After a short pause, Lao said, “That’s true, James. I and Pema vowed to serve you and protect you. We have followed the order’s policy not to disclose anything to you for your own good. Until now. The order’s council, chaired by lama Tenzin, took the decision that the secret should be disclosed to you …”
“Due to my recent misfortunes?” said James.
“Yes. Allow me to continue. About three hundred years ago, our council and the parents of the newborn heir decided to keep him in the dark about his origin. It was done for his own good. All heirs before him knew who they were. They had been raised in line with the requirements of their noble birth. The father of your ancestor, Noel, was a formidable spiritual teacher in India. His popularity made him enemies, although nobody, except the order, knew who he really was. Hit men were sent to kill him. He narrowly escaped with his life on several assassination attempts. Then the council decided to transfer his newborn son to foreign land and help him establish himself there. It was decided that he and the next heirs would not be told about their origin. The council thought that was the best way to protect them. Of course, the order’s protectors have always lived close to the heirs. I and my wife are your personal protectors. The Nepalese Tampa family, who owned the Two Swans inn not far from your estate, were your father’s personal protectors.”
Irina was astonished by what she had heard. She imagined how James would feel. Surely, he would feel even greater shock. However, James’ next words and tone refuted her assumption. He sounded calm and balanced.
“That makes sense, even though it sounds like fantasy. It could explain what has happened to me.”
“Lao kept me posted with the recent tragic events. I know you lost your fiancée. My condolences,” said lama Tenzin.
“Thank you. There are some things you need to know …” James told them the whole story in brief. He started with Stefan Costov’s murder and ended with the call he had received from Lao in Florence. Occasionally, lama Tenzin cut in with a question. When he had finished, there was a minute of silence.
“I saw signs of evil rising, but couldn’t predict the scale of it. It is total war against our world.” Lama Tenzin sounded so different that at first Irina thought somebody else was speaking. He cleared his throat and continued. “Now, you will hear about our order. Probably, you’re acquainted with many of the facts I’m going to mention. The order’s origin is directly related to the holy family to which Buddha Gautama belonged. It comprised his father – Sudodana – and his two wives – Maya Devi and Mahapadjapati – his half-brother and half-sister – Nanda and Sundari Nanda – Nanda’s wife – Janapada Calayani, Buddha’s wife – Yasodara – and their son – Rahula. All of them, with the exception of Buddha’s mother – Maya Devi, who died soon after giving birth to him – and his father, became monks and nuns. That’s how the holy bloodline came to an end. Sudodana accepted the teaching of his enlightened son but remained a layman for the rest of his life. One day, Buddha Gautama invited his father to his residency in the Jatavana monastery to entrust him with a secret legacy. If the royal Shakya’s bloodline was cut, evil would reign over the earth. The planet would sink into darkness. That would prevent the future Buddha Maitreya from appearing in this world. Without him, and without the heirs, there would be no hope for mankind. It would stay in the clutches of evil forever.”
“So, for Buddha Maitreya to come to earth, a descendent of Buddha Gautama’s bloodline should be present. Something like the story of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ,” said James.
“Similar, yes,” said lama Tenzin. “The holy bloodline should never become extinct.”
“Then the same disaster would happen if I die without any offspring, wouldn’t it?” asked James in astonishment.
“It’s logical, isn’t it? Obviously, now the enemies are trying to secure victory by scarifying you through a special ritual. That ritual was the best kept secret of the Shield. Until now, nobody except us knew about it. Or we thought so,” explained lama Tenzin.
“If an heir is killed, but not through the ritual, he will be reborn again into this world. That has happened. In such cases, the order received omens showing where the heir had been reborn and who he was. He was found and the order continued to take care of him,” said Lao.
“The ritual is a completely different thing. It’s ancient magic. We thought that only our order knew about it. The magic sends the soul of the victim into another dimension and they never come back,” added lama Tenzin.
“It sends the souls into the ‘world with no exit’, as it’s known in the South American myth,” said James.
“We don’t have a name for it. But what you say sounds like a good description,” said lama Tenzin.
“If this happens to a childless heir, the shadow of evil will undoubtedly cover our world,” said Lao.
“The reason for this is that together with the heir, the light of the Buddhas will disappear. This light is what protects the world from evil,” explained lama Tenzin.
James broke the silence that followed. “No records exist to show that the royal Shakya family continued after the Buddha’s son, Rahula. It ended with him, as he was a celibate monk.”
“Buddha Gautama asked Sudodana himself to assure the continuation of the holy bloodline. Sudodana had a son from a woman named Satti, who was a devoted follower of Buddha. They kept this secret. They became the first protectors and founders of the Shield, responded lama Tenzin.
Irina could hear James breathing deeply.
Eventually, lama Tenzin spoke. “Our annals do not mention that cult. Yet after everything you have told me, I believe that they were behind the attacks on you and your people. You and your friends have done a great job discovering who they are and what their intentions are. I believe I may also add something to your discoveries. When you were telling me about that cult I remembered an old acquaintance of mine. He was born in north-west Tibet. He was a teenager when he, his father and a dozen Tibetans went to North China under the pretext of searching for jobs. Their true intention was to escape to Tajikistan through the weakly guarded border in the Pamir Mountains. They managed to cross it, but unfortunately they were captured on the other side by a Russian gang. The Russians made them build underground installations in a deep cave in the mountain. The members of that gang wore an emblem of two snakes on their sleeves. I remember he also told me about a huge sculpture of a horned dragon which the Russians worshipped. One day, this young man and his father managed to escape. They returned to China and later to their village. The father died soon after that. Later, the young man succeeded in fleeing China. When I met him in my monastery he had already lived in the West for a number of years.”
Rodnov’s mine in the Pamir Mountains, pondered Irina. Events and facts lined up like puzzle pieces revealing a picture. Was it really possible that they had got to the head of the octopus? Rodnov. The man who, according to Lino, clears the path of the world’s theocratic ruler, she thought in astonishment.
“Rinpoche, that’s incredibly important. The underground facility built in the caves might be the cult’s base,” said James.
“Yes, I understand that.”
“Have you heard the name Alexander Rodnov?” asked James.
“No.”
“He’s a Russian oligarch. We think he might be the leader of the cult.”
“He must be a rich man and have a lot of people under his command,” said lama Tenzin.
“He’s very rich. He probably has a small army of people working for him. He’s an influential politician as well,” James explained.
“Tough enemy. Yet he failed to defeat you,” noted lama Tenzin. “I can tell you that killing the heir of the royal Shakya family is not an easy job. Many powers are on our side. Never forget that.”
“Those people killed my fiancée and our unborn girl.” James’ voice cracked in grief.
“Your fiancée was pregnant with a girl?” asked lama Tenzin.
“Yes. She was in the second mont
h …”
“The heirs cannot have a female child. Always in each heir’s family is born one boy only—”
James interrupted. “This had been the case since my forefather, Noel... until me and Elizabeth got together. Rinpoche―”
Now lama Tenzin interrupted him. “It is not that I think that this child may not have been yours. I’m just telling you that it was not meant for this poor little one to be born. The heirs have never had daughters. The carrier of the holy blood has been a boy – the only child in the family. It has always been like that.”
“That was a sign, James. I and Pema learned too late that Elizabeth was pregnant.” Lao sounded somehow guilty. “Only after she was …” He tailed off.
“This was our little secret. The plan was we would announce it right before the wedding. We wanted it to be a surprise.” James’ voice trembled.
“Be strong,” said lama Tenzin. “This enemy would take down any woman you have an intimate relationship with. They don’t want you to have any offspring. The first thing they would do if you had a child would be to kill him through the ritual.”
“She died because of me.” James uttered these words so quietly that Irina could hardly distinguish them.
“There is something you need to know,” lama Tenzin began. “The heirs must have children before they reach the age of thirty-five. If an heir does not bring a child into the world by then, the holy bloodline would be cut off naturally. The other members of the order’s council insisted I emphasise this responsibility. You are thirty-two years old. There are women, good Buddhists, who would consider it an honour to give birth to the next heir. Just think of that.”
Irina suddenly felt anger rising within her. This lama would offer him a whole harem. This is incompatible with the times we live in, she thought.
“I think you’ve gone too far,” said James with hardness in his tone. “I still have problems digesting what you and Lao have told me today.”
“You’re right. Forgive this stupid old monk,” apologised lama Tenzin.
“By the way, about this thirty-five-year threshold. Buddha Gautama was that age when he became enlightened. This can’t be simple coincidence,” said James, allowing the scholar in him to take over.
“Yes. The Buddha’s enlightenment was an event with enormous charge. It has left its imprint on the heirs. They cannot conceive a child after reaching thirty-five. The Buddha told this to Sudodana. He wrote it down in the legacy he left for the future protectors of the Shield,” said lama Tenzin.
“Rinpoche, the cult perpetrates ritual killings all over the world. You say that cutting off the royal Shakya bloodline is enough for the cult to win. Why these killings, then?” asked James.
“To answer that I must reveal a secret to you. It is said that in each generation on earth there are two thousand people who guard and guide the world. With their natural wisdom they balance the selfishness and evil of the rest of us. These two thousand people are old souls who are reborn on earth again and again.” Lama Tenzin paused for a moment. “Maybe these are the disciples of the Awakened One from that South American myth.”
“So, Buddha Gautama added the heirs to those guardians of the world. Something like double insurance,” offered James.
“The annals of our order say that Buddha Gautama transferred part of his protective light to the heirs because the old souls alone could not guard the world. Too much evil had appeared in it already. As long as an heir is alive, this world can never be conquered by evil forces. Even if all the old souls were taken down.”
“If the royal Shakya bloodline is severed but the guardian souls stay, does that mean that the cult will take over for sure?” asked James.
“Such a scenario will favour the enemy. The darkness will triumph eventually. But before this happens hundreds of years may pass. If the heir and guardian souls are butchered together, the evil dominion will come sooner. In several decades, or even several years maybe.”
“My Italian friend believes that the cult is close to achieving its goal.”
“The more guardian souls exiled through the ritual the less protection for all of us. That includes you.”
“The enemy must be stopped,” said Lao.
Lama Tenzin sighed. “They have discovered you and the guardians. You can’t hide from them, I’m afraid.”
“That’s the last thing I’m going to do,” said James.
Irina’s car phone started ringing. She turned on the speaker.
“Inspector Bellin, how’s it going?” a plain male voice asked.
Irina waited for a few seconds before answering. “There’s nothing for us here. This is a boring reunion of old friends. I’m wasting my time,” she said casually.
“The director wants you in the London office tomorrow first thing in the morning. I’ll send somebody to watch these people. You take a rest.”
“No need to waste more time and resources here. I’ll cancel the watch,” said Irina.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
UK
The GPS’ display showed that she would arrive at James’ home in forty-five minutes. Irina applied more pressure to the gas pedal. Their appointment was in half an hour. She did not want to add a late arrival to the unpleasant conversation she had in store with him.
She was about a kilometre away from the Whiteway Estate when from the speaker of the silver box came familiar popping sounds and a ringing melody. That was James’s mobile. Irina had put a bug in it while they were in Florence.
She frowned. Last evening she had decided that wiretapping James was over. She had become personally involved in his situation. She couldn’t treat him simply as a case. She was also shattered by the conversation she had heard between him and the Tibetan lama. This had brought a sleepless night upon her. She hadn’t written a word about the subject of that conversation in the report she had presented that morning at the London Interpol Bureau. She was convinced that this information should not be revealed to anybody. Even if what the lama had said was not one hundred per cent true, it was better that it stay secret. The more people who knew this, the more vulnerable James would become. But what if the old monk was telling the absolute truth? Irina couldn’t dismiss that possibility. Lama Tenzin’s words coincided in a scary way with the facts she had encountered during the investigation into the cult. Not to mention Lino’s theory and the circumstantial evidence.
The pledge at stake could be the fate of the world, she thought. For an instant she felt like she was carrying a huge load.
She reached out to cut the link between the silver box and James’ mobile, but froze when she heard a voice say, “James Whiteway?”
The voice was distorted with a metallic timbre. The man calling was using a device to mask his voice and its frequency characteristics.
“Speaking”
“Listen carefully. Malee is with us. Very nice girl. I want to keep her for longer but somehow she doesn’t like it here. I don’t understand why—”
“Who’s calling? Where is Malee? I want to talk to her.”
“Do not interrupt me again—”
“James, it’s Malee. James!” a female voice screamed. Some undistinguishable sounds followed. Irina recognised them. The woman was trying to shout something but her mouth was forcefully blocked.
“Don’t hurt her,” said James. “What do you want?”
“First, the rules. No police. Do not talk with anybody else about our business. Always do exactly as I say. Otherwise she dies. Slowly and painfully. Do you get it?”
“Yes. What do you want for her? I’ll pay everything I can.”
The man’s distorted laughter sounded unnatural and sinister. “I thought you were more clever than that,” he said. “The right question is: why is Malee with you? I want to hear it!” The man’s voice was peremptory.
“Why is Malee with you?” repeated James.
“Because of you. You disappeared and we had to take her. This is the second woman who will pay with her life because
she had the misfortune to be close to you.”
James didn’t answer for some moments. Irina knew how cruel these words were for him. The man who had articulated them surely knew this as well. He was trying to bend James’ will by placing a feeling of guilt in his mind.
“I’m ready to respond to your demands if you let her go,” said James with no emotion at all in his voice.
“You take her place and she’s free. That’s the game.”
James didn’t hesitate. “I agree. But I want to be sure that she’ll walk away unharmed.”
“I’ll call you. Meanwhile, don’t do anything stupid.”
* * *
James was in front of the house with his head under the bonnet of a black Land Rover. Irina stopped next to it and got out. They exchanged greetings.
“Irina, I’m afraid we have to postpone our meeting. Something urgent just came up. Sorry. Family business.”
Irina looked intently at him. He seemed calm. There was nothing that indicated that he intended to march to his own slaughter.
He deciphered her silence as discontentment. He gently touched her arm. “I am glad to see you,” he said.
“James, please. Be lenient towards me.” Her voice bore a supplicating shade. “Before we left Florence I wired your phone and your clothes. I know about Malee. Yesterday, I listened in to your conversation with Lao and Lama Tenzin.”
At first, perplexity sprang in James’s eyes, as if he couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. Then he smiled woefully. “I didn’t expect that from you.”
“I’m really sorry. Let’s not dramatise this too much, though. After a secretive call from Lao you run back to the UK. I didn’t know if you were running into a trap.”
“Sure. You did it for my own good,” said James sarcastically.
“You may not believe me, but it’s the truth. Of course, I had a case to work on as well. And somehow you’re in the centre of that case—”
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