Temple of the Grail(57)

The bishop reached us huffing and puffing and paused, catching his breath and patting his paunch as a pregnant woman pats her belly, lovingly.

‘Dear preceptor,’ he said after a moment, in his voice a suspicious magnanimity, ‘I have been looking for you in every place!’ In a lower voice, ‘I must speak with you on matters of extreme delicacy.’

‘I am your willing servant,’ my master bowed with humility, but in his tone I noted some annoyance.

‘Yes . . . yes . . .’ he looked about him with a frown of importance. ‘Last night we were witness to an abominable crime. The inquisitor was right. The Devil roams these evil corridors and none are safe who seek the truth in the name of God.’

‘Those whose eyes look for evil will find it in every place, your grace, even in God himself,’ my master said calmly.

‘Come now, preceptor, we must not be careless! There is an evil working here that is more powerful than you know. Rainiero has warned us to keep en garde. The next to die could be one of us, therefore I am here to advise you that we are to travel in pairs and stay in our cells as much as possible, until such time as these proceedings are dispensed with.’

‘And did the inquisitor also advise you to wear a garland of angelica as named by our Brother Linaeus to be efficacious as a safeguard against evil?’

‘No.’ The man was wide-eyed, not knowing, as I knew, that my master was commanding the tool of Aristophanes. ‘Do you recommend it, preceptor?’

‘Only when the moon is full, your grace.’

‘Oh,’ the man said gravely, nodding his head, and, looking up at the deeply overcast sky, added, ‘Most wise. One never knows . . . We are told of men who conjure up demons to exercise power over inquisitors. Incantations which, when recited several times, can put an enemy out of the way! Keep an eye on that Jew, preceptor. It is, after all, common knowledge that Jews are responsible for everything of a diabolical nature. Much can be attributed to their designs. Have we not all heard of the terrible acts committed in Saxony and other places, where they regularly steal the host in order to use it for their own evil purposes, causing it to cry out in agony – as it is tortured and is made to relive Christ’s sufferings – and to produce miracles of every kind!’

I gasped and my master gave the bishop a reproachful look. ‘Your grace, let us not frighten my young scribe with such stuff, none of which has been witnessed, nor proven. We all know that whenever a genuine inquiry was held into these accusations its findings always exonerated the Jewish community. A learned man should be above superstitions which occupy the feeble minds of the wretched and the poor.’

‘Indeed,’ the bishop squared his shoulders, his voice icy as the wind, ‘the fact remains, preceptor, that even those of the converted species, in their heart of hearts, reject the purity of Christianity. That is why they steal the host, and also why they kidnap Christian boys and murder them in fiendish rituals . . .’

I could see that Andre was becoming exceedingly annoyed. The bishop, not altogether dull in his senses, saw it also and changed the subject with a diplomatic flair. ‘But, of course, I sought you on another matter, a matter of utmost importance, as I have said.’ He said this last line with a flourish of his hand, and his amethyst ring flickered in my eyes dazzling me, the spell only broken by the gloom of the cloisters as we entered them through the arched aperture. Far away I heard a bird cry out, perhaps an eagle. Otherwise the day was strangely still, the air frigid and damp. I longed for a warm cup of ale to gladden my heart.

‘How may I help you, your grace?’ my master asked when it seemed that the bishop would not begin.

‘I wish to speak to you about the proceedings.’ The Benedictine paused for a moment, I believe unsure of how to broach the matter, he then placed his plump palms together in the manner of prayer and slowly, with deliberate wording, began, ‘I am deeply concerned, brother Templar, that you may not be aware of the difficulties faced by the church in these very difficult times. Indeed, the entire continent, of which France is but one small part, has been a hotbed of intrigue and I fear you may not understand the importance of our duty to the pope, in the matter of . . . in the matter of, the abbey.’

‘My lord, I am always conscious of my duty.’

‘Yes, no doubt,’ he cleared his throat, ‘but while you were away – fighting valiantly on behalf of all good Christians – many things have changed.’

‘Perhaps you should enlighten me, your grace.’

‘I shall. Firstly, as you may know, the church has been occupied with the unholy works of the guedes here in France, whose character is not unlike the Ghibellines of my own country, and whom everyone knows, seek only to fatten their coffers with the blood of Christ. They are supporters of imperialists. Helped by Louis and his brother, they collude to weaken the power of the papacy by reducing the privileges of the church and refusing to pay taxes! We must watch the fox and the wolf with diligence, lest we lose the vineyard!’ He moved his vastness in the direction of the large arches overlooking the central court, and fixed my master with a pained expression that on his face looked absurd. ‘I fear the king supports those responsible for the death of one pope – God rest his soul – and the dismemberment of Italy.’