Daniels lined up against Miller. There were twenty-seven of them in the novice group, a mixture of skills, ages and social backgrounds. Most of the ones Mallory had encountered were decent enough, though they were all weak and pathetic according to Hipgrave.
'You know he's got a small penis?' Daniels said. His hardly strong blow brought Miller to his knees.
'How do you know?' Gardener grunted. 'He always goes in a cubicle if there's anyone at the urinal. Never trust a man who does that — he's got something to hide.'
'Aren't you Mr Boa Constrictor-in-the-pants,' Daniels gibed. 'No, he's trying too hard. Over- compensating.'
'If that's the case he probably needs a pair of tweezers to find it.' Mallory grunted as Gardener came in with three blows in quick succession.
'I love this locker-room talk,' Daniels said. He evaded Miller's strike lithely and made a mock blow that would have taken off his partner's head.
'It's like being in Loaded magazine around here,' Miller said. 'I bet the original Knights Templar weren't like this.'
' 'Course they were,' Mallory said. 'They had their candid charcoal sketches of Big Mary of Damascus, a goat's-skin full of mead after work and then bared their arses to the passing camels before stumbling back home.'
'You do realise we're God's Troopers,' Daniels said sniffily. 'We have forsaken all pleasures of the flesh. We get by on fresh air, a prayer and a turnip.'
'Bollocks to that,' Gardener said. 'If God wanted us to be eunuchs he wouldn't have given us… bollocks.'
'You've obviously not been listening to some in your constituency, Gardener,' Daniels said dryly. 'Don't forget they're the no-sex-before- marriage and lose-a-hand-for-masturbation crowd.'
'You'll be laughing out of the other side of your face when the Rapture leaves you here to get buggered by the army of the Antichrist.' Gardener twisted, side-stepped and knocked Mallory's sword from his hand. ' 'Course, you'd probably like that, you perverse bastard.'
Mallory noticed Hipgrave hounding the young knight again, this time quietly but with obvious venom. The knight's eyes were wet. 'Come on,' Mallory said to Gardener, 'let's have some fun.'
He quickly whispered his idea. Gardener broke his usual dour expression with a grin, then rapidly and silently positioned himself behind Hipgrave, pretending to tie his boot.
'Hey! Hipgrave!' Mallory called.
Hipgrave turned suddenly at the insistence in Mallory's voice. Gardener was squatting so close to his legs that Hipgrave bumped against him, lost his balance and tumbled to the ground in an ungainly tangle of arms and legs.
'There we go,' Mallory said, 'a dignity-free zone.'
They expected some punishment, but after a brief outburst of cursing, Hipgrave stomped off to leave them alone with their training. Later,
Mallory saw him in deep conversation with Blaine. As usual, the commander's face gave nothing away. His eyes moved in Mallory's direction only once, and then briefly, but they were cold and hard enough to inspire the briefest glimmer of regret.
Lunch was a small block of salty cheese and a lump of hard bread. Mallory and Miller found a table in the sun spilling through the windows that ran along one wall. The refectory had only just opened and they were the first diners, but it wouldn't be long before the tables were crammed; food was a high priority for everyone.
'So why haven't you been out to see Sophie?' Miller asked brightly. 'I'd have thought you'd have sneaked over the walls a few times by now. Don't tell me you've lost interest. How fickle would that be?'
'Just biding my time.'
'She was really nice… for a witch.' His smile faded as he plucked the remaining crumbs from his plate.
'What's the matter? Afraid she'll turn you into a toad?'
'It's not that.' He looked around uneasily. 'You were right, the people around here wouldn't be very happy if they knew we'd been hanging out with witches. The Church has always had a strong line against them. Suffer not a witch to live, that's what it says. But she seemed all right. I should feel bad about liking her because of what she believes in… like, she's the enemy… but I don't.'
'Christianity was made for you, Miller. You just love beating yourself up about all these little rules and regulations. Look, you know in your heart what's right. Don't let anyone try to tell you that you should or shouldn't like someone else.'
