Richard of Warwick only knew that time had passed. His memories were confused. He recalled being lifted by others and carried out of the cistern, but he did not know where he had been taken or how he had arrived there. He remembered hearing voices, but the words were garbled and incomprehensible. He had vague of memories of pain, but they had faded into the delirium of semiconsciousness. It was only when he fully regained his senses that Richard of Warwick was able to realise the gravity of his situation.

The first sensations that he was aware of were the throbbing pain in his head and the sharp points of agony in his spine. Richard shifted, trying to ease his discomfort. His fingers found purchase on hard boards, and he hauled himself into a semi-upright position. The pain in his head surged momentarily, then faded to the dull throb that had plagued him through his period of insensibility. He raised hid hand to shield his eyes, then opened them.

He was in a large chamber, similar in appearance to the cisterns he had used to gain entry to the city of Acre. However, where the cisterns were dark and infinite, this chamber was bounded and well lit. A number of oil lamps had been placed in niches around the walls, and their smoky flames cast pools of light around them. Barrels and bulging sacks had been pushed up against the walls to create a cleared space. A single, glowing brazier stood in the centre of this space, surrounded by strange symbols that had been carefully chalked onto the stone floor. The air was full of the smells of cold charcoal and days-old incense smoke. As for Richard, he was lying on a bench of some kind that had been placed in a barred niche - obviously originally intended to keep valuable goods safe from casual thievery. Richard hoped that this was a good omen for his future.

There were four others in the chamber. The Golden Knight recognised one of them straight away as the dancing girl he had seen in the camp. This time, however, she was clad more practically in a dark cloth that whispered as she moved. Standing behind her were two burly men with dark skins. From the way that they held themselves, Richard presumed that they were slaves or servants of some kind. The last of the four was more intriguing.

This one was an old man, his skin wrinkled with age. White hair cascaded from his scalp, merging with a long moustache and beard that gave him the appearance of an aged lion. Despite his age, the man's bearing was full of energy. As he turned, Richard caught a glimpse of the man's eyes - they blazed with a strange fire, which then vanished as suddenly as it had blazed up. "Richard of Warwick," the man said in perfect, if strangely accented Norman. "Good." The old man extended a hand, and the woman took it, supporting him. The pair walked over to the cage.

"You have me at a disadvantage," Richard replied. He stood up, ignoring the protests from his stiff limbs. "The lady I have already met, but we have not been introduced."

"I am Wu Gu Xian," the old man replied. "I am originally from the Middle Kingdom. I apologise for what has been done, but it is necessary. Now, if you will excuse me, there are preparations to be made." He made to turn away, but Richard tugged at the bars that separated them.

"Preparations? What preparations?"

Wu Gu Xian gestured to the burly men, who immediately began to place charcoal in the brazier and tend to it with bellows. The glow from the coals grew brighter and sparks flew towards the vaulted ceiling, carried on currents of hot air. "For my master," the old man replied. "He wishes to meet you."

Richard felt uneasy. "What does your master want from me? How does he know me?"

The old man chuckled. "You will have the opportunity to find out for yourself, Golden Knight. In a few hours time the sun will be at its zenith. Then my master will appear. He will take the energy from the sacrifice of a thousand souls, and he will use it to take yours."

"A thousand souls ... ?" The young knight gaped at this, then laughed out loud. "Ridiculous! You could not fit a thousand men in here, let alone kill them. Unless you were intending to sacrifice the rats that dwell in your cellars? In which case, my friend has already deprived you of those."

"Oh, but he does not have to," the woman replied. "Not when you have been so obliging to aid me in sowing distrust between your leaders. I thought I would have to kill one, but your foolish curiosity was of great help to me."

It took a moment for Richard to recall the events of the night before; how the hostages had been taken away for some purpose; how his friend John of Chester had seemed burdened by some great and secret shame. They came together, making a horrible sense. "No!" Richard grasped the bars of his cage and shook them hard, trying to shake them free from the mortar that held them fast. "No! That's monstrous! How can you sacrifice those men?"

"Men who would have been otherwise slaughtered in battle?" Wu Gu Xian snarled, his face suddenly contorted with fury. "Do not speak to me of morals when your hands are just as stained as mine! You have killed in the name of your gods - and for what? At least my master gives me something in return for my service. And all my master wants is a thousand souls in exchange for yours."

Once more, Richard shook the bars that held him prisoner. "Your master! Who is this diabolical person? Tell me!"

Wu Gu Xian picked up a tube made of some unknown ridged wood and undid the cap at one end so he could sliding out a parchment scroll. "In my tongue, we call him Lu Xi Fa. And he knows you well, Golden Knight. He knows you well."

The beautiful woman smiled at Richard. "Although I think you would call him Lucifer."