The Traveler

“I don’t want a reason. We’re not talking about that. Just facts and conclusions. In Pakistan you were injured and two people were killed. I always liked Libra. He used to take me to the theater when he visited London. And Willow was a strong, graceful woman.”

“Both fighters accepted the risk,” Thorn said. “They both had a Proud Death.”

“Yes, they’re dead. Set up and destroyed for nothing. And now you want me to die the same way.”

Thorn gripped the arms of the wheelchair and, for a moment, she thought he was going to force himself to stand up, an act of pure will. “Something extraordinary has happened,” he said. “For the first time, we have a spy on the other side. Linden is in contact with him.”

“It’s just another trap.”

“Perhaps. But all the information we’ve received has been accurate. A few weeks ago, we learned about two possible Travelers in the United States. They’re brothers. I protected their father, Matthew Corrigan, many years ago. Before he went underground, I gave him a talisman.”

“Do the Tabula know about these brothers?”

“Yes. They’re watching them twenty-four hours a day.”

“Why don’t the Tabula just kill them? That’s what they usually do.”

“All I know is that the Corrigans are in danger and we have to help them as soon as possible. Shepherd comes from a Harlequin family. His grandfather saved hundreds of lives. But an unborn Traveler wouldn’t trust him. Shepherd isn’t very organized or intelligent. He’s a-”

“A fool.”

“Exactly. You could handle everything, Maya. All you have to do is find the Corrigans and take them to a safe place.”

“Maybe they’re just ordinary citizens.”

“We don’t know that until we question them. You’re right about one thing, there aren’t any more Travelers. This might be our last chance.”

“You don’t need me. Just hire some mercs.”

“The Tabula have more money and power. Mercenaries always betray us.”

“Then do it yourself.”

“I’m crippled, Maya. Stuck here, in this apartment, in this wheelchair. You’re the only one who can lead.”

For a few seconds she actually wanted to draw the sword and charge into battle, and then she remembered the fight in the London Underground station. A father should protect his daughter. Instead, Thorn had destroyed her childhood.

She stood up and walked to the door. “I’m going back to London.”

“Don’t you remember what I taught you? Verdammt durch das Fleisch. Gerettet durch das Blut…”

Damned by the flesh. Saved by the blood. Maya had heard the Harlequin phrase-and hated it-since she was a little girl.

“Tell your slogans to your new Russian friend. They don’t work with me.”

“If there are no more Travelers, then the Tabula have finally conquered history. In one or two generations, the Fourth Realm will become a cold, sterile place where everyone is watched and controlled.”

“It’s that way already.”

“This is our obligation, Maya. It’s who we are.” Thorn’s voice was full of pain and regret. “I’ve often wished for a different life, wished that I was born ignorant and blind. But I could never turn away and deny the past, deny all those Harlequins who sacrificed themselves for such an important cause.”

“You gave me weapons and taught me how to kill. Now you’re sending me out to be destroyed.”

Thorn looked small and frail in the wheelchair. His voice was a harsh whisper. “I would die for you.”

“But I’m not dying for a cause that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Maya reached for Thorn’s shoulder. It was a farewell gesture, a chance to connect with him one last time-but his angry expression made her pull her hand away.

“Goodbye, Father.” She turned to the door and opened the latch. “I have one small chance to be happy. I can’t let you take it away from me.”

2

Nathan Boone sat in a second-floor room of the warehouse across the street from the lingerie shop. Peering through a nightscope, he watched Maya leave Thorn’s building and head down the sidewalk. Boone had already photographed Thorn’s daughter arriving at the airport terminal, but he enjoyed seeing her again. So much of his work these days involved staring at a computer monitor, checking phone calls and credit card bills, reading medical reports and police bulletins from a dozen different countries. To see an actual Harlequin helped him reconnect with the reality of what he was doing. The enemy still existed-at least a few of them did-and it was his responsibility to eliminate them.

Two years ago, after the shoot-out in Pakistan, he found Maya living in London. Her public behavior indicated that she had rejected the violence of the Harlequins and had decided to have a normal life. The Brethren had considered executing Maya, but Boone sent them a lengthy e-mail recommending against it. He knew that she might lead him to Thorn, Linden, or Mother Blessing. All three Harlequins were still dangerous. They needed to be tracked down and destroyed.