Autumn 1097 SR
The mission of Saint Mathew was a modest wooden building with but a single floor, its layout a long, rectangular shape. The back half consisted of kitchen space and sleeping chambers, while the front was nothing more than a great hall in which they served meals for the poor. Even at this early hour, the dining hall was so full that a line waited outside.
"Is this normal?" asked Charlaine.
Commander Salvatore looked at the crowd. "Not at all. Sometimes it"s even longer."
"I thought the city prospers."
"It does, but few of those coins make their way into the hands of those who need it most."
"How many Temple Knights do you employ here?"
"Officially, our complement numbers thirty, but at any given point, half of those are on duty. Not all of them are here, mind you. The
