'But it burned down?' said Jon.
'Yes, several times,' replied Remer, lowering his eyes. 'The demise of the library extended over several hundred years, starting with the Battle of Alexandria in the year 48 BC, in which Caesar himself was involved. It had something to do with Cleopatra. The fire ravaged large sections of the library, and countless codices and scrolls were lost. Later the Roman Empire fell, and during the following centuries plundering raids completely emptied the library.'
'And it was in the library that the powers originated?'
Remer raised his index finger. 'Were discovered, not originated. The powers have most likely always existed, but it was only with Demetrius that they were investigated.'
Jon frowned. He'd heard that name recently.
'The school you broke into was named after him,' said Remer, as if he'd noticed Jon's puzzled look. 'He was also the idea man behind the original Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and in addition to being a philosopher, statesman and advisor, he was probably the first head librarian.'
Jon thought back to the meeting with the transmitters at Шsterbro Library when the librarian, with a certain amount of envy, had described the influence that librarians once had enjoyed during antiquity.
'Fortunately Demetrius was also a cautious man,' Remer continued. 'He quickly realized what he was on to, and he kept his knowledge of the powers a deep secret. That was how he founded our organization. Back then it was a secret society for those who had been specially initiated, which meant those who possessed the powers and held influential positions. At that time, and for centuries afterwards, there was a virtual thicket of religious and philosophical sects in Alexandria that were more or less secret. Most learned men were members of one or more societies – it must have been the fashionable thing to do back then – and it was probably easy for Demetrius to recruit the right people.'
'Is this what you call recruiting?' asked Jon, tugging at the straps that held him captive.
'It was necessary in order to get your undivided attention,' he said. 'Most likely Demetrius didn't have to resort to such drastic measures. He was a respected man, and I'm sure that everyone he invited to join would have felt honoured, and above all loyal.' Remer's face took on a disappointed expression. 'You should feel that way too, Campelli. Not many are found worthy to join our organization.'
Jon was about to protest when Remer raised his voice to cut him off.
'But I'm convinced you'll come to see things our way. Just wait.'
There was no doubt in Jon's mind that this was meant to be a threat, not a promise, and his thoughts turned again to Katherina. Was she too in Alexandria? Why was Remer so confident of Jon's cooperation?
'With the final destruction of the library, Alexandria also lost its status as a centre of scholarship, and since it was necessary for the organization to be in the place where advances were being made, the group was split up. The members went out into the world to start up local chapters.' Remer raised one eyebrow and gave Jon a curt nod. 'Some of them went to Italy.'
Jon had been counting on hearing at some point what the connection was with himself. There was something that Remer was planning to use to win Jon over to his side.
'Are you saying that my ancestors belonged to Demetrius's sect?'
'There's a good chance they did,' Remer confirmed. 'There are no complete family trees or any surviving lists of members, but all indications are that the pockets of organized Lectors that are found around the world all stem from the original order, established here in Alexandria almost two thousand four hundred years ago.'
'What went wrong?' asked Jon. 'Why haven't you conquered the world?'
Remer grimaced. 'There are lots of reasons,' he replied. 'The decentralization that occurred weakened the organization. Factions arose that had a different agenda, and the various splinter groups wasted a lot of energy waging war on each other. There was also a long period when it was downright dangerous to be a learned person. Scholars were summarily denounced as witches or sorcerers and burned at the stake. That's why it was important to keep a low profile, which didn't make it any easier to find or recruit new members.' He got up to stretch his legs. 'It wasn't until the Renaissance that the organization began gaining ground once again, but it took years before the lost knowledge was reclaimed.'
Even though he was in the presence of his enemy, Jon felt himself drawn into the story he was hearing, but it made him even more surprised that the Bibliophile Society back home hadn't told him about his roots. Maybe they didn't know about the origin of the group; maybe they were keeping it secret until he was ready to hear the truth.
'The Renaissance was a long time ago,' said Jon. 'But again, why haven't you taken over the world by now?'
'Who says we haven't?' asked Remer with a mischievous smile. 'No, you're right. It's only in the last few decades that we've acquired the essential instrument.' He paused.
Jon raised his eyebrows. 'Are you waiting for me to guess what you mean by that?'
Remer laughed. 'Democracy. That's what we've been waiting for.'
'Democracy?' repeated Jon, surprised.
'Democracy is the best thing that's ever happened to the Order. Of course, the monarchy provided a number of opportunities too, but it was much too vulnerable. For one thing, it was difficult to get individuals placed close to the seat of power. And for another, it became dangerous for them every time the power shifted. Most often their heads rolled along with the king's. No, democracy is perfect.' Remer held up his index finger. 'It's relatively easy to get close to those in power, and it's much more effective when everyone thinks they can personally influence the decisions. In reality, they believe whatever we allow them to believe. On top of that, most of our people are able to keep their positions when governments change.'
'They're civil servants?' Jon asked.
Remer nodded. 'Among other things. Remember that we only need to be in the vicinity when those we want to influence are reading. They surround themselves with secretaries, assistants and legal consultants. Even messengers, cafeteria staff and cleaning personnel can be used.'
'So that explains why we can't tell the difference between the various governments,' Jon remarked dryly.
'We're not interested in politics,' said Remer. 'Make no mistake about that. We're just trying to create the optimal conditions for our organization in as many places in the world as possible.'
'You still haven't told me why we're in Alexandria,' Jon pointed out. 'If the organization has spread all over the globe and there's no longer just one centre, then why here?'
'It's true that the original Bibliotheca Alexandrina no longer exists,' said Remer. 'But we've built a new one.'
'We?' asked Jon in surprise.
Remer smiled secretively. 'The Egyptian government, in cooperation with UNESCO, has built a sumptuous new library on the very same site – or at least close to the site – where the original Bibliotheca Alexandrina once stood. It opened in 2002 after twelve or thirteen years of effort, and at a cost of nearly 400 million dollars. An enormous project that has put Alexandria back on the map for information science. The stated goal behind the re-establishment of the library is to restore the region to its previous glory days as the focal point for knowledge and scholarship.'
'And what's your role in the creation of the new library?'
'Let's just say that we've nudged the process a bit,' replied Remer with a smile. 'Ensured that the necessary permits went through, inspired the right people and made sure that our people are among the employees. The sort of minor details that allow us access to the library whenever we like.'