Paris: The Knights Templar has been destroyed by Pope Clement having been persuaded by a jealous king that they are corrupt devil worshippers. There is one survivor
- a knight who swears vengeance. Devon: A charred body is discovered in a burned-out building
- general consensus is that it is an accidental death. However Sir Baldwin de Furnshill believes differently. As he & Simon Puttock the bailiff piece together the evidence they hear of a gruesome murder in a nearby village where the victim was clearly burned alive