Kossara Vymezal In St Clement's Cathedral

(St Clement Macedonian Cathedral.)

The four man honor guard stands in the uniform of the Narodna Voyska, heads lowered, rifles reversed;

candles burn in tall holders with lilies, roses and viyrnatz everywhere between;

Flandry smells flowers and incense as he walks across the stone floor;

a priest chants archaic words behind the iconostasis;

the air is cool and dim;

evening light slants between columns;

the domed ceiling shows Christ Lord of All and the Apostles on gold and blue;

Flandry inwardly addresses Kossara but hears only the priest's voice;

searching his languages for the best farewell, he says, "Sayonara. Since it must be so.'" (A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows, Chapter XVIII, p. 577);

he bows and departs -

- but his next step is military action.