‘… and finish,’ called Wace.
Silence fell again. Then Wace spoke:
‘Daiyu, beloved Prophet, speaker of truths, bringer of justice, come to us now in holiness. Bless us with your presence. Light the way for us, that we may see clearly into the next world.’
There was another silence in which nobody stirred. Then, clearly and loudly, came a small girl’s giggle.
‘Hello, Papa.’
Robin, who’d been kneeling with her eyes tight shut, opened them. All was dark: there was no sign of Daiyu.
‘Will you manifest for us, my child?’ said Wace’s voice.
Another pause. Then –
‘Papa, I’m afraid.’
‘Things are
‘We know there is wickedness in the world, little one. That’s why we fight.’
‘Inside and outside,’ said the child’s voice. ‘Fight inside and outside.’
‘What does that mean, Daiyu?’
‘Clever Papa knows.’
Another silence.
‘Daiyu, do you speak of malign influences within our church?’
There was no answer.
‘Daiyu, help me. What does it mean, to fight inside and out?’
The childish voice began to wail in distress, its cries and sobs echoing off the temple walls.
‘Daiyu! Daiyu, Blessed One, don’t cry!’ said Wace, with the familiar catch in his voice. ‘Little one, I will fight for you!’
The sobs quietened. Silence fell again.
‘Come to us, Daiyu,’ said Wace, pleading now. ‘Show us you live. Help us root out evil, inside and out.’
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a very faint glow appeared a few feet off the floor in front of Robin, and she realised she was kneeling in the front row of the crowd surrounding the pentagonal baptismal pool, from which the greenish light was emanating.
Now the glowing water rose upwards in the smooth shape of a bell jar, and revolving slowly inside it was the figure of a limp, eyeless child in a white dress.
There were several screams: Robin heard a girl shout, ‘No, no, no!’
The water was sinking again, and with it, the dreadful figure, and after a few seconds the greenish water was flat again, though glowing brighter still, so that the figures of Jonathan and Mazu, who were standing on the edge of the pool in their long white robes, were illuminated from beneath.
Now Mazu spoke.
‘I, who birthed the Drowned Prophet, have dedicated my life to honouring her sacrifice. When she left this world to join the Blessed Divinity, she conferred gifts upon those of us destined to carry on the fight against evil on earth. I have been granted the gift of divine sight by the grace of my daughter, and her Manifestation confirms me in my duty. There are those among us whom Daiyu will test tonight. They have nothing to fear if their hearts, like hers, are pure…
‘I call to the pool Rowena Ellis.’
Gasps and whispers issued from among the kneeling crowd. Robin had known it was going to happen, but nevertheless, her legs could barely support her weight as she got to her feet and walked forwards.
‘You entered the pool once before, Rowena,’ said Mazu, looking down at her. ‘Tonight, you join Daiyu in these holy waters. May she give you her blessing.’
Robin climbed up the steps to stand on the edge of the illuminated pool. Looking down, she could see nothing in it except the dark bottom. Knowing that resistance or refusal would be taken as infallible signs of guilt, she stepped over the edge and allowed herself to drop down under the surface of the cold water.
The light in the water dimmed. Robin expected her feet to touch the bottom, but they met no resistance: the bottom of the pool had disappeared. She tried to swim for the surface but then, to her terror, felt something like smooth cord twist around her ankles. In panic she fought, trying to kick herself free, but whatever had hold of her dragged her downwards. In darkness she flailed and kicked, trying to rise, but whatever was holding her back was more powerful, and she saw splinters of memories – her parents, her childhood home, Strike in the Land Rover – and the cold water seemed to be crushing her, pressing on her very brain, it was impossible to breathe, she opened her mouth in a silent scream and sucked in water…
Hands were pressing hard on her ribcage. Robin vomited.
She was lying in the pitch black on the cold temple floor. A nightmarish face loomed over her wearing something like skiing goggles. Gasping for air, Robin tried to get up and was forced flat again by the one who’d just been pressing on her chest. She could hear frightened voices in the darkness, and see shadowy figures moving around by the greenish light in the pool.
‘Taio, remove Rowena from the temple,’ said Mazu calmly.
