you.’
‘What?’
Jack looked at the earth floor. ‘Kanvar couldn’t completely cure me. I still have the fire in my chest. In less than two months it’ll kill me.’
‘No.’ Fresh tears welled in Elizabeth’s eyes.
‘But there’s still hope. The Grail heals wounds. You remember the story. The king with the wound that wouldn’t heal.’
‘Yes.’ She gazed hard at Jack. ‘You think—’
‘Maybe. I don’t know. It’s worth a try.’
She nodded. ‘You’re right.’ Then her brow furrowed. ‘In the story, Galahad was taken up to heaven. And Oswin.’
‘That might not be true.’
‘You just said the story
was
true.’
Jack thought quickly. ‘Parts of it could be true.’
She put her hand to her mouth. ‘What if you find it, and—’
‘Elizabeth, I don’t have all the answers. But the Grail was always supposed to be on the side of God. If it exists, it’ll help me. I’m sure of that.’
She looked down. ‘Why do the cursed Rajthanans have to come?’
He stepped over and took her by the shoulders. ‘Listen, you need to be strong now. For the baby.’
She bit her bottom lip and nodded.
Jack drew out the cross necklace and held it up. ‘Mother’s always with us. Watching over us.’
‘I still miss her sometimes.’
Jack fought back the tears. ‘I miss her too.’ He put the necklace back under his tunic.
She dried her eyes with her hand. Then she looked up at him with so much cold defiance he was startled for a moment. ‘We’ll fight the Rajthanans.’
He felt a flush of pride. That was the thing about Elizabeth. She might face setbacks, but she would pick herself up and stride ahead again with absolute determination.
He didn’t know what he would do without her.
Saleem stumbled as he tried to keep up with Jack’s long strides.
Jack stared straight ahead and kept up his pace as he crossed the village green. ‘I said no.’
‘But I want to come,’ Saleem said.
‘You need to stay here with your family. Look after them.’ Saleem had been through enough and Jack wasn’t going to take him on a probably doomed mission to Scotland.
Saleem stopped walking. ‘I could tell everyone about William.’
Jack paused and turned round. ‘If you do that it’ll only hurt Elizabeth.’
‘I need to make up for what I did.’ Saleem’s voice came out high-pitched and choked. He stared at the ground, his eyes glassy. He clenched and unclenched his hands.
‘You don’t need to make up for anything.’ Jack’s voice was softer now. ‘You did your best.’
‘But I ran away. I left my friends to die.’
‘Sorry, it’s still no.’
‘Then I’ll follow you.’
Jack shook his head. ‘You don’t give up, do you?’
‘I have to do this.’
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. He’d already chosen his party and he didn’t need anyone else tagging along. But at the same time he understood Saleem. Wasn’t Jack also, in a sense, going to Scotland to atone for his sins? Wasn’t he trying to make up for what he did to William? ‘This journey is suicide. You know that?’
‘I heard you’re looking for the Grail.’
‘There’s no guarantee we’ll find it. We’ll probably all be dead in a month.’
‘I still want to come.’
Jack sighed. Why was he getting so soft these days? ‘All right.’
Saleem smiled broadly, his cheeks going red. ‘I won’t let you down.’
The mare spluttered and stomped. Jack grasped the bridle and patted the animal a few times to calm it.
‘When will you be back?’ Elizabeth was standing beside him.
He found it hard to look at her, but forced himself to turn. Her skin was grey in the early morning light and the mist that had descended on the village swirled behind her.
‘Not sure,’ he said. ‘Before the Rajthanans get here.’
‘But there’s less than two months—’
‘You stay strong.’ He squeezed her arm, then glanced towards Folly Brook. The cottages were indistinct blocks of shadow. Figures emerged from the haze
‘What?’
Jack looked at the earth floor. ‘Kanvar couldn’t completely cure me. I still have the fire in my chest. In less than two months it’ll kill me.’
‘No.’ Fresh tears welled in Elizabeth’s eyes.
‘But there’s still hope. The Grail heals wounds. You remember the story. The king with the wound that wouldn’t heal.’
‘Yes.’ She gazed hard at Jack. ‘You think—’
‘Maybe. I don’t know. It’s worth a try.’
She nodded. ‘You’re right.’ Then her brow furrowed. ‘In the story, Galahad was taken up to heaven. And Oswin.’
‘That might not be true.’
‘You just said the story
was
true.’
Jack thought quickly. ‘Parts of it could be true.’
She put her hand to her mouth. ‘What if you find it, and—’
‘Elizabeth, I don’t have all the answers. But the Grail was always supposed to be on the side of God. If it exists, it’ll help me. I’m sure of that.’
She looked down. ‘Why do the cursed Rajthanans have to come?’
He stepped over and took her by the shoulders. ‘Listen, you need to be strong now. For the baby.’
She bit her bottom lip and nodded.
Jack drew out the cross necklace and held it up. ‘Mother’s always with us. Watching over us.’
‘I still miss her sometimes.’
Jack fought back the tears. ‘I miss her too.’ He put the necklace back under his tunic.
She dried her eyes with her hand. Then she looked up at him with so much cold defiance he was startled for a moment. ‘We’ll fight the Rajthanans.’
He felt a flush of pride. That was the thing about Elizabeth. She might face setbacks, but she would pick herself up and stride ahead again with absolute determination.
He didn’t know what he would do without her.
Saleem stumbled as he tried to keep up with Jack’s long strides.
Jack stared straight ahead and kept up his pace as he crossed the village green. ‘I said no.’
‘But I want to come,’ Saleem said.
‘You need to stay here with your family. Look after them.’ Saleem had been through enough and Jack wasn’t going to take him on a probably doomed mission to Scotland.
Saleem stopped walking. ‘I could tell everyone about William.’
Jack paused and turned round. ‘If you do that it’ll only hurt Elizabeth.’
‘I need to make up for what I did.’ Saleem’s voice came out high-pitched and choked. He stared at the ground, his eyes glassy. He clenched and unclenched his hands.
‘You don’t need to make up for anything.’ Jack’s voice was softer now. ‘You did your best.’
‘But I ran away. I left my friends to die.’
‘Sorry, it’s still no.’
‘Then I’ll follow you.’
Jack shook his head. ‘You don’t give up, do you?’
‘I have to do this.’
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. He’d already chosen his party and he didn’t need anyone else tagging along. But at the same time he understood Saleem. Wasn’t Jack also, in a sense, going to Scotland to atone for his sins? Wasn’t he trying to make up for what he did to William? ‘This journey is suicide. You know that?’
‘I heard you’re looking for the Grail.’
‘There’s no guarantee we’ll find it. We’ll probably all be dead in a month.’
‘I still want to come.’
Jack sighed. Why was he getting so soft these days? ‘All right.’
Saleem smiled broadly, his cheeks going red. ‘I won’t let you down.’
The mare spluttered and stomped. Jack grasped the bridle and patted the animal a few times to calm it.
‘When will you be back?’ Elizabeth was standing beside him.
He found it hard to look at her, but forced himself to turn. Her skin was grey in the early morning light and the mist that had descended on the village swirled behind her.
‘Not sure,’ he said. ‘Before the Rajthanans get here.’
‘But there’s less than two months—’
‘You stay strong.’ He squeezed her arm, then glanced towards Folly Brook. The cottages were indistinct blocks of shadow. Figures emerged from the haze
Similar Books
