The Black Sun Conspiracy

Chapter Fifty-Two

The moment she walked into the meeting room and her eyes met Purdue’s, Nina knew that he knew. The undisguised look of pain that flashed across his face was only there briefly before he got it under control, but she saw it. ‘I wish you knew how sorry I am,’ she thought. ‘I didn’t do it to hurt you. I did it because I got caught up in the feeling of hope. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a chance to explain myself, and I doubt you’d understand even if I did, but I wish I could try.’

A wheezing sound from the other side of the long table caught her attention. Professor Lehmann was in one of the high-backed chairs, half-slumped over the table, fighting to catch his breath. Nina went straight to him and crouched down to meet his eye level. “Are you alright, Professor?” she asked. He certainly did not look it. His face was deathly pale, and he looked as if he was in a great deal of physical pain.

“I am—” Professor Lehmann coughed violently and tried again. “I am well enough, Nina.” He patted her hand. “Nothing you need to worry about. Old age, asthma, nothing other than what is to be expected.”

She would have enquired further, but Steven grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her into a seat beside Sam. Looking round the table she saw Renata next to Purdue, then Alexandr. The two guards stood at Renata’s shoulders, but with a swift command she dismissed them. That seemed strange to Nina. ‘Being at the head of the Order must be a dangerous position,’ she thought. ‘I would have expected her to have her guards with her at all times. Why wouldn’t she?’

Her question was quickly answered. “Now this is what I like to see,” Renata beamed at them all. “A room full of people I can absolutely trust… can I not?”

“This should not be the sum total of people you can trust, Renata,” Purdue said softly. “If you have doubts about your own guards, replace them.”

“Admonish me again and you will learn that I do not need my guards to have you silenced.” The threat was issued in a tone that made Nina’s blood run cold, but it seemed to have little effect on Purdue. He merely smiled, a little bit sadly.

“You have never bested me yet,” he said. “This is not a question of trust. This is an attempt to keep word of your mishandling of this situation from spreading.”

Riled now, Renata turned around. “Purdue, I am warning you. I will tolerate more from you than from any man alive, but you will push me too far. There has been no mishandling. I am free to handle these matters as I please, and it pleases me to test these two thoroughly before I admit them to our ranks. After everything they have done, would you not agree that their loyalty must be well and truly tried? Well?” She stared him down furiously. He looked away. “As I thought. Now do not speak again unless I invite you to. That goes for all of you. I have brought you here to discuss my plans for these new potential members, and I will tell you these plans without interruption or interference. Is that understood?”

A low ripple of assent ran round the room, though Sam thought he still detected the hint of mutiny in the atmosphere. He got the impression that Purdue and Alexandr were already party to these plans, judging by the looks the two men exchanged and the discomfort their body language expressed. Steven also appeared to be at least passingly familiar with them. He stood behind Sam and Nina and greeted Renata’s pronouncements with a wide variety of approving noises, looming over the chair backs in a manner clearly intended to be intimidating.

The plan that Renata outlined was that Sam and Nina should no longer be allowed to choose which one of them made the trip to Russia. That decision had been taken for them — it would be Sam. He breathed a silent sigh of relief at this. Alexandr would accompany him. They would pose as defectors from the Order, seeking refuge at the rebel headquarters near Mönkh Saridag. They would bring back as much information about the rebels as they could, including the names of their leaders and the layout of the base. They would also retrieve the Longinus.

Sam raised his hand. “Longinus?” he asked. “What’s that?”

“A weapon,” Renata explained. “An extremely potent weapon. The rebels are in possession of a… prototype, of sorts. The weapon itself will be perfectly safe for you to transport. It is small and inconspicuous. But it is of massive importance, which is why I will be taking precautionary measures to see that you bring it back safely under the Order’s control.”

They had expected to hear that in Sam’s absence, Nina would be held hostage to ensure his good behavior. It had crossed Sam’s mind already that she might be entrusted to Purdue’s care for the duration of his mission. He had wondered how awkward that might be for them both.

What neither of them had anticipated that her warden during her time as hostage would be Steven.

“What?” Three separate voices rang out, Sam’s, Nina’s and Purdue’s. Heedless of Renata’s instruction to remain silent, all three burst out with a torrent of objections, exclamations and threats.

“Renata, listen to me,” Purdue spoke rapidly, urgently, “if you place her under Steven’s care you will not be able to guarantee her safety. Keep her here instead, or entrust her to me, otherwise you will lose your—”

“Oh, Purdue, when are you going to learn?” Renata’s smile was ice cold. “Look at her. She doesn’t want you. No, I mean it, look at her. Is your memory really so short? Don’t you remember what you saw on the monitors just a short while ago? You will not win her heart by making her your prisoner!”

Purdue bristled under her mocking tone, but said no more. Sam began readjusting his plans at top speed. The first thing would be to find out where Nina would be held — not at Steven’s home at Cold Ash, presumably. At Professor Lehmann’s house in London? Or at some secret address used by the arms ring? Purdue would be able to find out, surely — obtaining that kind of information was a specialty of his. Assuming, of course, that Purdue would be willing to help, though Sam was encouraged by his outburst to think that he would be.

‘I’ll be able to talk Alexandr into it, I’m sure of it,’ he thought. ‘But I have a feeling that getting her back from Steven is going to be a lot harder than breaking her out of here. I doubt Renata would have chosen him to guard her otherwise.’ He glanced at Nina, who looked stunned and horrified. She could imagine what awaited her as a prisoner of Steven’s.

“Renata,” Professor Lehmann rasped, raising his head. “With the greatest respect… I must raise an objection to your plan. My son…” He broke off, gasping with sudden pain. Sam thought he saw Lehmann’s left arm stiffen. “My son is not a fit guard. He is… volatile. Unsteady. Entrust her to someone else. I offer my own services gladly.”

“That’s a very generous offer,” Renata said with exaggerated courtesy. “But with the greatest respect, Professor Lehmann… look at yourself. You are an old man, and if I am any judge your heart is failing. Your days of holding anyone hostage are past. Besides, you have already demonstrated an alarming level of preferential treatment in Dr. Gould’s favor. Am I to believe that I could trust you with her? Forgive me, Professor, but I don’t believe I could. Only this evening you disobeyed a direct order to stay away from her. An order which, as I believe I made clear at the time, was given upon pain of death.” She smiled sweetly at Professor Lehmann’s son. “Steven?”

“No!” Nina screamed. She leapt up and spun around, her chair went flying as she knocked it out of the way, but by the time she was on her feet it was already too late. The deafening sound of a single shot reverberated through the room. The gun in Steven’s hand smoked. Professor Lehmann slumped forward completely, and his blood flowed out and pooled upon the dark wood of the table.