“That is true. But it is a poor weapon and not likely to be of value.” He looked away from her and into the leaping flames in the stove. “Ask your questions, Catherine. I will answer what I know and what I consider safe for you.”
“Let’s begin with how you came to know Cameron. You never mentioned him to me.” She added ruefully, “Not that you’re ever very communicative. When did you meet him?”
“Several years ago at a monastery in Amdo Province. And I did not mention him because silence was part of the agreement I made with him. It was one of the more important demands he made. I was not to mention him or anything that I saw or experienced at the monastery.”
“Yet you’re willing to talk to me now.”
“Cameron has interfered with your life. He almost took your life. You have a right to know why.”
“What did you have to do with that monastery?”
“I had heard stories that the monks of this particular monastery had been formulating rare herbal mixtures for close to nine hundred years. I wanted to learn what they were and if I could use them in my own potions.”
“I should have known.” She shook her head. “Well, was it worth your while? Did you find a brand-new poison?”
“That was not what I was seeking.”
She stiffened. “Hu Chang…”
He nodded. “Life not death. At that time, I had not yet found the final ingredients for the potion I gave to Chen Lu to extend and reverse her cell regeneration. It was frustrating me. I thought that the monastery might be the answer.” His lips twisted. “But I couldn’t get permission to study with the monks. The monastery was completely isolated, and the lama would permit no one, not even other monks from the area, to visit it. I had to find some way to go around the lama. I was getting quite desperate.”
“I’ve never seen you desperate.”
“But it was to be such a magnificent potion. An elixir that would extend life fifty to a hundred years? It was exciting even to me. I had to get in to see if those monks had some ingredient I didn’t. I stayed there in the province and began to research a way to do it.”
“Richard Cameron?”
“Yes, I watched, I listened, and I found Cameron.” He smiled reminiscently. “Though one who was not as dedicated as I would not have been so fortunate. I just heard a word here and there about the Westerner who moved around the mountains and villages. Strange words … about a Guardian, a protector, a warrior … But those words held boundless respect and an element of fear. Then I saw him at the monastery with the lama. I saw the same respect from the lama and no fear. Most unusual from a religious figure that prestigious. Over the next weeks, I found that Cameron held a special place in the affections of the lama and those monks.”
“And you decided to use him.”
“That was not possible. I had already taken Cameron’s measure and knew that he was an extraordinary man. I knew I would have to negotiate.” He grimaced. “If I was to avoid having to plead. So I went to him as he was leaving the monastery. He was as tough and sharp as I thought he would be. It took me three days to persuade him to even consider interceding for me. On the fourth day, he started asking me questions about myself. I had no idea about his gift at that time. If I’d lied, I would not have stood a chance. I did not lie. On the fifth day, he said that he would persuade the lama to let me have access to records and the herbs the monks used … on condition.” He smiled. “And so it started.”
“What conditions?”
“You do not need to know. I will not break that promise.”
“It’s not important. Okay, let’s go on. I want to know about Richard Cameron. I was thinking about going to Langley and getting a complete dossier, but I didn’t want to upset Erin.”
“It would have been useless. There are no records on Cameron.”
“There are always records. You just have to know where to look and tap all the organizations.”
“No records. No DNA info. No fingerprints. No retina scan. Nothing. When the committee chose Cameron as Guardian, they spent a good deal of time and millions of dollars erasing his former existence. If, by any chance, he does leave anything traceable, a cleanup crew goes in immediately and takes care of it.”
“What?” Her eyes widened. “No records? That doesn’t happen.”
“Test it. When you get back to civilization, discreetly check it.”
“I will.” She latched on to the one word that might be the key. “Committee. What committee?” She thought about what Cameron had earlier told her. “When I was questioning him about what country he was working for, he said something vague about an organization. An organization would have committees.”
“Yes, it would. Only in this case one committee.”
“Then what organization? What’s its purpose? What’s its name?”
“He never mentioned a name to me.”
“But did you guess?”
Silence. “I guessed. But I never confronted him with it. It was one of the conditions of my stay with Cameron that I would not question anything that I wasn’t told.”
“I know you. That’s not a condition you would ever accept.”
“Then you don’t know me as well as you thought. I came to Cameron because he had a treasure beyond imagination, and I needed what he could give me.” He added, “I studied with him and the monks for five months. I received what I came for, and I did not quibble about his rules. It was worth it to me.”
“And do you regret it now?”
“No, not for a minute.”
It was clear he wasn’t going to talk about this committee. Back to Cameron. “Why did they concentrate such an effort on erasing Cameron’s background?”
“They wanted him to remain completely untouchable. It had taken them a long, long time to find someone of his caliber and character, and they were determined to protect him at all costs. The only way they could assure that was to remove him from the grid. He has false documents for every country on Earth, which are exchanged frequently.”
“It sounds very efficient … and lonely.”
“I’m sure that the committee provided therapy for any psychological damage. Nothing is too good for Cameron.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“No.” He glanced at her. “They value him, they respect him, and they even listen to him on occasion. I got the impression that they would give him anything he asked as long as it was within the rules.” He held up his hand. “And I do not know what those rules are. Except that there seems to be a universal one that Cameron not be put at risk. Make any sacrifice but Cameron. I saw it several times, while I was with him. It annoys him at times but he accepts the rule.”
“Even when it means Erin’s being tortured,” she said bitterly.
“Even then.”
“Why is he considered so valuable? What makes him king of their world?”
He shrugged. “Probably the same thing that made the committee choose him as Guardian. They looked all over the world and thought him worthy.”
“Worthy of what? For God’s sake, you talk as if he’s some kind of holy man or something. I guarantee you that Cameron is very, very secular.”
Hu Chang nodded. “Yes, and yields to temptation on occasion. I was referring more to the worthiness of a knight or warrior. He is the Guardian, after all.”
“If he’s a knight, he’s a black knight.”
“You’d have an argument from Erin.”
“He has her brainwashed. She’d obviously sacrifice anything for him.”
“Not for him. Erin is an intelligent woman and not likely to be fooled even by a man as persuasive as Cameron. It would have to be something above and beyond Cameron.”
“But you don’t deny that there’s a possibility he could have brainwashed her. Even at that think tank in Rome I attended, they didn’t have anyone who could do what Cameron can. He’s way beyond anyone that our agencies have discovered.”
“They might have the potential, but Cameron has had that potential honed and exploited by experts. He was in training for years after he was selected.”
“What potential? Just what can Cameron do that he hasn’t shown me?”
“I have no clear idea. I was curious and probed where it was safe. He did not mind talking about some things, others he ignored. He was twenty-six when he was chosen to be trained for Guardian. I know he was taught physical disciplines and control by Tibetan monks. I know that he was schooled in weapons, combat, and several deadly martial arts by world-class experts. Evidently, they concentrated on that aspect of his education. He’s an amazing sniper, he moves as fast as a cheetah on attack, and he’s incredibly strong. When he’s not actually on committee business, he does a full exercise regimen every day. He’s well educated in a variety of fields. He can be excellent company and has a sense of humor that’s sometimes a bit twisted.” He paused. “We seemed to mesh. I … enjoyed our time together.”