Kyle started with these words:
‘Harry Keogh was our best. He had talents no one ever had before. A lot of them. He told me everything I'm going to tell you. If you believe what I tell you, we can help you with some big problems you've got in Russia and Romania. In helping you, we'll also be helping ourselves, for we'll learn by experience. Now then, do you want to know about Borowitz and how he died? About Max Batu and how he died? About the… the fossil men, who wrecked the Château Bronnitsy that night? I can tell you all of those things. More importantly, I can tell you about Dragosani.
And nearly three hours later he finished with these:
‘So, Dragosani was a vampire. And there are more of them. You have them, and we have them. We know where at least one of yours is. Or if not a vampire, something a vampire left behind. Which could be just as bad. Whichever, it has to be destroyed. We can help if you'll let us. Call it what you like — détente, while we deal with a mutual threat? But if you don't want our help, then you'll have to do the job yourself. But we'd like to help, because that way we might learn something. Face it, Felix, this is bigger than East-West political squabbling. We'd work together if it was plague, wouldn't we? Drug trafficking? Ships in trouble at sea? Of course we would. And I'm admitting right here and now, our own problem back in England might be bigger than we know. The more we learn from you, the better our chances. The better all of our chances.
Krakovitch had been silent for a long time. At last he said: ‘You want to come to USSR with me and… and put this thing down?'
‘Not the USSR — ' said Quint. ‘Romania. That's still your territory.'
‘The two of you? Both the leader, and a high-ranking member of your E-Branch? Is that not to be the big risks?'
Kyle shook his head. ‘Not from you. At least I don't think so. Anyway, we all have to start trusting someone somewhere. We've already started, so why not go all the way?'
Krakovitch nodded. ‘And afterwards, I perhaps come with you? See what kind problem you have?'
‘If you wish.'
Krakovitch pondered it. ‘You tell me a lot,' he said. ‘And you solve some big problems for me, maybe. But you not say where exactly this thing in Romania.'
‘If you want to go it alone,' said Kyle, ‘I will tell you. Not exactly, for I don't know exactly, but close enough that you'll be able to find it. Working together we might do it a lot faster, that's all.'
‘Also,' Krakovitch was still thinking it out, ‘you not say how you knowing all of this. Hard to accept all I hear without I know how you know.'
‘Harry Keogh told me,' said Kyle.
‘Keogh is dead a long time now,' said Krakovitch.
‘Yes,' Quint cut in, ‘but he told us everything right up to the time he died.'
‘Ah?' Krakovitch drew breath sharply. ‘He was that good? Such talent in a telepath must be… very rare.'
‘Unique!' said Kyle.
‘And your lot killed him!' Quint accused.
Krakovitch quickly turned to him. ‘Dragosani killed him. And he killed Dragosani — almost.'
It was Kyle's turn to gasp. ‘Almost? Are you saying that —‘
Krakovitch held up a hand. ‘I finish the job Keogh started,' he said. ‘I tell you about that. But first: you say Keogh in contact right until the end?'
Kyle wanted to say, he still is! But that was a secret best kept. ‘Yes,' he answered.
‘Then you can describe what happen that night?'
‘In detail,' said Kyle. ‘Would that satisfy you that the rest of what I've said is the truth?'
Krakovitch slowly nodded.
‘They came out of the night and the falling snow,' Kyle began. ‘Zombies, men dead for four hundred years, and Harry their leader. Bullets couldn't stop them, for they were already dead. Cut them down with machine-gun fire, and the bits kept right on coming. They got into your defensive positions, your pillboxes. They pulled the pins on grenades, fought with their old rusty weapons, their swords and axes. They were Tartars, fearless, and made more fearless by the fact that they couldn't die twice. Keogh wasn't just a telepath; amongst his other talents, he could also teleport! He did — right into Dragosani's control room. He took a couple of his Tartars with him. That was where he and Dragosani had it out, while in the rest of the Château —‘
‘— In the rest of the Château,' Krakovitch took up the story, his face deathly white, ‘it was… hell! I was there.
I lived through it. A few others with me. The rest died — horribly! Keogh was… some kind of monster. He could call up the dead!'
‘Not as big a monster as Dragosani,' said Kyle. ‘But you were going to tell me what happened after Keogh died. How you finished off the job he started. What did you mean by that?'
‘Dragosani was a vampire,' Krakovitch nodded, almost to himself. ‘Yes, you are right, of course.' He got a grip of himself. ‘Look, Sergei here was with me when we clean up what was left of Dragosani. Let me show you what happen when I remind him about that — and when I tell to him there are more of them.' He turned to his silent companion, spoke to him rapidly in Russian.
They were sitting at a scruffy bar lit by flickering neon in the airport's almost deserted night arrivals lounge. The barman had gone off duty two hours earlier and their glasses had stood empty ever since. Gulharov's reaction to what Krakovitch told him was immediate and vehement. He went white and drew back from his boss, almost falling from his barstool. And as Krakovitch finished speaking, so he slammed his empty beer glass down on the bar.
‘Nyet, nyet!' he gasped his denial, his face working with a strange mixture of fury and loathing. And then, his voice gradually rising and growing shrill, he began a diatribe in Russian which would soon attract attention.
Krakovitch gripped his arm and shook him, and Gulharov's jabbering faded into silence. ‘Now I ask him if we accepting your help,' Krakovitch informed. He spoke to the younger man again, and this time Gulharov nodded twice, rapidly, and his colour began to return to normal.
‘Da, da!' he gasped emphatically. His throat made a dry rattle as he added something else, unintelligible to the two Englishmen.
Krakovitch smiled humourlessly. ‘He says we should accept all the help we can get,' he translated. ‘Because we have to kill these things — finish them! And I agreeing with him…‘ Then he told these strangest of allies all that had happened at the Château Bronnitsy after Harry Keogh's war.
When he'd finished there was a long silence, broken at last by Quint. ‘We're in agreement, then? That we'll act together on this?'
Krakovitch nodded. He shrugged, said simply, ‘No alternative. And no time to waste.'
Quint turned to Kyle. ‘But how do we go about it?'
‘As far as possible,' Kyle answered, ‘we go the straightforward way. We get it all right up front, without any of the usual —, The airport tannoy broke in on him, echoing tinnily as some sleepy, unseen announcer requested in English that a Mr A. Kyle please take a telephone call at the reception desk.
Krakovitch's face froze. Who would know that Kyle was here?
Kyle stood up, shrugged apologetically. This was very embarrassing. It could only be ‘Brown', and how to explain that to Krakovitch? Quint, on the other hand, was his usual ready-for-anything self. Calmly he said to Krakovitch, ‘Well, you have your little bloodhound following you about. And now it would seem that we have one too.'
Krakovitch gave a curt, sour nod. And with an edge of ‘sarcasm, echoing Kyle, he said, ‘Without any of the usual, eh? Did you know about this?'
'it's none of our doing.' Quint wasn't exactly truthful. We're in the same boat as you.'
On Krakovitch's orders, Gulharov accompanied Kyle to the reception-cum-enquiries desk, leaving.Quint and Krakovitch alone together. ‘Maybe this is all in our favour,' said Quint.