“You know Nogaret?” she asked, surprised.
“I knowofhim. He is the king’s man. We must be cautious.”
Landyn observed Sage work. She placed the parchment pages carefully before her, flattening them with her hand, and attempted to decode them. His gaze shifted to Marcus. He had seen him before. When Marcus strolled toward the horses, Landyn rose and followed. When he came near Marcus, he planted his feet and crossed his arms. “I saw you at le Bezu.”
“I was there,” Marcus admitted while reaching into the saddlebag to remove a flask. “I trained there for a bit.” He uncorked the flask and drank deeply.
“I saw you a week ago, just before Brother Nicolas was found dead,” Landyn said, being careful to keep the condemnation from his voice. This man was important to Raven’s sister. Landyn didn’t want to create trouble.
Marcus lowered the flask from his lips and wiped a sleeve across his mouth. “Are you accusing me?”
“It is suspicious, don’t you think?”
Marcus shifted his gaze to Raven and back to Landyn. “Aren’t you a Templar knight?”
Landyn straightened, his eyes narrowing. He was close to being a Templar. That was all Marcus needed to know. “I was.”
“I’ve finished!” Sage cried.
Landyn glanced over his shoulder at Sage.
Marcus placed the cork back on the flask, returned it to the saddlebag, and hurried to Sage’s side. Landyn followed.
Raven stood over Sage, gazing down at the parchment pages as they shone in the moonlight.
Marcus dropped to his knees at Sage’s side. “Where do the directions lead?” he asked breathlessly.
Sage shook her head, rubbing a hand over her chin in confusion. “I don’t know.”
“Doesn’t it say in the book?” Marcus asked.
“No. It doesn’t say anything except the directions. It doesn’t even say where to start, and there is no specific end.”
Landyn scowled. All directions had a starting point. Otherwise, how could they follow them? Had she read them properly?
Marcus stared. “There’s nowhere to start?”
“What kind of directions are those?” Raven asked incredulously.
“The kind that wants to stay hidden,” Landyn stated. “We were not meant to know what the directions were for.”
Sage sat back on her heels and crossed her arms. “I don’t believe that. There must be more. Something we’re missing.”
Tingles of forewarning danced across Landyn’s nape. There was something about this book that set his nerves on edge.
Crickets chirped in the clearing beside the forest.
Marcus glanced toward the field. He stood, taking hold of Sage’s arm and helping her to her feet. “We can think about this later. We should leave here.”
“Maybe we should go back to le Bezu,” Sage suggested, bending to gather up the parchment pages. “We have to find Willow.”
“Sybil’s farm. We were to meet there if we ever got separated,” Raven reminded them.
Sage agreed with a nod as she tucked the parchment into her boot. She picked up the quill and ink and looked at her sister, cocking her head. “How did you get here? How did you find me?”
Raven exchanged a look with Landyn. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you on the way.”
