“So, Lenka – now you can do more than just read minds and project dreams, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Can you give me an example?”
She shook her head.
“Come, now, try harder.”
“Herr Blum, who are you? I do not see why I am here. Is it to study my abilities or something? Are your students going to poke fun or call me a witch?”
His eyebrows shot up. “I have no students. I am not a lecturer, of that you can be certain.”
“Then I don’t understand—?”
“You have confided in me, so I will now confide in you. My father pays for these rooms in order for us to host meetings here. He is a banker and a good friend of the Dekan, as I am. We make sure the university is lavishly rewarded, of course.” He indicated the opulent furnishings. “As you can see.”
The urge to walk out was overwhelming, but something about him kept her transfixed.
“Do not look so puzzled and frightened. What we do is work with the best of minds, the most forward thinkers and the most influential people. Not just here in Germany but all over the continent and beyond. Think of the highest families in the world – royalty, those at the top of the military, law, universities, medicine, finance and government – these are the people who belong to our group, the elite within the elite. And this is the core of the movement, right here in Ingolstadt. These are exciting times for those who are enlightened – very exciting.”
“And you would like me to be in this group?”
“I am not sure yet. I want you to tell me how things have changed since your grandmother passed.”
“And if I do not? If I do not wish to join this group so you can have me tell your fortunes, be the gypsy turn at the circus—”
“How well are you feeling this evening, Lenka? Better than yesterday, I expect?”
Her heart jumped. Immediately she glanced down so he could not see her eyes.
“You have to give your demons work, Lenka, or you will become extremely sick – just like your late grandmother. And I have plenty of that for you. I know you, gypsy, and I know your hidden wishes. We knew your great-grandmother – Baroness Jelinski of Russia. Has your mother told you nothing? You do not know who you are? You do not know how she was chased out of Russia, the family forced to resettle in Romania?”
She shook her head. “I know a little.”
“You are quite alone, aren’t you, Lenka?”
“My aunt and uncle are here—”
He shook his head with feigned sadness. “Tell me how you have been lately, since the funeral – unwell, yes?”
She sighed in defeat. “Yes, you are correct, although I do not know how you are aware of that. It is true, I have been feeling weak and ill with some kind of fever.”
His smile was magnetic. He seemed to read her mind, to have crawled right in. “And now? You look healthy, really rather glowing, if I may say so. How can this be if you are not giving your demons work, I wonder?”
Her tongue loosened, and the truth burst out. “When I first came here, just a few days ago, I could see through to the true self of my aunt and uncle. I saw particularly what he was and what he does. He disgusted me with what I saw—”
“Show me with your mind.”
She conjured up the images easily, looking into his eyes as she did so.
“Ouch, that pig makes me sick, too.”
“Oh, he’s hateful. So I cursed him, just yesterday evening, and I think he will become very ill soon.”
Heinrich laughed.
Allowing herself a small smile, she sat a little further back on the sofa. “He was looking a little peaky when I left this evening, but my own illness has completely vanished. I feel very well indeed – as you say, healthy.”
He nodded. “Well, please do keep me informed regarding your uncle’s health.”
She smiled, sipped her drink.
“Tell me, are you at all aware of unrest in the countries around us? Have you heard of Kaiser Wilhelm the Second in Prussia? And the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Austria?”
“Oh! Um, a little from my father.”
“And Serbia?”
She shrugged. “No, I am sorry.”
“That’s all right, you are just sixteen, how could you? But I can teach you these things, more about history and politics. An example for you – for many hundreds of years, Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire have been the rulers, and the church has steamrollered the people with its hypocrisy and lies, stamping out our origins and beliefs. Thousands of witches were burned or drowned here – more than anywhere else in Europe, eradicating ancient knowledge and customs. What is happening, Lenka? Do you think we should do something about this?”
She nodded.
“Do you have a religion of your own? In your village?”
“I attended Bible classes.”
“And do you believe in Christ? In God and Jesus?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“The Christian Bible is instructed here at the university, did you know? It is all done with force and indoctrination – thou shalt not do this and thou shalt not do that…”
For an hour he talked about religion and questioned her about her friends and schooling, finally coming around once again to the reasons she was here. This time it was much clearer, and it seemed he had confided in her quite a lot, was talking to her as an equal now, not a gypsy fortune-teller.
“Kaiser Wilhelm is suggestible, highly volatile – not adhering to the policies of his advisers. He is what is known as a hothead, Lenka, which is an excellent opportunity for us. There are problems arising in the Baltic countries, and with some manipulation we can bring the entire system crashing down. Within our lifetime, both empires could be brought to their knees… there will be tremendous death and destruction, but then after that—”
Her head became suddenly dizzy with images, of lights dimmed and the haunting sound of sirens echoing across deserted towns. Hordes of people were running along cobbled streets, ushering children along, carrying masks… She clutched her temples. “This will happen!”
He sat straight up as if electrocuted. “What do you see? Tell me what you see!”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. People running down the streets, running for their lives… no, nothing more, it has gone, faded.”
“You need practice, technique. You have a clarity and precision beyond your years but no teacher. You barely read and know little of politics, yet you see and you know. You transfer thoughts and infiltrate minds, intuit weaknesses and manipulate. You will join our group, our club, of course?”
The man’s arrogance was staggering. “What? Just to make you rich—”
His mouth dropped open. And then he smiled the dazzling smile of illusion and foul play. “Please, do not think I and my father are merely greedy bankers with a moneymaking plan. And do not underestimate who is in our club or who we bow down to. Not only will your demons have plenty of work to do, but you will be wealthy beyond all imagination, and that will set you free, Lenka. You will have the key to every material luxury you ever desired and more. How pretty you will look in the new-style dresses! Or of course you can go back to your aunt and uncle’s house, scrub their floors and get sick.”
“I can have an apartment? Of my own?”
“You can have a house of your own. And servants.”
He refilled both their glasses.
“So, you want to join?”
She smiled, already picturing the new-style dresses and hats, the ones ladies who travelled in carriages wore. “Does this club have a name?”
“Of course. We are der Orden der schwarzen Sonne.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Herr Blum, or Heinrich as she was to call him when they were alone, walked Lenka home, the dutiful tutor carrying a pile of books. She would attend the university every weekday evening for one year in order to study European politics, English and French. Intensive study was required before being admitted to the Order, and this included instruction in the occult. The dark arts were practised routinely and openly by the ruling elite, and, as such, there was a great deal to learn.