Max's expression hardened.
"What do you want inside our Goddess's temple?"
The question came quietly, but the easy humor had disappeared from his voice.
Arthur remained where he stood.
Around them, the slum continued its uneasy rhythm. Somewhere beyond the narrow passage, a woman called for her child. From the courtyard came the rustling of food wrappers and a brief argument that ended almost as quickly as it had begun.
The unseen people watching Arthur remained motionless.
Max glanced toward the children before turning his attention back to Arthur.
"If you think there's treasure waiting to be stolen, turn around now."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"There's nothing valuable there. Nothing that I know of, anyway."
Max's fingers closed around the broken crescent hanging against his chest.
"What you'll find is something horrifying enough that, if you understood what was inside, you might never want to go near that place again."
Arthur studied him.
"And what would that be?"
