Tension filled the air, and Christian quickly positioned himself before Marcus, thrusting his palm outward. “He is, but he doesn’t work for Philip.” His voice rang out through the room.
“Spies,” someone hissed.
“Take them,” the leader ordered.
Raven moved back; her arm outstretched like a shield in front of her sisters.
The guards clambered forward and grabbed Raven’s arms. Her fingers curled into fists as they yanked her away from the safety of her siblings.
“We don’t want your treasure!” Landyn protested as the men subdued him, wrenching his arms behind his back. “I worked for the Templar Knights in le Bezu, as did Christian!”
But the guards didn’t listen. The six were herded like cattle, the hall filled with men who pushed and shoved against them. Raven could barely see where they were going or get a glimpse of her sisters or Landyn because of the crush of men. She craned her neck to see beyond the wall of stern faces, but each time she slowed, she felt a heavy shove against her back. “Landyn!” she called desperately.
“Quiet,” a guard commanded.
“I’m here.” His voice soothed her.
They were led into a small room lit only by the flickering orange flame of a torch ensconced on the wall. The door clicked shut behind them, and they could make out bare walls and a lack of furniture in the dim light.
Raven scanned the room for her sisters, and when she saw they were with her, she allowed anger to fill her. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. “What just happened? Whatwasthat?”
Landyn nervously ran his hands through his disheveled hair and stared at the group before meeting her gaze. “It’s the Templar treasure,” he explained.
Raven felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. A chill went down her spine as a wave of dread swept over her. They were in more trouble than she had originally thought. “How do you know?”
“It makes sense,” Landyn said quietly, resignedly. “The Grand Master gave Christian the directions. The coffins had Templar markings on them. And the sheer number of men guarding it.”
Christian nodded. “He’s right.”
Sage scowled and asked, “What’s it doing in England?”
“They’re hiding it here, I’m certain,” Landyn answered.
Christian shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. It has to have been here a long time—since the directions were made.”
Raven’s mind raced as she thought about Christian’s words. Was he right? Was this where the Templar treasure had been all along? No wonder King Philip hadn’t found it. She shook her head. How had this spiraled from following simple directions and figuring out a puzzle to discovering the Templar treasure?
“It didn’t help our cause that they recognized Marcus,” Landyn grumbled.
“It’s not his fault that his cousin is Philip’s man,” Christian defended him. “He can’t avoid that any more than I can avoid being born to my father.”
Raven glanced at Christian in disbelief. Was he actually defending Marcus? She would have believed Christian would turn Marcus over to the guards as soon as he could. Perchance Marcus rescuing Christian had changed his opinion of him. An approving grin slowly crept over her lips.
Christian looked down at the dirt floor without explanation. “What are we going to do now?”
Raven stood in the heavy stillness, feeling as if the walls were closing in. She knew the Templar guards weren’t going to let them go. They knew where the treasure was located. And there were too many to fight their way out.
“The guards think we’re working for the French king and are here to find the treasure’s whereabouts,” Marcus surmised.
“Which we did,” Sage said.
Raven whirled on Sage in disbelief.
Sage clenched her jaw and crossed her arms, her tone resolute. “Well, we did. Who knew that the directions would lead to the treasure? At least now we know why everyone was after the book.”
It was true that they now knew why Christian’s father and Marcus’s cousin were after the book, but that answer didn’t improve their situation. “We’re not here to fight them,” Raven thought out loud. “And we don’t want the treasure. We’ll tell them the truth. We’ll explain everything. And hope they believe us.”
“What about the hawk box?” Willow asked. “What if your key opens it?”
