“I followed him from Paris. He received the book from Jacques de Molay.”
Sage’s mouth dropped in surprise. “The Grand Master of the Knights Templar? Christian doesn’t know him!”
Marcus narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “You don’t know him well, do you?”
“Christian? He is an old family friend.”
Marcus nodded. “And loyal to the Knights Templar. Molay is a good friend of his.”
“Christian?” Sage echoed in doubt. She glanced at the ground, her eyes moving as if she were searching for the answer. “Why would the Grand Master give Christian, a trusted friend, this book?”
“For safekeeping?” Marcus mused. He shrugged. “I’m not certain. You might as well ask why my cousin wants the book.”
“The only way we’ll know is by deciphering it.” Sage leaned back against the tree, gazing up at the starry night sky. She absently twirled a strand of her shortened brown hair in her finger thoughtfully. “Your cousin is close to the king, isn’t he?”
Marcus didn’t know Guillume’s relationship with the king. “He works for him. That’s all I know.”
“From what I’ve heard, he is the king’s lackey. He would do anything for him.”
Tension raced along Marcus’s shoulders. “What are you getting at?”
Sage licked her lips, drawing his attention to their wetness. “How well do you know your cousin?” she asked.
“We are family,” Marcus answered. She should understand that.
“Are you close?”
“We were at one point. When we were growing up. We went our separate ways after our training.”
“And after all this time, he summoned you to get the book? It seems suspicious, doesn’t it?”
Marcus didn’t like what Sage was inferring. “He wouldn’t try to kill me. I am going to give him the book. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Who else could it have been?”
