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First Contact - the Challenge - Thralls

Before he went to sleep, Harry tried again to contact Möbius It was useless; his deadspeak went out to M&ou, but no one answered One of the reasons Harry had delayed pursuing Janos was that he’d hoped (hope against hope) to regain his nuh it access to the Möbius Continuu now, possibly into oblivion

Still worrying about it, eventually he slept

But his obsession of the moment was carried over into his dreams where, separated fro world, Harry continued to transhts across that Great Dark Gulf which raves heard him, would answer or coht; communication for its own sake would be pointless; they knew that their commiserations, even their inevitable approbations, would only constitute obstructions in Harry’s path For the Necroscope had never been able to refuse conversation with the dead, whose suffering of solitude he alone of all livingthe dead, however, who - for all that she loved him more than the rest - stood ood many occasions she had chided him The mothers of men are like that

Harry? her deadspeak touched hihed and abandoned his search for Möbius There had been that in her tone which commanded his attention What is it, Ma?

What is it? (He could picture her frown) Is that how you speak to ain, and tried to explain, I’ve been busy And what I’ is important You don’t kno important

Do you think so? she answered Do you really think I don’t know? But who knows you better than me, Harry? Well, I know thisyour ti mind played with her words and found no explanation for the to supply one She picked that up at once and flew at hie What!? And would you take that attitude? Would you take your iht prize you, but they don’t know you like I do And Harry, you areatrouble!

Ma,I -

You, you, you! Always you! And are you the only one? Who is this T you’re always , Harry? And why is it you never speak of ’we’? Why must you always think you’re alone? Of all men you are not alone! For a million yearstheir thoughts and following their solitary designs, each separate from the next but joined in the belief that death was an airless, lightless (oh, yes, and painless too!) but relentless prison until a s and said: ’Why don’t you talk toto each other!’ Ahhh! A revelation!

Harry re or chastising him? He had never heard her like this, not even when he ake She had never been so angry And his Ma picked that up, too

Why ary? I don’t believe it! For years you couldn’t speak toyourself for it and finally when you can speak to me -

Now he believed he understood, and knew that she was right, and hoped he also kne to deal with it Ma, he said, the others need to know about me, need to be reassured that there’s more than just loneliness in death And they need to know that there’s safety in it, too Froosani and the Ferenczys, and others of their sort But there are so st them - that I can’t ever hope to speak to them all Not until I’m one of thes because you already know! Yes, and you’ve always known that I love you, too, Ma She was silent

So if there’s ever a ti very, very i in the way And Ma, that’s the way it’s always going to be Ma?

She was full to the top, which hy she wasn’t answering, but at least she wasn’t crying Harry hoped not, anyway And eventually she said: Oh, I know that, son It’s just that I I worry about you so And the dead they ask after you Yes, and because they love you they go out of their way for you, too Don’t you know that? Can’t you understand that we all want to help?-And don’t you know that there are experts a?

What? Wasted talents? The dead wanted to help him?

But didn’t they always? What had she been up to? What’s that, Ma? he said About the dead? And what did youto contact Möbius, that’s what I mean, she immediately answered If only you’d stay in touch you’d know! Why, we’ve been trying to get hold of M&ouot your deadspeak back!

You what? But how? Möbius isn’t here He’s out there somewhere He could be anywhere Literally anywhere!

We know that, she answered, and also that anywhere’s a big place We haven’t found hie and, we hope, get back to you Meanwhile you needn’t concern yourself about it You can get on with other things

Ma, said Harry, you don’t understand Listen: Möbius is probably in the M&ouhts of all the dead - couldn’t possibly reach him there It’s a place that isn’t of this universe So you see it’s not soyours!

He could sense her shaking her head And: Son, she said, when Harry Jnr took away your deadspeak and your mathematical intuition, did he also addle your brains?

Eh?

When you use the Möbius Continuum, how much time do you actually spend in it?

And he at once saw that she was right, and wondered: is logic linked with numeracy in the human mind? Has my son diluted my powers of reason, too? No time, he said It’s instantaneous Möbius wasn’t in the M&ouoing

Exactly So aste your ti, eh? It’s like you said: he’s out there soed hi our thoughts outwards to the stars! And if he’s there we’ll find hiive in to her Ma, ould I do without you?

I was only putting you straight, Harry Telling you that between tis

Such as?

Harry, you have access to the most extensive library in the world, books which not only hold knowledge but can also impart it The minds of the dead are like books for you to read, and their talents are all there to be learned Just as you learned from Möbius, so you can learn fro Harry had long ago considered, and long since turned down Dragosani had learned from the dead, too Thibor Ferenczy had instructed hiosani had stolen the talents of Max Batu, and the secrets of the Soviet E-Branch fros had helped him in the end Indeed, Batu’s evil eye had assisted in his destruction! No, there were certain things, like the future, which Harry preferred not to know And these thoughts of his were deadspeak, which of course his ht, she said, but still you should keep it in mind There are talents here, Harry, and if and when you need the

Her voice was fading noindling away into dreams But at least this time Harry would remember their conversation And at last, weary now in o, sank down even deeper into drea For a little while Until -

Haaarry? It was Möbius! Harry would know his dead-speak anywhere But even by drea standards Mobius’s voice was dreaed M&ouust Ferdinand? Is that you? I’ve been looking for you Ifor you everywhere

I know, Harry I was out there But you were right and they rong I was in the Continuuhts of your dead friends reached ed

Harry didn’t understand What’s to bear? he asked The Möbius Continuum is what it is

Is it? M&ou, like that of a sleepwalker, or a man in some sort of trance Is it, Harry? Or is it e, e I would have talked to you about it - I wanted to - but you’ve been away so long, Haaarry

That wasn’t my fault, Harry told hi had happened to me - to my deadspeak - and I was cut off from everyone And that’s one of the reasons why I had to contact you now You see, it’s not just that I’d lost my deadspeak, but also my ability to use the Möbius Continuum And I need it like I never needed it before

The Continuum? Need it? Still Möbius wasn’t entirely himself, far from it Oh, we all need it, Harry Indeed, without it there’s nothing! It is EVERYTHING! And and and I’o back there

That’s all right, Harry desperately answered, feeling M&ouent And I swear I wouldn’t be troubling you if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, but-

It it talks to , fading as his attention transferred itself elsewhere And I think I knohat it is The only thing it can be I have togo now Haaarry

Another one, disappeared, and not even an echo re So that Harry knew Möbius had returned to the one place above all others which was now forbidden to him Into the Möbius Continuum

Finally Harry was left alone to sleep out a night which, for all that it was dreamless, was nevertheless uneasy

The next , on their way in Manolis’s car to see Trevor Jordan, so Harry suddenly surfaced ’Manolis,’ he said, ’I’ht of it before’

The Greek glanced at hiht of what, Harry?’

’The KGB kneas going to Romania They knew it al for oons of theirs, anyway So, someone must have told them Someone here on Rhodes!’

For a rinned and slapped his thigh ’Harry,’ he said, ’you are the very strange person with the extremely weird powers - but I think you will never make the policeht it was understood that I must arrive at this selfsame conclusion And of course I did My next step was to askother than your i clerk at the airport itself! The local police are looking into it right now If there is an answer, they will find it’

’Good!’ said Harry ’But the point I’ I want is that soary, too I o there’

Manolis nodded ’I understand your concern Let’s just hope the local boys turn so up’

Neither Manolis, Harry, nor Darcy had any way of knowing that at that veryto a er inforainst whoes and suspicions of their own Talking to the, but sure that eventually they’d get the right ones

At the asylum a Sister met the three and took them to Jordan’s room He had a rooh, barred s, and a door with a peephole The door was locked from the outside; obviously the doctors were still a little wary The Sister looked through the peephole and smiled, and beckoned Harry forward He followed her exa to and fro in the confined space, his hands clasped behind his back Harry knocked and the other at once stopped pacing and looked up His face was alive now, alert and expectant

’Harry?’ he called out ’Is that you?’

’Yes, it is,’ Harry answered ’Just give us a moment’

The Sister unlocked the door and the three went in She waited outside

Inside, Jordan took Darcy’s hand and shook it; he slapped Manolis on the back, then stood stock still and slowly s ’So,’ he said, ’and we have the Necroscope back on our team, eh?’

’For a while,’ Harry answered, returning his sht he’d wrecked your mind’

Darcy Clarke, after the initial handshake, had backed off a little, but unobtrusively Now he mumbled: ’Will you excuse me a moment?’ He went back out into the corridor, with Manolis following quickly on behind In the corridor Darcy was standing beside the Sister - or rather, he was leaning against the wall And his face hite!

’What is it?’ Manolis hissed ’I’ve seen that look on your face before’

’Call Harry out of there,’ Darcy whispered ’Quickly!’

The Sister was beginning to look alarer to his lips

’Harry,’ Manolis’s voice was casual as he leaned back into the room ’Would you come out here a moment?’

’Do you lanced at Jordan

’Not at all,’ the other shook his head and sly Harry went out to the others

’What is it?’

Darcy closed the door and turned the key He looked at Harry and his Ada!’ he said ’There’s soht with him!’

Harry’s soulful eyes studied his drawn, tre face ’Your talent?’

’Yes That doesn’t feel like Trevor It looks like hiel My talent wouldn’t let me stay in there’

’Harry?’ came Jordan’s voice from beyond the door ’What’s the delay? Look, I have so to tell you -but only you Can’t we talk, you and I, face to face?’

Manolis was quick off the ain warned her to silence as Darcy had done, with a finger to his lips, took out his Beretta and gave that to Harry And: ’Leave the door ajar behind you, and we’ll stay right here,’ he said

’But,’ said Darcy, his voice wobbly, ’will that stop hiun in Harry’s hand

Harry nodded ’He’s not a vaun into an inside pocket of his jacket, unlocked the door and went through it Inside the room Jordan had sat down in an ar him and he beckoned Harry to take it Harry sat down but carefully, warily, never taking his eyes off the man opposite ’Well,’ he finally said, ’and here I a mystery, Trevor?’

’All of a sudden,’ said the other, still s smile, ’you’re not so concerned about me’ And Harry noticed how he forht

Right there and then the Necroscope guessed what Jordan’s trouble was and decided to put it to the test ’Oh, I’ht,’ he forced a smile onto his face ’In fact you wouldn’t believe just how concerned I am! Trevor, do you remember what you people at E-Branch used to call Harry Jnr when you looked after hi expression slid froaunt, his eyes blank, but just for a moment or two Then animation returned and he said: ’Oh, of course The Boss, that’s e called hiht - ’ Harry nodded, and reached for the gun in his pocket, ’ - but you wereAnd you were the one as always especially fond of hi you’d need time to think about - or enquire about? - if you were you!’

As his gun started to come into view, so Jordan moved Previously the man’s movements had seemed slow to match his speech but so are the ue flickers into deadly life And Janos’s grip was strong on Jordan’sHarry’s throat and his right bearing down on his gun hand, ra it back inside his jacket The Necroscope’s reflexes took over As Jordan straightened up fros useless, for the mind which controlled Jordan’s body simply turned the pain aside In return, Jordan released Harry’s throat and back-handed him with a clenched fist hard as iron! Before his eyes could focus from that, Jordan had lifted him half out of his chair and tried to butt hi andhaainst his temple dazed and shook him Before he could recover, Jordan let hiun hand into view Then -

The door burst open and Manolis hurled hi his leery talent’s every effort to turn hi his frustration, Jordan tried one last tiun out of his hand before Manolis hit him And the compact Greek policeman knew exactly how to hit He shouldered Jordan back from Harry, drop-kicked him and knocked him down, then scrabbled his hands out from under him where he tried to push himself to his feet

Then Harry was between theun directly at Jordan’s forehead ’Don’t make ravel chips Jordan sat up and snarled at him, at all three of therowled, his voice no longer that of the Jordan they had known ’You threatened ht,’ Harry answered, ’you haven’t threatened me personally, not yet, but you would sooner or later Janos Ferenczy!’ Hethat the other should stand up

Janos, in Jordan’s body, did so, and stood glowering at the three who ringed hirunted, ’and so you know e aside, we meet at last But I wanted to know you, and I wanted you to know so of my power You see how easily I have occupied this mind? Telepathy? Hah! Trevor Jordan was the veriest amateur!’

’Your powers don’t i is likewise strong!’

’You you dare!’ the other took a pace forward

Harry gritted his teeth and carefully aiht between Jordan’s eyes -

- And s halt Thenhe staggered

Harry narrowed his eyes ’What?’

’II have pushed this weakling’s flabby body too far,’ Janos Ferenczy grunted from Jordan’s throat ’Allow me to sit down’

’Sit,’ Harry told him And as the other flopped into his chair, and sat there reeling, the Necroscope once more seated himself opposite ’Now out with it, Janos,’ he said ’Why did you want to see me? To kill hed a baying laugh ’If I were so desperate to have you dead, believe me you would be dead! But no, I want you alive!’

’Wait!’ Manolis ca that this is Janos Ferenczy? Is this really the Vrykoulakas?’

Janos! Jordan scowled at him ’Greek, you are a fool!’

Manolis moved closer still, but Darcy took his arm ’It’s hisTrevor’s body’

’Kill him now!’ Manolis said at once

’That’s just it,’ Harry answered ’I wouldn’t be killing hiain ’You are helpless,’ he said ’Why, I could walk out of here! You are like s and scowled at Harry ’And so you are the all-powerful Necroscope, eh? The man who talks to the dead, the fa!’

’Do you?’ said Harry ’And is that why you’re here, to tell me that? Fine, so you’ve told et your filthy leech’s mind out of my friend’s head!’

The eyes in Jordan’s head glared until they seemed about to leap froripped the arms of the chair But finally: ’Itwillbeh,’ he said, grinding his teeth ’But man to man, face to face’

Harry was practised in the ways of the Wahty insults ’Man to ave a snort of derision ’You elevate yourself to ridiculous heights, Janos And face to face? Why, there are cockroaches in this world who stand taller than you!’

Manolis got down on one knee beside Harry’s chair, reached for his gun ’Give it to me,’ he said, ’and tell me what you want to know And believe o now - ’ Janos said, ’ - but I go knowing that you will coled his tongue as frantically and obscenely as a ht - ah tonight - sweet Sandra rithe in my bed, lathered with the froth of our fornication!’

He laughed, a great shout of a laugh, and fell limp in his chair His eyes closed, his head leaned to one side and his jaw fell open Foam dribbled from one corner of his mouth, and his left ar down the side of the chair

Harry, Darcy and Manolis glanced at each other, and at last Harry half-released the Beretta into Manolis’s hands - at which Jordan’s eyes sprang open! He laughed again and leaped alert, and snatched the gun from between them And: ’Ah, hah-hah!’ he screamed ’Children, un to his right ear, he pulled the trigger

Harry had drawn back, forcing his chair backwards away from the action, but Darcy and Manolis were sprayed with blood and brains as the left side of Jordan’s head flew apart Yelping their horror, they started upright and back

Framed in the open doorway, a trio of Sisters of Mercy held their hands to their asped They had seen it all Or the end of it, anyway ’Oh,Harry and Manolis,at Jordan’s bloody corpse

Harry and Darcy left Manolis to hand over to the local police (the case was a ’suicide’ pure and simple, with plenty of witnesses to prove it) and walked back to their hotel

It wasn’t yet 10:00 a hot; the heat seemed to bounce off the cobbles in the narrow streets of the Old Town; Darcy dumped his bloodied jacket in the back of a refuse truck, and cleaned up as best he could in a drinking fountain along the way

At the hotel they showered and Harry saw to his bruises, and then for the best part of an hour they sat and did nothing at all

A little before noon Manolis joined theo ahead as planned?’

Harry had been thinking it over ’Yes and no,’ he answered ’You two go ahead as planned: go to Halki, tomorrow, then Karpathos, and see what you can do And you’ll have the men from E-Branch to back you up from then on in But I can’t wait I have to square it with that bastard It hat he said at the end I can’t live with that It has to be put right’

’You’ll go to Hungary?’ Manolis looked washed out, exhausted

’Yes,’ Harry told hiht that after Sandra was taken it wouldn’t matter: she’d simply be a vampire, beyond anyone’s help But I hadn’t reckoned with how he ht use her Well, it could be that she herself is now past caring, but I’o Not even for her sake anyer have what it takes to get hio on like that’

Darcy shook his head ’Not a good idea, Harry,’ he said ’Look, Janos was goading you, challenging you to take part in a duel he doesn’t think you can win And you’ve fallen for it You were right the first time: where Sandra is concerned what’s done is done Now’s the ti ahead, the ti But it isn’t the tiet yourself killed! You kno difficult it’s going to be just getting to Janos in the Carpathians; but you also know that if you simply leave hi for you where you can ain wants to feel safe in the world’

’Harry,’ said Manolis, ’I think ht I still don’t knohy that maniac killed hi now it’s like putting your head right back in the noose!’

’Darcy probably is right,’ Harry agreed, ’but I have to play it how I see it As for Jordan killing hime at the same time But kill me? No, for it’s like he said: he wants e talents; there are secrets locked up in et at Oh, he can talk to some of the dead - poor bastards - in that monstrous, necromantic way of his, but he can’t coh, for he’s as vain as the rest of them, but he still doesn’t feel that he’s true Wamphyri Sohe probably won’t be satisfied until he’s made himself the most powerful vampire the world’s ever seen And to that end, if he can find some way to steal my skills from me -’ He let it tail off