The Devil in Green by Mark Chadbourn Read Free Book Online Page A

times, but also momentous,' he said. 'I feel that the Chinese were correct when they said there are no crises, only opportunities. This is an opportunity to re-energise Christianity and to bring it into the lives of the people once again.' After Blaine, his gentleness was even more pronounced.
Blaine summoned his second-in-command to lead them to their quarters. Hipgrave had barely broken into his thirties, and he appeared much younger. His features carried a permanent sneer, but it looked theatrical, as if he thought it gave him gravitas. 'You'll be out of here before the week's through,' he said in a light voice attempting to disguise its upper-middle-class origins.
'Thanks for the vote of confidence.' Mallory hadn't seen anything he couldn't handle.
Hipgrave gripped Mallory's upper arm and spun him round. 'The knights may be temporal but they operate along strict military lines. There is a chain of command. Insubordination is punished. There's no room in the ranks for weak links.'
    Miller flinched, knowing that if Mallory remained true to his nature they could both be ejected. But despite a brief moment of tension, Mallory stayed calm and Hipgrave strutted off in front.
    'Please, Mallory,' Miller whispered, 'don't ruin this for me. You don't know how much I need it.'
    'Give me credit,' Mallory replied. 'I've got some self-control - I'm not a complete thug.'
     
    Their footsteps echoed along empty corridors as Hipgrave led them to the second floor of the old museum and into a large room at the front overlooking the Cathedral Close. Ten camp beds were laid out at regular intervals beneath medieval wall tapestries. Two other men were already billeted there. One of them, a muscular, good-looking black man, was cleaning his boots with furious brush strokes while the other, a rangy white man in his early fifties, knelt in prayer at a tiny altar beside his bed. They rose and faced the new arrivals for Hipgrave's cursory introductions. Daniels was in his late thirties, intelligent, with an air of amused sophistication. Gardener, in contrast, was a Geordie with a rough working- class attitude, long greying hair tied in a ponytail and a face that had the leathery appearance of meat left out for days in the sun.
    When Hipgrave had departed, Mallory chose a bed from the remaining ten and lay on it, staring at the ceiling.
    'I wouldn't get used to that position if I were you,' Daniels said wryly. He'd resumed polishing his boots with a verve that bordered on obsession.
    'They work you hard?'
    'We're twinned with a Soviet Gulag. Their idea of downtime is a face- wash with river water and a turnip to gnaw on.'
    'Don't listen to him. He's a soft Southern bastard. Drinks wine with his little finger stuck out,' Gardener called over.
    'At least I know what wine is, you beer-swelling Philistine.'
    'Aye, you whine all the time.'
    Daniels walked over to Gardener, brandishing his brush. 'You know, you'd think some of my innate style and breeding would have rubbed off on you after the weeks we've been stuck here, but I'm starting to think you'll remain a troglodyte for ever.'
    'You know you're not supposed to use big words around me. Now bugger off, I'm trying to pray.'
Despite their fractiousness, it was obvious to Mallory that a deep affection underpinned their relationship, a clear case of opposites attracting. In his voice and body language, Daniels seemed gay, though Gardener, as far as Mallory could tell, was straight - at least, he sported a worn wedding ring - and they obviously came from different backgrounds. But the camaraderie made him think it might not be so bad there after all.
     
Mallory and Miller were allowed only half an hour to settle in before another knight was sent to fetch them. He had red hair and freckles and a fastidious manner that irritated Mallory the moment the knight opened his mouth. He had been ordered to give them a wealth of instructions, none of which he was prepared to repeat, so they had no choice but to