Heretic

In Heretic, the fighting in France continues, for these are the opening rounds of the Hundred Years War. The Prologue (thirty pages long) tells the story of the seige and surrender of Calais in 1347. It was to stay in English hands for the next three centuries.

When the seige is over, Thomas of Hookton heads south into the County of Berat in Gascony with his Scottish friend Robbie Douglas and a band of English archers. He is under orders from the Earl of Northampton. He is to retake the fortress of Castillon d'Arbizon and make that his base while he carries on his quest for the Holy Grail, which he does not really believe in; in fact, he seeks his cousin Guy Vexille, who murdered Thomas's father, and later his wife. Vexille does believe in the existence of the Grail, and he thinks Thomas can lead him to it. They are hunting each other, going round in circles.

When Thomas arrives in Berat, and takes control of Castillon d'Arbizon, he finds himself responsible for carrying out an execution by burning scheduled for next morning. When he asks why exactly the heretic was condemned, Father Medous, the priest, answers: 'Cattle died,' he said, 'and she cursed a man's wife.'

Thomas looked mildly surprised. 'Cattle die in England,' he said, 'and I have cursed a man's wife. Does that make me a heretic?'

'She can tell the future!' Medous protested.

[...]

'What future did she see?' Thomas asked.

'Death.' It was Lorret who answered. 'She said the town would fill with corpses and we would lie in the streets unburied.'

In the end, he refuses to let them burn her. Why? Because the condemned woman, Genevieve, is young and beautiful? Thomas is not sure. After all, he is nothing if not orthodox in his beliefs. And the next thing he knows, he too is being excommunicated - for sheltering a heretic. But Genevieve is unimpressed: 'Excommunication means nothing.'

'It means everything,' Thomas said sullenly. 'It means no heaven and no God, no salvation and no hope, everything.'

Meanwhile, Vexille has arrived in nearby Astarac and is interrogating the elderly abbot of the local monastery: 'The Grail was here,' Vexille said.

'Was it?' Planchard asked. [...] 'I know nothing of it.'

'I think you do,' Vexille retorted. 'It was brought here before the fall of Montségur, brought here to keep it safe. But then the French Crusaders came to Astarac and the Grail was taken away again.'

Planchard smiled. 'This all happened before I was born. How would I know of it?'

'Seven men took the Grail away.'

'The seven dark lords,' Planchard said, smiling. 'I have heard that story.'

'Two of them were Vexilles,' Guy Vexille said, 'and four of them were knights who had fought for the Cathars.'

Eventually, Vexille (who in his self-appointed role of soldier of Christendom has also sworn to burn Genevieve) comes to Castillon d'Arbizon, where he and Thomas confront each other. And simultaneously a pestilence arrives in France from Italy. It is the Black Death, though people do not of course know that yet: they simply see Genevieve's prophecy coming true all around them as the town fills up with the dead and the dying.

An excellent culmination to this exciting series; and the ending is totally satisfying on all counts.