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what Church policy is. My only role here is to provide sanctuary. A haven in a country gone mad."
    "To anyone? A murderer like me? Protestants? British troops?"
    "Anyone who asks." He stood. "In this abbey was once' an order of fifty monks. Now, only me." He paused and looked down at Flynn. "This abbey has a limited future, Mr. Cocharan, but a very rich past."
    "Like you and me, Father. But I hope not like our country.19
    The priest seemed not to hear him and went on. "This chamber was once the storage cellar of an ancient Celtic Bruidean house. You know the term?"
    "Yes, I think so."
    "The House of the Hostages, it was called. A six-sided structure where six roads met. Coincidentally-or maybe not so--chapter houses are traditionally polygons, and the chapter house we passed through is built on these foundations." He gestured above. "Here in the Bruidean a traveler or a fugitive could shelter from the cold, dark road, protected by tradition and the king's law. The early Celts were not complete barbarians, after all." He looked at Flynn. "So you see, you've come to the right place."
    "And you've taken it upon yourself to combine a bit of paganism with Christian charity."
    The priest smiled. "Irish Catholicism has always been a blend of paganism and Christianity. The early Christians after Patrick specifically built their churches on Druid holy spots such as this. I suspect early Christians burnt this Bruidean down, then constructed a crude church on its foundations. You can still see the charred foundation stones. Then the Vikings destroyed the original monastery, and the next one was destroyed by the English army when

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    NELSON DE MILLE

    Cromwell passed through. This is the last abbey to be built here. The Protestant plantations took all the good land in Ireland, but the Catholics held on to most of the good church sites."
    "What more could you want?"
    The priest regarded Flynn for a long time, then spoke softly. "You'd better wake the lady before the tea gets cold."
    Flynn rose and crossed the floor to where Maureen was lying, knelt beside her, and shook her. "Tea."
    She opened her eyes.
    He said, "Hold on to me." He stood her up and helped her to his stool. "How are you feelingT'
    She looked around the candlelit room. "Better."
    Flynn poured the tea, and Father Donnelly extracted a pill from a vial.
    "Take this."
    She swallowed the pill and took some tea. "Did the British come?"
    The priest felt her forehead. "Came and went. In a few days you'll be on your way."
    She looked at him. He was so accepting of them, what they were and what they had done. She felt disreputable. Whenever her life was revealed to people not in the movement, she felt not proud but ashamed, and that was not the way it was supposed to be. "Can you help us?"
    "I am, dear. Drink your tea."
    "No, I mean can you help us get out of this?"
    The priest nodded. "I see. Yes, I can help you if you want. It's rather easy, you know."
    Flynn seemed impatient. "Father, save souls on your own time. I need some sleep. Thank you for everything."
    "You're quite welcome."
    "Could you do one more favor for us? I'll give you a number to call. Tell the person who answers where we are. Tell them that Brian and Maureen need help. Let me know what they say."
    "I'll use a phone in the village in case this one is tapped."

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    CATHEDRAL

    Flynn smiled appreciatively. "If I've seemed a bit abrupt-"
    "Don't let it trouble you." He repeated the number Flynn gave him, turned, and disappeared into the narrow passageway.
    Flynn took the bottle of Dunphy's from the table and poured some in Maureen's teacup. She shook her head impatiently. "Not with the penicillin, Brian."
    He looked at her. "We're not getting along, are we?"
    "I'm afraid not."
    He nodded. "Well, let's have a look at the nick, then."'
    She stood slowly, pulled her wet sweater over her head, and dropped it on the stool. Flynn saw that she was in pain as she unhooked her bloodied bra, but he didn't offer to help. He