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'Regardless of the consequences?' Cait asked bitterly. 'I thought God had chosen me to be the next
guardian of the cup.' She thrust her hands out to show the red welts on her wrists. 'I was chosen. That is
what you said.'
'Caitriona, the ways of God are beyond reckoning. Even so, I know he is at work in this. We come to
him with the shattered remains of our best intentions, and he gathers all the broken pieces, reforms and
reshapes them, and makes them new according to his purposes. He is able to achieve his will in the
world, never doubt it.'
There was nothing more to be said, so they continued in silence. The abbess knew the last stretch of the
path along the fields, and moved quickly; Cait followed, her spirit in turmoil. True, she had already
decided that she could not become the next Guardian of the Chalice; yet she was far from prepared to
see de Bracineaux get his profaning hands on the sacred object. She did not see how she could prevent
that now. The abbess had spoken and that was that.
Although night was hurrying on, and they were cold, hungry, and exhausted from their long climb, upon
their return to the abbey the abbess bade Cait to sound the bell to gather the sisters. When they were all
assembled in the refectory, Annora announced, 'Tonight a strange and portentous thing has happened.
The Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela has arrived in the village with a charge from His Holiness the
Pope to take possession of our Blessed Cup.' A fretful murmur coursed through the assembled nuns. 'As
abbess of this order, I am sworn to obey, and have pledged my assent to the pope's wishes.'
Some of the sisters took this hard. They raised their voices and stretched out their hands, pleading to
know if there was not some other way. The abbess turned a deaf ear to their cries. 'Peace, dear sisters,'
Annora continued. 'Cease your pleading and have faith. All shall be well. I have requested a last
communion with the cup, and it has been granted. Each sister will partake of the cup this night. Now, I
want all of you to go and wash, and put on your best habits; let us pay a reverent and joyful farewell to
the Holy Cup we have protected so long.'
The sisters did as they were told, and were soon gathering in the yard outside the refectory, each with a
candle to light the way to the chapel. The gently flickering gleam on the snow mirrored the heavens as the
nuns stood waiting. One of the sisters began to sing, and all quickly joined in, their voices ringing in the
crisp, cold air. They sounded like a heavenly choir, Cait thought, as the angelic sound swirled up and up
into the moon-bright sky.
When all were assembled, the abbess led them to the chapel cut into the rock of the mountain. They
processed along the deep-shadowed passages, the song echoing down unseen corridors and walls round
about, until they entered the cavernous sanctuary where they silently formed a wide circle around the
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altar.
After lighting the altar candles, the abbess turned to the nuns and said, 'Beloved Sisters in Christ, for
generations beyond counting our order has remained faithful to its calling. Tonight, our long vigil of
obedience is at an end. Tomorrow we will deliver Our Lord's Sacred Chalice to the agents of the pope,
and a new day of God's grace will dawn.'
These words brought tears to the eyes of many of the older nuns, and a gentle sniffling could be heard
around the candlelit ring.
'Though the cup shall no longer form the centre point of our life here in the abbey, nevertheless life will
go on. What our duty shall be, we cannot yet tell. But I know that whatever is given us, we will strive to
serve God with the same humility and faith that have distinguished our order from its beginning to this day.
'My dear sisters, your tears show that you have borne your duty with loving hearts, and this is right and
good. But do not give in to sorrow; rather let your hearts be glad. For surely, this is the long-awaited sign
that the Day of the Lord is upon us; our redemption is drawing near.'
Here the old abbess turned to face the altar; she knelt briefly, and then approached the great golden
cross which occupied the altar top. Placing her hands on either side of the cross, she gently pressed the
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