Approaching cautiously, Nicholas motioned for Emery to hold the lantern for closer inspection. One of the largest of the carvings, the Templar resembled those that graced the tombs of such knights, except the figure was standing upright, his huge sword in front of him, pointing downwards.
Moving closer, Nicholas reached towards the dark recesses of its features, touching a finger to the sightless orbs. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find the sockets empty, but the surface was as solid and cold as any statue. Perhaps Emery had been fooled by a trick of the light. Still, Nicholas ran his hand over the figure’s outline, attempting to move it as he had the stone in the church. It did not budge.
Reaching the bottom, he sat back on his haunches, eyeing the sword that pointed towards the earth at his feet. It was no different than any other of the outcroppings, yet its size and position made it more realistic than the others, as though it stood guard over something. Nicholas slid his fingers into the crevice below, and this time, he felt something give.
Tugging at the sword, Nicholas pulled the entire piece outwards and wondered if he had finally found the entrance to the preceptory. But Emery’s gasp of alarm made him step back. Had he opened some kind of crypt, or was something very much alive hidden inside? He could only hope that Emery’s brother was not entombed within.
Drawing his sword, Nicholas was prepared for anything, but when the makeshift door swung wide, no corpse was revealed, only the small figure of a man. He was no warrior, either, but wore the brown robes and serene expression of a monk. And unlike Brother Gilbert, he appeared unconcerned by the sight of the visitors, even in this underground sanctum.
However, he closed the portal before turning to face them, hands clasped before him calmly. ‘You have no need of your weapon here, my lord,’ he said in a soft voice. Old and wizened, he was hardly a threat, especially with the entrance shut behind him. None the less, he was an imposing figure and appeared to know more than he should.
Although Nicholas sheathed his sword, he vowed to keep his wits about him and nodded at Emery, glad to see the boy’s hand steady upon the lantern.
‘I am Father Faramond and I have been expecting you,’ the priest said.
Nicholas heard Emery’s indrawn breath at the words, but, unlike Guy, he did not think the Templars possessed of any unnatural powers. There was a more sensible explanation for this greeting and Faramond soon gave it.
‘Knowing your sire, Nicholas de Burgh, I feared you would not be easily dissuaded or dismissed,’ he said.
‘It was you behind the eyes of the carving, looking at us through some kind of slit,’ Nicholas said.
The priest nodded. ‘It is an old device, a precaution of our forebears, yet none in all these years have penetrated to this, our most private of places.’
‘And what is the punishment for intrusion, Father?’ Emery asked. By his tone, the boy expected the worst, though Nicholas had no intention of being killed for trespassing, no matter how ancient or sacred the site. His fingers tightened on the hilt of his sword, a nearly imperceptible movement, yet the priest must have noticed.
‘Although we are a military order, we do not do murder, my lord.’
Nicholas was glad to hear it, but considering his earlier reception at Temple Roode, he was not prepared to trust any of the brethren, no matter how unassuming. At least not yet. So he kept his hand where it was, just in case the killing of enemies of the order extended to those who might reveal their secrets. And he tendered a warning. ‘If you know my father, then I hope you would not rouse the wrath of the de Burghs.’
‘And I hope that I might trust such a one not to betray us,’ Faramond answered, his tone gentle but firm.
Lifting his brows, Nicholas nodded his agreement and a silent understanding passed between them before the priest turned towards Emery. ‘As for you, child, you are bound by more than he to keep your silence.’
Emery paled and nodded, as though fearful, a circumstance that made Nicholas’s fingers tighten around his weapon. ‘If we are the first to penetrate this place, how did you know to look for us, or do you keep watch here at all times?’
‘Oh, no,’ Faramond said. ‘We rarely gather here any more. I instructed one of the shepherds to report upon your whereabouts. When you went directly to the church, I took up my position here. The de Burghs are known to be tenacious, among their many admirable qualities.’
Faramond paused. ‘However, my brethren may not be as untroubled as I by your incursion. Therefore, let us make this meeting as brief as possible. What is it you seek at Temple Roode, my lord?’
‘As I told Brother Gilbert, who was less than helpful, I am looking for a Templar knight who gave his name as Gwayne. He assaulted me as well as this young man’s brother, Gerard Montbard, a Hospitaller who is now missing.’
‘I am sorry that you were made unwelcome and realise that is why you were driven to other means,’ the priest said. He shook his head. ‘I told the others not to deny a de Burgh, but they are afraid. Someone brought word to the preceptory that Gwayne had been seen not far from here and they cower, lest he return, although we no longer claim him as our own.’
‘Why?’ Nicholas asked.
Faramond glanced away. ‘He was charged with an important task, which he did not fulfil.’
‘What was that?’
The priest sighed and looked towards the empty niche. ‘I can speak little of this, my lord. Know only that he possesses something that does not belong to him.’ He shook his head. ‘His appearance in the area is both unexpected and dismaying. But perhaps he has come to do penance for his wrongs—that is the outcome for which I will pray.’
Straightening, he faced them both again. ‘Now, I fear that I must ask that you leave this place, never to speak of it to any other, even your own father, the great Campion himself.’
‘What of my brother?’ Emery asked.
Faramond eyed Emery sadly. ‘I know nothing of the Hospitallers, nor why Gwayne would assault one of them. I know only that despite the robe he wears, he is not to be trusted.’
‘So he stole something from this place?’ Nicholas asked, gesturing towards the carved walls, steeped in Templar mysteries, that surrounded them.
‘Oh, no,’ the priest said, turning once again to Nicholas. ‘He was given the mace.’
Emery followed closely after Lord de Burgh, eager to put the Templar cave behind her. She was aware of the power wielded by the religious orders, but nothing could have prepared her for the eerie chamber full of strange carvings with eyes that moved …
Emery shuddered at the memory. It had taken every ounce of her will not to flee in that instant. Only thoughts of Gerard had kept her where she was. Once it became clear that he had nothing to do with the place, she had been more than ready to go.
But Lord de Burgh had lingered, asking more questions about Gwayne and the object he was given, despite the fact that Father Faramond provided few answers and Emery did not want to hear them. Although she had given little credence to Guy’s gossip about the order, she suspected that the less they knew about the Templars’ secrets, the better their chance of escaping retribution.
What did she care about their relics? And why should Lord de Burgh? His interest made her wonder whether he had his own reasons for seeking the hidden tunnels. She reminded herself to trust no one, yet she inched ever nearer to the man as she peered over her shoulder, half-expecting to spy something hurtling towards them through the blackness.
Although she did not want to believe that holy men were capable of murder, she felt a growing unease. Perhaps no Templar knights would be sent to trap them in the narrow passage, but other mishaps could be easily arranged—boulders, fire or flood—that would entomb them here, ensuring their silence. The thought made her glance back again and, though she saw nothing,