I counted our prisoners as they filed past me into the woods, before taking up my position behind Olivia at the rear. There were fifty-two altogether. Some were from the Annexe, junior Maidens who had been staying overnight in the Maidenhall, for one reason or other. Outnumbering their escort by a dozen to one, even with their hands bound behind their backs the girls could have given us trouble. But their tether kept them in line, making escape into the forest virtually impossible, and thereby stifling any latent spirit of rebellion.
Of course, I was still concerned that one of the girls might suddenly decide on defiance and plant her backside on the path. This could then spread like a wave along the entire column. If I and my brother Knights tried to manhandle the recalcitrant back to her feet, that itself might precipitate rebellion. Yet nothing happened; and I actually felt some disillusionment at the lack of audacious spirit.
I moved up the line and snapped an order to Rick to speed up our progress. There was grumbling from a few of the women, because quickening the pace meant more onerous barefoot trudging on the narrow, uneven trail, more of the stinging swish of undergrowth against bare arms and legs, harder puffing and panting for those who were gagged. I told myself it was for their own good, given the pre-dawn chill and their general state of undress. Yet to be honest, and to my shame, I wanted to impress Alice with my command style. But she gave me another look, the only one we shared during the short trek through the woods, and her expression was ambiguous, one of both approval and reproach. And the fact is that I didn't feel pride, nor satisfaction nor conceit... rather, a sort of melancholy hollowness. Because from that moment, I knew that my relationship with Alice could never be the same.
Even as I was thinking this, the front of the column had emerged from the forest; and since the ground there was easier to cover, the line began to spread out, as far as their tether allowed. By the time I and the last women reached the cul-de-sac in front of the Temple, the first arrivals were already kneeling on the dew-damp grass on the far side, in a rough semicircle. But even before we had left the trees, a weird, almost creepy noise greeted our arrival -- a low-key, guttural rumble of voices every so often pierced by a high-pitched screeching laugh and now and then the harsh metallic squawk of a megaphone.
The sun was now sitting on the horizon, peering around the edge of the building and spreading its warming light across the south-eastern portion of the lawn but leaving the rest, including the front faΓ§ade, in shadow. On the portico of the Temple, and spilling out onto the grass, all the Knights who had not been part of the raid on the Maidenhall were gathered. Collected at the entrance to the Annexe, but no lower than the bottom step, were fifty or more girls. I scanned the faces of the latter and recognized Sabrina and Lucy and Hannah and Rachel. Their expressions, for what I could see in the dull glow of the porch lights, were of curiosity mingled with disgust and arousal, as they witnessed their senior sisters being so humbled. I didn't spot Kate. She and many of the second- and third-year Maidens had chosen to stay in bed. They had viewed this spectacle before, or something like it, and were sure they would experience it themselves one day. Still, I felt a twinge of disappointment that not all were there to witness my triumphal advent.
The Knights assembled in front of the Temple began to clap and cheer with salutes and tributes, chants and whistles; but none ventured near the captives. Rick, Tom and Mike organized the last of the girls while the Senior Master, the only one besides us four resplendent in a scarlet cape, stepped out of the crowd, strode up to me and shook my hand.
"Congratulations," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "on a job well done. The successful completion of your mission is a fitting end to your apprenticeship."
I didn't bother to tell him how easy it had been made for us. He knew. But once again, like my admission to the Templars and my anointment to the Council, I felt that the credit belonged elsewhere.
"You have earned your place in the noble fraternity of Knights."
"Thanks," I mumbled. I didn't feel so noble... actually rather numb. It wasn't what I'd expected, not what I'd been told.
"Let's go inside," the Senior Master continued in a quieter voice, "and get out of these... costumes." It was the first time I had heard him refer to the habits and habiliments of the Templars without the
de rigueur
pomposity and solemnity. "Call your men."
"The prisoners..." I began to say.
He waved his hands dismissively, and for just an instant his face darkened.
"Not your... They'll be taken care of."
"Not your concern," he'd been about to say. "Taken care of" did not sound much better.
I thought of Alice and the other girls shivering in their skimpies on the lawn, their hands still bound behind their backs. Their ordeal was not yet over... far from it, I was certain. I pitied them, was worried for them. But there was something else, something that gnawed away at the self-satisfaction and self-importance I should have been feeling as I basked in my prestige.
So far, my experiences with the Order of the Temple had been perplexing. The more I thought I knew, the more I realized I didn't understand. Now, for really the first time, I began to peer past the curtain, to see what lay behind the illusion. For despite this moment of concocted glory I realized, with a startling and unnerving clarity, that the illusion was all there was. The Temple, for all its grandeur and grandiloquence, stood upon a foundation of sand.
***
Please bear with the (mercifully brief) history lesson.
In my account so far I have probably made it sound as if, in the weeks since I was inducted into the Order it was the centre of my existence. In reality, most of my time, energy and attention were devoted to my studies, and I rarely encountered my fellow Knights or any of the Maidens beyond the Temple precinct. The campus was large, with forty thousand students, and the Order was by that measure tiny. On the other hand, my social life, such as it was, did revolve around it, since these were the only people with whom I had regular contact outside of my classes. But most weekend activities were not as rambunctious as on that first Saturday night, which was a good thing.
I got to know a few of the Maidens. We never socialized in the Annexe, though not because it was out of bounds. It was the Temple proper which had the space and the amenities; and the women had free use of the facilities. I occasionally called on Kate; but sadly there was no repeat of that first-time spectacle. Nevertheless, her roommates treated me like visiting royalty, even if it was obvious that this was mainly teasing. Lucy remained her usual shy and retiring self.
Meanwhile, my friendship with Alice blossomed. She and I made it a habit to meet for coffee at least once each week, and as it was becoming the pivot of my campus life I began to research the history and traditions of the Temple. Alice was at first my prime source of information, but she did not make it easy. She volunteered almost nothing without prompting, leaving it for me to raise topics of interest. She wasn't necessarily being secretive or mysterious, but I detected a reticence about disclosing too much potentially sensitive information to a novice like myself. While her misgivings were understandable, I found her attitude rather irritating, and even a little insulting. However, it became a game, as I contrived ways of teasing as much knowledge as I could out of her.