‘Not yet,’ he paused. ‘You have to serve, you have to prove your worth, and then you are sworn to it,’ he said. Unaware of what he was doing, he touched his hand to his upper arm.

‘They mark you?’ she guessed acutely.

His hesitation told her that she was right.

‘Show me,’ she said instantly.

He hesitated.

‘Why would you not show me? Are you ashamed of your loyalty?’

‘Of course not!’ he said, stung. Carefully, he rolled up his sleeve and on his upper arm, inscribed into his flesh in a dark tattoo, he showed her the sign of the Order.

She was silent as she looked at it, the dragon eating its tail, the symbol of eternity and the suggestion of circularity – a fear that feeds on itself. ‘Is Luca marked like this? Has the lord had him scarred too?’

‘No. Not yet.’

‘Will he have to swear himself to the Order and then be marked?’ she asked, knowing the ways that men bind themselves to each other.

His silence told her that she had guessed correctly.

‘Brother Peter. I am asking you this in very truth, not as an inquisitive girl; but as a soul in waiting for the Holy Kingdom. Luca is one of the special children of God: do you not think that he should be free in the world? Don’t you think that he should be free to travel and study and call no man master? Don’t you think that he is a special young man with a purity of vision and a wisdom that should not be bound to any other man? Don’t you think that he is gifted and that he should be free?’

He shook his head. ‘You might think that. You might think that he should be free to study and learn, hone his skills, but these are not ordinary times. If these were ordinary times I might agree with you but these are the end of days. The Order may save us from the end of days or it may guide us through. The Order needs men like Luca. He understands things at first sight. He can calculate with numbers as quickly as most men can form words. He may have the gift of tongues and be able to speak any language. Don’t you distract him or try to lead him away. He is vital to the work of the Order. I have seen many inquirers and never one who understands as quickly and compassionately as Luca Vero.

‘You have asked me many questions and I have answered you so that I can tell you this: the work of the Order is the saving of the world itself. It could not be more important. The only thing you should do is to help Luca in his work for the Order. Anything else is the work of Satan. Remember it.’