Erin’s hand tightened around her pendant. “A clue to this Shambhala?”
“I didn’t know anything about Shambhala. Oh, I might have heard a reference to it sometime or other, but it wasn’t on my radar. Until I finally found a reference to an eight-sided lotus that connected it to Shambhala.” She slowly shook her head. “It blew me away.”
“Why? You said yourself this place is only a myth.”
“I said that it was said to be a myth. What if it actually existed?”
“Then it would have been discovered and debunked decades ago.”
“Would it?”
“People are always hunting for hidden treasures or lost cities like Atlantis. Do they find them? No, because they don’t exist. And because of modern technology and satellites, there’s no place to hide any longer.”
“Perhaps.”
“No perhaps,” she said firmly. “Anything else is the stuff of Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider movies.”
“It’s strange you should mention movies.” She smiled. “Though the one that could pertain to Shambhala wasn’t that recent. It was a vintage classic. Lost Horizon. It was based on a novel by James Hilton and was all about a perfect place called Shangri-La. Where people only wished to live in peace. I’m sure you’ve heard of that particular myth.”
“Of course, I even saw the movie on late-night TV.”
“Hilton modeled his hidden city of Shangri-La on Shambhala. He borrowed some of his material from the memoirs of Abbe Huc and other Catholic missionaries who explored Tibet and the culture of the lamas in the nineteenth century.”
“So he built on one myth to perpetuate another.” She moistened her lips. “Shangri-La doesn’t exist either though it’s become part of world culture. I understand that the Chinese even built a tourist-trap city in Yunnan Province and claimed it to be the location of the Shangri-La in the movie.”
“Yes, the Chinese are nothing if not opportunistic. You can even fly into Shangri-La airport. Though the Chinese located their Shangri-La in the Kunlun Mountains and not the Himalayas. But they assured the world that their scientists had studied the topographical features of the entire area, and they were sure they were correct. They did a good, though extremely commercial job, of building their city, and millions flock to the place every year.”
“You researched it?”
“I had reason,” she said. “Shangri-La was modeled after Shambhala, and I had to know everything about it. Because Shambhala had to be the center of what was happening around me.”
“Just because of my lotus necklace?” Erin’s brows rose. “You’re reaching, Catherine.”
“And I don’t know all the answers. But I have a feeling I’m on the right track. I think Shambhala exists and that you know something about it. Oh, I don’t mean as an actual place. But the idea of creating a perfect world like that, with those values, would attract you. When I thought Cameron was some high-priced security mogul working for an organization that was trying to control the world through technology and political manipulation, I couldn’t understand why you’d be drawn to it. From what I knew about you, that didn’t compute. But then I ran across this connection with Shambhala. It clicked. What if you thought that this committee was trying to be guided by all those highfalutin goals that are attributed to Shambhala. You’re an idealist. I know how persuasive Cameron can be. He could paint you a wonderful picture of this conglomerate trying to save the world, of working to create a new Shambhala. Yes, I think you know a good deal about all of it.” She looked her in the eye. “And I think Kadmus wants to know what you know. I believe that’s why he wants to find Cameron. Because he’s sure Cameron knows even more than you do about the place. I’m not sure he’s even aware of Cameron’s conglomerate or that committee. He may be looking for Shambhala itself.”
“Kadmus is searching for a lost city? That’s hardly likely, is it?”
“That’s what I thought until I started thinking and putting together the pieces. Kadmus has a king complex, he worships power. That’s why he set up headquarters at that royal palace at Daksha. He wants to rule all of Tibet, and if he could manage, he’d branch out into China. But his opportunities appear limited considering his background, and he doesn’t like limits. So he began to look around, searching for a way to obtain power without running a risk to his military kingdom at Daksha. I don’t know how or why he focused on Shambhala. Perhaps he saw something, heard something that intrigued him.” She paused. “And perhaps he ran across someone else who had one of those necklaces and was able to force information out of them. What do you think?”
“I think that you’re trying to turn fantasy into reality, and it’s not working. Why would he even think that some lost city would be profitable for him? Is it supposed to be some kind of treasure trove?”
“It’s possible. Or he might think it possible. The legends surrounding Shambhala aren’t the usual stories of hidden treasure. It’s a place where physical and psychic powers are blended in a perfect whole. That psychic aspect has been mentioned in the legends for thousands of years. Yes, the ground is supposed to be strewn with gold and silver, and jewels are everywhere. But it’s also supposed to be a wonderful place whose people live for a long, long time in beautiful, perfect bodies. They hate war and violence and won’t tolerate it. Their main purpose is to store power and knowledge for the time when the outer world destroys itself and comes seeking that knowledge. They also have so-called supernatural or psychic powers and high, high intelligence that enable them to survive and keep the outer world at bay.”
“Gold and silver and jewels would appeal to Kadmus. Not the rest.”
“But what if that intelligence and psychic ability could translate into producing wonderful products and influence the minds of people in power? That would be a tremendously valuable asset for Kadmus to control.”
“If he could do it.”
“Kadmus thinks he can do anything. He wouldn’t be intimidated. He’d assume that he’s the exception to any rule. Did you know that one of his more legitimate investments is a share in one of the most powerful Chinese companies that run several of the hotels and tourist concessions in Shangri-La?”
“No, that could mean nothing or that the idea is an obsession for him.”
“I’m voting for the obsession.”
“And why would you think that legend is true and Shambhala actually exists?”
“I told you, I don’t know if it exists as a real place. Not in this day and age. It would be terribly hard to hide from satellites. In this modern day, I’m leaning toward the idea that it’s not a city or country but could be a group of people who might possess some of those qualities and set themselves up to dedicate and maintain that kind of control and skill. Perhaps a conglomerate.” She paused. “Or a committee.”
Erin was silent.
“And they would need an awesome security force to keep anyone from knowing exactly what they were doing to manipulate the global process.” She added softly, “A Guardian at the gates. Cameron was perfect. He has certain mental abilities, and he’s tough as hell. But I’m wondering if he had another job. It must be difficult to recruit new blood to keep that kind of organization going. I don’t even know what the criteria would be. Perhaps you could help me out there? Let’s see, you’re intelligent, brave, self-sacrificing. What else?”
“A very ordinary journalist.”
“There’s nothing ordinary about you. You said Cameron ‘sort of’ gave you that necklace. Was that to seal the deal?”
“No,” she said. “And I have no psychic talents, and I’m fairly smart but no superbrain. So that blows your theory to hell. Cameron did not recruit me.”
“Did he try?”
Erin gazed at her with exasperation. “I’m not going to let you lead me down that road. You’ve convinced yourself that this outrageous fairy tale you’ve uncovered is true. Well, believe it if you wish, but don’t expect me to confirm it.”
“It’s kind of a nice fairy tale,” Catherine said. “Particularly the part about them creating a better world for all of us. I like the idea of a safety net waiting if all we do to keep the world from blowing up doesn’t work.” She added with a hint of grimness, “Providing that the idealistic purpose is real and that it’s just not another giant commercial scam. In that case, the fairy tale would have to be torn apart and burned to cinders. Right now I’m giving it less than 50 percent.”