Heretics book 3 - The Apocryphile Press

:: 26 ::
THE KINGDOM :: 129
Bishop Tom was beginning to worry when lunch came and
went, and he had not yet heard back from the friars. He had
no doubt that Susan had passed on his message, and he wondered
what might be going on that was so important that
they neglected to call him. He gave his friends the benefit of
the doubt, and resolved to keep them updated whether they
had time to speak to him or not.
Tom had no trouble that day keeping the afternoon
sleepies at bay. Everything in him dreaded the completion of
the day’s agenda, when the Synod would once again take up
the matter of the Order’s excommunication.
But to his great relief, that moment never came. The afternoon’s
business had been tied up with an argument about
liturgy and local variation, which Tom would have found
engaging anyway, even if he had not been on needles and
pins. But by the end of business that day, the argument was
still raging, and the matter of the Order’s expulsion would
have to wait another day.
“Let us rise and bless our meal before adjourning to the
dining hall,” announced Bishop Mellert. The blessing was
mercifully brief, and in moments the gathered bishops were
stretching their atrophied episcopal limbs and shuffling
towards the cafeteria.
Tom was quiet as he picked up a tray and helped himself
to what was really quite a sumptuous spread. The Sisters of
Mercy apparently took no vows of epicurean chastity,
because the meals were uniformly well prepared, healthy,
and attractively presented. Tom helped himself to rather
more lasagna than his wife would have approved, and made
his way to a table with a few empty places. He was glad to
see that one of people already there was Bishop Jeffers. He
took a spot next to him, saying, “Is this taken?”