Read Online Omega by Stewart Farrar - Free Book Online

conclusion about that when I have heard your evidence.'
    ('Which'll be a load of lies,' Moira whispered.)
    ('Let's hear him, at least,' Dan whispered back, judicious as always.)
    To begin with, Wharton's evidence differed little from everyone else's, or from Moira and Dan's memory. He said that he had been in a Circle in the direct path of the Crusade demonstrators, who had reached it just about the time when the dancers had converged on them and tried to stop them. He himself had offered no violence; he had merely attempted to argue with the leading demonstrators, who had included Miss Sutton, but they had gone on chanting and would have pushed him aside. But at that moment he had been caught between attackers and defenders near the Cauldron.
    'I fell over, sir - most of us did, the demonstrators and the others, all mixed up together in a heap of people. Some were fighting, some trying to tear up the banner, and some - like me - just trying to break free. One is pretty vulnerable with no clothes on. . . . But I was trapped under two or three people. Miss Sutton was about three metres away from me - she was on the ground, too, pinned down by the crowd. One man was hitting at her face, and she was protecting it with her hands. . . . Then the earth tremor came and more people fell on top of me - I thought my back would break and I could hardly breathe. Then Miss Sutton managed to get to her feet and yelled out about the wrath of God smiting the witches. She was dragged down again, and then the fighting started again - only harder, as though the tremor had rattled people. I was still trapped. Then I saw two people - a man and a woman -pushing their way through the crowd towards Miss Sutton. They went down on their hands and knees as they reached her. They were skyclad - naked, that is - and he was carrying an athame and she a copper bowl. An athame is a witch's ritual black-handled knife, sir.'
    The coroner nodded. 'Did you recognize these two people?'
    'No, sir. Their backs were to me and they both had long hair falling forward, the way they were moving. His was black and hers light brown. I never saw his face and I only got a glimpse of hers in profile - round, with a big mouth and small nose. I'd say they were both about thirty. He was thin, a little tall as far as I could judge. She was on the plump side but small-breasted.' He paused.
    'Go on, Mr Wharton.'
    'By then, sir, Miss Sutton was still pinned down by the crowd, but no one was paying attention to her, if .you understand me. The man and woman wriggled between a lot of legs till they reached her, and then. ... It was horrible, sir. He pulled up her sweater and stabbed her in the ribs with his athame. I think I screamed - but there was so much noise and screaming no one would have heard. She must have died almost at once, there was so much blood. And the woman was catching as much of it as she could in the copper bowl. . . . Then someone fell in front of me and I couldn't see them any more. The crowd moved and I managed to get up. The man and woman had gone. I looked around, I think I must have called out something, but no one listened - then I saw them running towards the Great Altar. She was holding the bowl up high as though she were carrying an offering, and he was running beside her holding his athame up like a salute. Four other people had joined them - two men and two women, like an escort. ... I never saw them reach the Altar; I was knocked over again. The Altar had been smashed up by then and the statue. I suppose they intended to pour the blood over it, as a sacrifice to avenge the sacrilege....'
    'Do not suppose, Mr Wharton. Confine yourself to what you saw and heard.'
    'Yes, sir. Actually I didn't see any more of them, because it was then that the motor-cyclists arrived and the crowd scattered. I managed to get outside the ring of cycles before it closed. I saw one of them run over Miss Sutton's body. ... I knew there was nothing I could do so I found my