The Gods' Gambit (23 page)

The three monks sat on the floor, reciting the mantras of
the sacred rite. Lama Tenzin, who had recently joined them, sat close to the
altar. Without stopping the chanting, he waved to Nyma, signalling to him to
sit outside and wait.

Noon came and went. Hours flew away. Nyma began to sing with
the monks and tap his feet in unison with the drumming. He had already
memorized some of the mantras due to their unstoppable cyclic repetitions.

It was late afternoon when lama Tenzin and one of the monks
stopped chanting and came out of the chapel. Nyma jumped to his feet. The men
walked slowly and he followed them.

“Rinpoche, is there a hope?” asked lama Tenzin.

“Difficult to say. It’s in our power to postpone the threat.
But the possibility of the feared outcome cannot be eradicated,” replied the
monk in a low voice, looking at the ground.

“My monks are praying now as well,” said lama Tenzin.

“That’s good. Yet the threat stays,” replied the monk.

“I consulted proficient fortune tellers. There is no clarity
about who cast the shadow.”

“All that’s happening is no more than mind projections.
Let’s not forget that.”

“Still, we need to act here and now. It doesn’t matter
whether we like it or not. In the world of relativity, the causes have effects.
And for anything that happens there are causes.”

“So, more information about the enemy must be collected. We
know almost nothing about them, about their methods.”

“Agreed, Rinpoche. Praying alone will not suffice. We must
also apply some mundane means.”

“I hope you’ll find the right way,” the monk said and looked
up. “I would gladly give my life if this could help your mission. What I can do
is pray to the celestial powers to be with you.”

The men stopped and were silent for a while, their eyes
wandering in the direction of the mountain chain towering above the plateau not
so far ahead.

“That is a burden to share,” said lama Tenzin softly, as
though he was talking to himself.

“Maybe the time has come,” said the monk.

“I think it has. I’m going to gather the council of the
Shield. Please, continue without me. I have to return to the monastery and
prepare my backpack. I’ll leave tomorrow and won’t be back for several days.”

The monk bowed and walked back to the chapel.

Lama Tenzin looked at Nyma. “I have to use the satellite
phone again. I need your help.”

Florence, Italy

Standing on the steps in front of the Florence National
Library, James divided his gaze between the exit, from where Lino would emerge,
and the picturesque view of the residential area on the hills on the opposite
shore of the Arno River. The working shift of his friend had just ended and he
should appear at any moment. James had called him that morning from the hotel
where he and Irina were staying and they had agreed to meet at the library.

Before calling, James had doubts about how Lino would react
to his unexpected visit to Florence. But, to his surprise, Lino had talked in
the same warm and friendly tone as before. “How did you find out that they’d
brought me to bay?” Lino had asked at the end of their conversation.

“It was the logical thing. I already know enough about them.
They killed Elizabeth.”

“I’m so sorry… We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

James saw Lino coming through the open gate. His tall
stature and unruly bushy hair made him stand out among the crowd in the
library’s reception hall.

Lino made his way through the people, heading quickly to the
exit. He wore a threadbare pair of jeans, an old cream-coloured jacket and a
white shirt. He had visibly lost weight and the clothes hung on his lean body.
His black beard had grown long and curly, which leant a hermit-like touch to
his air. Despite his overall slovenly appearance, he seemed to be in good
spirits. On seeing James, he smiled and rushed to hug him. They hadn’t met for more
than four years.

“I don’t see the Bulgarian lady-cop,” Lino said looking
around.

“She’s in the car.” James pointed to the Volvo they had
hired at the airport. It was sitting in the parking bay of a nearby road. “She
has to make a few phone calls. She’ll join us afterwards.”

“I tell you again, James, I would prefer not to get involved
with the police.” Suppressed emotion could be detected in Lino’s voice.

“She’s a good friend. She wouldn’t reveal your name without
your consent,” James reassured him. “Of course, if you feel uneasy you don’t
have to meet her.”

Lino waved his arm in negation. “As you guarantee her – no
problem for me.” He looked round again. “I invite you to my house. We can talk
there.”

“Better sit in a public place. It would be an innocent
meeting if somebody is watching you.”

“Okay. I know a place. It’s quiet at this time of day. Not
far from here.”

* * *

Lino took them to an art café. It had a modern
interior set on several different levels separated from each other by low
decorative screens made of glass bricks, big enamelled pots of exotic flowers
and wide steps. The walls were painted in a variety of light colours. Many
paintings and pot-like mini-sculptures were hung on them. Strangely shaped rose
marble tables were surrounded by stools, cushions and oval benches covered in
mock leather.

There were only two visitors in the café – both girls
– who sat on high stools at the bar. They were chatting with the young barman
who was dressed entirely in white, with long hair and a musketeer-like beard
and moustache.

Lino insisted on paying for their order – coffee, assorted
chocolate candies and biscuits, fresh orange juice, tea and milk.

On their way there they had talked about mundane things:
James and Irina’s trip, the hotel, the sightseeing. Lino told them about his
job in the Florence Library. Irina was the first to speak business after they
had settled in the café. She turned to Lino. “The cult we’re
investigating has exercised pressure on you. Would you tell me how?”

Lino instinctively cast an eye about. He pulled three red
leaflets out of his jacket pocket. They showed cartoons depicting a man being
killed in three ways simultaneously. He explained how he had found two of them
after the Church of Angels gathering. “The third one I found a few days later
in my mother’s letterbox.” He paused briefly. “I got really scared. I don’t
know how they managed to uncover my identity. It became clear that they were
serious.” He turned to James. “It was about that time we spoke on the phone.”

“You didn’t call the police?” asked Irina.

“No. What could I tell them? That I was threatened by an
ancient cult aiming to take over the world? And as proof to present them with
leaflets advertising what looks like some kind of theatrical play? Besides, I
was afraid for my mother. She’s old and lives alone.”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” James said with
sympathy. “I would feel the same in your shoes.”

“That’s the reason I don’t want to get directly involved in
the police investigation,” Lino explained, looking at James and Irina in turn.
“At least not at this stage.”

“I understand that after these events you haven’t received
any threats?” Irina asked.

Lino nodded. “Honestly, they didn’t need to. I retired into
my shell. I even withdrew an article from the Catholic newspaper I write for. I
didn’t want to pull the devil’s tail.”

“Obviously you don’t think that way now,” said James.

“No. I’m just more cautious then I was before. I don’t fear
them anymore.”

“There must be a reason for that,” Irina threw in.

“My mother,” said Lino. “She noticed the change in me and I
had to tell her the truth. She’s deeply religious… Anyhow… when she heard about
my worries she straightforwardly told me she wouldn’t allow my spirit to be
squashed because of her. She said I needed to follow my beliefs and drives.”
Lino’s eyes became wet.

“Your mother is a remarkable woman,” said James.

“Since we talked on the phone this morning I haven’t stopped
thinking,” Lino said to James. “I can’t grasp it. What made Elizabeth their
target? May her soul rest in peace.”

“I still don’t know,” James answered. “I will find out. And
make them pay.”

“I’m going to do anything to help you,” said Lino with fire
in his eyes.

There was a moment of silence.

Irina turned to James. “If we’re going to be partners, Lino
must know what we’ve discovered so far,” she said.

“Of course,” James agreed.

Briefly he told Lino everything that had happened before
they came to Florence. He didn’t hide the details of the Costov case and the
similar cases in Algeria and India. If Irina didn’t approve of such a
revelation of police data, she didn’t show it.

While James was speaking, Lino looked at him with wide eyes.
His cheeks flushed with racing emotions. He broke the silence that had set in
after James had finished. “This is above all my expectations.”

“Did you hear anything which could help us understand what
the motives are for these killings?” Irina asked him.

“All those ritual killings, the cult’s increased activity
all over the world … they mean only one thing.” Lino looked at them both, but
no words came out of his mouth. It was as though he was scared to say what was
in his mind.

“What, for God’s sake?” James urged him.

“That they’re close to achieving their goal,” said Lino
quietly.

“What does that mean? World domination?” Irina asked.

Lino glanced at her. He looked hurt. “It may sound funny.
These people have been fulfilling their plan systematically and unflinchingly.
Step by step, for many years, probably centuries.”

“I don’t argue with that. It’s just that we need something
more than a theory if we’re to get to them,” said Irina.

Lino thought for a few moments. “I believe that the cult is
behind this so-called Church of Angels. Tonight at six there’s a gathering. Why
not visit it together? You’ll be people interested in joining the Church. You
could talk to anybody there. That way you could get first-hand information.”

Irina had been watching him carefully. She had been
assessing his words, reactions, thinking, body language. She had seen enough to
make a judgment about who he was. His character was predominated by sincerity
and lack of real-life inexperience. In other words, she could trust the decency
of his intentions but not his common sense. “I have a different suggestion,”
she said. “What we need is somebody from the Church who works for the cult.
Could you distinguish such a person?”

“I’ve watched them for quite some time. The Italian
cofounder of the Church is one of them for sure. But he lives in Milano. There
is one man – a cold, arrogant type.”

“You’ll show him to us tonight. We’ll follow him. If
necessary, I could ask for back-up. He could be placed under constant watch.
I’ll keep you aside of all this, of course,” she reassured Lino. “Any
objections?”

Lino expressed his consent with a nod.

Irina continued. “Meanwhile, I’ll check the files of some
prominent Church members. Would you give me their names?”

“Here.” Lino took a napkin and wrote down several names.
“I’ve tried many times to dig out something about them. No success so far. But
you probably have better means.”

James took a look at what Lino had written down. “An
international team,” he commented.

“Let’s talk a bit about tonight,” Irina suggested, looking
at Lino. “You go to the Church’s gathering and check if that man is present.
We’ll be waiting outside in the car. You’ll find an excuse to leave earlier
than the rest and join us. When he’s outside, we’ll follow him. Have you
noticed the way he comes to the meetings?”

 “I’ve seen him leaving in a car.”

“Good,” said Irina.

Lino put his hands on his cheeks, thinking intensively. “I’m
ready for this. I knew the time for action was coming. I just didn’t know it
would be so soon.”

James and Irina gave him a puzzled look.

“I must send my mother away,” Lino announced. “We have that
agreement between us. I told her that I would continue my fight against these
people. She knows that the time may come when she has to go away for a while.
Otherwise both of us would be vulnerable. I’ll tell her that the time has now
come.”

“That’s well done,” Irina approved.

“Do you know where she’ll go?” asked James.

“Yes. We’ve discussed it. One of my mother’s old friends has
invited her to visit many times. She lives in a village south of the country.
An hour and a half’s drive from here.”

“Give me the address of the Church’s gatherings. We’ll wait
for you there this evening. Okay?” said Irina.

“Yes. That’s fine. Although we’ll not finish with that
business in one night. I’ll have to take a few days off work,” said Lino.

“You decide how involved you want to be in this,” said
James. “I, personally, hope to leave Italy with information I can use in the
UK. I need to have something that will make them go after me. So I won’t leave
before I have that information. Or before I’m sure that my stay here isn’t
getting me any closer to them.”

“In any case, we’ll need more time to investigate. How much
exactly depends on how well we do at first,” said Irina.

Italy

The black exterior door of the hall in the four-storey building
where the Church of Angels held their meetings opened and Lino slipped outside.
He looked up and down both sides of the street and started walking along the
pavement. When he reached the end of the building, he quickly crossed the
street and jumped into the back of the parked Volvo in which Irina and James
sat waiting.