asked.
‘For hours and hours,’ I told him. ‘There’s a post in Mr Gregory’s garden at Chipenden. I can cast this chain at it from eight feet away and drop it clean over it nine times out of ten.’
‘Well, if you could somehow get past that creature and reach the presbytery tonight, one thing would be on your side. It would certainly be quieter than normal,’ Brother Peter said. “The death last night was at the cathedral so the body’s already here, rather than out of town. Tonight nearly all the priests will be in there keeping a vigil.’
From my Latin lessons I knew that ‘vigil’ meant ‘awake’. It still didn’t tell me what they’d be up to.
‘They say prayers and watch over the body,’ Andrew said, smiling at the puzzlement on my face.
‘Who was it who died, Peter?’
‘Poor Father Roberts. Took his own life. Threw himself from the roof. That’s five suicides this year already,’ he said, glancing at Andrew then staring right back at me. ‘It gets inside their minds, you see.
Makes them do things that are against God and against their conscience. And that’s a very hard thing for a priest who’s taken holy orders to serve God. So when he can’t stand it any longer he sometimes takes his own life. And that’s a terrible thing to do. To take one’s life is a mortal sin, and the priests know they can never go to Heaven, never be with God. Think how bad it must be to drive them to that! If only we could be rid of this terrible evil before there’s nothing good left in the town for it to corrupt.’
There was a short silence, as if we were all thinking, but then I saw Brother Peter’s mouth moving and I thought that he might be praying for the poor dead priest. When he made the sign of the cross I was sure of it. Then the two men glanced at each other and they both nodded. Without speaking, they’d reached an agreement.
‘I’ll go with you as far as the Silver Gate,’ Andrew said. ‘After that, Brother Peter here might be able to help ...’
Was Brother Peter going with us? He must have read the expression on my face because he held up both hands, smiled and shook his head.
‘Oh, no, Tom. I lack the courage to go anywhere near the catacombs. No, what Andrew means is that I can help in another way: by giving you directions. You see, there’s a map of the tunnels. It’s mounted in a frame just inside the presbytery entrance - the one that leads directly to the garden. I’ve lost count of the hours I’ve spent waiting there for one of the priests to come down and give me my duties for the day. Over the years I’ve got to know every inch of that map. Do you want to write this down, or can you remember it?’
‘I’ve got a good memory,’ I told him.
‘Well, just tell me if you want me to repeat anything. As Andrew said, he’ll guide you as far as the Silver Gate. Once through it, just keep going until the tunnel forks. Follow the left-hand passage until you reach some steps. They lead up to a door, beyond which is the big wine cellar of the presbytery. It’ll be locked but that should cause no problem at all when you’ve a friend like Andrew. There’s only one other door that leads from the cellar and it’s on the far wall in the right-hand corner.’
‘But can’t the Bane follow me through into the wine cellar and escape?’ I asked.
‘No - it can only leave the catacombs through the Silver Gate, so you’re quite safe from it once you’ve gone through the door into the wine cellar. Now, before you leave the cellar there’s something you should do. There’s a trapdoor in the ceiling to the left of the door. It leads up to the path that runs along the north wall of the cathedral - the delivery men use it to get the wine and ale down there. Unlock it before you go any further. It should prove a faster escape route than going back to the gate. Is that clear so far?’
‘Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to use that trapdoor to get down?’ I asked. ‘That way
‘For hours and hours,’ I told him. ‘There’s a post in Mr Gregory’s garden at Chipenden. I can cast this chain at it from eight feet away and drop it clean over it nine times out of ten.’
‘Well, if you could somehow get past that creature and reach the presbytery tonight, one thing would be on your side. It would certainly be quieter than normal,’ Brother Peter said. “The death last night was at the cathedral so the body’s already here, rather than out of town. Tonight nearly all the priests will be in there keeping a vigil.’
From my Latin lessons I knew that ‘vigil’ meant ‘awake’. It still didn’t tell me what they’d be up to.
‘They say prayers and watch over the body,’ Andrew said, smiling at the puzzlement on my face.
‘Who was it who died, Peter?’
‘Poor Father Roberts. Took his own life. Threw himself from the roof. That’s five suicides this year already,’ he said, glancing at Andrew then staring right back at me. ‘It gets inside their minds, you see.
Makes them do things that are against God and against their conscience. And that’s a very hard thing for a priest who’s taken holy orders to serve God. So when he can’t stand it any longer he sometimes takes his own life. And that’s a terrible thing to do. To take one’s life is a mortal sin, and the priests know they can never go to Heaven, never be with God. Think how bad it must be to drive them to that! If only we could be rid of this terrible evil before there’s nothing good left in the town for it to corrupt.’
There was a short silence, as if we were all thinking, but then I saw Brother Peter’s mouth moving and I thought that he might be praying for the poor dead priest. When he made the sign of the cross I was sure of it. Then the two men glanced at each other and they both nodded. Without speaking, they’d reached an agreement.
‘I’ll go with you as far as the Silver Gate,’ Andrew said. ‘After that, Brother Peter here might be able to help ...’
Was Brother Peter going with us? He must have read the expression on my face because he held up both hands, smiled and shook his head.
‘Oh, no, Tom. I lack the courage to go anywhere near the catacombs. No, what Andrew means is that I can help in another way: by giving you directions. You see, there’s a map of the tunnels. It’s mounted in a frame just inside the presbytery entrance - the one that leads directly to the garden. I’ve lost count of the hours I’ve spent waiting there for one of the priests to come down and give me my duties for the day. Over the years I’ve got to know every inch of that map. Do you want to write this down, or can you remember it?’
‘I’ve got a good memory,’ I told him.
‘Well, just tell me if you want me to repeat anything. As Andrew said, he’ll guide you as far as the Silver Gate. Once through it, just keep going until the tunnel forks. Follow the left-hand passage until you reach some steps. They lead up to a door, beyond which is the big wine cellar of the presbytery. It’ll be locked but that should cause no problem at all when you’ve a friend like Andrew. There’s only one other door that leads from the cellar and it’s on the far wall in the right-hand corner.’
‘But can’t the Bane follow me through into the wine cellar and escape?’ I asked.
‘No - it can only leave the catacombs through the Silver Gate, so you’re quite safe from it once you’ve gone through the door into the wine cellar. Now, before you leave the cellar there’s something you should do. There’s a trapdoor in the ceiling to the left of the door. It leads up to the path that runs along the north wall of the cathedral - the delivery men use it to get the wine and ale down there. Unlock it before you go any further. It should prove a faster escape route than going back to the gate. Is that clear so far?’
‘Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to use that trapdoor to get down?’ I asked. ‘That way
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