XXV
‘PLEASE PLACE THE paper back on the floor.’
The flat voice had a distinct Berlin accent and came from the direction of the torch. Jamie became aware of shadowy figures moving inside the ring of pillars. Twelve of them. Why wasn’t he surprised. Somewhere within him a dangerous stillness developed. He recognized it from his OTC days and an escape and evasion course that had gone wrong. He had fallen into the hands of three ugly Paras who thought it would be fun to haze a posh boy for a change. They told him what they were going to do to him and showed him the broomstick they were going to do it with. They’d expected him to piss himself with fear, but all he felt was the stillness. And from within the stillness the beast had emerged. He remembered an arm snapping and yellow teeth flying. They’d got him in the end, of course, and they might have killed him if the marshal hadn’t appeared. Instead, he’d been given the option of joining them. That was then. This was now. He began backing towards the doorway, but two of the shadows moved to block the only exit. His first priority was to protect Sarah, and for the moment the only way to protect Sarah was to submit. Or at least appear to submit. He willed the beast back into his lair and nodded to her to do as the voice ordered. She glared at him, but retrieved the tracing from her bag and reluctantly placed it back over the sun symbol before stepping away.
A tall man in a dark suit entered from the direction of the torch, stooped to pick up the tracing and returned the way he came. He was silhouetted against the light and Jamie couldn’t see his face, but he had an impression of absolute control and athletic strength. A grunt of acknowledgement seemed to indicate satisfaction.
‘This is a sacred place. Why are you here?’
‘I see nothing sacred about a Nazi chicken farmer’s obsession with King Arthur.’ The beast might be docile, but he still had a tongue. ‘And judging by the fact that you haven’t put the lights on, I’d say we have as much right to be here as you have. Who are you people, anyway?’
For a moment the hatred in the room was so palpable he could feel the fingers reaching for his throat, but the insult seemed to have no effect on the man who had spoken. ‘You may call me Frederick. As for my friends, they would prefer to remain anonymous for now.’
Something told Jamie that Frederick’s willingness to be candid wasn’t good news and the German’s next question confirmed the suspicion. ‘What is your interest in the Black Sun?’
‘As you can see,’ Jamie pointed towards the paper in Frederick’s hands, ‘our interest is purely artistic.’ Frederick didn’t laugh, but then it hadn’t been much of a joke. The silence that followed was more eloquent than any words and Jamie sensed Sarah moving closer and slightly behind him. She froze as the double click of an automatic pistol being cocked split the graveyard atmosphere and Jamie’s body did its best to disappear into itself as it awaited the strike of the first bullet. Frederick continued as if nothing had happened. Either he enjoyed the sound of his own voice or somebody somewhere was checking that the interlopers didn’t have back-up who might arrive to spoil the party.
‘You went to great lengths to keep your visit here secret; for us that is not so necessary. Did you think that those for whom this castle holds the same reverence as your St Paul’s Cathedral would be kept from it by a few provincial bureaucrats? We belong here. We are the inheritors. The keepers of the truth. The mysteries enacted in this room are beyond your capacity for understanding. If our predecessors had succeeded in what they attempted here the world would be a different place. A better place that would not have had to endure sixty years of the corrupt, putrescent influence of Communism.’
‘A world ruled by Nazis?’ The inner stillness returned and the monster took a distinctly human form. He focused on Frederick. When the time came, he would take him first. ‘I don’t think I would have liked to live in that world.’
‘Do not be confused by labels, Mr Saintclair.’ Jamie winced at the sound of his name. Clearly this wasn’t the chance encounter Frederick had let him believe. But what else did he know? And how did he come to know it? The German’s voice took on a new authority as he continued. ‘Let us say a world ruled by those with the qualities to rule: authority, resolve, organization and ambition. Men of pure heart and pure vision. Men with the courage to remake the world. Men like those who stood where we stand now more than half a century ago. When the time came they did not hesitate. They stepped forward to take their place in history, because it was their duty.’