by Steve Berry
Two brothers waited at the end of the courtyard, up a terraced stairway, each dressed in a wool gown with a red waistband. Their hair was shaved short in front but plaited in back. Olive-black eyes barely blinked. He strode straight toward a veranda supported by more pillars painted blood red and decorated in silver and gold. He climbed three-quarters of the way up, stopping at the base of the third terrace. Behind the brothers opened double doors, flanked on either side by two massive elephant tusks.
Pau Wen stepped from the portal.
Finally, they were face-to-face. After so many years.
Pau descended the steps.
Tang waited, then bowed. “Everything went according to your plan.”
“You have done well. The end is now in sight.”
He enjoyed the feeling of pride. He handed Pau the watch from the imperial library chamber. “I thought you would like this back.”
Pau accepted the gift with a bow. “My thanks.”
“Where is Ni Yong?”
“Waiting. Inside.”
“Then let us finish this and begin a new day for China.”
“IT’S AWFUL QUIET UP HERE,” MALONE SAID.
Their trek, so far, had been uneventful.
An ocean of jagged, snowy summits engulfed them. What had he once read? A land of black wolves and blue poppies—ibex and snow leopards. Where fairies congregated, he recalled another observer noting. Possibly even the inspiration behind James Hilton’s Shangri-la.
No sign of Viktor yet, or of soldiers.
Little sound besides the scuffle of their feet on the rocky trail.
In the distance rose hardscrabble hills, washed with green and streaked in red. Herds of livestock and nomad tents flying yellow flags dotted the slopes. Down in one of the gorges he spied the decaying carcass of a donkey that had slipped to its death.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, ahead and above them.
He kept walking, as if unaware, and whispered to her, “Did you—”
“I saw it,” she muttered.
Four men.
The trail ahead led into a stretch of poplars. Cassiopeia led the way.
“Get ready to move,” he breathed, his hand reaching for the gun beneath his jacket.
He heard the crack of a weapon, then a bullet zipped by.
TANG ENTERED THE ROOM AND STARED AT NI YONG. PAU WEN had already removed Sokolov and the boy. Hopefully, a father-and-son reunion would calm the Russian and ensure his cooperation.
“Our battle is over,” he said to Ni.
“And how will my death be explained?”
“A tragic helicopter crash. You were in Xinjiang province investigating more corruption. Isn’t that what you do?”
“My staff knows where I was going and why.”
“Your staff will either cooperate or be silenced.”
“And what of the police in Yecheng? The two pilots on the plane I commandeered in Xi’an? They know things.”
He shrugged. “All easily eliminated. Did you think me so stupid? I knew you were monitoring my satellite calls. We used that as a way to send messages. Did you enjoy the debate between Pau and myself?”
Ni shrugged. “Hardly a dramatic feat for two such accomplished liars.”
“I was kept informed of everything you did. That is how I knew you were headed for Belgium.”
“And the attempt on my life there?”
“That was real. I was hoping to end the problem. But you apparently were able to avoid the men I sent.”
“Actually, Pau Wen saved my life.”
Had he heard correctly? Pau? Viktor had been unable to learn what had happened at Pau’s residence since he’d been in Antwerp, dealing with Cassiopeia Vitt. None of the men he’d sent had ever reported back, and Pau had, characteristically, offered nothing. He would have to speak with the master about the matter. For now he made clear, “The Hegemon is not afraid to shed blood. If he intervened, then there was good reason.”
“Spoken like a true Legalist. Congratulations, Minister, on your victory. History will note you as the man who finally destroyed China.”
MALONE DOVE TO ROCKY GROUND AND SOUGHT WHAT COVER the sparse poplars offered. Cassiopeia did the same and they belly-crawled across sharp gravel, finding a boulder large enough to provide them both protection.
More shots came their way.
“This is getting serious,” Cassiopeia said.
“You think?”
“They’re not Chinese,” she said. “I caught a glimpse. Definitely Pakistanis. They seem to know where we’re headed.”
“That thought occurred to me, too.” So he had to add, “I told you he was trouble.”
She ignored him.
“We have to go that way.” He pointed behind them. “And those soldiers are close enough to do some damage.”
“We have to trust he’ll handle it,” she finally said.
“That was your call, not mine. You go first. I’ll cover.”
He gripped the Chinese double-action pistol.
Cassiopeia prepared herself, too.
Then she scampered off toward a stand of junipers.
NI GLARED AT KARL TANG.
Though Tang had tried hard to conceal it, he’d caught the surprise when he’d explained that Pau Wen had been the one to stop the gunmen. Perhaps there had been more to their debate than staged drama?
“We have led you like a bear on a leash,” Tang said. “You listened in on our calls, and we fed you exactly the information we wanted you to know. You traveled to Belgium, then to Xi’an, and finally here, all at our invitation.”
“Does that we include the premier?”
“He is of no importance. An old man who will soon be dead.”
That prospect saddened him. He’d come to admire the premier, a moderate who’d done much to temper communist fanaticism. Not a hint of scandal had ever touched him.
“Pau Wen is our master,” Tang said. “The brothers, myself included, have all pledged our allegiance. We thought a perceived war between Pau and me would lull you into a false sense of security. I do have to say that this was to have played out differently. You were to die in Belgium.”
“And Pau never mentioned that he killed all four men?”
Tang’s face was like stone. “Whatever he did was correct.”
“Surely Cassiopeia Vitt and Cotton Malone were not part of your plan.”
He shrugged. “The master required the use of her and Malone to return to China.”
A distant crack echoed out the windows.
Then more.
“Gunfire,” Tang said. “For your allies.”
“Vitt and Malone?” He kept his tone casual, though he was deeply concerned.
“They escaped Yecheng, but now they will die here, in the mountains, like you.”
SEVENTY-FIVE
CASSIOPEIA WAITED FOR COTTON TO REACH HER. HE’D COVERED her retreat with some well-placed shots.
He arrived and they both raced forward, using more trees as protection. Sharp bursts of rifle fire accompanied them, and bullets pinged around them. Their cover vanished as the trail twisted out of the trees. To her right she saw more sheer canyons lined with shadows. They paralleled the trail’s loose edge, careful with each step. A brilliant sun blazed on the far side of the gorge, dulled only by black mountain slate. Thirty meters below, water the color of road dust rushed and tumbled, tossing foamy spray high into air. They clambered up a steep embankment, past scree slopes of collapsed moraines.
She spotted the bridge Viktor had mentioned.
Ropes ran from crossbeams anchored into stone piles on either side of the gorge. The piles weren’t much, just rocks, one atop the other, brushwood in between acting as mortar. A footwalk of boards held aloft by hemp stretched thirty meters across the river.
Intermittent gunfire echoed in the distance.
She glanced back.
No soldiers.
More shots chattered.
“Maybe he’s l
eading them away,” she said.
No comment, though she could see he was skeptical. He stuffed his gun into a pocket.
She did the same, then stepped onto the bridge.
NI HEARD MORE FARAWAY SHOTS.
“You will have a grand state funeral,” Tang said. “It will be quite the spectacle. You are, after all, a respected man.”
“Then what will you do?”
“Assume control of the government. The premier is not long for this world, so it is logical that he would gradually pass control to his first deputy. That is when we will start our return to glory.”
“And unlimited oil will help that journey?”
Tang smiled. “I see Sokolov told you. Good. You need to know what you missed. And yes, the prospect of no longer having to prostitute ourselves to Russia, the Middle East, and Africa—to fear what America might do—just to ensure that our factories continue to produce, is worth the effort.”
“So going after that lamp in Belgium was all part of the grand display you and Pau devised?”
“Make no mistake, the lamp was important. But it also served as the perfect bait to lure you there. And you were supposed to die.”
“Instead, four other men died.”
Tang shrugged. “As you said, Pau killed them.”
“But you ordered the murder of the pilot.”
Tang said nothing.
“You have no conception of what troubles China.”
“But I do. This nation needs a firm hand.”
He shook his head. “You are a lunatic.”
His fate seemed sealed.
And more gunfire from the mountains signaled that Malone and Vitt were likewise in deep trouble.
CASSIOPEIA FELT THE BOARDS BENEATH HER FEET VIBRATE from the rush of water. Malone had gone across first, saying that if the bridge held him it would surely hold her. The extra weight had also broken the rhythm, reducing the nerve-racking sway. They were now suspended in open air, halfway across, with zero cover, moving from shadows to sunlight. She spotted a trail on the far side, leading across loose gravel into more trees. A figure, maybe five meters high, carved in the rock face beyond the trail—a Buddhist image—told her they were in the right place.
“This bridge has seen better days,” she said as Malone turned back toward her.
“I hope it has at least one more left.”
She gripped the twisted ropes that held the span aloft, forming a makeshift railing. No sign of any pursuers. But a new sound rose over the rushing water. Deep bass tones. Far off, but growing louder.
She caught the first glimpse of a shadow on a rock wall, maybe two kilometers away, where the gorge they were crossing met another running perpendicular. The distant shadow grew, then was replaced with the distinct shape of a helicopter.
And it wasn’t a transport. An attack aircraft, equipped with cannons and missiles.
“That’s not here to help,” she said.
Then she knew. The soldiers had herded them to this spot.
The pilot started firing.
TANG HEARD THE RAPID BURST OF CANNON FIRE AND KNEW what was happening. The Pakistanis had used one of their Cobras. He’d told them that an aerial intrusion into the mountains would not, at least this time, be viewed unfavorably. On the contrary, he wanted the task done right and thought the bridge might offer the perfect venue. He could only hope that Viktor had teamed with Malone and Vitt, and all three were crossing.
If not, the soldiers could finish the job.
“I will be the next premier of this nation,” he said to Ni. “China will retake its superior place in the world. We will also retake Taiwan, the southern lands, Mongolia, even Korea. We shall be whole again.”
“That kind of stupidity is what has brought us to where we are now.”
“And you are the brilliant leader who can save us? You could not even see that you were being manipulated. You are fatally naïve.”
“And the world will simply sit by and allow you to do as you please?”
“That’s the interesting part. You see, knowing that oil is infinite comes with a great advantage. Keep that information close, use it wisely, and we can orchestrate the collapse of more than one foreign power. The world fights over oil as children fight over sweets. They battle one another both physically and economically to satisfy their needs. All we have to do is direct the fight.” He shook his head. “The armies of the world will not be a problem for China. You see, Minister, a single piece of knowledge can be more powerful than a hundred nuclear weapons.”
He motioned for the door.
“Now, before you leave this world, the master thought you might like to see something. Actually, he thinks we both will find it of interest, since it is something I have not seen, either.”
“Then by all means. Let’s see what the Hegemon wants to show us.”
CASSIOPEIA DOVE BELLY-FIRST TO THE BRIDGE BOARDS, STARING past her feet at Cotton as a steady procession of cannon fire came their way. The helicopter roared toward them, its blades slicing through the limpid air. Rounds found the bridge, ripping wood and rope with a savage fury.
Anger filled her eyes and she found her gun, came to her knees, and fired at the copter’s canopy. But the damn thing was surely armor-plated and moving with the speed of a hummingbird.
“Get the hell down,” he yelled.
Another burst of cannon fire annihilated the bridge between them. One moment the wood-and-rope construction existed, the next it was gone in a cloud of debris. She realized the entire span was about to collapse.
He sprang to his feet.
No way he could get to her, so he wisely tried to negotiate the final six meters on his side of the divide, clinging to the ropes as the bridge dropped away beneath their feet.
The helicopter zoomed past, toward the opposite end of the gorge.
She grasped the ropes, too, and as the bridge separated, each half swinging toward different sides of the gorge, she clung tight and flew through the air.
Her body slammed into rock, rebounded, then settled.
She held on tight and risked a look to the other side. Slowly, Cotton was pulling himself upward, negotiating the remaining few meters to the top.
Rushing water and the thump of chopper blades filled her ears.
Another look across the gorge and Cotton had found the top, standing now, staring at her. She clung with both hands to the other half of the bridge as it dangled against the tawny face of the gorge. Clattering scree prevented any foothold.
The helicopter executed a tight turn within the gorge, arching upward, and began another run their way.
“Can you climb?” he screamed over the noise.
She shook her head.
“Do it,” he yelled.
She craned her neck his way. “Get out of here.”
“Not without you.”
The Cobra was little more than a kilometer away. Its cannon would start firing any second.
“Climb,” he screamed.
She pulled herself up, but the next handful of hemp she grabbed gave way.
She plunged downward.
Into the rushing river.
SEVENTY-SIX
NI FOLLOWED TANG THROUGH THE COMPLEX OF BUILDINGS. Galleries of red and yellow connected the various wings. Ornate pillars, their golden decoration uneffaced by time, held the high ceilings aloft. Incense burners and braziers warmed the halls. Finally, they entered a cavernous three-storied chamber.
“This is the Hall for the Preservation of Harmony,” Tang said. “The most sacred site for the Ba.”
It was different from the other buildings, even more elaborate, with alternating red and yellow galleries up three levels. A forest of pillars spanned its perimeter on three sides, with graceful arches in between. An arsenal of swords, knives, lances, bows, and shields decorated the ground level along the edges, and half a dozen copper braziers blazed with glowing charcoals.
Sunlight seeped from windows in the upper galleries. At the far end, on a
raised terrace, the wall, reaching up thirty meters, comprised hundreds of diagonal bins brimming with scrolls. Silver lamps dotted the remaining three walls between the levels, but remained unlit. Light came from electric lanterns dangling from the ceiling.
“Inside those shelves is the accumulation of our knowledge, written on silk, preserved for the Hegemon to consult,” Tang said. “Not translations or secondhand accounts. The actual words.”
“Apparently, the Ba is well financed,” he said.
“Though we are ancient in origin, we are recent in reincarnation. The eunuchs from the time of the last emperor, in the early part of the 20th century, ensured that we were properly endowed. Mao tried to appease them, but many brought their wealth here.”
“Mao hated eunuchs.”
“That he did. But they hated him more.”
“It’s a shame I won’t live to see you fail.”
“I don’t plan to fail.”
“No fanatic ever does.”
Tang stepped close. “You lost the battle, Minister. That’s what history will record. Just as the Gang of Four lost their battle. Several of them died from the effort, as well.”
Behind Tang, on the far side, a section of the towering wall hung open, the panel cleverly concealed among the shelves.
Pau Wen emerged from the doorway that the panel revealed.
“Ministers,” Pau called out. “Please, come.”
Ni saw that Tang did not appreciate the interruption, so he decided to twist the knife. “Your master calls.”
Tang glared at him. “That is precisely what is wrong with China. It has forgotten fear and respect. I plan to reacquaint the nation with both.”
“You may find it difficult, keeping a billion and a half people afraid.”
“It has been done before. It can be done again.”
“Qin Shi? Our glorious First Emperor? He barely ruled twelve years, and his empire disintegrated at his death.” He paused. “Thanks to a scheming eunuch.”
Tang seemed unfazed. “I will not make the same mistakes.”
They walked in silence across the long hall, perhaps fifty meters in length and half that wide. Short steps led up to a raised floor.