Chapter 28 Summary

After Compline, Zerchi finishes praying for the incorruptibility of Joshua's band and is met by Cors, who confesses he has already broken his promise and offers to remove his vans. The abbot demands details. From the little Cors says, Zerchi knows that he is talking about a crippled, flash-burned widow and her baby that nearly glows with radiation. Cors cannot live with himself if he fails to tell them relief exists. He would rather be a murderer than a torturer, if those are the only roles Zerchi allows. He has told the woman, "If you love your child, spare her the agony. Go to sleep mercifully as quick as you can." Zerchi tells him to finish triaging and then leave. Cors spits at the thought of remaining longer in the abbey. Zerchi finds the woman and her baby, both crying, in the overcrowded...