to control the emotions of his audience.
'And this tremendous victory is all down to our brave knights!' he continued. 'With minimal arms, they plumbed the depths of their courage to crush the force of Evil.'
Mallory was bitterly amused at this interpretation of their actions.
'We have shown today that we can meet the forces of darkness head-on, and that with God's light shining at our backs we can overcome anything the Adversary places in our way. This has been the first step in establishing the new Kingdom of Heaven on earth.'
He continued in that vein for five minutes, playing word games, delivering rhetoric, slowly building hope and optimism amongst the browbeaten brothers. But then there was a subtle, unannounced change in his tone; his face grew more grave.
'To carry out the Work of our Lord as He intended, we need to be pure of heart,' he said, moving his gaze slowly across the congregation as if he were looking at each one individually. 'We need to be a shining example to all who see us: the most devout, the purest of thought, the clearest of conscience, unsullied by the corrupting material world so that the Lord's light shines out of us, so that all who see us will have something to which they can aspire.'
There was a long pause while he waited for his words to sink in, but he didn't stop pressing the attention of his cold, dark eyes on the worshippers. 'To that end, we will be instigating more intensive religious instruction amongst your duties. There are many different branches of the Church under this roof, which has made worship understandably fragmented. With the help of the Chapter of Canons and some of the elders, we will be attempting to bring homogeneity to services and ritual so that we can be as one.' This brought a faint murmur of disapproval, which Stefan didn't appear to hear. 'It has also been noted that there have been… failings. In some quarters, even piety is a quality in short supply. And some stand in direct opposition to the teachings of Our Lord. Yes, even here. There has been indulgence in drink and blasphemous talk, in the sins of the flesh when the gates were open and in the sin of sodomy since the gates have been closed. Prayers have been abandoned; the Great Work of God has been allowed to wither. That cannot be allowed. We must be strict with ourselves, for if we are not, how can we ask others to obey the Word?
'It was always my belief that we are custodians of our own path to God. Now, in my new role, I see how naive I was. Some of us need help along the way. Some of us need guidance. We are all children in the eyes of God. And in that spirit, I feel it is my duty to put temptation out of harm's way. From this day, alcohol is forbidden, as are all narcotics, natural and man- made. They corrupt the senses and lead even the most devout into the arms of Satan.'
Stefan checked some notes on the lectern before him.
So many rules he has to write them down. Mallory thought.
'Fornication will not be countenanced,' he continued. 'But the wrath of all good, honest men within these walls will be reserved for those who commit sodomy.' Mallory cast a furtive glance at Daniels; he kept his face blank. 'For them, there will be no respite.'
He left a long silence before continuing. 'The temporary closure of the library will now be permanent. Only authorised books will be available, and then only to authorised tutors. I'm sure you will be happy to be relieved of this burden, whereby impure thoughts and ideas are allowed to sully your minds, often before you realise what is happening. I have investigated the contents of the library in depth, and I was horrified to discover many Satanic texts amongst the books. These are not only dangerous to the minds of novices, but are also doorways that allow Evil into the very heart of our community. Therefore, they will be taken out to the main gate and burned at the earliest opportunity, to act as a message to the Dark Forces gathered beyond our walls. We are pure; our light shall not be dimmed.'
The list continued: music, apart from plainsong and devotional hymns, was banned, as were all forms of technology because they 'promoted a mindset in opposition to God'. Mallory couldn't tell if the majority of the congregation agreed with Stefan or was angered; all response was muted. But he sensed they had been so worn down by recent events that they couldn't be bothered to feel strongly one way or the other. It was too much detail, minor compared with the struggle of staying alive. Best to let someone else take those kinds of decisions so they could concentrate on the day-to-day hardships.
Stefan finished his long speech with a warning. 'To ensure that these new guidelines are treated with the correct respect, any transgressions will be met with the most serious punishment. I feel that is only right. The system of punishment will, of course, be transparent and will be overseen, once again, by the Inquisition of Heretical Depravity. Through discipline we will grow closer to God. That is the way it has always been, though we forgot it for a while, and that is the way it shall be from now on.'
Mallory wanted to laugh out loud, but as he looked around for others who had got the joke, he saw only deathly seriousness. And in some, worryingly, he saw faint smiles of appreciation.
There was one hopeful moment. Just as he left, Mallory looked back to see Julian, James and some of the others gathering at the rear of the nave. Their mood was easy to divine. They were as appalled by Stefan's repressive dictum as he himself was, and they weren't about to let it stand.
Miller caught up with him as he made his way back to the dormitory, head bowed against the wind that brought increasing flurries of snow. It was already starting to settle on the grass and cobbled path, adding a ghostly counterpoint to the brooding darkness of the cathedral buildings.
'What did you make of that?' Miller asked breathlessly.
'What did I make of it? I think he missed a trick by not having a torchlight rally and a marching knight honour guard.'
Miller looked at him askance, then, as usual, gave up trying to comprehend his friend. 'He seems to have a strong idea of how to move us forwards.'
'When you say us, Miller, I have this worrying feeling that you mean me as well.'
'What is it with you, Mallory?' Miller said, with annoyance. 'Why do you have to act as if you're not with us?'
'I'm not.'
'Then why are you here? What's your motivation?' He sounded at the end of his tether; events must have been getting him down more than Mallory had guessed.
'The only thing that's driving me now is to get out of this place and put as many miles between it and me as possible.'
'That's all you care about?'
'Yep. Self-preservation. Don't knock it — it's been driving evolution since… well, since for ever.'
Miller shook his head in disbelief. 'Nobody can stand alone, Mallory. You need us.'
'And then you woke up.'
Daniels came running up, skidding on the snow-slick cobbles. He had a hunted expression.
'You OK?' Mallory asked.
'Looks as though I've turned celibate.'
'Could be worse,' Mallory said. 'He could have made you shag Hipgrave.'
Daniels forced a smile, but it barely hid the anxiety eating away at him. 'Where do we go from here?' he said, shaking his head.
Mallory was woken roughly from a deep sleep. He'd resisted the promptings of the others to go to the lauds of the dead, despite Stefan's warnings about what would befall those who missed their daily quota of prayer; he had felt more tired than he had done in weeks. He'd been having a very lucid dream about Sophie who appeared extremely upset about something, although he couldn't quite remember what it was. All he could recall were her tears and her distressed voice repeating, 'You just don't know what you've done!'
For the first few seconds, Mallory was disoriented, but then he gradually realised Miller was next to him in a state of near panic. 'What's up?' he mumbled.
'Come on! You're needed!' Miller's face looked white in the gloom. 'He's dead!'
Mallory dragged on his clothes and boots in a daze while Miller jumped from foot to foot near the door. Eventually, he pulled himself together enough to ask what was wrong. Miller was rushing ahead of him so quickly that they were outside before he got an answer.
'Julian's dead,' Miller said tearfully. 'Murdered… just like Cornelius.'
The announcement came as a real shock to Mallory. Cornelius had always been a distant figure to him, but