“It is unfortunate what happened to you,” said Stirner. “To save you from The League Of Reckoning, we needed to act quickly and decisively. We couldn’t worry about your well-being until we had you safe and secure. If we’re honest, it was The League who did most of the damage. It was not us who extorted and tortured you, remember.”
Inselheim opened his mouth to speak again, then stopped. He considered what this man Stirner had said.
“How do you know about all that?” he asked. “About The League.”
“Because I am a former member of its Council.”
“You’re not with them?”
“Not anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because I could no longer bear the hypocrisy.”
Inselheim paused for a moment to weigh up his next question.
“Why did you bring me here?” he asked.
“To set you free, Mr. Inselheim.”
Inselheim looked on, bewildered. What is this guy talking about?
“Do you like the room?” asked Stirner, turning his attention to their surroundings. “It’s one of the nicer bedchambers in this mansion. It belonged once to a prince of the House Of Bourbon.”
So there it was. Inselheim was in a mansion, likely in France. Until now he had no idea where he was. While blindfolded, he had imagined his destination to be an underground torture chamber or an open grave in the middle of nowhere. He had begun sweating profusely and shivering with fright once the van finally stopped and the engine turned off. They carried him out and up a flight of stairs, then untied him and left, locking the door behind them. He waited for a long time in silence before removing the blindfold. To his astonishment, he found himself inside an enormous bedroom with a lofty ceiling, patterned wallpaper, gold-framed paintings, a silver chandelier hanging in the middle and other lavish features. After inspecting his boarded-up luxury prison cell, he went through the inside door to find a marble bathroom, complete with spa.
“Breakfast is ready outside,” said Stirner, half turning toward the door. “You must be anxious to stretch your legs and get some fresh air.”
Inselheim hesitated. Was the tempting offer meant to lead him more easily into a trap? No, if they wanted to hurt or kill him, they would have already.
“Come. I’ll explain everything,” said Stirner. “It’s a beautiful morning outside.”
Inselheim reluctantly shifted across the bed and got to his feet. He inspected his attire, which he had found neatly folded on his bed when he first came. Then he looked up at Stirner. They were wearing matching outfits; chinos and a polo shirt. Stirner lifted his eyebrows expectantly. Inselheim walked forward slowly, and they left the room together.
The Impressionist paintings in the wide hallway were gigantic. The red carpet below Inselheim’s feet was thick and plush. They descended the spiral stairway to the marble-tiled lobby, where the front door was wide open.
“This way,” said Stirner, moving into the sunshine coming through the doorway.
Inselheim emerged onto the porch. The mansion was sitting on multiple acres of vibrant, perfectly manicured grass, bordered in the far distance by pine trees. With the bright blue sky for a backdrop, it was an impressive sight. The lavishness and size of the estate made Inselheim’s place in Dahlem look like a summer cabin.
Stirner had already taken his seat at the head of the table. Spread out in front of him were platters of cheese and salami, coffee and milk, freshly cut fruit, sliced baguette, butter, wholegrain bread, multiple varieties of juice as well as croissants and macarons. Inselheim’s place had been set at Stirner’s right hand.
Inselheim turned and lifted his head to the sky and took a deep breath of the fresh country air.
“Lovely, isn’t it?” said Stirner. “Kalakia prefers to spend his time in soulless penthouses and gloomy warehouses. He envies cultured men like you and me.”
“If you and Kalakia are so different, why did you work for him?” said Inselheim, taking his place at the table.
“I didn’t work for him,” said Stirner. “He needed me to legitimise his power in Europe. Without me, he would be another mob boss peddling drugs and running prostitution rings.”
“And you helped him out of the goodness of your heart?”
Stirner sighed and shook his head.
“He had undeniable strength and support, enough to weaken the global order. Once he consolidated world power under his banner, all that was left was for me to snatch it from him. That was my plan all along. He was a stepping stone, nothing more.”
“To what?”
“To this moment. Here. Now. The League Of Reckoning is close to collapse. A new power is emerging, Mr. Inselheim, and you are at the heart of it.”
Inselheim lifted his chin and stared earnestly at Stirner.
“My allies and I represent the rightful world order,” said Stirner. “Kalakia thought he could put an end to the global hierarchy with his Robin Hood nonsense.” Stirner snickered. “The League Of Reckoning is facing a reckoning of its own. Their ideology goes against human nature. Humans have an inherent need to know their rightful place. The world is always going to have masters who are superior to the rest, and we are going to remind Kalakia of his place soon enough.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have something special in mind,” said Stirner, squinting and looking at the ground.
The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Inselheim’s stomach began grumbling. They had fed him well while he was locked up in the room, but he had eaten nothing all morning. He took a croissant and began chewing on it while watching Stirner, whose mind had drifted elsewhere. Suddenly Stirner shook back to life. He gave Inselheim another dry smile.
“You must be eager to know why I brought you here,” said Stirner.
“Of course,” said Inselheim.
“I’ll be honest with you, Mr. Inselheim. The coming year is going to be a volatile one for the inhabitants of this planet. Crushing The League and freeing the population is going to bring with it collateral damage. No part of the world will be immune. Millions of people might die, and the global
