Roquefixade, Languedoc, France

Lara rested on a large rock that jutted from the side of the steep hill. The ruins of the château of Roquefixade lay above her, surrounded by rocky cliffs and icy grass. Snow had not fallen here, but on the surrounding mountains it lay thickly. The tiny village of Roquefixade lay below; it's few streets barely visible from this lofty height. The stony track which she had just climbed fell away before her.

'So this is a Cathar castle is it?' said Marika in her ear 'Is it really worth climbing the side of a snowy mountain to find the staff of Aaron? Can't you just come back to Toulouse?'

'It's all very well for you, sitting in that hotel,' said Lara cheerfully 'Be glad you're not here. Besides, compared to some of my work, this is a mere walk in the park.'

She drank heavily from her water bottle.

'Besides, look at the scenery.'

She got up from the rock, and re-adjusted her sweater. 'Ah well, onwards and upwards.'

The track began to level out, and soon Lara found herself at the entrance to what had once been a gatehouse. Beyond, was a long oval of walled ground.

'This looks like the Basse Cour; or the area where all the castle life went on,' said Lara 'Up there's where I want to be,' she pointed to an outcrop with other walls on top 'The château proper.'

She jogged through the silvered grass towards it. Up the stone steps, to the castle. She looked around at the icy, moss covered walls.

'Now what?' asked Marika 'No dungeons, no traps, no cellars, no turrets; it's really quite boring.'

'Not so,' Lara smiled and took out her binoculars 'You might not be able to see this, but thank goodness it's a good clear day.'

She adjusted the focus, and looked through the binoculars. After a little bit of scanning the surrounding scenery, she found what she was looking for.

'Aha. In the eye of Montségur indeed.'

'Pardon?'

Lara clipped the binoculars back onto her belt 'In the eye of Montségur, upon the fissured rock, most treasured artefact of the Cathars ye shall find therein. You know of course that Montségur was one of the most important Cathar citadels.'

'Yes. So?'

'From Roquefixade, or the 'fissured rock' you can see Montségur. And no doubt vice versa.'

'But where did you learn that phrase? In the eye of Montségur and so on?'

'It was on the parchment that I found in the Marciana library. You know I always keep a little bit back for myself.'

'Ah, yes, I forgot your methods.'

Wrasse's voice broke in 'But is the staff in fact at Roquefixade or Montségur?'

'Hang on, I'll scope it out the RAD mode on the binoculars.'

Lara looked around, but nothing seemed to stand out.

'Hmm. Puzzling.'

'Could you have mistranslated? I have a photocopy of the text here; would you like me to read it out?' said Marika.

'Please go ahead.'

'Nella vista di Montségur, sotto la roccia aperta in due, la maggior parte del manufatto più di valore del Cathars che lei troverà lí.'

Lara groaned.

'Oh Lara! That was a pretty basic mistake,' said Marika, laughing.

'I know. Damn.'

'What should it have been?' asked Wrasse.

'Sotto' means below, rather than 'su' which means upon,' said Lara, shame-faced 'I deserve to be hanged for that!'

She scanned the frost covered fields down in the valley. 'But I don't see anywhere that looks like a possible place for hiding such an important artefact.' She turned to go back down the steps of the castle.

'Wait a second!' said Wrasse 'Look south-south west, on that ridge over there. Isn't that a turret sticking up out of the forest?'

Lara trained her binoculars on where he told her; and yes, there it was, a small crenellated square building sticking up out of the white-dusted green, directly below one of the walls of the castle, on the other side of the valley.

Lara jogged down the stairs of the castle, out of the Basse-Cour and down the track. Snow had begun to fall, but the all-terrain motorcycle that she had rented earlier would make the journey to the other side of the valley much easier. She jumped on board, started the ignition, and accelerated out of the gate and across the fields towards the far ridge.

The motorcycle roared across the field through the swirling snow, occasionally bumping over concealed hillocks and mounds in the grassy earth. Lara held on determinedly, until she reached the other side of the valley. She parked the motorcycle beside the ruin of a gîte, and began to walked up the snow covered ridge. Autumn leaves and dry sticks crackled under her feet. The pine branches were already heavy with snow, and there was no sound except for the soft flumpf of some of the white powder falling to the ground.

Soon, she saw the turret through the gathering dusk. It had probably once been used as a look out post, as it commanded a powerful position looking down the valley. Now, it was moss covered, the stones cracked and holes riddled the walls.

Lara walked through the small building that adjoined it; probably a place for the guards stationed there to sleep and eat – and made her way to the tower. She climbed up the spiral staircase, taking care on the topmost ones which were slippery with ice.

The top of the tower was just a square of paving stones with a low crenulated wall surrounding it. The rusting fragments of brazier lay to one side.

'There's not very much here. Maybe I should leave,' she sighed 'This isn't turning up very many leads.'

A wind whipped up, blowing snow from the trees. Pieces of snow fell off the crenulations, revealing the mossy stone beneath. Lara caught sight of a marking on one of the stones, facing to the north. She walked over, but stopped, as a blackbird flew up to the wall, and perched upon the marking. It cocked its head at her, regarding her with a bright black eye, then swooped off, chirruping as it went.

Lara went over to the wall. There was a shape under there, and in the snow she ripped the moss off, breathed on the filmy ice to see what it was. Then she stood back. Faint and indistinct, centuries of rain and wind having weather the stone, but there it was.

'The Cross of Toulouse,' she breathed.

She extended her palm down onto it, and felt the centuries flood back. A sharp pain echoed around her head, and darkness flooded her vision.