“Tell me,” Brasden said again.
“You won’t believe it. It takes a man with vision.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ve heard rumors for forty years about a city in these mountains that has a treasure trove of jewels and gold. At first, I didn’t believe it; and then I began to wonder why shouldn’t it be true when so many people I ran across thought it existed? After all, I’d always known that I was meant to rule. It’s my destiny. It could also be my destiny that I came to these mountains so that I’d find a place worthy of me. So I started searching for clues to find Shambhala.”
“The priest,” Brasden prompted.
“That priest I took the necklace from told his children about a wonderful place he would take them to one day. Yes, where there were jewels and gold and wonderful, wise people. He said that he was one of the chosen, and he’d been given the pendant by one of the wise ones who would lead him to the place of wonder.” His mouth twisted. “Old fool. He only talked about it. He stayed in his sod hut in that village when he could have gone to Shambhala.”
“Shambhala … I’ve never heard of it.”
“Because you’re an ignorant fool. Like that priest. He didn’t die quite right away. Not before he told me that those who were given the necklace were the sanctioned who would be permitted to join the wise ones in Shambhala. It was given to him by a man, a Westerner, but I wasn’t able to get a name. He kept calling him the Guardian. And I couldn’t get any other information out of him. I would have done it if I’d only had the time. But he cut his throat with a knife one of the villagers slipped him.”
“You actually believed him?”
“It’s true,” he said fiercely. “There’s a Shambhala, and it was meant to be found by me.”
“Or me,” Brasden said. “If it exists.”
“It exists. Find Cameron, and he’ll take us to it.”
“Us,” Brasden repeated. “That sounds like a partnership.”
“I’m not a fool.” It would be a partnership until Kadmus rooted out any Brasden supporters among his men and destroyed them as well as Brasden. “There’s kingdom enough to share in Shambhala. Just find Cameron.”
Brasden stared thoughtfully at Kadmus, then contemptuously tossed the lotus necklace to him before he turned on his heel. “I’ll find him.”
* * *
Erin and Hu Chang were the only ones in the library when Catherine and Cameron got back to Celia’s house.
Catherine felt a jolt of anxiety. “Where’s Luke?”
“In the kitchen with Celia,” Erin said. “He’s helping her with the dishes. I offered, but she chose Luke. They seem to have bonded.”
“Did you really think that I’d let anything happen to him?” Hu Chang asked. “He wasn’t at all happy that you left without him. I thought it best to keep him busy.” He glanced at Cameron. “He wants to believe in you, but Tashdon made that hard. I’d go and reinforce to him that you’ll never hurt Catherine.” He paused. “If that’s possible?”
“Not only possible but certain.” He turned and headed for the door. “Tell them about Sen, Catherine. I’ll go make sure that we don’t have any trouble with Luke.”
“I should be the one who—” But he was gone, and Catherine shrugged and turned back to Erin and Hu Chang. “Jack Sen is on his way to an airport outside the city, where he’ll be put on a flight to Hong Kong,” she said curtly. “Everything went well. Except Cameron killed one of Kadmus’s men staked out in the garage.” She told them briefly about the security cameras and Cameron’s decision to let himself be recognized. “Now we’re waiting for word that Jack Sen is on that flight.” She added, “And then we wait to see if those security-camera videos are compromised and will target Cameron. Cameron said Blake has contacts in the police department who might be able to let us know.”
“It appears that Cameron is changing his modus operandi,” Hu Chang said dryly. “Exposing himself on camera is most unlike him. And so is guaranteeing your safety. Life and death are always ebb and flow depending on his duties as Guardian.”
“That doesn’t mean he won’t change his mind,” Catherine said. “But perhaps it does mean that he’s thinking that his precious committee isn’t always right.” She looked at Erin. “He must have gone through a lot with you. He’d have to be completely callous not to have it affect him.”
“It did affect him,” Erin said. “I could feel his pain as he did mine. But he won’t betray what he believes in. I wouldn’t want him to do that.”
“Erin, I don’t know what to say to you,” Catherine said helplessly. “What the hell is so worthwhile to you that you’d go through what you did to keep from sacrificing it? I can’t comprehend it.”
“I think you know more than you did when you left here this morning,” Erin said shrewdly. “Cameron has a way of blowing away the mist and making things clear.”
“That’s Cameron. He’s in a class by himself. I’m talking about you. What makes it that important to you?”
“The dream,” she said softly. “And the people who are willing to work and sacrifice to keep it alive. I wasn’t brave enough to do it. What Cameron goes through must be terrible at times. I think that’s why I wore the lotus necklace when I knew I shouldn’t. I wanted to show support even though I didn’t have the courage to become one of them.” She met Catherine’s gaze. “You’d have the courage. I can see you and Cameron together fighting for a cause.”
“Only if I believed in it.” She added gently, “And you have an enormous amount of courage.”
“I have endurance. It’s different from having the guts to take a step into the unknown.” She paused. “But I’ve been thinking about it, and I may have grown during the last months. I hope that’s true.”
“You didn’t need to grow. You’re a person who—”
“I just talked to Blake,” Cameron said as he strode into the library. “Sen’s flight took off ten minutes ago. He’ll arrive in Hong Kong in eighteen hours and be taken to a secure hospital just across the Tibet border. We won’t know about the security disks for several hours.” His eyes were glittering, his face taut. “But by that time, we should have most of the preparations made.” He looked over his shoulder. “Isn’t that so, Luke?”
Good God, Catherine thought as she watched Luke come into the room. Her son had the same expression of barely restrained excitement as Cameron.
Luke smiled at Catherine as he stopped beside Cameron. “He’s trying to make you think that he and I are planning this together. It’s not true. But he promised to make sure I’d be part of it.” His smile lingered as he looked up at Cameron. “And that’s enough for me.”
Cameron returned his smile. “Smart boy. You see right through me.”
“No.” His brow furrowed. “But it’s funny you should say that. I’ve been thinking that sometimes I get a crazy feeling that you see right through me.”
Cameron’s smile faded, and he gave a low whistle. “You might have to give him to me for a few tests, Catherine.”
“No way,” she said flatly.
He shrugged. “We’ll talk later.” He turned to Hu Chang. “The first thing to do is get the Mercedes away from the front of Celia’s house and placed in a spot that will throw out a red herring for Kadmus to pick up as soon as the Mercedes is identified from either the security cameras or any witness accounts. I’ll take care of it. By now that cabdriver who brought you to Chinatown will have given a description of all of you to Kadmus’s men. We don’t want you to be seen again until the right time. Stay here with Celia.” He glanced down at Luke again. “Take care of Catherine. I’ll be back soon.”
“You told him that before. We’ll take care of each other. Just as we always have,” Catherine said coolly. “Where are you going to drop the Mercedes?”
“I’m not sure. I have an idea, but I’ll have to call and have a little research done.” He smiled as he turned and headed for the door. “But I’ll be sure and ask your approval.”
Bastard, she thought as she watched the door close behind him. What research? She hated that he had left her behind. He was right that it wasn’t smart that they be identified, but that hadn’t stopped him from practically yanking her out of this house this morning.