“Wait,” Cal said. “You’re not a member? What about the escape, your connection to Dr. Corwin…”
“I have some knowledge and connections, yes, but my loyalty is to Dr. Corwin—not the LYS. Even if I was authorized, I know very little about the inner workings of the Society. I’m almost as in the dark as you are.”
“I doubt that,” he said, “but whatever. Can you at least tell us what it is?”
There was a long silence in which Andie could sense the other woman debating how much to reveal. “The Leap Year Society,” Zawadi said finally, “is an organization of like-minded individuals around the world. They’re agnostic to race and culture. All that matters is intelligence, talent, vision, and, above all else, the dedication to seeking out and preserving knowledge.”
Andie snorted. “You mean scientists?”
“They accept members from all disciplines, as long as the level of achievement is extraordinary.”
“What happens when you join the club?” Cal said. “And what kind of knowledge do they have? Because we’ve seen some things . . . It’s almost like they have access to a different supply of information than the rest of the world.”
“Maybe they just know where to look,” Zawadi said. “I’ve seen things too—and I don’t have any answers for you.”
“So what do they do?” Cal pressed. “How old is the society? Where do they meet, what do all the symbols mean, how deep does it go?”
“As I said, I’m in the dark too, and I took an oath not to reveal what little I know. I’ve told you nothing I suspect you haven’t already figured out, or that I believe will help us find Dr. Corwin. In any event, you can ask them yourself tonight.”
“I plan on it,” Cal said. “And the Ascendants? Who are they?”
“Some time ago, a splinter faction arose in the Society. One that believes the future of humanity depends on obtaining knowledge at all costs—no matter the price, no matter who they hurt—before it falls into the wrong hands and destroys us all.”
“And the Leap Year Society disagrees?”
“They believe the acquisition of advanced knowledge obtained without wisdom, without ethical consideration, is dangerous. A simple example is distributing the plans for a weapon of mass destruction online, such as a pathogen or a nuclear weapon.”
“Dr. Corwin was important to them, wasn’t he?” Andie said quietly.
Zawadi’s face tightened. “Not was, I pray. Is. I do not think the Ascendants would have killed him. At least not until they find the Enneagon.”
“That’s some relief.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. There are rumors about the Archon . . . But in answer to your question, I’ve gathered that James’s standing in the Society is complicated.”
“How so?”
“My job is to protect him. We almost never discuss Society matters. But I know he has radical views that are quite unpopular. He and a few others—he thought Dr. Rickman was one of them—shared a similar ideology.”
“Which was?” Andie asked.
“Not to be so removed from world affairs. Not to let the Ascendants continue to grow in power and hunt the Society down. James believed in a proactive stance and was ostracized for it. Not to mention the nature of my own association. Working with outsiders was . . . unprecedented.”
“Why did he do it?”
“Because of my skill set, because he trusted me—and because he was making a point.”
“What did Dr. Rickman do?” Andie asked. “Why did you have to kill him?”
“I don’t know what the Ascendants offered him, but the filthy rat betrayed James and Lars Friedman. Now both are dead or imprisoned. For that alone, he deserved to die.”
“Says you,” Cal said.
“Yes,” she said. “Says I. But I was only going to interrogate him. He tried to resist and forced my hand.”
“How did you know?” Andie asked.
“James has a mole deep within the Ascendants. Not even I know who.” She eyed Andie in the rearview. “It was Professor Rickman who misled the Ascendants about your visit. He told them you were coming at midnight, not eight, which was why I arrived so early—and why Omer was so surprised to see you.”
“Why would he mislead them?”
“My guess is he planned to milk your knowledge for himself, then kill you before the Ascendants found out.”
Andie’s hand tightened on the seat rest. “To learn what I know about the Enneagon? So he could get it first?”
“That’s right.”
“He would have been disappointed,” she said. And I would have died for nothing. She shuddered at the level of violence, deceit, and desperate behavior surrounding the search for Dr. Corwin’s invention. “What do you know about the Enneagon?”
“Only that it was a top-secret project of utmost importance. I was given no details.”
“Do you have any idea where it is? Why it’s tied to the puzzle on the Star Phone?”
“Absolutely none.”
Frustrated, Andie absorbed the new information as they drove into the heart of Bologna. Many of the byways were off-limits to automobiles, forcing Zawadi to take a circuitous route. The city at night was a maze of cobblestone streets, flower-draped balconies, towering wooden doors, and ornate iron gates that tantalized with glimpses of inner courtyards. The larger streets had raised sidewalks sheltered by the city’s signature porticos: miles and miles of covered walkways supported by painted round columns.
Bologna also gave the impression, with its ancient corridors of silent, handsome buildings and courtyards tucked away from view, of a city that had long harbored secrets—and continued to do so.
The perfect place to shelter a group like the Leap Year Society.
“If they don’t talk to outsiders,” Andie said, “why did they agree to meet? Because we have the Star Phone?”
“They didn’t call for this meeting. I did—to convince them I need help finding James.”
“Why wouldn’t they help?”
“Because they’re not sure he’s alive, and they don’t like to interfere.”
“Don’t they want the Enneagon as much as the Ascendants?”
“Perhaps,” Zawadi said with a touch of scorn. “But they do not take what is not theirs, or force
