Jack rushed across to the Sikh and squatted down. ‘You all right?’
Kanvar opened his eyes. His breathing was shallow and there was blood on his face. He frowned slightly and stared up into the sky. ‘I do not know.’ He turned to face Jack, his eyes focusing again. ‘I do not know if I’m all right.’
Jack’s eyes strayed down to Kanvar’s stomach. And then he felt as though the ground were sinking for a moment. A large chunk of shrapnel was poking out of Kanvar’s abdomen. Glistening blood was pouring from the wound and soaking into his tunic.
Jack squeezed his eyes shut for a second and gritted his teeth. That injury looked bad. He doubted Kanvar could survive.
But he couldn’t give up hope yet.
He grasped Kanvar’s arm. ‘I’ll get you out.’
He began dragging the slabs of masonry aside. He quickly swept away the smaller pieces, but the larger chunks proved more difficult. Sweat burst on his forehead as he tried to shift the heaviest lump of rock. He grunted and pushed with all of his strength. But the stone wouldn’t budge.
‘Leave it,’ Kanvar said in a weak voice.
Jack looked across at Kanvar. ‘What?’
‘There is no point.’ Kanvar shut his eyes. ‘I am departing from this world.’
‘No. You hold on. I’ll get you out and get you to the hospital.’
Kanvar opened his eyes again and shook his head. ‘There is no hope for me. I can feel the life leaving me.’
A round shot tore past overhead and crunched into a building nearby. In the distance, a shell exploded in mid-air, blossoming into a red and yellow garland.
‘I can’t just sit here,’ Jack said. ‘I have to try.’
He glanced around and saw no one else in the area. He shouted for help as loudly as he could. But no one came to his aid.
Kanvar grasped Jack’s arm. ‘There is no need. I am happy.’
‘Happy? What the hell are you talking about?’
‘I followed Waheguru’s will. I made the right choice in helping you. There is nothing to regret.’
Kanvar’s eyes clouded over and slowly closed.
Jack shook Kanvar. ‘Don’t fall asleep, you hear me?’
Kanvar’s eyes remained closed, but he was still breathing.
Jack scanned the surroundings again. The dust had faded, but he still couldn’t see anyone. ‘Help! I’ve got an injured man here! Help!’
‘Listen to me,’ Kanvar said suddenly.
When Jack looked back, he saw that the Sikh’s eyes were open once more.
‘You must try to use the Great Yantra,’ Kanvar continued. ‘You said you knew the design well. That might mean you know it well enough to hold it in your mind.’
‘Don’t worry about that now.’
‘No. Listen. You must promise me you will try. If you gain the power, that could change the course of the war.’
‘All right, I promise I’ll try.’
‘Good … Waheguru bless everyone.’
Kanvar sighed, then his head lolled to one side and his eyes went blank.
Jack shouted over and over again for help. He cried out so loudly that his throat hurt. But no one came.
And it wouldn’t have done any good if they had.
Kanvar was gone.
24
The Great Yantra hung in Jack’s mind, glowing white on a black background. With his eyes shut, Jack recalled every part of the design. He saw the outer circle, the four arms of the cross and the inner circle where the arms met. Each section was entwined with knotted Celtic patterns. In the middle, a whirlpool-like marking coiled into the very centre.
Kanvar had been right. Jack had found it easy to hold the yantra in his mind. He’d seen the design so often over the years, it was branded in his head.
He straightened his back and breathed in deeply. The material world began to recede. He heard the crack of shells exploding and the steady boom of gunfire. But none of this mattered to him. The battle was taking place far away, in a distant land.
He was approaching the purusha realm. A holy silence encased him and the air about him seemed still. He was outside time and outside his own body.
He focused all his attention on the Great Yantra, and the design circled slowly in the darkness.
And then, without him expecting it, the yantra locked into place and steadied. He bent all his thoughts towards it, blocking out anything else.
And suddenly it blazed into brilliant light.
In that instant, he knew, without any doubt, that Katelin’s necklace was a yantra. Only a yantra would come alive in his head in this way. Only a yantra would blind his inner eye with light.
Jack sat in a small chamber deep within the ruined palace. The other inhabitants of Folly Brook were huddled in the adjoining rooms, sheltering from the missiles that had been raining down on them for the past hour. Only Sonali crouched with him in the tiny grotto.
He held Katelin’s necklace up, the ringed cross circling slowly in the light from a single candle. Before him, spread out on the floor, was Kanvar’s map of Britain and Ireland. The chart had survived the blast – unlike Kanvar’s spyglass and pistol, which had both unfortunately been destroyed.
Sonali’s brow furrowed. ‘It’s hard to take all this in.’
‘I know,’ Jack replied. He’d just explained to her, as quickly as he could, everything he knew about the Great Yantra.
Kanvar was dead, and now it was down to Jack to make sense of what he and the Sikh had discovered just two hours earlier. Sonali was the only person he could talk to about all of this.
Sonali gazed at the map and then back at the dangling necklace. ‘They do look the same. I can see that. The map is missing some parts. But otherwise it matches.’
Jack nodded. ‘And just ten minutes ago, I managed to hold the design still in my mind. It’s a yantra, without a doubt.’
‘What I don’t understand is why that necklace? Why would it have been made into the shape of this Great Yantra?’
‘I’ve been thinking about that. The thing is, this necklace isn’t one of a kind. There are lots of them in Wales. You see the design on shrines too. There are even a few in Clun Valley. It’s all over the place.’
‘How could that be?’
‘I heard a theory once that the ancient Britons knew about the sattva streams. Jhala told me this, actually. The idea is that the Britons set up markers to show where the streams ran. They would put up standing stones, things like that. The markers were like a map. Maybe the Britons mapped out the whole Great Yantra.’
‘That would be a huge task.’
‘True, but they could have done it over time, couldn’t they?’ He placed the necklace gently on the ground. ‘The thing is, I’ve been in the Great Yantra twice before – that I know about, at least. The first time was the meeting point under Mahajan’s castle. The ancient Scots buried their kings in that exact spot. They must have known there was something important about it. The second time was with Kanvar, a few days ago. I was in another part of the yantra where a few streams meet. And that just happened to be in a stone circle. It can’t all be a coincidence.’
A shell pummelled the roof directly above them. The impact made Sonali jump, and tremors coursed through the walls and floor. The shell burst a second later and metal fragments flayed the stonework.
Sonali brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. ‘But, if the Britons knew the yantra, wouldn’t they have used the power?’
‘That’s just it. I reckon they have used it. At least, a very few people did in the past.’ He nodded at the map. ‘I think this yantra is what we in Britain call the Grail.’
‘The Grail? When you told me the story, you said the Grail was a cup of some sort.’
‘I think the stories could be wrong about that. Or maybe whoever first told those stories was trying to keep the truth about the Grail secret. In any case, I reckon Galahad and Oswin both found out that the design could be used to release a power.’
‘They le
arnt to meditate and hold it still?’
‘Something like that. We Christians pray. That’s a bit like meditating. Maybe they both just stumbled across the secret.’
A series of balls battered the roof and further lines of dust trickled down.
‘So, you said you used the yantra.’ Sonali fixed her gaze on Jack. ‘That means you have the great power, then?’
Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I managed to hold the yantra still, and it worked. The yantra lit up. You know how it is. But nothing happened after that. I didn’t get any knowledge about the power.’
‘Ah. You think it’s because—’
‘Because I’m a blocked siddha, yes. That’s the way it always is when you’re blocked, isn’t it? You can learn the yantra, but you can’t use the power.’
Sonali nodded slowly. ‘Unless you can use your special ability.’
‘Exactly. If I could break the law of karma, my guess is I’d be able to use this yantra.’
‘But, at the moment, you can’t.’
Jack tensed his hand into a fist. ‘No.’ It had been a blow to realise that he was so close to gaining the power, and yet still couldn’t achieve it.
‘Perhaps someone else could try,’ Sonali said.
Jack shook his head. ‘There’s not enough time. It takes months to learn a yantra. You know that. I’m the only one who’s looked at this design enough to memorise it.’
Sonali lowered her gaze. ‘That is true. If the yantra is to help us at the moment, it has to be you who uses it.’
Jack sighed again. He’d taken a big step forward, it seemed, but he still had a long distance to go.
And he was running out of time.
‘All I can do is keep trying,’ he said. ‘Before he died, Kanvar told me to try. I won’t let him down.’
Sonali went silent and stared at the ground at this mention of Kanvar. ‘We will cremate him when we get a chance.’
Jack cleared his throat. ‘Aye. When the firing stops. We owe it to him. All of us. He gave up everything to help the crusade, you know. His country, his people. Everything.’
Sonali nodded silently. ‘And if you keep trying, Jack, perhaps you can gain the power. That is our only hope now, I fear.’
Before Jack could reply, Mark scurried into the cramped space. ‘Master, the heathens have sent out a white flag again.’
Jack frowned. He now realised he hadn’t heard shelling for several minutes. Clearly the enemy had decided to stop firing at the fortress.
But why would Jhala want to talk again? Whatever the case, Jack had to find out.
‘Get my horse saddled up,’ he said to Mark. ‘I’m going down there.’
General Jhala stood staring up at the hill for a long time. His eyes were slightly moist and a cold wind ruffled his tunic. With his weathered face, he had the look of a hunter, of someone who’d lived outdoors for much of his life.
Jack stood nearby, studying his old guru. He’d known this man almost as well as he’d known anyone. They’d spent months together in trenches, out on patrol, tracking enemy troops in the wilds, on the battlefield. There’d been a bond of some sort between them. Jack was sure of that.
But now all he wanted to do was to kill Jhala. The thought throbbed white hot in his head.
How would he do it? He had no weapons on him, and Jhala’s entourage of five cavalrymen were sitting on their horses watching him from barely fifty yards away. If he tried to attack Jhala, they would set upon him in seconds. He doubted he could kill Jhala with his bare hands in such a short space of time.
What about Lightning? If he began meditating now, picturing the yantra in his head, he might be able to blast Jhala before anyone realised what he was up to.
Maybe.
But of course, all this planning was futile. He wasn’t going to kill Jhala, because he was down here to negotiate. While there was still a chance of getting a better deal for his people, he had to hold himself back.
And more than that, even if he did kill Jhala, he would then be killed instantly by the cavalrymen. There was no hope of him using Lightning against all of them quickly enough. They would ride across and cut him down with their scimitars, or simply shoot him with their carbines from where they were seated, all before he had a chance to retaliate.
How would he help to defend the fortress then? How would he protect his family? How would he keep on trying to use the Great Yantra?
Jhala clicked his tongue as he gazed up at the fortress. ‘The walls have held up well. I can see a bit of damage here and there. But, by and large, they’ve hardly been scratched.’ He turned to Jack. ‘Well built. Late-era English Caliphate, of course. You can tell by the battlements. Constructed for cannon.’
Jhala looked up at the fortress again. ‘Of course, there are several breaches in those walls already, aren’t there? And the gatehouse – no gates any more. That weakens the defences.’ He faced Jack and smiled slightly. ‘Makes my task a little easier.’
Jack’s face was glowing and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. For a second, he saw Kanvar lying dead beneath the rubble just a few hours ago. He felt the muscles in his face twitch at the effort of holding himself back from attacking Jhala.
‘We have injured,’ Jack said. ‘Many injured. Women and children included. We can’t look after them properly up there. We don’t have the right medicines.’
Jhala sighed. ‘If only you and your leaders hadn’t been so obstinate. Then we could have prevented all this. There really was no need for it. It saddens me so very much.’
‘I propose you allow the wounded to leave the fortress. We’ll put them on carts and they can travel to somewhere else as best they can.’
Jhala scratched his nose. ‘You propose that, do you? That is interesting. But you see, I don’t think you are in a position to put forward proposals.’
‘You can’t just let those people die.’
Jhala sucked on his teeth. ‘I would prefer civilians not to die. That is true.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I will therefore make a concession. This is not something I would ordinarily do. In fact, I can scarcely believe I’m doing it at all. Nevertheless, I will allow the wounded to come down, but only on the condition that all of you lay down your arms and come down too. All of you must surrender to me. The earl will be executed. The rest, as I said before, will go to East Europe.’ Jhala looked at his boots for a moment. ‘And you can still go free, Jack.’ He looked up again. ‘But this really is my final offer now. No more games. You must all surrender. Then this unpleasantness will all be over.’
Jack paused. Once again, his old commander had made what seemed a reasonable offer. But again, it was one the rebels could never agree to. He’d already spoken with the Earl of Shropshire, Sir Levin and Henry before coming out to meet Jhala. All had agreed they would remain in the fortress. They would fight, and they would never give in.
‘My leaders can’t agree to that,’ Jack said. ‘We will release the wounded. Everyone else wishes to stay.’
‘I see.’ Jhala nodded slowly. His eyes hardened. ‘Once again, you throw my offer in my face. I offer to spare you, Jack, set you free. And you spit it back at me.’
‘We can’t accept—’
‘What happened to you?’ Jhala’s cheeks were reddening slightly. ‘You were my best disciple. A fine soldier. And now here you are, a traitor. Why?’
Jack felt a tidal wave engulfing him. He clenched his fists tightly. He almost couldn’t breathe for a second at the effort of holding himself back.
With a strained voice, he said, ‘You ask me why I joined the crusade? There’s a simple answer – you. You threatened to kill my daughter. Why else would I turn against the empire?’
Jack hadn’t meant to say these words. But now that he had, he was glad. How much more was he going to be able to get from Jhala anyway? Did it matter what he said now?
Jhala blinked. ‘That i
s not fair. Your daughter had been arrested for aiding the enemy. She was only spared because of me. If I hadn’t stepped in, she would have hanged.’
‘You used her to control me. To force me to go after William.’
Jhala shook his head sadly. ‘Jack, Jack. What has become of you? You seem to have lost your mind, like so many of your countrymen. William was a traitor. He broke his oath. He had to be captured, and I was merely giving you a chance to save your daughter. That is all.’
Jack trembled with rage. ‘You should have spared her anyway. Without conditions.’
Jhala raised his chin and his eyes went dark. ‘I see. That is what you think, is it? You believe that I, somehow, betrayed you. Well, in that case, you are very much mistaken. I saved your daughter’s life the only way I could. I trained you to be a native siddha. Taught you the secret arts. I promoted you to sergeant.’ His eyes flashed. ‘I did everything I could to help you. I went far out of my way. My commander, Colonel Hada, said I was a fool to invest so much of my time in training natives, and yet I did. I staked everything on the scouting unit we built up. Everything.’
With a supreme effort, Jack forced himself not to punch Jhala in the face. ‘I’ll go back and tell my leaders what you’ve said.’
Jhala pushed up his bottom lip, his chin puckering. ‘I am so disappointed. When I heard you were in the fortress, I was certain we would find a way out of this situation. I was certain we would make peace and save as many lives as we could. Now I see I was wrong.’ His features darkened, as if a cloud had passed over him. ‘You tell your leaders what I’ve said. And tell them this also – if they do not accept my offer, I will raze that fortress, and everyone in it, to the ground. You have not even seen a fraction of my powers so far.’ Jhala paused and took a deep breath, his chest puffing up. ‘You would not believe how powerful I am now.’
‘I thought you were a blocked siddha.’ Jack blurted this out without even thinking about what he was saying.
Jhala narrowed his eyes. ‘I told you that, didn’t I?’ He stared into the distance. ‘I was blocked, that is true. I used a power too soon. But that doesn’t matter now. The rules have been broken. The laws have been cast aside.’
The War of the Grail Page 25
