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ELEVEN

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

11:20 AM

THE BLUE CHAIR WONDERED IF THE CIRCLE HAD COMMITTED itself to the proper course For eight years die Klauen der Adler, the Talons of the Eagle, had dutifully carried out his assigned tasks True, they’d collectively hired him, but on an everyday basis he worked directly under the Blue Chair’s control, which meant that he’d come to know Dominick Sabre far better than the rest

Sabre was an American, born and bred, which was a first for the Circle Always they’d eh once a South African had served the Sabre, had been chosen not only for his individual ability but also for his physical ht, and features The only noticeable trait about Sabre was the pockmarks on his face, left over from a bout with chicken pox Sabre’s black hair was cut straight and always held together with a dash of oil that added gleam Stubble often dusted his cheeks partly, the Blue Chair knew, to conceal the scars, but also to disarm those around hi clothes, usually a size too big, that concealed a lean-limbed muscular frame-surely more of his effort to be constantly underestiical profile Sabre had to endure prior to being hired, the Blue Chair learned that there was so about defiance of authority that appealed to the Aiven a task, told the intended result, and left alone, Sabre would always perform

And that hat mattered

Both he and the Chairs could not care less how a given task was completed, only that the desired result be obtained So their association with Sabre had been fruitful Yet a man with no

Especially when the stakes were high

As now

So the Blue Chair reached for the phone and dialed

SABRE ANSWERED HIS CELL PHONE, HOPING THE CALL WAS FROM hisSlot Instead the strained voice on the other end belonged to his ereeting?" the Blue Chair asked

"Handled hih the "

"As you predicted But I wonder, are we drawing unnecessary attention?"

"More than I’d like, but it was necessary He tried to call our bluff, so he had to see he’s not in charge But I’ll be more discreet from here on out"

"Do that We don’t need law enforcement overly involved" He paused "At least not any more than they are as of now"

Sabre was ensconced in a rental house on Copenhagen’s north side, a few blocks inland froht Gary Malone here froer, which the boy had believed thanks to falsified Magellan Billet identification Sabre had showed him

"How is the lad?" the Blue Chair asked

"He was anxious, but he thinks this is a US government operation So he’s calm, for now"

They’d terrorized Pathey were producing security credentials

"Isn’t the boy located too close to Malone?"

"He wouldn’t have gone voluntarily anywhere else He knows his father is nearby"

"I realize you have this under control But do be careful Malone may surprise you"

"That’s e have his son He won’t jeopardize him"

"We need the Alexandria Link"

"Malone will lead us straight there"

But the call fro to work, it was critical that his operative perform exactly as he’d instructed

"We also need this resolved in the next few days"

"It will be"

"From what you’ve told me," the Blue Chair said, "this Malone is a free spirit You sure he’ll stay properly ht nowprovided"

MALONE EXITED THE GROUNDS OF KRONBORG SLOT AND spotted his quarry strolling calør He loved the town’s s But none of that Renaissance flavor mattered today

More sirens wailed in the distance

He knew murders were rare in Denmark Given that this one occurred inside a National Historic Site, it would surelynews He needed to notify Stephanie that one of her agents was dead, but there was no ti under his own name-that was standard Billet practice-so once the local authorities deterovernht about Durant Dao not to waste ee

He slackened his pace and yanked Pa attention, but he could still spot us"

They crossed the street and clung to an attractive row of buildings that fronted a narroalk facing the sea The shooter was a hundred feet ahead Malone watched as he turned a corner

They reached the sa ahead down a pedestrian-only lane lined with shops and restaurants A clutter of people milled about, so he decided to risk it

They followed

"What are we doing?" Pa we can do"

"Why don’t you just give them what they want?"

"It’s not that siaze ahead "Thanks for the advice"

"You’re an ass"

"I love you, too Now that we’ve established that, let’s focus on e’re doing"

Their objective turned right and disappeared

Malone hustled forward, glanced around the corner, and saw the shooter approach a dirty Volvo coupe He hoped he wasn’t leaving No way to follow Their car was a long way off He watched as theinside Then he closed the door and started back their way

They ducked into a clothing shop just as the shooter passed in front, heading back in the direction from which they’d come Malone crept to the door and watched the ?" Pa for the coht, blend in Leave later"

"That’s nuts He killed a man"

"And only we know that"

"Why kill him at all?"

"To rattle our nerves Silence any information flow Lots of reasons"

"This is a sick business"

"Why do you think I got out?" He decided to use the interlude to his advantage "Go get the car and bring it around to over there" He pointed through an alley at the seaside train station "Park and wait for o that way It’s the only route out of town"

He passed her the keys and, for an instant, memories of other tih his brain He thought of years past Knowing she and Gary aiting at hoht him a measure of comfort And as much as neither of theood for each other He remembered her smile, her touch Unfortunately, her deceit about Gary now colored all that pleasantness with suspicion Made hiether had all been an illusion

She seeaze softened, like the Paed them both So he said, "I’ll find Gary I swear to you He’ll be all right"

He actually wanted her to respond, but she said nothing

And her silence stung

So he walked away

TWELVE

OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND

10:30 AM

GEORGE HADDAD ENTERED BAINBRIDGE HALL FOR THE PAST three years he’d been a frequent visitor, ever since he’d convinced himself that the answer to his dilemma lay within these walls

The house was a s, Mortlake tapestries, and richly colored decorations The grand staircase, with elaborately carved floral panels, dated fros frohteenth and nineteenth century Everything a showpiece of English country style

But it was also much more

A puzzle

Just like the white arbor athered, listening to the so-called experts Just like Tholish earl who’d lived in the latter part of the eighteenth century

Haddad knew the fae had been born to the world of privilege and high expectations His father had served as the squire of Oxfordshire Though his position in society had been fixed by generational affluence and fae shunned the traditional military service and turned his attention to acadey When his father died, he inherited the earldo one of the first Westerners to inti his experiences in a series of published journals

He taught hie in which the Old Testainally been written Quite an acco that the dialect was mainly vocal and consonantal, and had disappeared froe around the sixth century before Christ He wrote a book published in 1767 that challenged the known translations of the Old Testae’s conventional wisdo his theories, dying bitter and broken, the faone

Haddad knew the text well, having studied every page in detail He could relate to Bainbridge’s troubles He, too, had challenged conventional wisdom with disastrous consequences

He enjoyed visiting the house but, sadly, o lost to creditors, including Bainbridge’s impressive library Only in the past fifty years had some of the furniture been found The vastfrom collectors, to vendors, to the trash, which seee Yet Haddad had been able to locate a few voluh the myriad of rare-book shops that dotted London

And on the Internet

What an a treasure What they could have done in Palestine sixty years ago with that instant inforht a lot about 1948

When he’d toted a rifle and killed Jews during the nakba The arrogance of the current generation always a the sacrifices ht hundred thousand Arabs were driven into exile He’d been nineteen, fighting in the Palestinian resistance-one of its field leaders-but it had all been fruitless The Zionists prevailed The Arabs were defeated Palestinians became outcasts

But the et He truly wanted to forget Killing, though, came with consequences And for hiret He became an academician, abandoned violence, and converted to Christianity, but none of that rid him of the pain He could still see the dead faces Especially one The ht a war that is not necessary Against an enemy that is misinformed

Those words had been burned into his meed hie From the library

That observation had charted the course of his life

He kept strolling through the house, taking in the busts and paintings, the carvings, the grotesque gilding, and the enigainst a current of new arrivals, he eventually entered the drawing rooe library blended with a fe, which had once displayed the varied learning of s, which recalled people who had privately shaped the course of history

Thoe had been an invitee, just like Haddad’s father Yet the Guardian had arrived in Palestine teeks too late to pass on the invitation, and a bullet froer

He winced at the memory

The impetuousness of youth