by Joe Corso
Father Thomas Rodriguez, a painfully thin, narrow-minded man of average height for his time, sat at the head of the long table. He studied the men seated in front of him. His pockmarked face and dour expression added to his gaunt, sinister demeanor, which let everyone seated at the table know that he was the one in charge. The inquisitor general’s eyes bored into the priests sitting at the table, causing them to squirm uncomfortably . . . if his gaze lingered a moment longer on a priest, it made that priest feel that he, and not the accused, was the one to face the inquisition's judgment.
“Father Henry!” Father Rodriguez said loudly.
Father Henry immediately stood. “Yes, Father Rodriguez.”
“Have you found the right man for this important mission?”
“Yes, Father. I have.”
“Good. Now who is he?”
“His name is Leopold Kiesling. A Germanic mercenary we captured, paid by our enemies to fight against Spain.”
“Have you told him anything?”
“No, Father. I thought it best that you tell him yourself. This way, he would know the seriousness of your offer.” Father Rodriguez was the new inquisitor general. He replaced the previous inquisitor general after Lucky had filled him with unease when he took him through the portals and showed him where he would spend the rest of his life if he continued to stalk the princess and their child. Witnessing those terrible sights and having taken part in the wizard’s magic by virtue of the portals, the terrified priest, upon his return to the inquisition’s church, immediately retired from the priesthood and fled the country.
The power that came with his new position inflated Father Rodriguez’s sense of self-importance. He felt it was beneath his position as inquisitor general to speak of such an important matter to such a lowly criminal, but he understood the necessity of having to talk to the convict, and the urgency needed to settle this matter finally.
A small priest at the back of the table raised his hand. “Father Rodriguez, may I say a few words?”
Rodriguez didn’t like interruptions, as his word was now law, and he had made up his mind what his orders would be. But he wrinkled his brow and smiled somberly at the little priest. “Yes, Father Ignatio, please tell us what’s on your mind.”
Father Ignatio’s voice was surprisingly strong and his message resonated with wisdom, and the priests sitting at the large table listened to his words. “King Robert’s wizard is no person to take lightly, Father. I was there - as were some of the men in this room - and we saw the power this wizard wields. He warned us not to come after his wife and child again or we’d spend the rest of eternity in purgatory. Our master, the recently retired inquisitor general, was so frightened by what the wizard showed him, that upon his return from purgatory, he resigned his position.”
Father Rodriguez laughed. “Fools, he used some sort of mind control. Don’t you see? It was a trick, a trick performed by any number of court magicians.”
But Father Ignatio wasn’t finished speaking yet. “How do you explain the thunder he held in his hands - and when he pointed the thunder at the shields, they fell to the ground from their position high above the hall. When we examined the shields, they had small holes in them, caused by the lightning he held in his hands. And how could you explain how one man could utterly destroy a large stone church without siege weapons and then disappear with his wife and child in front of everyone?”
Father Rodriguez was becoming annoyed with the inane questions this little priest was asking. “No more questions. My mind is made up. We are the inquisition. We are doing God’s work. We cannot let this man, or any man, for that matter, defy us the way this wizard has. He has spit in our faces . . . that is what he has done, spit in our faces - and you want me to stop this investigation, just let it go? That I will never do! Our work demands that we seek out and punish those that practice the black arts, and who consort with the devil. This man is obviously in league with the devil and he practices the black arts - for how else can his so-called powers be explained? He will be punished along with anyone whom he has corrupted. They will suffer the same judgment and punishment as he.” He pointed to the guard who was positioned by the door to keep cowans and eavesdroppers out. “Bring the prisoner in.”
The prisoner believed he was being brought before the inquisition to be read his death sentence. But he became hopeful when his guard leaned over and whispered that there was talk of a stay of execution.
Father Thomas Rodriguez looked at the mercenary Leopold Kiesling for a long moment . . . neither smiling nor speaking. Then the chief inquisitor’s face twisted into a grim, cold, mirthless smile, and he pointed a bony finger at Keisling. “You.” He looked down at the parchment on the desk to remind himself of the prisoner’s name. “Leopold Kiesling, mercenary - are accused of being in league with the devil and this court sentences you to death.” The prisoner slumped. “However!” Keisling lifted his head at that word, and his heart beat a little faster. “However . . . this court has agreed to drop all charges against you. You will be provided a horse and twenty gold coins for food and lodging and other expenses on the condition that you will agree to do God’s work.”
When Leopold was informed of what the inquisition wanted him to do, he felt uncomfortable, but he would go along with this inane plan until he could find a way to escape. He had no desire to get involved with King Robert, the princess, or especially the king’s wizard. He heard about the wizard. In fact, everyone in England had been talking about the wizard and the strange miracles he performed. No - he didn’t want to be forced to face any wizard, of that much he was certain. But if he hoped to escape, he had to agree to help the inquisition. To make matters worse, Father Rodriguez was sending six of his best knights with him to make sure he didn’t run off and lose himself somewhere in England. Rodriguez wanted two inquisition priests to accompany the small troupe to England. The priests wanted no part of this folly. They had seen firsthand the incredible magic of King Robert’s wizard and they wanted no further contact with him. Leopold himself didn’t want to have any contact with the man, but he was between a rock and a hard place. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the man. He was a warrior who lived to fight, and he was afraid of no man. He believed that a warrior should die in battle and not by the inquisition. It was just that he always picked his fights, and this time, this fight was thrust upon him, and he wasn’t thrilled about it. Especially since it involved a woman and child. He didn’t fight defenseless women or children; he fought soldiers and warriors, and he always fought the best of the best to test his martial skills against, and kidnapping a woman was against his code of ethics. To Leopold, kidnapping a princess and smuggling her to Spain was the height of folly, but the thought that there were still many miles of traveling to find a way to escape was comforting to him. Under no circumstance would he allow himself to be taken back to Spain, even if he had to fight the six men who were to accompany him. He hoped that it wouldn’t come to that, but if it did, the inquisition would be short a number of soldiers, he would make sure of that.
What Leopold didn’t know was that the inquisitor general had hedged his bet by pardoning Josef Stengal, a man who was scheduled to be burned at the stake. He ordered the convicted murderer to follow Kiesling, and make sure that he kidnapped the Princess Krystina and her child, and took them to Spain to stand before the inquisition. If Keisling failed in his mission, then Stengal was told to kill him. It appeared that the inquisitor general was the only priest who wanted the princess and her baby brought to the inquisition to stand trial for consorting with the devil. The other priests knew beyond a certainty that if the princess were brought here, the wizard would soon follow.
CHAPTER 9
PRESENT
Lucky knew the president of HTI’s name was Kelb, and he knew the office number and where it was located on the floor. So even though he didn’t intend to visit Kelb first, Lucky decided that was what he would do - pay Kelb a visit, and then find out what he was walking into, and lear
n who it was that had nabbed his friends and was stalking him.
He decided that instead of materializing in Kelb’s office, he’d do it the traditional way - by knocking on his door. He tapped the door twice and waited. “Come on in,” a voice shouted out.
Lucky walked in smiled and asked the gentleman sitting behind a large mahogany desk in a friendly voice, “Excuse me, but are you Mr. Kelb, the president of this company?”
The man stared at Lucky, wondering how he got past his secretary. “And who exactly are you?” Lucky smiled again and extended his hand. The man shook his hand before finding out who he was. “What can I do for you Mr.? Mr.? I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.”
“I didn’t give my name, but let me introduce myself. Lucky Campo, at your service.”
Kelb’s mouth moved, but no words came out. Kelb was a tall ex-mercenary who kept himself in excellent physical condition. He stood and walked towards Lucky in an obviously threatening manner. “We’ve been looking for you.”
Lucky kept calm and his smile remained on his face. “And I’ve been looking for you.”
“My men were supposed to be monitoring your movements.”
“Yeah, well, sorry about that, but at the moment, your men are in federal custody.” Lucky felt his watch vibrate and he looked at his wrist as if he were checking the time. A message scrolled across the screen. “Gave 2 men truth serum. They transmitted your information to their office. Be careful, bad guys know everything.”
Kelb approached Lucky, and Lucky could see that Kelb was a good twelve inches taller than he was. “Sorry to have to do this to you, but you mean a lot of money to me. Sort of like beef on a hook.”
Kelb suddenly lunged for Lucky, but Lucky had expected that, and backed into a portal and disappeared, only to reappear behind a bewildered Kelb. He tapped Kelb on the shoulder. “Behind you.” As Kelb turned to face him, Lucky hit him with a devastating right hand on the sweet spot of his chin, knocking Kelb off his feet and onto the floor. Lucky reached down and extended his hand to help him up and the man took it. “Come on and let’s talk a while. We don’t have to knock each other around like a couple of street thugs.” Although Lucky helped Kelb to his feet, he was still wary of him, but didn’t show it. “Come on,” He urged Kelb. “Let’s talk. I need some answers and you’re the only one who can give ‘em to me.”
Kelb rubbed his chin and grinned. “That’s some trick you just pulled on me. Can I ask you how you did it?”
“Yes,” Lucky said, smiling. “You could, but then I wouldn’t tell you.”
Kelb reached into his desk and pulled out a bottle of cognac. “Drink?”
“Is it good stuff?” Lucky asked.
“One-hundred-year-old cognac. I save it for special guests.”
Lucky took the drink. ”I guess this qualifies me as a special guest.”
Kelb, still rubbing his chin, said, “You know, that’s a pretty good right hand you hit me with. Was it lucky, or have you had this dance before?”
“I’ve been through shows like this a few times before.”
Kelb raised his glass. “Here’s to your answers.”
Lucky waited for Kelb to down his drink, then he drank his. Better to be safe than sorry.
“Now, what do you want to know?”
“Why were my friends taken and who wants me bad enough that they kidnapped my friends to get to me?”
Kelb could tell that Lucky was a warrior like he was, and he related to him. In fact, he could be him. They were two alpha males who had faced life-threatening moments on the battlefield more than once, and because of that, they related to one another. There was a knock on the door. “Not now, Judy. I don’t want to be disturbed, so no calls, and tell the next appointment I’m running late and he has to wait a while.” Kelb turned back to Lucky. “Now could you repeat what you just asked me?”
“Sure! Who hired you?”
“Adolph Mueller. He’s a German billionaire and he lives in Poland. In fact, he lives near Hitler’s old Black Forest Headquarters. I tried turning him down, but he was an insistent bastard. Every time I refused him, he kept raising the fee, until I would have been crazy not to take the job. He paid me an obscene amount of money to find you.”
Lucky shook his head. “So to find me, you had to kidnap my friends? Your guys must have been pretty good to capture my two buddies.”
“Let me tell you something. Those two friends of yours fought like banshees. They took out three of my men before my guys tasered them.”
“You tasered my friends?”
“Hell, yeah, we tasered them. We did it because we couldn’t take them any other way - other than shooting them, that is. We weren’t looking to kill them; we just needed them as bait to get to you. Without them, you would never have shown up.”
Lucky agreed with what Kelb said; he figured he’d have probably done the same thing. “What does this guy Mueller want with me?”
Kelb shrugged his shoulders. “Hell if I know; you’d have to ask him. Look at it as one professional to another. There was nothing personal in what I did; it was just a job. Look, I’m leveling with you. In our line of work, we don’t ask questions; we just do the job we’re paid to do.”
Lucky’s eyebrows rose. “Even if it means murder?”
Kelb shook his head. “Murder was never part of the job. If it was, I wouldn’t have accepted it, and I told Mueller that.”
“And what did Mueller say when you told him that?”
“He laughed. ‘Lucky Campo dead does me no good at all,’ he said.”
“Do you know where he’s taken my friends?”
“No! But I can guess.”
“Go ahead - guess.”
“Mueller has a castle sitting on one hundred acres in the Black Forest, and he runs his billion-dollar conglomeration from there.”
Lucky tilted his head. “Then I’ll try there next.”
“Look, Lucky. Do you mind if I call you ‘Lucky’?”
“Not at all.”
“Be careful; he knows how titanium affects you.”
“That was fast work. I just found out about it myself.”
“Everything you said at your safe house was on a live feed. I heard everything you said as you were saying it, and I called Mueller as soon as you were finished talking. Look, I’m sorry for the way this went down. You seem like a right guy, and if I had known you before, I would have turned down Mueller’s offer. I can’t change the past, but I could try to help you now, before you walk into a trap.“
“Why would you want to help me?”
“Like I told you before. This was just a job, and now that it’s been completed and I’ve been paid, I feel that the least I could do is to warn you. I’ll be honest with you. I don’t like that smug little bastard Mueller, and I didn’t like working for him. If it weren’t for the money, I would never have taken the job. Now if you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.” Lucky had no further questions, so Kelb put out his hand and Lucky shook it. He walked out the door liking the guy, and the thought ran through his mind that maybe he could hire Kelb in some capacity in the future.
CHAPTER 10
WOLF’S DEN - POLAND - BLACK FOREST
Nicky and Dukie didn’t know why they were being moved from their cell to what looked like an office, but it was still nothing but a cleverly designed cell.
Nicky murmured to Dukie, “Man, this cell is unlike any cell I’ve ever been in. And I’ve been in plenty of them.” Nicky and Lucky had grown up together in Queens. Nicky would have been a career criminal if Lucky hadn’t rescued him - and in the process of rehabilitating him, he made him a wealthy man.
“Wonder why they put us in here. And what’s with the thick glass door? Why two doors for this one room, and look - no side windows? There are just these two cots, a couple of chairs, and that Porto-Potty over there in the corner. Not even a sink or a table for us to eat on.”
“Yeah. Something just don’t feel right abou
t this setup.”
Dukie said, as he noticed a secretary’s desk and chair on the other side of the locked glass door, “It’d be nice if the desk and chair were in here. This way, we’d have something to eat on or maybe play some cards on.”
“Yeah. Wonder why they put the desk and chair out there, when it looks like nobody’s gonna use them?”
An hour later, the door opened and two men brandishing guns opened the unlocked outer door and stepped into the small room. One of the men took a set of keys from the desk drawer, unlocked the glass door, and then held it open while a woman dressed in white pushed a stainless steel cart with food on it into the room.
“Lunch is served; you will eat your food on the cart. I want the knives and forks back when you’re finished eating, and they will be counted,” she said in broken but understandable English.
Dukie and Nicky looked at one another, then Nicky quipped, “For a week, we get served nothing but junk, and today it looks like we’re getting a meal Momma could have made for us. What the hell is going on here?”
The men holding the guns were positioned on either side of the woman. They never said a word, but waited patiently until she was finished serving lunch. When Nicky and Dukie were finished eating, the woman took the dishes and placed them on the cart, and then she silently counted the utensils. She nodded to the men.
“I’m ready to leave.”
One man held the door open, and the woman pushed the stainless steel cart through the open door, while the second man kept his gun trained on the captives. Once the woman and the cart were out the door, the two men backed out of the room. Mueller had warned them that these men were very dangerous, so they were careful, never taking their eyes off of them. Once the outer door closed behind them, they relaxed, locked the door, threw the keys in the desk drawer, and then left.