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ABBEY DES FONTAINES

THE SENESCHAL FOLLOWED GEOFFREY THROUGH THE WARREN OF vaulted corridors He hoped Geoffrey’s assessment was correct and that all of the brothers were in the chapel for noontime prayers

So far they’d seen no one

They made their way to the palais that housed the upper hall, administrative offices, and public rooms When, in times past, the abbey had been sealed from outside contact, no one not of the Order was allowed beyond its ground-floor entrance hall But when tourism blossomed in the twentieth century, as other abbeys opened their doors, so as not to arouse suspicions the Abbey des Fontaines followed suit, offering visits and informational sessions, many of which occurred in the palais

They entered the expansive foyer Windows filled with coarse greenish glass cast dull shafts of sunlight onto a checkered tile floor A mammoth wooden crucifix dominated one wall, a tapestry another

At the entrance to another passageway, a hundred feet across the lofty expanse, stood Raymond de Roquefort, five brothers behind hi?" de Roquefort asked

The seneschal froze, but Geoffrey raised his weapon and fired twice The ed off the wall

"That way," Geoffrey said, eway

Two shots screamed past them

Geoffrey sent another bullet across the foyer and they assumed a defensive position just inside the corridor, near a parlor where ht their wares for display

"All right," de Roquefort called out "You have my attention Is bloodshed necessary?"

"That’s entirely up to you," the seneschal said

"I thought your oath was precious Is it not your duty to obey your master? I commanded you to stay in your quarters"

"Did you? I forgot that part"

"Interesting how one set of rules apply to you, and another governs the rest of us Even so, can we not be reasonable?"

He wondered about the show of civility "What do you propose?"

"I assumed you would atte You see, I know you well Your ally, though, surprises e and loyalty there I would like you both to join my cause"

"And do what?"

"Help us reclai the effort"

So Then it hit him To buy time

He whirled around

An armed man rounded the corner, fifty feet away Geoffrey saw him, too The seneschal fired one shot into the lower part of theflesh and a shriek as the ive hi of another Christian But there was no choice He had to escape this prison

"Come on," he said

Geoffrey took the lead and they bolted forward, leaping over the brother rithed in pain

They turned the corner and kept

Footsteps could be heard behind the," he said to Geoffrey

They rounded another neck in the passageway Geoffrey stopped at a partially open door and they slipped inside, closing it gently behind the

"The route ends at the gy to see we’re not there," he said

They slipped back out, breathless with exciteht at an intersection they went left, toward the dining hall

He ondering why the gunshots had not aroused more brothers But theit hard to hear anything beyond the walls Still, if de Roquefort expected him to flee, it would be reasonable to assu around the abbey

The long tables and benches in the dining hall were empty Smells of stewed tomatoes and okra wafted from the kitchen In the speaker’s niche carved three feet up one wall, a robed brother stood, rifle in hand

The seneschal dove under a table, using his knapsack for cushion, and Geoffrey sought refuge beneath another table

A bullet burrowed into the thick oak top

Geoffrey scampered out and ticked off two shots, one of which found the attacker The man in the alcove teetered, then dropped to the floor

"You kill hiot his shoulder"

"This is getting out of hand"

"Too late now"

They came to their feet Men bolted fro staff Not a threat

"Back inside, now," the seneschal screamed, and none disobeyed

"Seneschal," Geoffrey said, anticipation in his tone

"Lead on"

They left the dining hall through another passageway Voices were heard behind the stone The shooting of two brothers wouldtheir pursuers The seneschal was angry that he’d fallen into the snare de Roquefort had laid for him Any credibility he once possessed had vanished No one would follow hier, and he cursed his foolishness

They entered the dor A door at the far end of the corridor was closed Geoffrey ran ahead and tested the latch Locked

"Seems our options are limited," the seneschal said

"Come," Geoffrey said

They sprinted into the dor perpendicular, in military style, beneath a row of lancet s