The War of the Grail (6 page)

‘Who’s that up there?’ Jack motioned to the troops and guns massed in the hills.

‘Heathens.’ The guard sniffed.

‘The army?’

The guard grunted and nodded.

‘So far west? I thought they were in Worcestershire.’

‘Reinforcements have arrived. They’re all over the place now.’

Jack felt a line of ice down his back. If reinforcements had arrived, then an invasion of Shropshire could be drawing nearer. And the troops ahead of him were just across the Herefordshire border – no more than a day’s march from Clun.

‘They’re letting through travellers,’ the guard said. ‘You can pass this way. There’s no danger for the present. Wouldn’t take that with you, though.’ He pointed at the musket hanging across Jack’s back.

‘Why not?’ Jack asked.

‘Rajthanans are checking everyone passing in and out. They won’t let you through with that.’

Jack rolled his tongue in his mouth as he considered this information. He’d planned to escort Sonali all the way to Leintwardine. But he didn’t want to give up the musket. He could leave it somewhere and come back for it later. But he also didn’t like the idea of crossing the border now. He could easily find himself stuck on the wrong side of the front line in a battle. How would he get back to Folly Brook if that happened?

‘Jack.’ Sonali’s voice shook. She was staring up at the troops. ‘I’ve changed my mind. Let’s go back.’

‘No.’ Jack spoke more loudly and abruptly than he’d intended. As much as he wanted Sonali to stay, he was now more concerned that she leave. If the army were planning on invading, he wanted her well away from Shropshire. The best place for her to be was in the Rajthanan lands.

Sonali frowned. ‘But I—’

‘You need to go. You can travel on from here alone. Leintwardine’s just ahead.’

It would take Sonali less than ten minutes to reach the town. And from there she could take the train to Dorsetshire. The railhead had reached Leintwardine a year ago.

She would be safe. She just had to get across the border.

Sonali’s eyes moistened. ‘I made a mistake. I’ll stay.’

Jack clenched his jaw. He had to make sure Sonali got into Herefordshire.

‘Over there.’ He nodded towards a copse just beyond the guards. ‘We can talk more privately there.’

They rode across to the trees and drew their horses to a halt beneath the spreading branches.

‘My people don’t accept you,’ Jack said. ‘You said it yourself. This isn’t your place.’

Sonali’s bottom lip trembled. ‘I could try again.’

‘No. I can’t talk Elizabeth around.’

‘I know what you’re doing.’

‘What am I doing?’

‘You’ve changed your mind. Since you saw the army up there.’

Jack studied his horse’s mane, picking at a burr stuck in the animal’s hair. ‘It’s for the best.’

‘But I could help you fight.’

Jack stared hard at her. ‘Fight your own people? You’d do that?’

‘It would perhaps be difficult.’ Her voice was almost a whisper.

‘I can’t expect you to do that. And I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you. Go. Get to safety. I’ll come and find you when all this is over.’

She choked back a sob. ‘Why don’t you come with me? We could start a new life.’

‘And leave Elizabeth? And Cecily?’

‘Bring them too.’

Jack felt a stone in his throat. This moment was unbearable. And yet he didn’t want it to end, because that would mean he and Sonali had parted. Quite probably for ever. ‘My family and I can’t leave. These are our people. We have to fight for our freedom.’

‘Must you? Isn’t it better to live?’

‘Live as a slave?’

‘Not as a slave.’ She looked down. ‘You remember I said I ran away from home when I was young? I lived with impure jatis. I became an outcaste. I know what it’s like to be at the bottom. And as bad as it is, it’s better to be poor and alive than dead.’

‘You talk as though we’ve already lost, as though the crusade will fail.’

She went silent for a moment. ‘I don’t know. It’ll be a hard fight.’

Jack was well aware of this. He knew better than she did what any battle would be like. He knew there was little hope of the crusaders resisting a full-scale assault by the army. And yet he had to hope that somehow they would succeed. He hadn’t supported the First Crusade. But he couldn’t run away now. This was the last stand for his people. Their last chance. If Shropshire fell, the rebellion would be snuffed out.

‘We have to try,’ he said. ‘And you have to leave.’

A tear bled from Sonali’s eye and trailed black eyeliner down her cheek.

‘I’ll be able to fight better knowing you’re safe,’ he said.

Sonali sobbed and further tears slid down her face. ‘I’ll wait for you. At my aunt’s.’

‘I’ll come for you.’ Jack’s voice was thick. ‘Now go while you can.’

He slapped the rump of her horse and the animal bolted. Sonali dragged at the reins and quickly got the creature under control again. She circled round and for a moment Jack thought she was going to ride back to him. But then she jabbed with her heels and urged the horse into a gallop, the animal’s hooves kicking up chunks of turf. She charged back to the road and rode swiftly away towards Herefordshire.

She didn’t look back once.

Jack waited beside the trees for a long time. He wasn’t sure how long. Perhaps it was twenty minutes. Perhaps it was longer. At any rate, he was still sitting astride his horse watching the road long after Sonali had disappeared.

Finally, he sighed and massaged his eyes with his fingers.

She was gone. And that was by far for the best.

He’d been a fool. Had he really thought that he and Sonali had a future together?

He must have been mad.

It was close to midnight when Jack, weary from the long day of riding to and from the border, reached Folly Brook. He tethered the mare to a tree and was about to walk to his hut when Elizabeth materialised like a ghost out of the dark. She looked sombre, her face taut and her eyes glassy.

He was pleased to see his daughter – of course he was – but he didn’t want another argument. Not now. ‘Elizabeth, what are you doing? It’s late.’

‘I need to speak to you.’

‘Of course. But we can do that tomorrow.’

‘No.’ She stepped closer. ‘I wanted to say sorry.’

‘Sorry?’

‘For, you know. How I’ve been with that woman.’ She lowered her eyes. ‘Sonali.’

Jack felt warmth bloom in his chest. Elizabeth was his little girl. It had been painful to be at odds with her. Now she was coming back to him.

‘Elizabeth.’ His voice was hoarse. He opened his arms and she fell into his embrace.

‘I’m so sorry, Father.’

‘Shush, shush.’ He patted her on the back. ‘There’s no need to say anything more. I understand. I’ve made some mistakes too. I should have thought about how you’d feel.’

Elizabeth drew back. ‘No, I should have thought about how you’d feel. It was just … I still think about Mother.’

‘I think about her too. We’ll always remember her. When all this is over, we’ll go to her grave again and leave flowers. Like we used to.’

Elizabeth nodded and sniffled.

Suddenly Jack had an idea. ‘I want you to have this.’ He reached under his tunic and drew out Katelin’s Celtic cross necklace. Katelin had given it to him on her deathbed and he’d been wearing it ever since.

‘No. It’s all right. You don’t have to.’

‘Take it. I should have given it to you a long time ago. I always meant to.’

Elizabeth grasped the necklace and weighed it in her palm. She stared at the intricate designs that knotted about the cross. ‘I remember her wearing it all the time.’

‘She told me it’s a family heirloom. Apparently lots of people have them in Wales. It’s one of many, but this one is ours. Our memory of her.’

Elizabeth tied the cord about her neck and the cross hung down over her chest. She gave Jack a small, hopeful smile. ‘I’ll take good care of it. Thank you, Father.’

Jack sat on the rocks and gazed at the churning water. The brook swirled into a deep pool at this point before tumbling away in the direction of the River Clun. Sunbeams filtered through the trees and shattered into diamonds on the water’s surface.

This was where Sonali used to bathe. Jack hadn’t meant to visit the spot, but he couldn’t help himself. He knew there was no point thinking about Sonali, but she kept appearing in his head …

Memories clouded his mind.

He saw Sonali in her room in Mahajan’s castle, the place where he’d first met her … Then on the day she’d begun training the lads at the House of Sorcery … Then kneading champoo into his hair … Drawing close to him and kissing him on the lips …

He had to put her out of his mind. She would be safe in Dorsetshire now. He had to forget her and concentrate on preparing for the defence of Shropshire. He couldn’t let himself get distracted.

Perhaps he would see her again one day, but that would be in some distant future that was hard to even imagine at the moment.

He had to let go.

Then suddenly it was easy. The vision of Sonali blinked away and instead he saw Katelin on her deathbed. Her damp hair was plastered to her scalp, her chest was heaving and her pale hand reached up to touch his cheek …

He felt a twinge of guilt. Hadn’t he been neglecting Katelin’s memory? Wasn’t his affection for Sonali a betrayal?

‘You’re not forgotten, Katelin,’ he whispered. ‘You’ll always be with me, and Elizabeth.’

He felt strangely light. Sonali was fading from his mind and being replaced by Katelin.

Further memories tumbled through his head but they didn’t trouble him. Mostly he saw happier times, when Elizabeth was young and Katelin was still alive.

And finally his thoughts flitted through all the yantras he’d ever learnt. Without meaning to, he focused on Find Water, the yantra Sonali had taught him. He only held the image in his mind for a second, but somehow he managed to enter the trance and draw in sattva at the same time. He did all this instinctively, almost without being aware of it.

And for the split second that he held the yantra still, it burst into dazzling light.

He felt dizzy. Sweet sattva tingled in his nostrils. He stared at the gurgling water and felt drawn to it, as if the brook were physically dragging him closer.

And then he knew what was happening. He was so shocked by it that he slid out of the trance and stumbled back down the boulder.

He’d learnt a new yantra – Find Water. The knowledge of how to use the power was now lodged in his mind, as if it had always been there.

This new power was useful enough, but hardly remarkable. What was truly incredible, and which still made his head spin, was that once again he’d broken the law of karma. Once again he’d developed a new power when he was blocked.

He shook his head. He was happy but mystified. Why had his strange ability come now? Why not during the previous seven months when he’d been trying so hard? Why now when he was barely trying at all?

He looked up at the sunlight twinkling through the canopy.

Yoga and sattva were still a mystery to him.

James didn’t have to explain it to Jack. The sight spoke for itself – four sheep lying dead in a ditch, all of them with swollen hind legs.