The Gods' Gambit (11 page)

Laptin did not dare ask Batka how the meeting had gone and
what had been discussed there. He waited until he resumed that conversation and
then slipped in the burning question.

“There is no hope for Russia,” Batka responded. “‘They’, or
better to say one group of the alignment, which I call the idealists, have put
in a lot of planning and money to stir up what’s happening there. Russia is now
a giant experimental field and ‘they’ will try out everything that has been
planned.”

“So, we didn’t steal the gold from Russia but from the Reds
who serve these anonymous masters,” said Laptin.

“We’ve got to move out everything we can from there. It is
not our country any more. One day we’ll take it back, though.”

Soon after this conversation, Batka announced that he had to
make a journey to the Pamir Mountains ahead of schedule. The latest news from
that area exposed the need for quick action if Batka did not want a big chunk
of his fortune there to be expropriated by the communists. The Bukhara Emirate,
where Batka’s mining business was, was under Bolshevik attack and would not be
able to resist for long. Batka intended to transport the last production of the
mine and the rest of his bandit treasure, which was hidden in the Pamir caves,
through British India to Karachi. He had decided to lead this operation and
take his eldest son, seventeen-year-old Alexander, with him. His intention was
to give the heir to his business and criminal empire a big real-life lesson.

Laptin was one of the few chosen to say goodbye to Batka at
the port. When the small group of people who had come to see him off watched
the ship sail away, one of Batka’s American executives made a casual comment.
“The route is too insecure. A businessperson of his class shouldn’t take such
unnecessary risks for himself and his son. They may not even return from those
troubled lands.”

Nobody in that small group of people could have imagined,
even in their wildest dreams, just how prophetic those words would become. The
young Alexander would not return, and Batka Ivan would no longer be the man
they had known.

The Lake of the Golden Ducks, somewhere in the UK

The present day

For about an hour, the man paced the wide pathway
surrounding the Lake of the Golden Ducks, as the locals called it, and from
time to time, he cast a discreet glance at the people who walked near him. As
he passed by the little coffee shop on the lake’s shore, he slowed his pace and
had a good look around. He saw that all the tables were taken and there were
people queuing to buy coffee. However, when he couldn’t see who he was looking
for he moved on and continued his seemingly aimless walk.

About fifty metres away from the coffee shop he saw a couple
sitting on a bench. As he walked past them the woman turned towards him and
their eyes met. She was holding a blue book, the title of which was printed in
large white text. This was the sign the man had been looking for. He quickly
looked around before approaching the couple and saying in a low voice, “I read
poetry only through springtime.”

“There are verses for each season,” the woman replied.

The couple stood up and the young man said, “Perfecty,
please, sit down. Look towards the lake and don’t turn around. We’ll be close.”
The couple then walked away in opposite directions.

The perfecty did what he had been told, and soon, behind
him, he heard someone approaching. The newcomer came very close to him and the
skin on the back of his neck prickled. He had felt this sensation before, and
he knew that the newcomer was like him – a ‘touched’ one. He closed his eyes
and drifted into a dreamlike state known as the ‘View’. The scene that began to
emerge in his mind depicted what he recognized as the three rings of the
Mountain of Existence. He was in the Middle Ring, where all who were called
perfecty resided. He could distinguish the two young people who had sat on this
bench before him amongst the endless multitude of creatures inhabiting the low
Outer Ring. In the dominating Inner Ring above him he could ‘see’ the image of
a man that he knew was the man who stood behind him. He was sitting on one of
many thrones at the top of the Mountain. Such was the power of the ‘View’. It
revealed the true place of every living being in the hierarchy of the world. It
showed the true status of every person in the world if the world had been
preserved – as it was meant to be by its Creator.

The ‘View’ began to fade and the perfecty opened his eyes.
His first impulse was to get up and speak to the man standing behind him, but
before he had the chance to do so the man put his hand on the perfecty’s
shoulder and pressed him gently back into his seat.

“I apologize for being late. I needed to make sure that
neither of us was followed.” The man spoke these words slowly and quietly like
a person who was used to being listened to attentively.

From the sound of his voice, the perfecty decided that the
man was white and younger than him, about forty years old approximately. “I
understand, sir. It’s an honour to be in your presence,” he said reverentially.

“The honour is mine. I wanted to personally convey the
gratitude of the High Gathering. You and your team have done a great job.”

“Thank you. After the blunder in Bulgaria we didn’t want to
make any mistakes,” the perfecty said humbly. “We benefited from the High
Gathering’s choices regarding the place and the time.”

“Yes. We did our part, but the success of the mission was
mostly due to your resolve and accurate action,” replied the man.

“Sir, the message I got says that we have discovered another
one of
them
. Is that right?” the perfecty asked.

“Yes, that’s right, but not just one …
the one
,” the
man replied.

“Praise the heavens!” said the perfecty, looking up at the
sky and touching his forehead with the fingertips of his joined hands.

“You understand what has to be done and what the pledge is?
The High Gathering has assigned this task to you. You will keep in contact with
me.” The man gave the perfecty a computer memory stick. “On this you’ll find
all the data about him. Once again, the time for preparation is minimal.”

“It’s of utmost importance that we sever his bloodline. If
there is a bloodline,” the perfecty said thoughtfully.

“Yes, that’s our number one strategy,” replied the man.
“Although we have little time, the High Gathering has given us plenty of
resources so that we can tighten in around him. Isolating him as much as
possible is our priority.”

“His personal life has to be scrutinized,” said the
perfecty. “That will help us to prepare the strike.”

“I have already assigned two investigation teams. Some of
the information you need to start is in the file I’ve given you … Here is the
rest.”

The perfecty heard a thud; a black suitcase had been placed
next to him.

“In this case is three million pounds for expenses. If you
need more money just ask. There are no financial limits on this hunt,” the man
said.

London, UK

Elizabeth felt down despite her attempts to marginalize her
negative thoughts. She felt discontent because of the increase in James’ work
with the police. Her mood had deteriorated even more when she saw his
travelling companion at the airport. That unexpected effusion of jealousy made
her angry at herself, but that didn’t make the unpleasant feeling go away.

“Dear, no need to rush. My partner will be in the shop. It’s
not a problem if I’m late,” said Malee.

Elizabeth glanced down at the speedometer. It read
eighty-five miles per hour. She eased the pressure on the gas pedal. “I got
carried away thinking,” she said.

Malee had begun to feel the prolonged silence like a burden.
Since they had seen James off at the airport about forty minutes ago, she and
Elizabeth had exchanged few words. “Not pleasant thoughts, as I can see,” she
said.

“Sorry. I’m not in good shape right now.”

“Why don’t you let go. James will be back before you know
it.”

“There are two weeks left until our wedding day. When he’s
back we’ll have to rush all those little things.”

“I’m at your disposal. Just say what you want me to do.”

“That’s kind of you. You know that it’s not only about doing
things. I just want him close now.”

“I understand completely.”

Malee began talking about the wedding preparations, the
guests and the honeymoon trip to Jamaica. That cheered Elizabeth up. They spent
the rest of the journey discussing and planning the wedding.

Elizabeth stopped the car in the little car park in front of
the Eastern Herbs and Spices shop in London’s Chiswick district. Malee rented
an office in the shop. She worked there as a healer practising ancient Tibetan
medicine, the knowledge of which she had acquired from her mother, Pema.

“What would I do without you,” Elizabeth said, with warmth
in her voice as she dropped Malee off at the shop.

Malee smiled, but almost immediately her expression became
serious. “Look, Elizabeth, I want you to promise me something. Be careful when
you meet strangers, all right?” She sounded worried.

Elizabeth looked at her in surprise. “Honey, I’m a big
girl.”

The Old Engine House, somewhere in the UK

Colin, whose code name was East, assembled his rifle,
attached a telescopic lens and a silencer, then slid in the cartridge clip and
pulled back the bolt.

“Nine seconds. Not bad,” said Roger, who had been timing
him.

“I want to check its precision,” Colin said, lifting the
butt of the gun to his shoulder.

“You could use the barn over there to do that. You could
easily put some sandbags and a target in there and give it a try,” said the
perfecty, who had just entered the room. “From now on consider this as our main
base. In fact, how are you guys finding it?”

“It’s fine. It’s secluded enough. The barn is big so we can
keep our cars hidden,” said Roger.

“I agree, it’s a good base,” Colin affirmed.

“This place is an industrial estate ...”

The perfecty couldn’t continue because Roger quickly
interrupted him. “In the bar I found a wooden sign reading ‘Old Engine House’.”

  “That’s the name of the estate. We’re renting it
posing as a lighting firm. Where we’re now is meant to be the office. The barn
is a warehouse. That’s the cover story to use if you ever speak to anyone in
the area,” the perfecty explained. He reached up to a brick shelf just above
the fireplace and retrieved a tray on which was an object covered with a cloth.
He put the tray on a table in the centre of the room. With the theatrical
gesture of a magician, he removed the cloth to reveal two neatly arranged piles
of pound notes. “This is your advance payment; two hundred thousand pounds
each,” he said.

Colin’s face lit up with childlike glee. “Wow, that’s a nice
amount.  More than the entire reward for the Bulgarian.”

Roger smiled too, but with more restraint than Colin. “Now
you’re talking,” he said.

“We’ve been entrusted. We have to justify this payment using
all our means,” said the perfecty.

“All of us know that this operation is very, very
important,” Colin said inquisitively.

The perfecty waved his hands in the air as if he were
swatting an irksome fly, trying to deflect attention from Colin’s assumption.
“Spend money responsibly. No showing off. We need to keep a low profile. After
we’ve completed this mission there will be double remuneration,” he said.

“Double each!” Colin exclaimed.

The perfecty nodded.

“I’ll probably have to buy a big stone for my missus after
this. That’s the only way she’ll forget about the amount of time I’m spending
away,” joked Roger.

“Well, I hope you won’t leave me to have all the fun here
alone. South and West will be here soon. If you’re a good boy they might make
us both happy,” Colin smirked and smacked Roger on the back.

“There’ll be no time for amusement,” the perfecty
interrupted. “Both of you must leave today. You’ve got to order cars. The car
thieves will need some time to find the models I want.”

“I know a bar in London ... Some skilful guys will pop in
there tonight for sure. I could pass the errand on to them,” Roger offered.

“OK, but don’t talk to them yourself. Leave Colin to do the
talking. They should not see your face; neither should they suspect you
‘recommended’ them.”

“I’ll speak to them. But they’ll probably ask for some money
in advance,” said Colin.

The perfecty smiled faintly as he contemplated the extent of
Colin’s greed. He thought he could exploit Colin’s craving to his advantage.
“I’ll give you the extra money,” he said. “The guys you hire must leave the
cars at a good off-road parking place. I don’t want them being left close to
here, but not too far away either. ”

“I have a parking spot in mind,” said Roger.

The perfecty turned to him. “East guides the thieves to the
parking place. You drive the cars here one by one.”

“Ok, I’ll do it,” Roger said.

“I was thinking ... It’d be a good idea to use the same
system when hiring a hitman said Colin.

 “South will be our contact with the man we’ll hire.
You …” the perfecty looked at Roger, “… might be needed to assist her, but only
as backup.”

“I think the hitman must be inexperienced,” said Colin.

The perfecty stared at Colin and there was a sudden silence.
Colin realized that he had opened his mouth too far and he began to squirm with
intense fear.

“Would you be so kind as to leave the planning and
decision-making to me?” the perfecty explained slowly and clearly.