tassel on the end was weighted with an oval piece of polished onyx. “Because, like Ray, he was born with green eyes. He is Egipurdiko and the Fleur-du-Mal is fully aware that only Egizahar are able to cultivate this ‘ability.’ It is the one and only
“Damn,” Ray said under his breath.
As Sailor spoke, I noticed whenever he mentioned Susheela the Ninth, his “ghost eye” cleared completely. He also stopped twirling and stroking the sapphire on his finger.
“What about the ‘List,’ Sailor,” I asked.
“A few decades before the Fleur-du-Mal found and purchased Askenfada in Norway with the assistance of Raza, he did the same in the Far East. One of the names on the list of five was the man or woman who acted as broker for Xanti Otso, finding and purchasing a well-fortified medieval castle somewhere on the Pacific rim in China or Japan. The descendants of this Giza will likely know of the castle and its location. We must find the castle while the Fleur-du-Mal is working and I am certain we do not have long. The Far East is quickly being usurped and occupied by the Japanese. Soon, travel may be difficult, even for us.”
Mowsel had not said a word. He kept his head bowed, listening to every word Sailor said without showing any emotion or expression. Slowly, he raised his head and leaned forward. “Will there be war in the East, Umla- Meq?”
Sailor looked at Mowsel and stood up on the stone pedestal of the sundial. He reached one hand out and ran his fingers along the edge of the bronze gnomon. In the darkness, the gnomon cast no shadow and told no time or season. “It is inevitable,” he said evenly. “And from what I read, and also what Zianno has told me of the German bombers in Guernica, there will be war in Europe as well.” Sailor paused and turned to face Mowsel. “It seems this time, old friend, these Giza are determined to slaughter each other by the millions.”
“What do you propose, Sailor?” Opari asked.
“Tomorrow,” he said, holding up Captain Antoine Boutrain’s letter between his thumb and forefinger like a winning card in a poker game, “we shall divide the names on the list of five among us and begin our search for each of them and their descendants.”
“This ain’t gonna be easy, Sailor,” Ray said. “Not if what you say about the Japanese bein’ everywhere is right. The word ‘difficult’ won’t be close to what we’ll run into. We’re gonna need some help.”
“He is correct, Sailor,” Geaxi said. She stood and began to pace the “Honeycircle.” Her steps made little or no sound in the grass.
Opari turned to me. “Jack,” she whispered and I knew immediately what she meant.
“Sailor,” I said, “give me a day or so. I think Jack might know someone who can help us.”
“Who is it?” Sailor asked.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know who it is.”
“Then why should he help us?”
“Owen Bramley knew the man. Owen left Jack a number to call in Washington if we ever truly needed help. When we wanted to leave Cuba together, and quickly, Jack contacted the man and the next day in Florida we were whisked through customs without being asked a single question.”
“And you do not know his name or identity?”
“Jack was only given the name ‘Cardinal’ and a password, ‘sunrise.’”
Sailor looked at Opari, Geaxi, and down at Mowsel. “Do you trust this
“No, Umla-Meq, I do not. I believe it is Giza
Sailor looked at me. With no hesitation, he said, “Talk to Jack, Zianno. Find out what he can do, and soon.”
Nearby, within twelve feet but completely invisible in the darkness, Geaxi asked, “Sailor, why do we not pursue the Fleurdu-Mal before finding the castle? Is it not logical?”
A few seconds of silence followed. “We shall need Susheela the Ninth alive, Geaxi,” Sailor said. “We cannot eliminate the Fleur-du-Mal once and for all without her.”
A few more seconds passed. From the dark, Geaxi said, “I see.”
Sailor stepped down from the stone pedestal and took hold of Nova’s hand, pulling her upright and folding her arm in his. He started walking, leading both of them and us toward the opening in the “Honeycircle” and back to the big house. Somewhere in the distance, I heard a cat squeal, followed by a barking dog. “In the morning, Nova,” Sailor said, “I want to walk with you in Forest Park and tell you the story of your father and his wonderful sundial.”
I spoke with Jack the next day and told him our problem. He understood and agreed we should call “Cardinal.” He dialed the number in Washington and someone picked up the receiver after one ring, but said nothing. Jack used the password “sunrise.” Ten seconds later, “Cardinal” was on the line and Jack wasted no time in telling him exactly what we needed and gave him the list of five names. On the spur of the moment, Jack added that we could also use seven diplomatic passports. To everyone’s surprise, and without hesitation or even asking a single question, “Cardinal” said it would all be arranged. A week later, a plain brown package appeared one morning in Carolina’s driveway, lying alongside the
Sailor mumbled under his breath, “I should like to meet this ‘Cardinal’ one day.”
“I think not,” Mowsel said, leaning his head toward Sailor. “Before you meet him, old one, I think we should know more about him than he seems to know about us.”
“Trumoi-Meq is correct,” Opari said.
“Agreed,” Geaxi added.
Sailor glanced once at Mowsel and turned to Jack. “If possible, try to find out who ‘Cardinal’ truly is, Jack.”
Jack said, “I’ll do my best, Sailor.”
All that day and night we discussed the names on the “List” and their dossiers. Sailor informed everyone of my connection to Sangea Hiramura and it was decided that Sailor and I should be the ones to find and track down his descendants. Among the five names, there was one other Japanese name. His descendants were now living in Manila and Nova and Ray would go there. Two of the remaining three names were Chinese, one of them a woman from Nanking and the other a merchant from Hong Kong. Opari chose to investigate the woman, saying the woman herself was not familiar, but the name was well known. Opari said the family had been a powerful and infamous force in the region since the Ming Dynasty. Geaxi and Mowsel chose the other Chinese name, mainly so Geaxi could fly across the Pacific in Pan American Airlines’ flying boat, the China Clipper. The last name on the “List” was American and his descendants now lived in Honolulu. Since there were no more of us to do it, Jack suggested he investigate the American and his family.
“The China Clipper leaves for Hong Kong from San Francisco,” he said. “She makes her first stop in Honolulu.” Jack paused and looked at each of us one by one. “Why not me?”
No one said a word for a moment or two, and it wasn’t me, or Opari, or Geaxi, Ray, Nova, or even Sailor who
