backing towards the purple drapes. 'I don't believe it.' Sophie, Rick and Melanie looked at him in puzzlement.
'It's true,' Sophie said. 'We wouldn't make something like that up. They knew who we were - unbelievers - and they rode her down. They didn't try to help or anything, just drove us away. They didn't care if we lived or died.'
'No,' Miller said again. 'We're knights - we're from the cathedral. And no one there would do anything like that.'
Mallory's heart sank. Miller's denial was too strong, bolstered by his own need to believe that there was no truth in the story. Mallory had been focusing on Rick's face; the puzzlement hung there for an instant while he processed what Miller had said and then his features hardened.
'Is this true?' Sophie said directly to Mallory. A hint of betrayal chilled her eyes.
'We only signed up today,' Mallory replied.
Rick looked as if he would leap across the room and attack them. 'They're all the same!' he raged. 'They hate anyone who's not a Christian—'
'That's not true!' Miller protested, close to tears himself.
'Please,' Melanie said weakly, 'no arguments.'
Mallory could see that the warm atmosphere had already evaporated. The extent of Melanie's tragedy meant any attempt to argue their innocence would be offensive. 'Come on, Miller, this isn't the time,' he said, grabbing the young knight's arm. Miller threw it off, preparing to defend his Faith further, and Mallory grabbed him tighter this time, dragging him back. 'Get a grip,' Mallory hissed in his ear. 'Look at what's happened to her - have some heart.'
'Yeah, get out of here,' Rick said, 'and tell your lot we'll never forget what they did.'
Melanie closed her eyes; the strain was telling on her. Mallory tried to imagine the pain and horror of having two legs amputated without recourse to anaesthetic or an operating theatre. 'Come on, Miller,' he said, softening. Slowly, his companion unclenched and turned to go.
Miller paused at the drapes and said, 'I'm sorry. I truly am.' But the look on the faces of Sophie and Rick showed they both realised Melanie was probably dying and there were no words that could make amends for the crime that had been committed.
Sophie exited with them while Rick tended to Melanie. The frostiness of her mood made Mallory feel as if he'd lost something truly valuable; she didn't meet his eyes any more.
'I know it's not your fault,' she said, 'but I have a very real problem with anyone who subscribes to a belief system that condones something like that.'
Mallory wanted to tell her he'd only signed up for a job of work, but at that point it would have sounded so pathetic it wouldn't have achieved anything. Instead he said, 'I'm sorry things ended like this.'
She didn't wait to hear any more.
As they trudged across the camp, the first light of dawn coloured the eastern sky. The screeching wind ended as if someone had flicked a switch, nor was there any sign of the Fabulous Beast.
Miller had been lost to his thoughts until he said, 'It can't be true, Mallory. No one at the cathedral would stand by that kind of behaviour.'
'I don't know, Miller - it only takes one bad apple ... or one psycho . . . and everybody gets tarnished. Any club that has me as a member can't have a very strict vetting procedure.'
'We should tell James ... or Blaine—'
'Right, and say we dumped our uniforms and slipped out under cover of darkness to spend time with a bunch of witches. That should merit a crucifixion at least.'
'Don't joke about that, Mallory!' Miller's emotions were all raging near the surface, but he managed to calm himself. 'I'm sorry. But I'm not like you, Mallory. I believe in things, and it hurts me when you take the piss out of them.'
'OK. I won't do it again.'
Miller eyed him askance to see if he was joking, but couldn't begin to tell. Mallory's thoughts, however, had already turned to seeing Sophie again and ways that he might bridge the gulf that lay between them. It wasn't insurmountable, he was sure, but
'It's true,' Sophie said. 'We wouldn't make something like that up. They knew who we were - unbelievers - and they rode her down. They didn't try to help or anything, just drove us away. They didn't care if we lived or died.'
'No,' Miller said again. 'We're knights - we're from the cathedral. And no one there would do anything like that.'
Mallory's heart sank. Miller's denial was too strong, bolstered by his own need to believe that there was no truth in the story. Mallory had been focusing on Rick's face; the puzzlement hung there for an instant while he processed what Miller had said and then his features hardened.
'Is this true?' Sophie said directly to Mallory. A hint of betrayal chilled her eyes.
'We only signed up today,' Mallory replied.
Rick looked as if he would leap across the room and attack them. 'They're all the same!' he raged. 'They hate anyone who's not a Christian—'
'That's not true!' Miller protested, close to tears himself.
'Please,' Melanie said weakly, 'no arguments.'
Mallory could see that the warm atmosphere had already evaporated. The extent of Melanie's tragedy meant any attempt to argue their innocence would be offensive. 'Come on, Miller, this isn't the time,' he said, grabbing the young knight's arm. Miller threw it off, preparing to defend his Faith further, and Mallory grabbed him tighter this time, dragging him back. 'Get a grip,' Mallory hissed in his ear. 'Look at what's happened to her - have some heart.'
'Yeah, get out of here,' Rick said, 'and tell your lot we'll never forget what they did.'
Melanie closed her eyes; the strain was telling on her. Mallory tried to imagine the pain and horror of having two legs amputated without recourse to anaesthetic or an operating theatre. 'Come on, Miller,' he said, softening. Slowly, his companion unclenched and turned to go.
Miller paused at the drapes and said, 'I'm sorry. I truly am.' But the look on the faces of Sophie and Rick showed they both realised Melanie was probably dying and there were no words that could make amends for the crime that had been committed.
Sophie exited with them while Rick tended to Melanie. The frostiness of her mood made Mallory feel as if he'd lost something truly valuable; she didn't meet his eyes any more.
'I know it's not your fault,' she said, 'but I have a very real problem with anyone who subscribes to a belief system that condones something like that.'
Mallory wanted to tell her he'd only signed up for a job of work, but at that point it would have sounded so pathetic it wouldn't have achieved anything. Instead he said, 'I'm sorry things ended like this.'
She didn't wait to hear any more.
As they trudged across the camp, the first light of dawn coloured the eastern sky. The screeching wind ended as if someone had flicked a switch, nor was there any sign of the Fabulous Beast.
Miller had been lost to his thoughts until he said, 'It can't be true, Mallory. No one at the cathedral would stand by that kind of behaviour.'
'I don't know, Miller - it only takes one bad apple ... or one psycho . . . and everybody gets tarnished. Any club that has me as a member can't have a very strict vetting procedure.'
'We should tell James ... or Blaine—'
'Right, and say we dumped our uniforms and slipped out under cover of darkness to spend time with a bunch of witches. That should merit a crucifixion at least.'
'Don't joke about that, Mallory!' Miller's emotions were all raging near the surface, but he managed to calm himself. 'I'm sorry. But I'm not like you, Mallory. I believe in things, and it hurts me when you take the piss out of them.'
'OK. I won't do it again.'
Miller eyed him askance to see if he was joking, but couldn't begin to tell. Mallory's thoughts, however, had already turned to seeing Sophie again and ways that he might bridge the gulf that lay between them. It wasn't insurmountable, he was sure, but
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