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strong yellow teeth with a dirty thumbnail.
Two very different men: the core of the case Nogaret was building against the Templars. But though
physically at odds with one another, the pair shared in common the shifty, calculating demeanor of the
paid informant. Backing them, Nogaret had recruited ten additional spies from the gaols and the streets:
forgers and swindlers, perjurers and thieves, sending them to in?ltrate selected Templar preceptories
throughout King Philip's domain.
There, forti?ed with promises and bribes and curbed by threats, their work of the past several months
had been both to gather information and to construct an elaborate network of lies. Now it was time to
invoke the aid of the king. By no means satis?ed with the wealth he had ravished from the Jews, Philip
remained covetous of the property of the Templars. All he lacked was an adequate pretext for seizing it.
And that, Nogaret's two hired accomplices were about to give him.
"I trust I need not remind you," Nogaret said, instantly engaging the attention of both men, "that any
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deviation from your agreed instructions will have serious consequences. You know what the king desires
to hear. Have you any doubts regarding what you are to say?"
His two associates exchanged wary glances and shook their heads in unison.
"None, Messire," the blond, weaselly man said with obsequious eagerness.
"I feel obliged to point out that your attempts to enlist the suspicions of the King of Aragon were
somewhat less than convincing," Nogaret said blandly. "I hope you're prepared to make a better case this
time. You wouldn't want to disappoint me."
The blond man paled a little, and he ducked his head submissively.
"No, Messire," he muttered.
Smiling faintly, without a trace of humor, Nogaret turned his unwavering gaze on the second man.
"What about you? You're certain your Templar superiors suspected nothing?"
"Nothing, Messire," the dark informant said at once. "The hints I've let drop will amply support the
rumors we've been circulating. I've drawn up a list of those who are prepared to offer testimony, given
the right price."
The wheel rumble of their conveyance changed, and Nogaret brie?y drew aside one of the shutters to
con?rm that they had passed onto the Grand Pont, lined on either side by the colorful booths of the
money changers. Emerging onto the Ile de la Cit , they skirted the chapel of Saint Bartholeme and
approached the gates of the Palais Royal, where Nogaret's driver was recognized at once and the rig
allowed to pass.
The king's chief minister and his companions alighted from their conveyance in the palace forecourt,
where Nogaret instructed the driver to remain in readiness. He then led the way through an inner court to
the main entrance of the palace itself, where they were met by a steward whose fawning respect paid
tribute to Nogaret's in?uence. Inside, the man ushered them past several interior guard posts to the privy
chamber of the king himself.
Philip was already present, pacing the ?oor with petulant impatience.
"You are late, monsieur," he snapped. "You know I dislike being made to wait."
Nogaret bowed with suave self-con?dence. "A thousand pardons, Sire. We set out in good time, but
traf?c in the streets detained us." Without giving Philip time to rebut, he presented his two companions.
"Sire, these are the men I told you about. I believe you will ?nd their testimony enlightening, to say the
least."
The king waved the explanation aside irritably and ?ounced into a chair, subjecting the two men to a
hard-eyed glare.
"These are the witnesses who have come forward, ready to give evidence against the Templars?"
Nogaret inclined his head. "They are, Sire." He ?rst beckoned his blond hireling forward. "This is Esquin
de Floyran, once a subprior of the preceptory of Monfaucon. And this man," he went on, indicating the
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darker man, "is Arnolfo Deghi, a Florentine lay brother, previously sworn to the preceptory of
Richerenches. Both of them are moved to come forward and expose the per?dy that lurks beneath the
mask of sanctity presented to the world by the Order of the Temple."
Philip looked from one to the other, then singled out Esquin, who had doffed his cap before entering the
presence chamber and was ?ngering it nervously.
"Your name seems familiar to us," he noted with a scowl. "We seem to recall having had a letter from
you."
Esquin made a simpering obeisance.
"I had the honor to write to Your Majesty some six months ago, Sire, warning of certain dangers the
Templars pose to all decent men whilst professing themselves to be warriors of God. They proclaim
themselves dedicated to the service of Christ, but in fact they are dedicated to nothing but their own
iniquitous vices."
When he did not go on, Philip impatiently made a rolling motion with one hand.
"And? And?" he prompted. "We would hear the details of what you have witnessed. Tell all that you
have seen, and have no fear; We will protect you from the Templars."
Esquin ?ashed an oblique glance at Nogaret, who returned a curt nod by way of encouragement.
"Yes, Sire," he began on a note of wheedling humility. "I am but a poor clerk, as Your Majesty can
plainly see. I joined the Order out of a sincere desire to do good, little guessing what would be my fate
once I was professed. These many years, I have held my tongue in dread of reprisals. But seeing that the
authority of the blessed Saint Louis lives once again in Your Grace, I will make so bold as to speak
freely, for I can bear my silent shame no longer."
The king accepted this piece of ?attery as his due, inclining his head in acknowledgment. "Proceed."
Esquin lifted his eyes piously to the ceiling, managing to look somewhat embarrassed.
"When I was a youth of barely eighteen," he began, "I was approached by the head of the local
preceptory. The knight asked me if I would like to become a member of the Order of the Temple. Most
respectfully I told him that I should like it very much, only I had no property to hand over by way of a
gift. The knight smiled at me in a speaking manner and said, `A handsome young man like you need bring
no gift other than his presence, to be welcome to our brotherhood.' "
"And how did you respond?" the king asked.
Esquin assumed an air of blushing hesitation. "I thanked him for correcting the error of my assumptions,
and said I was glad to think that rumor had lied in claiming that the Knights of the Temple loved only
wealth. I told him if my poverty was no impediment, that I would be most eager to join, whereupon he
offered to act as my sponsor. Thinking no ill, I accepted, counting myself most fortunate to have found so
kind a patron."
King Philip frowned. "I see nothing of substance in this."
"Nor did I, Sire-to my lasting shame," Esquin said, modestly dropping his gaze. "Initially, all seemed
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innocent. Under my patron's auspices, I was enrolled amongst the postulants at the preceptory of
Monfaucon. There followed a period of instruction, during which I learned to practice what I assumed
was to be my rule of life. It was not until the day of my formal reception that I discovered the dreadful
truth lurking beneath my patron's fair speech and benevolent treatment."
Philip had sat forward, and now was hanging on Esquin's every word.
"What truth is that?" he demanded.
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