The Invisible Assassin(11)

Jake grinned.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Monty Python. Everyone remembers the Spanish Inquisition.’

Lauren gave him a stern look.

‘I’m being serious,’ she said. ‘The Inquisition wasn’t confined to Spain. So, according to legend, the Order of Malichea hid all the science texts somewhere safe so that they wouldn’t be destroyed by the Church. And not just the Church. Certain kings also thought some of these scientific ideas were dangerous and ought to be suppressed. Many of these sciences were thought of as subversive.’

‘Why?’

‘Because they questioned the orthodox theory of how the world worked. Remember, even in the twentieth century such books were banned. The Nazis ordered them burned. The Catholic Church also ordered them destroyed. Anything that contradicted the official line on how the universe was made and worked. And these books weren’t just doing things like claiming that the sun orbited the earth and not the other way round, as Galileo said, and which was thought of as a terrible heresy, for which he was killed. When you think the library of the Order of Malichea was said to have books on subjects like invisibility; turning ordinary metal into gold; the quest for eternal life; raising the dead . . .’

‘Sorcery and witchcraft,’ said Jake.

‘Exactly.’ Lauren nodded. ‘And even more so when you add books on time travel, mind-reading, levitation, telekinesis . . .’

‘Telekinesis?’ queried Jake.

‘Moving things just by using the power of your mind,’ clarified Lauren. ‘Then there were said to be texts on genetic engineering, seeing into the future . . .’

‘Dangerous stuff.’

‘Very. It’s said that if this library actually existed and the sciences had been put into practice, we’d have been on the moon five hundred years before we actually were. Plus treatments would have been found by now for most diseases.’ She thought for a bit, then added, ‘I’ve actually still got my notes on the Order of Malichea. I’ve thought about writing a book about them, if I can find a sympathetic publisher, that is. The problem is, I want it to be a proper book, not some weirdo thing for fantasy geeks, and that’s not going to be easy.’

‘You think there might be some kind of connection?’ asked Jake hopefully. ‘Between this order and what I saw?’

‘What you may have seen,’ corrected Lauren. ‘Although the thing that makes me think there might be a connection is the business of the fairy ring.’

Jake frowned at her, checking to see if she was winding him up in some way, but she didn’t appear to be making a joke.

‘The fairy ring?’ he queried.

‘It’s said the Order of Malichea hid their whole library,’ she said. ‘They didn’t want it to fall into the hands of the establishment, where it could be destroyed. And, to make sure that no one dug it up accidentally, the books were spread around the whole country and buried in places that were rumoured to be holy, or haunted, or sacred, or cursed.’

‘Places where no one was likely to dig,’ said Jake. ‘Like a so-called fairy ring.’

‘Exactly.’ Lauren nodded. She looked at her watch and stood up. ‘I’ve got to go.’

‘I thought you said you were free the rest of the day,’ blurted out Jake helplessly, then shut up.

Lauren looked awkward. ‘I’m meeting someone,’ she said. There was a pause, then she added, ‘Actually, I’m seeing someone these days.’

‘Robert the rugby player?’ asked Jake, doing his best to appear casual.

Lauren glared at him, her eyes blazing angrily.

‘You idiot!’ she snapped. ‘Robert is my cousin! He and I have played together since we were about two years old! He is also very happily engaged to a good friend of mine and getting married this year!’

Jake dropped his eyes, shamefaced.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

‘So you should be!’

There was a pause, then Lauren added, ‘If you must know, the man I’m seeing is another student at the university. He’s a third year. Very intelligent. Very mature.’

Mentally, Jake kicked himself. Robert was her cousin! And because of what he thought was going on, he’d messed up big time. And now, he’d lost her to some mature Brainiac!

‘I’m . . . glad for you,’ he said, forcing the words out and doing his best to smile. To break the awkward pause that followed, he asked, ‘So, this stuff you’ve got on the Order of Malichea . . .’

Lauren nodded.

‘It’s on my laptop. I’ll email it to you. Is your email address still the same?’