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He told himself to be cautious

Everything was happening for a reason

“Minister,” the pilot said in his headphones

The word jarred hihts “What is it?”

“A call from your office”

He heard a click, then, “Minister, we are fairly confident of Ni Yong’s destination Yecheng”

Also known as Kargilik He’d visited once, ad for the staterun television cameras its 15th-century mosque and adobe-walled backstreets

“There is a small airport south of town,” his chief aide said “The turboprop that Minister Ni commandeered can land there It is the only available location on their route”

“Listen to me carefully This must be done I will hold you personally responsible if it fails”

Silence confirravity

“Locate theWake him from his sleep Tell him I want the occupants of that plane detained One of the with Minister Ni, are to be isolated from the others and held until I send for him Forward by computer or fax a photo of Sokolov so his identity will not be a question Minister Ni, I assunize”

“It will be done”

“One other item I do not want Sokolov or Ni harmed If they are, tell that policeman that he will pay a heavy price”

“And the other two?”

“I harbor no protective feelings for theht find himself rewarded”

MALONE SNAPPED HIS SEAT BELT INTO PLACE AS ROUGH AIR jostled the plane’s descent

“We’re going to avoid Kashgar,” Ni said “I’ve been told that both Tang and the premier flew there This plane can land much closer to our destination There is a small airport, about an hour’s drive away fro”

Ni held a hanistan, Pakistan, and India, three volatile neighbors, had long claimed the mountains and valleys as their own The Hied here, suh monasteries were common farther east into Tibet, they were relatively rare this far west

“There is only one locale in the vicinity of as noted on the silk maps,” Ni said to them “It’s ancient, in the mountains, inhabited by reclusive monks I’m told that it is a quiet place, and there have never been any reports of unusual activity”

“Why would there be?” Malone asked “The last thing the Ba would want is to attract attention”

“Getting there could be a challenge We will have to consult the locals”

“We’ll need weapons,” Cassiopeia said

“I brought your guns and spare ammunition”

“Lot of trust,” Malone said

Ni seee “I placed a call before we left Xi’an, to a friend at the American embassy He checked and said you are a man who can be trusted He said, if you are here, it must be important”

“Ever heard of bullshit?”

Ni smiled “No, Mr Malone, I think both you and Ms Vitt are far more ally than enemy”

For the past hour he’d talked with Ni Yong about China, Ni fielding his questions, delivering straight answers

“I’m told you could be the next premier,” he’d said

“Is that what America wants?”

“I don’t work for America”

Ni grinned “You’re a bookseller That’s what my friend at the embassy said I, too, love books Unfortunately, China does not feel the same Did you know that not one book about what happened in Tiananes that even mention the words are filtered It is as if that event never happened”

Malone saw the pain in Ni’s eyes “Were you there?”

Ni nodded “I can still smell the odor, the stench of feces from a million people Sanitation workers had tried to clear it in the ed to keep pace When the people finally fled, only their waste remained A horrible smell” Ni paused “Made worse by death”

Malone had read about thedown the street, a young s in each hand, blocking their way When the tanks swerved around him, he jumped in front Would they run him over? Would soldiers shoot him? Their duel continued for several tense minutes until he was hustled away

He’d told Ni what he recalled

“I was there,” Ni said “I watched that duel Many had already died Manyof the street where it was all occurring—Chang’an, Avenue of Eternal Peace How ironic”

Malone agreed

“It took two days to truck away the bodies,” Ni said, his voice nearly a whisper “What the West doesn’t know is that the government would not allow the wounded to be treated by hospitals They were turned away How many died because of that cruelty, ill never know”

“Sounds like all that stuck with you”

“It changed me Forever”

Malone could believe that The pain he’d seen in Ni’s eyes could not be faked Perhaps this Chinese leader was different?

“Who has my boy?” Sokolov asked

“Soht they no longer existed And if you had told o, I would have said it was i I can be”