by Darren Shan
" Did she hurt him?" I asked.
"I think so. It is hard to tell with Dorry. He was certainly sullen when she left, and distant on occasion. But he did not grieve for her. I think he is incapable of grief. I cannot say how close he came to loving Conchita, but he was as far from loving her in the way you or I can love as this planet is from the sun. He has no true human emotions except for hate and rage."
Leonora fell silent after that and by the way she concentrated on her pineapple I knew she didn't want to talk about this anymore. I didn't mind. I'd already learned more about The Cardinal than I expected to. I gazed around the restaurant as I mulled over our talk. "Have you seen any sign of the Lap man today?" I asked.
She laughed. "Who on earth is the Lap man? "
"Y Tse," I chuckled.
"Who?"
I stared at her, heart sinking. "Leonora," I said, voice shaking, "don't you dare sit there and-"
She raised a hand. "Quiet." She thought for a few moments. "I want you to tell me about this 'Lap man.' "
"But you know-," I began angrily.
"Please," she snapped. "Humor me."
Sighing, I described him, then went on, "He used to be The Cardinal's right-hand man. He spends most of his time here, a lot of it with you. He acts crazy but he's not. The two of you are close friends. I have a feeling you might have been more than that once, though neither of you has ever said anything. His real name is Inti Maimi. Shall I go on?"
She was staring at the table, quiet as a corpse. When she looked up, her face was haggard. "I cannot remember anything about him." When my lips twisted into a sneer, her hands shot across the table and gripped mine. "Capac, I swear that name means nothing to me. I am not saying he does not exist. I do not doubt your description. But I do not remember him." She released me.
"It has happened before," she said softly. "But never so strong a sense of it. When I woke this morning, I felt something wrong, that something was missing. Like when you go into a room and forget what you wanted when you get there. There was a gap in my mind that I could not account for. I now know what it was."
"What are you saying, that you've forgotten him? That's impossible. You don't just forget a person. You can't."
She smiled bitterly. "You have much to learn, Capac. I have forgotten him. And it is not the first time. Conchita often mentioned names that meant nothing to me, people she insisted I knew. This was a long time ago. I thought it was her illness, that she had concocted imaginary friends. But as the years passed, I began to think she was the only one who did not have a problem.
"Conchita berated others in our circle, insisting we knew people when we did not." She shook her head. "I am old and have seen many strange things in my life. The brain is complex, twisted. It can be manipulated. I have seen men walk on live coals, hold their breath underwater for an hour, recall events that occurred before they were born." She finished the last of her pineapple and waited for me to speak.
"Y Tse remembered people too," I said. "He sometimes argued with you about it. He thought you were playing along with The Cardinal. I thought that of Sonja when Adrian-one of my friends-went missing." I looked at her pleadingly. "What does it mean, Leonora?"
She shrugged softly and rose. "I do not know what is happening, but only two people apart from you ever spoke of the people the rest of us had apparently forgotten-Conchita, who went mad, and your Y Tse, who has disappeared." She bent and kissed my forehead. "Dorry's world is darker and deeper than even I can imagine. Be careful, Capac."
I stared at her as she walked away, my head spinning. This was getting crazier all the time. I wanted to sit and pick at the puzzle all day but I had an appointment to keep. The Cardinal had summoned me the night before. I'd already kept him waiting and I knew he wouldn't be too happy about that. I'd hoped to clear my head before I faced him, but that evidently wasn't going to happen and there was no point delaying our meeting any longer. Pushing my chair back, I went to find Thomas and told him to drive me to Party Central.
The green fog was smothering the city again, so it took us longer than usual to get there. Ford Tasso was coming out of the building as I headed in. He grabbed my arm and jerked me to a halt. "Where the hell have you been?" he roared. "He's seething like the fucking Antichrist! Nobody stands up The Cardinal. What the fuck were you thinking?"
"I had other things on my mind," I said.
"You…?" He gawked at me but I didn't care.
"Do you want to drag me up to make it look like you tracked me down?"
He shook his head. "Just get the fuck up there quick as you can."
I took my time checking in my shoes-little rebel that I was-then took the elevator and paused outside his door. The secretary was eyeing me wickedly, ruffling her papers. I didn't care. After what he'd done to Conchita, I thought the bastard deserved a bit of comeback. I waited until I heard the secretary grinding her teeth, then knocked once and entered.
The Cardinal was prowling in front of the window like a bull. He even snorted when he saw me. "Well, Mr. Raimi," he growled, "you finally decided to grace me with your presence. I hope I haven't torn you away from anything important?"
I opened my mouth and let the words flow without thinking. "I'm late. Live with it." Then I sat.
The Cardinal stared at me flatly, then closed his eyes and rubbed the lids with his fingers. "Are you testing me, Mr. Raimi? Do you want to know how far you can push me before I snap?"
"No. I just don't have any sorry excuses to offer. I couldn't come until now. That's the end of the matter as far as I'm concerned."
He opened his eyes and scowled. "I've killed men for looking at me crooked. Why should I let you get away with insolence like this?"
It was probably a rhetorical question but I began to answer it. "Because you want me to be your…" Then I stopped, thinking I'd gone too far.
The Cardinal cocked his head. "To be my successor?" he said mockingly.
"Maybe," I said softly, deciding to push it now that the issue had been raised.
"You really think I'd choose you ahead of men I've known for decades, who've proven their loyalty a hundred times over?"
"Maybe," I said again, a whisper this time.
"Are you loyal?" he asked.
I thought of Ama Situwa. "When it suits me."
"A strange answer. But I like it." He smiled suddenly, startling me. "Yes, Mr. Raimi, I've singled you out as a possible heir." My heart rate shot up but he raised a cautionary finger before I got too excited. "But I hope to live a long time yet and others will undoubtedly come along. Plus there are several who already have a strong claim. Don't get carried away. I'm not about to hand the reins over anytime soon, certainly not to one so immature. We'll see how you progress over the next decade. If you're still going strong, if you still want it, we'll talk about it then."
"Of course I'll want it," I said.
"Don't be too sure. The man who replaces me must be cruel, heartless, self-centered. He must live for and love nothing more than this empire. Is there anybody you would die for, a mother, sister… friend? "
"Yes," I answered shortly, thinking of Conchita, maybe Ama too. "There is."
"In the end," he said softly, "you'll have to betray that person. If you hope to replace me, you'll have to learn to let go of those you love. Can you do that, Mr. Raimi, sacrifice those you are closest to, renounce your humanity and become a monster like me?"
I thought about it for a full minute before I answered. "I don't know."
"One day," he said, "you'll find out. On that day you'll learn if you are fit to succeed me." His eyes flickered as he added bitterly, "Pray for your soul's sake that you are not."
We discussed business after that. I told him about my deal with Reed, how I'd used his daughter to seal it. The Cardinal was worried I might have threatened her, but I assured him it had been aboveboard.
"He believed you could persuade her to marry you?" he asked incredulously.
"Who knows-it might prove to
be the truth."
The Cardinal grinned wickedly. "Pursuing romance so soon after my warning about getting involved with people?"
I shrugged. "Like you said, it'll be a decade before I get anywhere. Why not have a little fun in the interim?"
We talked more about the future. He outlined the route he expected me to travel. A few more months in the insurance line, then a year or so with his legal team, learning everything there was to know about the law, "or at least enough to fake it." After that I'd be free to flit between one area of the company and another, feel my way around, find my niche, specialize or generalize as I saw best. He said no man worth his salt could be led about by the nose. I'd be guided while I was learning the basics, but after that I was on my own.
It was a magical meeting. He addressed me like an equal. Clapped me on the back and beamed as he poured drinks. Expounded on his long-term plans and investment ideas. Talked briefly of his national strategy, pinpointing the fields he dominated and those he needed to expand into. His international dreams were a long way from fruition. He didn't think he'd live to see the day when his men ruled the global economy and appointed or dismissed political leaders as they saw fit. But he was sure that day would come.
He said his heir would have the freedom of the world. He'd confined himself to the city because you had to be a big fish in a small pond before you could be a shark in a sea. He'd been tempted to leave, to branch out and gamble, but that would have meant spreading himself too thin, leaving himself open to attack from too many quarters.
"A true dreamer must be prepared to make any sacrifice for his dream," he said. "Even if it means sacrificing himself. The dream must be everything."
Near the end of his speech he left to use the toilet. I took the opportunity to examine the room a little more closely. If- when I took over I'd have to make a lot of changes. It was too bare. A few plants and paintings would do wonders. More computers and telephones. And those puppets would go straightaway.
I walked to one of the walls and studied the miniature people, smiling condescendingly. Every man has his own particular folly. The Cardinal, a builder of empires, destroyer of men, would-be ruler of the world… and here he was with a load of childish toys. Why do even the greatest of men have…
I stopped dead, my train of thought dissolving.
Adrian's face was staring back at me.
I took a step away, blinking. When I focused again, it was still there. I moved closer, took down the model and studied it carefully. It was a tiny Adrian, perfect in every detail. I turned it around, amazed. The maker had even known that Adrian's left ear was slightly smaller than his right.
I edged along, clutching the puppet, looking for other familiar faces on the walls. And there they were. Leonora. Y Tse.
Me.
The toy Capac Raimi was as carefully constructed as the Adrian. I examined the hands and found slender fingerprints. I tried comparing them to my own but I'd have needed a magnifying glass.
I wandered further along and found the killer Paucar Wami, as well as Ama Situwa. My heart lurched when I found her puppet-it seemed I cared more for her safety than my own.
I was looking for more when I realized the puppet in my right hand-the mini me-was ticking. I held it to my ear and detected a thin, metallic heartbeat, as regular as the real thing. I raised Adrian's model but it was silent.
I returned the puppets to their rightful resting places before The Cardinal returned. I decided it was wiser not to ask about them. There was something ominous about them which disturbed me greatly. The Cardinal had been incredibly open with me, but I had a feeling his mood would turn in an instant if I quizzed him about the puppets.
He dismissed me shortly after he came back. I emerged from the room in a daze, head spinning from our conversation and the discovery of the puppets. On the one hand I was delighted-The Cardinal had singled me out for potential succession-but on the other I was fearful. He'd spoken of prices to be paid, sacrifices that must be made. What had he meant? And why did he have my effigy pinned to the wall? And why had my breast ticked and not Adrian's?
Ford was waiting downstairs. "Still alive?" he grunted.
"Seems so. And I think I'll be around a while longer. He's preparing me to take over from him." I had to tell someone.
Ford's eyes were black. "What about me?"
My face dropped. I'd just shown my hand to my main rival for the post. Ford was a lot more powerful than me. He could make me disappear in a minute.
"You think you can crowd me out?" Ford growled as I flustered. "You think you can brush me aside without a fight?"
"I didn't mean… maybe he was talking about something else andI…"
He laughed aloud and the darkness in his eyes faded. "Don't worry, kid. I've known for a long time I wasn't going to be stepping into his shoes. He told me back in the early days. Made it clear I wasn't the kind of man to run his empire. Which is fine. I'm happy where I am. This way I don't have to worry about young punks like you coming along to knock me off. There's much to be said for playing second fiddle."
"I'll look after you if I get in," I promised.
He chuckled bloodlessly. "I admire your optimism but you need to trade those rose-tinted glasses for another pair. In the first place, I'll be an old man with a cane and a bladder problem by the time you'll be in a position to follow on from The Cardinal. He's older than me but still hungry. He'll go on another twenty years, easy. I won't be there when he drops. You might not be either. You're not the first successor he's lined up and you won't be the last. He's been looking for one ever since I can remember. Picks a fresh face every couple of years, gives them the rigmarole, raises their expectations, then dumps them when they don't measure up to scratch. No one has ever satisfied him. I don't think anyone ever will. The man who fills his shoes will just happen to be around when he topples. It's all a matter of timing. You're well on your way but it can end in a second."
"Like it did for Y Tse?"
"Who?"
"Y Tse Lapotaire. Inti Maimi?"
He shook his head. "Don't know who you're talking about. Any case, it doesn't matter. They're all the same. Front-runners one day, fish food the next. Don't get carried away. You only need to make one mistake, then it's over."
"Thanks for the pep talk," I said sourly. "Can I go now?"
"Yeah. Get out of here… boss. " So Ford wasn't going to mention Y Tse either. Not surprising, given he'd always hated him and had probably fired the bullet personally. What was I going to do about Y Tse and Adrian? I wanted to find out why they'd vanished and make the bastards who'd killed them pay. But if those bastards were The Cardinal and Ford Tasso…
There was Ama too. I'd planned to squeal on her. I would have, I think, if I hadn't discovered those damn puppets. They'd thrown me all over again. I wanted to be The Cardinal's chosen one, but I wanted to know what was going on too, why Adrian and Y Tse had disappeared, who Ama was, what the Ayuamarca list was, why I couldn't recall my past. I could live with failure but not with uncertainty.
I decided I'd go to Pier 15. Hear what she had to say. Find out who these Ayuamarcans were. Maybe even track down Paucar Wami and see what he had to say on the matter. After that, when I knew where I stood and why I was there? I'd cross that abyss when I came to it.
I left the car in the middle of the city-I didn't want Thomas seeing where I was going. I walked around a while, trying to determine whether or not I was being tailed. I didn't know how closely The Cardinal was monitoring me. I didn't think he was having me shadowed, but I wasn't about to chance it.
I entered a phone booth for privacy and began dialing on my cell. I could remember the name of the man I wanted but not the firm he worked for. It took a while but finally I found the right company. He was off duty and the operator didn't want to divulge private information, but I persuaded her to connect me with the manager and sweet-talked him into patching me through. I told him I worked for The Cardinal and had left some papers in the taxi, papers he
wouldn't want his firm to be associated with. Railroading people is easy if you speak sharply and threaten vaguely.
"Who is this?" the cabbie snarled when he came on the line. "And don't give me no secret papers shit. Did Margaret put you up to this?"
"Mr. Mead," I said, pleased to hear that snapping voice again, "my name's Capac Raimi. You don't know me but you've given me lifts a couple of times. I lied about the papers but I do work for The Cardinal. I need your help."
He said nothing for a moment, pondering my words. "What do you want?" he finally asked warily.
"You mouthed off about The Cardinal a while back-"
"So what?" he yelled. "You gonna kill me for that? Fuck you. Come and try. I don't care shit for-"
"Mr. Mead," I said, "I need a ride."
"What?"
"I have to meet somebody and if The Cardinal finds out, I'm in trouble. Can you help me? It's dangerous. You'd be risking a lot. If you don't want to hear any more, I'll fully understand."
He said nothing for a few seconds. "You want a ride?" he asked in the end.
"Yes."
"Why the fuck didn't you say so in the first place? Where do you wanna be picked up?"
I leaned my head against the wall of the booth, thanked the gods and told him where to get me. He drew up to the curb smoothly half an hour later, appearing out of the fog like a ghost. He glanced around suspiciously. I sidled up to the back door and slipped in. "You Raimi?" he asked.
"Yes. Nice to meet you again, Nathanael. I'm grateful to you for coming. It means a lot." He had a wool cap pulled over his ears and dark glasses. "Nice disguise," I joked.
"No sarcasm in my cab," he snapped. "Where are we going?"
"The docks. Pier 15. You know it?"
He snorted derisively. "You wanna go there quick or slow?"
"Normal. I don't want to draw attention." He nodded and set off briskly, barely allowing for the fog, cutting across traffic without a second look.
I kept peering out the back window, searching for the cars I was sure must be following, in the throes of a paranoia attack. "Do you think we're being tailed?" I asked.