The news devastated Alexander’s mother. Laptin frequently saw her walking aimlessly around Batka’s enormous house in San Francisco with eyes swollen by constant crying. One day she was found hanging in the basement.
It would be no exaggeration to say that Batka did not notice her death. He did not even go to her funeral, which was carried out on the quiet as if she were some kind of uncomfortable burden he needed to be rid of. This attitude was not at all typical of the Batka Ivan that Laptin knew. The Batka Ivan that had arrived with Sanctum was a different person. This was the opinion not only of Laptin but of all Batka’s long-standing associates. None of them voiced their concern, but it could be read on their faces and in their behaviour towards Batka. The spontaneity of the contact between Batka and his commanders and business partners was no more. Laptin saw deep fear in their eyes when they were in Batka’s presence. This didn’t surprise him. He felt it himself. From time to time, Batka emanated an icy coldness that paralyzed the heart. He started to give jobs and establish close relationships with people almost unknown to him, some of whom repelled even inveterate Russian thugs. Amongst them were psychopaths and sadistic killers.
Once, Batka took a risk that bordered on madness just to help two complete strangers – serial killers – to break out of jail. They had terrorized several small towns before being captured and sentenced to death. They had killed together as a team. They had found pleasure in torturing their victims for hours before killing them. Batka used his connections and spent a lot of money to arrange the transfer of the killers from one prison to another. During the transfer, his hitmen attacked the police convoy and freed the killers. They were taken to Batka’s ranch and, after a short stay, put on a ship sailing abroad. Batka had chosen Laptin to take them secretly out of the US. So Laptin had the chance to spend some time in the company of the two men, which was enough for him to understand what type of people they were. Both were callous, cruel and not very intelligent. They did not possess any qualities that justified the means and risks taken to set them free. That was the first time Laptin questioned the actions of the man he had admired for his exceptional mind and resolution.
Had Batka contracted a peculiar eastern disease, which was now eating his mind, dragging him into madness? That question had started to bother Laptin. He was soon to get an answer to this and other gnawing questions.
One night, Batka called Semeon Laptin to his house. Laptin thought they were going to talk business, but they did not. Batka asked Semeon to sit next to him on a couch in the reception room. He then studied him with a look that felt like he was piercing Laptin’s soul and said, “I know you’re a bright man, Semeon. You wonder why I have changed. You wonder what happened in Pamir. I would wonder the same if I were in your place.” Warm lights glinted in his eyes – an echo of the man he once was.
“I’m happy to work for you. You don’t owe me an explanation. However, your trust means a lot to me,” Laptin replied diplomatically.
Batka nodded approvingly. “I’ve always liked your tact.” He was silent for a moment before he continued. “Tell me, Semeon, what is it that people want the most?”
The question took Laptin by surprise. “Even though it may sound simplified – the answer is money,” he responded.
“Right. The first thing people want is money. When this desire is fulfilled, they want more money. Let’s say they get this as well. What’s next?”
“Power,” Laptin answered without hesitation.
“Agreed. A man with an awful lot of money manages to acquire vast political and social influence. What more would he want to possess?”
“There’s nothing greater. Those two contain all there is,” Laptin said with conviction.
“Allow me to disagree this time,” Batka said. “There is more. The ultimate achievement ... the Secret.
Laptin didn’t understand what his interlocutor meant.
“The heart and the mind of such people could be seduced only by the Secret,” Batka added.
“I think rich people just want to get richer and more powerful. It can be done through associating with their like. They also want to maintain and protect what they possess,” Laptin said.
“Well said, Semeon. But what if you didn’t need any allies? What if you could see in advance the moves of those who play against you? What if you knew exactly which steps to take to guarantee success? Only the Secret provides such abilities.”
“Secret knowledge?” Laptin asked.
“Knowledge is a tool. The core meaning of the Secret is that it is personal. Through it one can overcome one’s humanity. The man of the Secret is a god, master of matter, time and space. That, of course, is the highest achievement. The Secret has many levels.”
Laptin had never heard Batka speak like that. He was confused.
It was as though Batka had read his mind. “I say all this because it’s connected with a big plan we need to implement. I want you to be part of it.”
“Count me in,” Laptin said without thinking. He was relieved that the conversation seemed to have turned away from that peculiar subject.
“No rush. I want you to think carefully before answering.” Batka paused and peered at Laptin. “Semeon, are you ready to learn the truth about this world? Are you ready to embrace it and serve?” he asked with a resounding voice.
After his initial surprise, a disdainful thought flashed through Laptin’s mind: Religious gibberish. How pitiful. He immediately felt remorse for his shallow thinking. Batka was not a man who would preach about saving souls. There was something else. He suppressed the unexpected feeling of fear that clamped his throat and responded, “If this is your way, I’m ready to follow it as well.”
“All right. It will be a long-lasting strategy. Our heirs will carry it on. I’ll announce it to some chosen people.” Batka continued to stare at Laptin unblinkingly. “I’ll also offer the Secret to people who have everything but it. In Pamir, I inherited the Secret and the world. I’m Prior who resides on the very top of the World Mountain and Alexander is my successor. Now listen...” He proceeded to tell Laptin what had happened in Pamir.
The hermit had waited for Batka in front of his cave as though he knew about his arrival. Without paying attention to the villagers’ gifts, he asked Batka to have tea with him in the cave alone. “You will tell the village people that I have no more interest in them, or in their children,” he said.
That statement satisfied Batka, because the villagers insisted that the hermit had put charms on their children. A father from one village had killed his son because ‘the hermit had put the devil in him’.
However, the hermit’s next words took Batka aback. “I waited for you. Every single day of my life has been preparation for our meeting. Now you are here and I can retire. But first I have to hand down to you the mark of the Great Snake who governs the world.”
Batka tried to say something in response but couldn’t. His whole body was numb. Too late, he realized that the hermit had put something in his tea.
“Yes, I put you in this state,” the hermit said as if responding to Batka’s thoughts. “I need your undivided attention. You see … you and I are what people hate and fear most deeply in their minds. We are Stewards of the Great Heavenly Dragon. We are the rightful governors of this world, which was taken from us a long time ago. You are the Prior who comes after me and you will choose the Prior who will come next. We have ruled the earth since before the dawn of so-called civilization. In that time, the people were divided into castes: the caste of the living gods, the cleansed ones, the followers and the barbarians. The higher castes inhabited the three rings in the centre of the world. The caste of the living gods, composed of the Prior, the high priests, the nobles and the sorcerers, resided in the highest Inner Ring. The cleansed ones, whose role was to fulfil the will of the gods, lived in the Middle Ring. The followers, who lived to serve, shared the lower Outer Ring. The uncultivated part of the world was home to the barbarians. There was order and harmony
at that time. All creatures venerated the Heavenly Dragon. He is the self-created first being in the universe. The Prior is his steward in the world. He carries the innermost secret mark of the Heavenly Dragon that gives him the right to govern this world. In those times, the inner eyes of all people were opened and they could see the Truth. All, although with different clarity, were capable of seeing the World Mountain – the archetype of all worlds. Life on earth was established by its semblance. That is why everybody knew his place and followed the rules, until the time came when rebels appeared amongst the barbarians and started to challenge the order. They lulled the vigilance of the Prior and the living gods. The rebels developed magic which allowed them to hide from the all-seeing Eye through which the high priests watched over the world. This is how the epoch of chaos arose, and the world still remains in its grip. The Priors had to live hidden in remote lands. From time to time a Prior would make an attempt to regain his place in the new world, but none ever succeeded. Yet the line of Priors has survived until today together with the legacy of the Heavenly Dragon.”
After a period of silence, the hermit continued. “After long-lasting millennia of oblivion and fighting for basic survival, the time has come for us to take our rightful place. The weakness of the Priors until now has been their separation from society. We’ve led a marginalized life for too long. You are the first Prior who resembles many of the old rulers of the world. You have high status in the world and from me you will inherit the power of the Great Heavenly Dragon. You will be king and high priest. I know you. I’ve seen your path in my dreams. You are the Prior who can return the old ways to the world.”
“I lay helpless in the cave. I wanted to call for help from my men who I’d left to wait for me outside, but my body was lifeless. I couldn’t even move my eyelids,” said Batka. “In that situation it was impossible for me to think deeply about what he was saying. I started to think that this crazy hermit was going to kill me. That’s when he transmitted the power of the Heavenly Dragon to me, and I realized the truth about the world. Of course, I had many questions to ask. I needed to know many more things. That’s why I stayed there for so long.”
Laptin understood that it was not the tale of the ‘World King’ that had made Batka accept all he had heard from the hermit. It was ‘the power of the Heavenly Dragon’. In the same moment, Laptin realized what had happened to the young Alexander. “You chose Alexander to be the next Prior,” he said.
“Yes, Semeon. The hermit transmitted the power to him as well. Alexander went to Russia because from there the Prior who will govern the world will rise. Together, we will pave his way. Alexander from Russia; I from here.”
Once more, without a tangible motive, Laptin felt fear freezing his heart. He, who had all his life considered himself fit for extraordinary deeds, suddenly wished to be an ordinary villager who worked in the fields during the day and drank vodka at night. What muddle have I got into? He thought, panic rising within him.
In an attempt to rid himself of this sensation, Laptin said the first thing that popped into his head. “Why did we free those serial killers?”
Batka’s expression showed that he didn’t think this question inappropriate. “They are my children.” This unexpected statement astonished Laptin. Batka smiled and explained. “The Priors can initiate people who possess the necessary potential. I call the initiation ‘touching’. Thus, these people become initiated followers of the Great Heavenly Dragon. The touched ones transfer this initiation naturally to their first-born child and it continues to be transmitted the same way forever after. Only the people who were initiated by a Prior acquire the ability to ‘touch’ other people. However, not many have a suitable nature to receive that gift. The ones who were not initiated by a Prior cannot initiate others. Those two men we freed from jail had the initiation in their blood by birth. But they didn’t know they were marked with the sign of the Heavenly Dragon. I can sense the ‘touched’ ones, can see them, if you prefer. In fact, any ‘touched’ one is capable of sensing his like to a certain degree. But it’s something that happens often on a subconscious level.”
“Fascinating,” Laptin exclaimed. “So there are many people amongst us who you can see in a different way.”
“Unfortunately, not so many. The Priors have always encountered a very limited number of worthy people. Apart from that, with time some of those initiated by birth lose the knowledge of what they are. Such men and women feel somehow different from the masses but don’t know why. Often, destructive emotions take over them – like with those two men. Such people don’t understand that they are part of something great.”
“How does this ‘touching’ actually work?” Laptin asked.
Batka gave him a sharp look, discontented with his slow wits. “Why do you think I have told you all this? You have the potential. You can find out for yourself.”
Laptin swallowed through his dry throat. “I’m ready to embrace the Secret,” he said.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Haslemere, Surrey, UK
The present day
The students from the ‘Fashion – a Practical Approach’ course at the Haslemere Centre left the classroom chatting cheerfully. Elizabeth wrote some notes in her notebook and then left, locking the door behind her. She liked this volunteer job. She took pleasure in seeing the genuine interest of the young women enrolled on her course. Most of them were emigrants from countries suffering social turbulence. She liked the thought that her course was a sign of the new life these women now had.
She walked into the deserted street behind the centre where she had left her car. When she got closer to her car, she spotted another car, parked, so it seemed, too close to hers. In it, a man and a woman, both in their thirties, sat looking at the screen of some kind of smartphone, which the man held. As she passed by, Elizabeth saw that there was just enough room between the two cars for her to manoeuvre out of the space. She pressed ‘unlock’ on the key fob, opened the rear door and placed her handbag and notebook on the seat.
“Excuse me, madam. Do you know how to get to Melrose Cottage from here? It’s a retirement home.” The driver from the car behind had come near her unnoticed.
She straightened up and looked at him. He was tall with dark hair and had a mawkish appearance. He had raised one hand, in which he held the phone; he kept the other hand in his jacket pocket.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know where it is,” Elizabeth responded and reached out to close the door.
“I was told it’s near the bus station,” the man said and came closer.
“Getting to the bus station is easy. You need to turn left, continue up the hill and follow the signs. It’s about a couple—” She never finished the sentence.
The man swiped at her face. There was something shiny in his hand.
That’s a knife, flashed through Elizabeth’s mind. She reacted instinctively but was not quick enough. The shiny object in the man’s hand was not a knife but a knuckle-duster. The blow landed on the left side of her jaw. She hit the car and fell to the ground. The attacker swiftly looked round, picked up her motionless body and bundled her into her car. Using duct tape, he tied her legs and arms and pushed a rag into her mouth. He then picked up the smartphone, which he had dropped, and the key to Elizabeth’s car, got into the driver’s seat and drove off, followed closely by the other car.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Algiers, Algeria
Irina had gone down to the hotel’s lobby and sat in an armchair near the reception desk to wait for James. James noted from a distance how much the green scarf she was wearing suited her. He had recommended that she wear a scarf in reverence to sheikh Mussa Hussein with whom Halil had arranged a meeting that morning.
James approached Irina with the intention of complimenting her, but she stood up and wagged a finger at him. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t mention it,” she said.
“I’m sorry if you don’t like my idea, but I think it’ll be helpful to wear it. It’s up t
o you,” said James.
“Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate your advice. It’s just that this piece of cloth reminds me of the inequality of women in some parts of the world.”
Halil’s black car was waiting for them at the hotel entrance.
“Good morning. That head cloth suits you very much, Miss Bellin,” said Halil while they were taking their seats. James could not hide his smile.
Halil crossed the Port Said square driving north. After half an hour of zigzagging through the busy traffic, he stopped close to a coffee shop full of customers.
“Knut Vebber was found dead in the service area at the back of this coffee shop,” he said. “One of our patrols spotted that the door had been forced. They ran into the killers inside. We were very busy then because of the civil unrest. We were all on the streets.”
“How far is it to the place where Knut Vebber was last seen before being ambushed?” asked Irina.
“Two streets off on the left. It’s the zawiya we’re going to visit now.”
“A zawiya is a residency of a Sufi leader. That’s where the Sufi adepts normally gather,” James explained to Irina.
Halil parked in the main road because it was impossible to drive down the narrow street, which was packed with motorbikes. The Sufi school was a two-storey house situated at the end. Three young men stood at its entrance and watched them approach. Halil exchanged a few words with them before signalling to James and Irina to follow him.
Sheikh Mussa Hussein, accompanied by another man wearing a white turban, met them in a smallish room containing a long narrow sofa and a small table upon which was a steaming Turkish coffee pot and cups. The sheikh offered them seats and coffee and chatted in Arabic with Halil.
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