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seemed to fill the air outside periodically, apparently coming from somewhere nearby yet deep underground. Sir Richard knew there must be a prosaic explanation for the noise – a local mine working through the night perhaps – but the unearthly sound was unsettling, particularly for the superstitious Jacob, and especially after the events of earlier.
    As the pair made their way to the small dining area in the morning they quietly discussed what might await them. Athenais was there, and she'd laid on a large but simple breakfast for the two soldiers, but when Sir Richard tried to find out what was happening with the bereaved family the girl simply shrugged her slim shoulders and said she didn't know anything about it.
    “That little bastard's got her scared,” Jacob growled when the girl left the room to complete the rest of her duties around the house. 
    Sir Richard offered no reply. Athenais did seem somewhat subdued around them, and Father Vitus's veiled looks whenever he saw her suggested there might be some truth to his sergeant's fears but, well, it was nothing to do with them. They were here to find out why three of their brothers had disappeared, not to get involved in the relationship between the priest and his housekeeper, whatever it might be.
    They finished their meal with no sign of the family or Father Vitus – to Sir Richard's annoyance, as he'd wanted to question the priest in detail about the night's events – and so they left the church to continue their investigation at the local market, hoping for more success than they'd enjoyed the day before.
     
     
    “You, sir! My lord!” A trader spied them as they wandered around the dusty streets, smile bright against his dark complexion, ingratiating and false as he hurried over in the hope of making a sale. “You look like men who have seen much evil. I have just the thing you need!” He opened his grubby jacket to reveal an assortment of poor quality jewellery. “Any of these will bring you good luck and protect you from harm. A man like you surely needs protection from the forces of darkness!” He gazed at Sir Richard slyly and the knight was struck by the man's pupils which were unnaturally dark given the bright sun that blazed overhead.
    “You're right,” the Hospitaller agreed, to the disgust of Jacob who grunted loudly, surprised that his master would be taken in by the shoddy pieces the seller was hawking. “I've seen many wicked, evil things in my time as a soldier.  What's your name?”
    “Leontios, my lord,” the trader replied, moving in closer as Sir Richard continued in a low, conspiratorial tone.
    “Most of my brother knights could use the protection you offer,” the knight nodded. “Are these charms powerful?”
    The man grinned, trying to conceal his glee at the knight's gullibility. “Sire, these may look like any other piece of high-quality jewellery for sale in the market, but” – he peered around as if he expected someone to be listening to their conversation before continuing – “these are endowed with powerful magic. It's perhaps better you don't know where their power comes from, but you can be sure they'll defend you against the devil and his many servants. I promise you, as a Christian man myself!”
    “How much?” Sir Richard asked. “Not just for one of your stunning pieces, but for, say, ten, that I may give as gifts to some of the other Hospitallers?”
    The seller practically rubbed his hands as he realised this English knight with the eight-pointed cross emblazoned on his red surcoat was ready to pay whatever price he demanded in return for his worthless pieces of glass.  “Well, my lord” – he began, the sentence tailing off as Sir Richard produced his coin purse and emptied a sizeable amount of silver into his palm. “I would say” –
    “What do you know of Dagon, Leontios?” the Hospitaller growled, looking into the eyes of the trader who found it hard to tear his gaze from the small