Apocalypsis 1.09 Wearily Electors

by Mario Giordano

  Chaim Kaplan

  Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem ABD

  Hekhal Shelomo

  85 King George St. POB 2479

  Jerusalem 91087

  Israel

  * * *

  When he woke up again, she was gone. From outside came blinding sunshine. For a moment, Peter held his breath. Then he looked at his wristwatch.

  Noon? 12.00 PM?

  He had slept for more than eleven hours, deeply and without dreaming. Peter felt more refreshed and alert than he had felt in a long time.

  While he was getting dressed, the little SIM card fell into his hands. Peter looked at it for a moment and then he inserted it into the smartphone that Haruki had given him and started an app that gave him access to the content of the chip card.

  Four files were stored on the card. The first file was a list of 21 names but he knew only two of them. The first name was Cardinal Fernando Torres. He was the Bishop of Santiago de Compostela; Peter had interviewed him once. The second familiar name was: Peter Adam.

  This did not surprise Peter, even though he had no idea what the connection was between these 21 names. He thought it must be some kind of black list. The second and the third file consisted of images in JPG format that showed illustrations of various alchemical treatises. The fourth file showed a square that was divided into 25 fields, each of which contained an alchemical symbol.

  Peter copied the files to the folder of the phone and just as he was about to remove the SIM card again, the smartphone started to vibrate. Peter was perplexed and stared at the vibrating device in his hand. The caller-ID was blocked.

  »Yes?«

  »I knew that Nikolas would fail this time.«

  Seth!

  Peter’s first impulse was just to hang up.

  »Don’t do it, Peter,« came Seth’s sharp voice over the receiver. »I tracked your location the moment you inserted the card. Let’s talk.«

  »About what?« Peter asked.

  »You have something that belongs to me. I want it back. And I also want the amulet. And I want you. We need to talk.«

  »About what? About the murder of my parents?«

  »If that’s what you want.«

  »No, thank you. I am not interested,« Peter said in a harsh voice.

  »Oh, I am convinced you are. Provided you want to survive the next 24 hours.«

  Peter did not respond to that.

  »If you haven’t done it already,« Seth continued calmly, »I would suggest you take a good look at your legs. That’s where you can always see it first.«

  »What?« Peter gasped.

  »The virus that’s inside you. It is almost as old as life itself and yet it is completely unknown to modern medicine. It is not contagious but it is almost completely incurable. Only I can cure you.«

  The itching on his leg increased again. Peter noticed that his mouth was getting dry.

  »You are a liar!«

  »Let’s stop this verbal to and fro, Peter. Twenty-four hours from now, you will be dead. Come to the Domhotel in Cologne. Doctor Creutzfeldt will be expecting you there. Suite 306.«

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Episode 9 ♦ WEARILY ELECTORS

  LXIII

  LXIV

  LXV One year earlier ...

  LXVI

  LXVII One year earlier ...

  LXVIII