The Sixth Key(46)

‘What?’ Rahn said, alarmed.

‘Well, that’s one conclusion!’ Deodat grew introspective once more. ‘Something bothers me though – did you notice the inspector’s gun? I haven’t seen one of those used by the police before, and did you see his shoes? Awfully shiny for a detective whose clothes look as though they’ve been slept in. Very peculiar . . . I don’t know what it means but I’m certain it will reveal itself.’ He got up to fetch a bottle of brandy. ‘I think you have stumbled onto a viper’s nest.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘In France, everywhere one turns these days, one is likely to bump into a society for this or for that.’ He refilled Rahn’s glass, sat down and stared into the fire a moment. ‘Right-wing Fascist groups, like Action Francais and Alpha Galates, want to bring back the rule of the French kings. They have strong connections to the church, which lost its power when the Catholic lineage of kings was exterminated. Opposing them are the Freemasons – the republican capitalists and industrialists – men who exercise their influence on the markets. So you see, Rahn, you have a religious power opposing an economic power. Having said that, these opposing groups do have something in common – their hatred of the Communists and the Jews. But if you dig deeper, you begin to realise that these seemingly opposing groups are thoroughly interconnected.’ He took out his pipe, filled it with tobacco and lit it.

Rahn sat forwards, incredulous. ‘Let me see if I understand you. You are saying that the Fascists, Freemasons, Communists, Jews and the church are all intertwined? But they hate each other.’

‘Only outwardly. I believe there is one central authority that rules them all; one body whose goal is political, economic and spiritual supremacy; a circle composed of representatives from every group. I call it the Cénacle.’

‘But Pierre Plantard told me these societies are all competing with one another for secrets,’ Rahn said, rather perplexed.

‘Yes, that’s true on one level: they fight wars on opposite sides, they assassinate one another, steal from one another, all of that. But it’s all an illusion, a smoke screen.’ He puffed away thoughtfully. ‘Every now and again, something surfaces which points to the Cénacle, but it is in such a veiled way that only the astute observer would ever recognise it.’

‘This is extraordinary – a circle of men who rule Europe?’

‘Yes,’ Deodat said, ‘a circle funded by powerful banks; banks like Barings, the Bank of Moscow and the most powerful of them all – the bank owned by the Rothschilds. But these aren’t just any men.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean they are esotericists, but not just that, they are black esotericists. You see, in the public eye you may have the black occultists, the attention-seeking braggarts like Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini, but these men are just chess pieces. Behind them, you have the hands that move the chess pieces.’

‘The Cénacle?’ Rahn said.

‘Yes, and I fear they are grooming Hitler to become their supreme black occultist.’

Rahn recalled the people that had come and gone from Weisthor’s office: Englishmen, Russians, clergymen, Tibetans. He remembered all the reports on different occult traditions and Himmler’s desire for the grimoire. Things were beginning to make sense. ‘They want war,’ he said. ‘And Hitler will give it to them. Is that it?’

‘Yes; a war will destroy Germany and give them Russia.’

‘I quite follow you, but the only point that I don’t understand is this business with Russia. What do they want with Russia?’

‘Russia is a sought-after jewel, destined to be the location of the New Jerusalem spoken of in Saint John’s Apocalypse. Those who understand this know that whoever rules Russia will, in future times, control the world.’

‘And Germany?’

‘Germany is the middle, and it was destined to be the spiritual centre of a free Europe in preparation for Russia. Now that it has fallen into the hands of the Cénacle, it will be destroyed.’

‘What?’ Rahn sat up.

‘I’m afraid so.’

‘For what reason?’

‘Because the Cénacle desires no spirit, no middle that might come between it and Russia.’

‘You astound me, Deodat!’ Rahn had to think this through. ‘Did the Countess P know about these things?’

‘I shouldn’t imagine so. She was a theosophist, as you know, and theosophy is affiliated with various groups, but she was like you. She didn’t belong to this time. She did know De Mengel, however, and I met him once at her château, that’s how I came to know about Monti.’