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
'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
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