NINE
GLOUCESTER TO BERKELEY 2022 AD
On leaving St Mary de Lode, my forehead began to ache between my eyebrows, a sure sign of psychic awareness. But why? The answer was immediate as I detected the silver thread lowing away from the church. On my last visit to Gloucester, I hadn’t picked up this particular course. Could it be the extension towards the serpent’s head that I sought? I glanced at my watch, almost four o’clock, too late to set off on an expedition that would surely require considerable hiking. Thinking about that, my footwear was unsuitable for cross-country rambling. On the other hand, a return to Tewkesbury was reductive—a waste of time and a chance for the Brotherhood spies to follow me. I phoned Aria to say I’d be away a day or two and steered him away from questioning wh
