Predestination

From Resurrection: The Heresy of a Jesuit: “He lived for this. The Chase. Of course, he grudgingly thought. Normally, I am doing the chasing. Up a sandy path, slipping and sliding as hooves dug deep, shredding the sparse turf in their fury, climbing from the valley bottom toward the ridge that loomed above. Atop the … Read more

From Absolution: A Question of Conviction: “Catherine’s hands trembled as she set the letter aside and lifted the small wooden box beneath. Normally she would have considered it quite a pretty thing; its wax-polished surface gleaming, and the edges were carved with delicate scrollwork. A single acorn motif centred on the lid gave her a … Read more

From Absolution: A Question of Conviction: “She dropped the page as though it burned, a hand shooting to her mouth. My God! Bending forward from the waist, she sucked in lungfuls of air, spots swimming before her eyes. She struggled to her feet, feeling faint, and staggered to a wall cabinet where she stored a … Read more

From Divination: A Conspiracy of Blood: “Dee’s candle burned low as he worked, his quill scratching across parchment as he attempted to recreate some of the calculations that Kopernik had so casually performed. It was well past midnight when he finally set his work aside and retired to his bed. As he drifted toward sleep, … Read more

From Absolution: A Question of Conviction: “Catherine’s hands trembled as she set the letter aside and lifted the small wooden box beneath. Normally she would have considered it quite a pretty thing; its wax-polished surface gleaming, and the edges were carved with delicate scrollwork. A single acorn motif centred on the lid gave her a … Read more

From Resurrection: The Heresy of a Jesuit: “They plunged across the stream, man and horse in perfect harmony, galloping for their lives. His tattered and mud-splattered cape streamed behind him, and his breeches bore the scratches and rips that headlong flight through dense woodland had inflicted. And yet, his mind sang with exhilaration that approached … Read more

From Speculation: Undercurrents of Treachery: “Meanwhile, common folk suffered. Labourers found their earnings almost worthless overnight. Craftsmen watched lifetimes of savings melt away. Widows with fixed incomes slid from modest comfort into grinding poverty. Throughout England, whispers of discontent grew into murmurs, then shouts, as the realm trembled on the precipice of rebellion. This was … Read more

From Insurrection: Weddings can be murder: “He crawled a little closer to the edge of the rood loft, intent on concealing himself between the newly replaced statues of Christ on the cross and the Virgin Mary. He cursed as a jagged splinter from the roughly hewn loft floor speared into the palm of his hand. … Read more

From Resurrection: The Heresy of a Jesuit: “England had been a Catholic state for almost a thousand years. It had obediently followed all the rites and customs of the See of Rome from St Augustine’s evangelisation of the Kingdom of Kent in 597 AD through to King Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy in 1534. Catholicism … Read more

From Absolution: A Question of Conviction: “The ancient oak had stood sentinel over the crossroads for centuries, enduring harsh Norfolk winters, wet springs, and all too brief summers. If it could have a favourite season, it would be autumn, with golden light and the pleasant buzz of insects. But not the autumn just past. No, … Read more