False Horizon (11 page)

Annja grimaced. She knew the voice on the phone. And it always had a way of popping up when she least wanted it to. “Garin.”

“The same.”

“What in the world are you doing calling Tuk?” she asked.

“Tuk is working for me. He has been for some time now.”

Annja laughed. “Please. What would Tuk ever do for someone like you?”

“You say that like I’m the worst person on the planet, Annja. I might take offense.”

“I can think of a few who might be worse,” Annja said. “But it’s a close race if it makes you feel any better.”

“The only reason you don’t love me to death is because you’ve just never understood my agenda.” Garin chuckled into the phone. “If you did, there might be hope for us yet.”

“Doubtful,” Annja said. “We’ve come out of things at different extremes far too often for me to think there’d ever be a peaceful alliance there. I can’t tell you how many times you’ve made me want to scream.”

“I make lots of women scream. Usually they don’t complain about it afterwards,” he said.

“Don’t you wish that was the reason.”

“I’d never deny that bedding you would be one of the best experiences in my life. It would be for you, as well, if you’d only give in to what you feel and admit that you love me.”

“I most certainly do not.” Annja felt her face redden. Despite the fact that she definitely did not love Garin, she was physically attracted to him. She’d never admit it, though. Garin’s ego was massive already.

“If you insist.” Garin paused. “Don’t be upset with Tuk. He was only following my orders. And it’s not like he betrayed you or anything.”

Annja glanced at Tuk. He looked positively embarrassed. Annja sighed and waved it off with her hand. “All right, fine. Whatever. What’s he been doing for you, anyway?”

“Keeping track of you.”

Annja’s eyes flashed back at Tuk with murderous intent. “He’s been following
me?
So that’s why he was in the airplane. He told me he was a drunk and fell asleep trying to get over a hangover.”

“You were too smart to fall for that, Annja. You never believed it from the moment he told you so stop pretending to be angry now that I’ve confirmed it. It’s unbecoming.”

Annja felt her blood pressure rising. She glanced around and then decided that Shangri-La likely didn’t have any heavy bags hanging off of trees that she could pummel for a solid hour. “Why has he been following me? What’s the big deal?”

“I asked him to look after you so I could make certain you were safe.”

“I’m in danger?”

Garin laughed. “Annja, you are very rarely not in danger in that so-called life of yours. Most of the time, I believe you’re miraculously lucky to walk down the street without someone dropping a piano on you.” He paused. “It amazes me you even manage any type of social life at all.”

Annja smirked. “Who said I have one of those?”

“I’m being kind, my dear.”

Annja nodded. “You’d better explain yourself, Garin. I’m not liking the way this conversation is headed.”

“Tuk’s been with you since you landed the other day. I set it up well ahead of time, but it was necessary for me to keep tabs on you. I believe you’ve stumbled into something that you don’t fully understand. And for purposes best known to myself, I find it necessary to make sure you stay safe.”

“I thought it was because of my sparkling personality.”

“More likely your spectacular ass.”

Annja blushed again. “Garin, is there a point to this conversation or is all this just making you feel good about yourself?”

“I just informed Tuk that the woman you saw in Tsing’s apartment the other night works for Chinese intelligence.”

“Taipei or Beijing? There’s a difference.”

“Beijing.”

“Oh.”

“And she is an expert assassin. If she’s been let loose from her cage, you can bet that it is because there’s a major target in play. I have no idea right now who that might be. It could be you. It could be Tuk. It might be someone I don’t even know about yet. But considering that she was positioned near Tsing, it’s more than likely it’s someone involved in your little jaunt to discover Shangri-La.”

Annja frowned. She never truly trusted Garin because of all the times he’d conned her in the past. And yet, when he told her certain facts, there did seem to be an element of truth to them. The key with Garin was figuring out which nuggets were true and which ones were bogus.

“All right, so where do we go from here?” she asked.

“I need to see you.”

Annja smirked. “Here? You want to come here?”

“That would be optimal, yes.”

Annja shook her head. “I can’t tell you the first thing about getting here. As far as I know, we could have been taken here in a time machine.”

“You weren’t,” Garin said. “If there was a time machine on this planet, I would know about it.”

Annja raised an eyebrow. Was that just one of those things he said in passing or was there some truth to that statement? She shook her head. “What I mean to say is, I don’t know how we came to be here. I’m sure Tuk will verify this for you.”

“He did. Regardless, I need to get there. So I’ve instructed Tuk to figure it out and then call me back.”

“Where are you now?”

“Jomsom. I’m close. But for all I know, the assassin could be closer.”

“Great.”

Garin paused. “Listen to me, Annja. I know that we haven’t always seen eye to eye in the past. I understand that my motivations may not coincide with your own. Despite that fact, I am being very serious when I tell you that there is something going on here that I don’t fully understand.”

“All right.”

“Tuk tells me you were shot down by a missile. Is that right?”

Annja nodded. “I’m no expert but we definitely took rocket fire yesterday.”

“Any idea what kind?”

“None. First we knew about it we were flying over a snowfield near Dhaulagiri. Mike threw the plane into all sorts of maneuvers and it missed us. We swept back to land at Jomsom to try to figure out who might be shooting at us and then got nailed by the second missile.”

“You shouldn’t have turned back.”

“We were on a direct course to cross the Tibetan border. The alternative didn’t look so good, y’know?”

“You think it was shoulder-fired?”

Annja frowned. “Again, I don’t know. We didn’t see a thing down there except a snow-white blanket. It could have been an emplacement. It might have been fired from someone’s shoulder if they were well camouflaged. I just can’t say.”

“Very well.” Garin paused. “Take care of yourself, Annja. Just because you’re in a supposed utopian world, don’t forget that there’s a very real world back out here. And sometimes those two worlds can get crossed. When they do, bad things can happen.”

“I’ll see you if Tuk manages to figure out a way to get you here,” she said.

“Keep things to yourself, Annja. Don’t be so trusting—even when you’re there.”

“I understand.”

The phone went dead in her hand. Tuk bounded over.

“Annja, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mislead you. But I didn’t think I was doing anything bad. Garin, as you call him, seemed most concerned about your safety and welfare. I didn’t think it was wrong what I was doing.”

Annja looked at him. “I know. How did he manage to find you anyway?”

Tuk frowned. “In my old life I worked for intelligence services operating in Katmandu. I was a tracker. I freelanced for them all and did my job very well. But then things changed and the world of espionage was not what it used to be with all its modern technology. I was forced to seek employment with criminals and thugs, the likes of which I have hated from the start. When Garin found me, it made my heart leap at the chance to once again do some good work.”

“And he paid well, didn’t he?”

“Extremely so. All I wanted was enough to retire on. I wanted to buy a home in the countryside and leave my former existence behind.”

Annja smiled. “I can’t blame you for that, Tuk. I just wish you’d been honest with me from the get-go.”

“I had my orders, Annja. I hope you can understand. Part of what made me such a great tracker was my obedience to mission parameters.”

“Yeah, I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.”

Tuk chewed his lip for a moment. “Did you listen to what Garin had to say?”

“I did.”

“And what do you think about it?”

“I’m not sure yet. Garin sometimes says things that aren’t wholly factual.”

“He lies?”

Annja smiled. “Hate to burst your bubble about your employer, pal, but yeah, he’s been known to lie before. He’s lied a lot to me personally.”

Tuk frowned. “That is unfortunate.”

“But who knows,” Annja said. “He could be completely honest right now about this thing. You just never really know with Garin until all the cards are on the table and you can see what he’s got.” She smirked. “Even then I wouldn’t buy into everything. Garin’s been known to have a few extra aces up his sleeve.”

“He sounds like a most interesting man.”

“Something like that.” Annja glanced back at the party. “What do you think of this notion that the Chinese are involved here somehow?”

“I don’t know what to think. But I saw that woman Garin mentioned. And she terrified me.”

“So you think she’s capable of being what Garin said she was?”

Tuk nodded fiercely. “I was in Tsing’s penthouse the night you and Mike were there, as well.”

“You were? How did you manage that feat?”

Tuk shrugged but Annja could see the little man was proud of what he’d accomplished. “I managed to infiltrate the apartment successfully in order to keep an eye on you.”

“Oh, yeah? And what would you have done if Mike and I were in danger?”

Tuk frowned. “Honestly, I have no idea.”

Annja laughed a little. “So you saw this woman?”

“She had stepped out of the apartment and that enabled my entrance. I was caught unaware when she returned. But whereas most people will walk right by my hiding spots and be none the wiser, she seemed to sense my presence there in the darkness. Her eyes pierced the night and seemed to stare right into my soul. And I shall never forget the image of her fingernails. They looked like claws or blades. She struck fear into my very soul.”

Annja nodded. “Great. Sounds like just the kind of woman I could have a beer with.”

“That,” Tuk said, “is something I doubt very much.”

“I’m being sarcastic.”

Tuk grinned. “Sorry.”

Annja looked at the party. Mike had noticed the two of them were missing out on the festivities and seemed intent to wander over. Annja glanced back at Tuk. “I don’t think we should talk too much about this with anyone else.”

“I agree.”

“It’s just that it might make people upset. If something happens, then we’ll deal with it.”

“With your sword?”

Annja smiled. “Maybe. And don’t you dream of mentioning that to anyone, either.”

“Especially, I’m assuming, Garin?”

Annja shrugged. “Nah, he already knows about it. Too late to keep that secret from him.” She took a breath. “In the meantime, you have to figure out how to get Garin over here.”

“I’ll speak with my father,” Tuk said. “I’m certain he will tell me what we need to know.”

“He seemed to know all about your phone call,” Annja said. “I’d be curious as to how he pulled off that trick.”

“Maybe I’ll ask him that, too.”

“You do that.”

“And if it’s true what he says, that there is indeed an assassin headed here at the behest of the Communist Chinese? What then?”

Annja shrugged. “Then she and I will just have to have a serious talk.”

“You guys okay?”

Tuk had wandered off to find his father and Mike had come across the field. In the background, the music continued to play and Annja wondered how long it would carry on for.

She nodded. “Just going over some things.”

“Was that a cell phone I saw in Tuk’s hand?”

Annja smiled. “Yes, it was. Apparently, the little guy had it with him the entire time.”

Mike frowned. “You mean we could have been rescued before all of this?”

“I doubt it, actually. There would have been no way to get a team in for us with the storm coming down. And I believe that Tuk would have used it to do just that if he thought there was enough time.”

“Who was he talking to?”

Annja smirked. “An old friend of mine. Of sorts. I guess he thought I was in some kind of danger and asked Tuk to keep an eye on me.”

“Tuk was your guardian angel?”

“Seems to have been, yes.” Annja shrugged. “Although, I’m still not quite sure what he might have been protecting me from. And that’s the bone of contention right now.”

“What is?”

“There is apparently something much bigger going on than any of us realized.” Annja sighed. “And it shows signs of infecting this place if what I just heard is to be believed.”

“Are you kidding me? How would it impact this place? It’s like an unspoiled paradise here.” The expression on Mike’s face betrayed his sudden worry and apprehension.

Annja tried to calm him down. “Mike, I know that you’re loving this place, but we aren’t the only ones who have been looking for it.”

“I know that,” Mike said. “People have been searching for Shangri-La since it was written about all those years ago. It’s a given that others would want to find it. And yet, somehow I don’t think they’ll be able to.”

Annja shook her head. “I wish that was the case, but I think it’s safe to say that right now there is a very concerted effort to discover exactly how to access this valley from the outside world. And the people involved in that hunt are anything but friendly.”

“Are you talking about Tsing? I didn’t get the idea that he wanted to destroy this place. I thought maybe he wanted to come and live here in seclusion. Maybe find a cure for that weird vampire condition of his.”

“I’m not necessarily talking about Tsing,” Annja said. “I’m thinking about the Communist Chinese. I just don’t know all of the details yet and, until I do, I’m not quite sure what we’re supposed to do. This doesn’t look like the kind of place you could easily defend.” Annja swept her hand up, pointing out that they were in a valley bordered on all sides by mountains. If someone invaded they would immediately hold the high ground and therefore the strategic advantage.

“Maybe it doesn’t need defending,” Mike said. “It’s been able to remain hidden here for years. Maybe that is its best defense.”

“That was also before satellite technology,” Annja said. “And despite what Guge might say, I’m not ready to believe that it’s invisible to what we have flying around the earth. Someone knows about this place or they will soon enough. And when that happens, there’s going to be a rush to get here and exploit whatever natural resources they have.”

“Probably the geothermal ones,” Mike said. “Hot springs and underground vents that could produce this type of environment would be badly sought by governments around the world.”

Annja nodded. “And the Chinese have one of the fastest-growing populations in the world, coupled with a real energy crisis. Even being able to tap into this place to help them offset the energy requirements of Tibet would be a boon and a massive savings for them.”

“You think that’s it? That they want to channel the geothermal heat out of here to run power in Tibet?”

Annja shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t know. I just got handed all of this information and I’m still processing it. If I had to guess, I’d say they’re as likely to grab the entire Mustang province as they would be to just take over this valley. But we’ve also got a very real geographical dilemma here.”

“Which is?”

Annja looked at him. “We don’t know which side of the border we’re on. We were straddling it when we were in the mountain. Presumably we’re someplace else now, but where exactly? I don’t think Guge and Vanya have the latest maps to show us. And if it turns out that we’re on the Tibetan side, then we are, in effect, in Chinese territory. They could literally do anything to this place and suffer no repercussions.”

“And we’d be screwed,” Mike said.

“Definitely,” Annja replied.

Mike looked around and let out a huge sigh. “Isn’t it always like this? Doesn’t it just suck that you think you finally find something amazing—something that has driven you your entire life. I read James Hilton’s novel
Lost Horizon
when I was just eight years old and it captivated me so entirely that my life was devoted to this even before I knew it would be.” He shook his head. “And now at last, when I’m on the threshold of my own lost horizon, I find the place of my dreams, only to have to come to grips with the idea that it may be taken away from me.”

Annja put a hand on his arm. “Mike, I don’t think we should jump to any drastic conclusions yet. Like I said, I’m still processing the information I was just given.”

Mike sighed again. “What’s the point anymore? Where is the harmony in the universe that would allow a place like this to blossom only to stub it out and wreck the happiness it provides to so many people?”

“I don’t know that there is any universal justice,” Annja said. “Despite what people think and believe. Sometimes it really does seem like the bad guys get to win and the good guys go home without the ball.”

“It shouldn’t be like that,” Mike said. “And you can bet that when I get to whatever afterlife awaits me, I’m going to have some really hard questions for the people in charge.”

Annja smiled. “I don’t doubt it at all.”

Mike pointed at the party, which was finally beginning to show signs of breaking up. Dozens of people were now clearing the tables and carting off chairs to some other locale. “These people seem to have lived in peace and prosperity for years, only rarely coming into contact with the outside world. How is that now they’re in jeopardy?”

“I don’t know,” Annja said. “I just don’t know.”

Mike shook his head. “That’s not a good enough explanation, Annja. And it’s not one I can accept.”

Annja watched him storm off. She took a deep breath. She couldn’t blame Mike for feeling this way. With a brain tumor growing in his head and only a matter of time before his last days on the planet, all he wanted was to find a peaceful place to spend his final moments.

And now that seemed to have no chance of happening.

Annja wandered away from the party and back to the grand staircase. There she sat and looked up at the sky. She could see the stars twinkling above her head and had to wonder exactly where she was. And why was this place in danger, now of all times?

Her gut response didn’t make her feel any better. What if Shangri-La was being threatened as a direct result of events set into motion by Mike? What if his lifelong obsession had enabled the possibility of Shangri-La’s very extinction? By being so driven to find this place, Mike might have unleashed the very forces that will lead to its downfall.

Annja frowned. And she might be helping them, too. Just by agreeing to tag along on this adventure, Annja could be just as culpable in the demise as Mike.

Wonderful, she thought. Now I’m destroying whole worlds instead of just evil people. I’m really embracing my inner destructor.

“You look troubled.”

Annja looked up and saw Vanya approaching her. For an older woman, she looked remarkably vibrant. Her skin seemed to glow almost translucently in the twilight. And her smile radiated a peace and warmth that Annja found comforting.

“I suppose I am,” Annja said.

“Here? Of all places? You’ve managed to be troubled about something?”

Annja nodded. “Trust me, if anyone can find something to be troubled about, it’s me.”

“Surely not by desire, though.”

Annja shook her head. “Nope. Trouble seems to find me wherever I am. I don’t go looking for it, but it seems drawn to me.”

“Very often trouble finds us not because we are bad people, but because we have the opportunity to help set things right. Perhaps instead of focusing on why trouble always finds you, you should focus on the good you’ve been able to do when put to the challenge.”

Annja smiled. “I appreciate that, but I sometimes question whether I’ve been able to do any good at all. Or are my efforts merely wasted breaths in the universe. It’s impossible for me to know for certain.”

“Does it matter?”

Annja looked at her. “What do you mean? Of course it matters.”

Vanya shook her head. “I don’t think you believe that. You don’t act as a force for good simply because you want to be recognized for it. That doesn’t really even matter to you.”

Annja shrugged. “Possibly…”

“Your actions in this world bear out a destiny you have been born to. You are where you are supposed to be for that very reason. Our personal agendas have little to do with the nature of our divine purpose.”

Annja looked at her. “You truly believe that?”

“We all have a part to play, Annja. No one role is more important than any other. We are all interconnected and therefore reliant on one another. Even those who may never know us by name or by face will still find that our journey through this universe is not taken alone, but in the breadth of a complete human experience.”

“We’re all in this together, in other words.”

Vanya nodded. “That is an easier way of putting it, yes.”

“And if you knew that something bad was going to potentially happen, what would you do about it?”

Vanya smiled. “There exists in everything and every one of us the potential for anything to happen at any time. Potential is simply misguided energy careering around. It is only when that potential is harnessed and then focused into something that we can decide for certain if it is good or evil.”

Annja sighed again. “I suppose I could stand to wait a little longer before I make certain decisions.”

“It sounds,” Vanya said, “as though you have already started making those decisions.”

Maybe I have, Annja thought.

“The universe is a quirky thing,” Vanya said. “It simply goes on oblivious to whatever our personal desires may be. The real way to impact the universe is not to wish and pray for good things to happen.”

“A whole lot of people are going to be pretty disappointed in that statement,” Annja said with a grin.

“If you want to change the universe, then you must set things in motion starting at the most basic level. Waiting and then trying to change what already began years or centuries before will not be enough to impact the course of the future. By that point, it is already too late.”

“But how do you know when to start?”

Vanya smiled. “We are always at the starting point of something, somewhere. The real trick is knowing where you are at any given moment. Find out the answer to that, and then you will become truly unstoppable.”

“Have you figured it out yet?”

“Me?” Vanya laughed. “Oh, no. I imagine that will take me many more lifetimes to understand. Perhaps then I will escape the wheel. Until such time, I will be back to learn more and continue to evolve.”

“You don’t seem disappointed.”

“Why be disappointed? Time is a function of humanity. The rest of the universe doesn’t seem to care how long something takes or whether things are on schedule or not. It simply continues, regardless. So, too, will my personal evolution. When it is time for me to move on, I shall.”

Annja smiled. “Thanks for your help.”

“It is my pleasure. Thank you for bringing my son home.”

“My pleasure.”

Vanya drifted away, leaving Annja to ponder a lot more than what she’d started with.