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.