Touchstone (Meridian Series) (20 page)

       “You
wrote all that down and brought it with you?” Now it was Nordhausen’s turn to
raise eyebrows over abuse of protocol. “I distinctly remember you chiding me:
No PDAs, cell phones, wrist watches, Parker Pens and all. Then you go and slip
a note like that into your purse?” Maeve merely squinted in his direction, her
thoughts and attention focused entirely on LeGrand for the moment, her mind
running down a hundred corridors.

       “We
had quite a start at first,” LeGrand continued, leading them into the outer
court of the inn. “We couldn’t figure out why you would want to get involved in
the  assassination plot against Napoleon.” He lowered his voice, checking to
see if any locals overheard him, but the innkeeper was not at his desk and the
courtyard was empty.

       “Assassination
plot?” Nordhausen was aghast. “Why, we had no such idea, I can assure you.”

       “Oh?
Then what, pray tell, were you doing there?”

       “If
you must know, it was a simple error. We never had any intention of manifesting
on those coordinates. It was all a mistake.”

       “Indeed?
How enlightening,” LeGrand smiled. “Here we thought it was all carefully
planned—one of your master strokes, if I may. You’re telling me it was an
error? How quaint! We never did have good data on that incident. If your
manifestation was by chance or accident, then there must be a ripe little
Pushpoint out there somewhere that we have yet to find.” He clasped his hands
together heartily. “But then again, that’s what makes this business so
interesting, eh professor?”

       “Riveting,”
said Nordhausen, still not over the flare of indignation that had raised his
anger. “And just what were you doing there, with the pleasure of riding in the
van as Napoleon entered the city? Tell me that, sir.”

       “Observation, my dear professor. We suspected
something was afoot with that incident. It had all the makings of an Ismaili
plot. But I overreach myself. Perhaps we should begin with a better
introduction. Come, follow me to my quarters. It will be more secure there, and
we can speak without constantly looking over our shoulder.”

       He
led the way, pointing out a low arch that took them to a narrow hallway lit by
guttering oil lamps. “Accommodations are rather dingy here,” he apologized, but
I’ve already had the porters lug in some additional bedding—that is if you plan
on sleeping before your retraction. Frankly, I can hardly close an eye on a
short term mission. Too edgy, I suppose.”

       They
entered a moderate sized room, the windows covered by loosely woven burlap
shades admitting a pale light. It smelled of straw and, strangely, tobacco.
There were several threadbare mattresses, little more than rumpled sacks,
spread out flat on the earthen floor, and a few low stools for sitting.

       “Be
my guests,” LeGrand gestured to a small table where a steaming pot of hot water
sat next to three porcelain cups. Oh, it’s not the Royal London, but it will
have to do for now. I do have some fairly good tea, however. Filched it from
the supply wagons used by the Savants. No honey to sweeten the brew, I’m
afraid.”

       “It
will do just fine,” said Maeve, though Nordhausen only glowered, with a look on
his face that approached sulking. It was clear to Maeve that he was very
suspicious of this interloper, watching him closely.

       LeGrand
removed his riding cape and hat, shaking out a full head of curly hair. They
seated themselves on the low stools and he poured three cups of tea, raising
the last in a toast.

       “Allow
me to introduce myself formally,” he beamed. “I am Jean LeGrand, local Sergeant
for this particular milieu.”

       “Sergeant?”
Nordhausen sniffed his cup, tentatively. “You are in the army?”

       “Sergeant
of Arms,” LeGrand corrected. “It’s more of an administrative title than
anything else, but the Order has military proclivities in times such as these,
eh?”

       “The
Order?” The professor had heard that before—from Paul, who had been grilled by
the keepers of Castle Massiaf on his inadvertent mission through the Well of
Souls.

       “The
Order of Temporal Knights—the Knights Temporal, if you like that better. If you
haven’t figured all this out by now, you will. No harm in discussing it, I
suppose, we’re all in a Nexus Point now, and things will work out one way or
another.“

       Maeve
took a moment to digest that, sipping her tea and nodding appreciation to their
host. She looked at Nordhausen, as if to chide him for his bad manners. “Well,”
she said at last. “It seems we have a lot to discuss, Doctor LeGrand. To answer
your assumption, yes, we were beginning to come to some understanding of all
this. I’m sure you will be kind enough to convey the details. This Order you
speak of, you are engaged in the business of time travel?”

       “Business?
That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose. I’m not in the financial wing of
the Order—you know, the folks that get to go back and make all the right
investments to insure funding for future operations. Too dull for my blood. No,
I’m on to a different business. I suppose you’d call it intelligence gathering
in the parlance of your day. I’m an agent in place, permanently assigned to
this milieu.”

       “You
mean to say you’re a spy?” Nordhausen did not mince words. “For who?”

       “Why,
for the Order, of course. And if I may ask without offering any insult, what
were you about on this mission? Reconnaissance? Oh—I believe the term you used
was ‘Spook Job,’ but I suppose that, too, could be considered a bit of a spy
job as well. Yes?”

       “We
have our reasons,” the Professor folded his arms again, still guarded in his
dealings with this stranger.

       “Don’t
we all,” said LeGrand. “You’re here for the discovery, of course. Well, I’ve
just got word to be especially alert over the next few days. It seems that
something is amiss and they want me to look into it as well. The French are
going to start work on the embattlements of
Fort
Julien
tomorrow. We can all go together! It’s not far from here, and
I can assure you a safe vantage point for your observation.”

       Nordhausen
frowned. “You mean to say you’re here for the discovery of… of the stone?”

       “Well,
not exactly. I’m here all the time—permanent assignment to Napoleon’s mission.
It’s what we like to call a rough spot in the timeline as it concerns our
general operations—one of those nasty little points of interface between the
Muslim world and the West. I came over with the fleet when it first set sail
from
Italy
. I’m one of the Savants, you see.”

       “You
manifested over a year ago? You can stay here that long?”

       “My
friend, you can stay anywhere you please, for as long as you like, if you know
how to go about it. You have to find someone whose
Meridian
is abruptly cut short in the milieu you are targeting, and
then assume that identity—why, just like those unfortunate Americans on the
Perla
.
You get the idea. In fact, we got it from you, Miss Lindford. You set a fine
example for us indeed.”

       “You
are too kind,” said Maeve.

       “Yes.
In my case I have assumed the identity of a scholar taken by brigands on the
road as he made his way to the mustering of the fleet. It took some doing to
find a spot for me. There were only three candidates, and this one, LeGrand,
was the only one that offered good prospects. He was an only son, orphaned from
an early age; a bit of a recluse, and someone whose last close tie on earth is
about to pass away. His aunt has a touch of the fever, and it will claim her
life in another week or so. In fact, he was set on this mission because his
life in
Europe
had come to dismal ends—no friends, too
many enemies, that sort of thing. He was on the run from bill collectors as
much as anything else. In any case, it worked out perfectly. I can take on his
identity, enjoy the harrowing sea journey as the French fleet plays cat and
mouse with Nelson on the way over. I can arrive in
Aboukir
Bay
on that glorious morning when Napoleon
first lands, and join his triumphant entry into
Alexandria
.”

       “Amazing,”
said Nordhausen.

       “Oh,
it’s a wonderful assignment. Yes, it has it’s dull moments, and you certainly
have to keep your wits about you. The march across the desert is a nasty
experience for the soldiers. I went that way the first time and nearly died of
thirst and heat. Then I got wise and stayed with the river flotilla on the
Nile
my second time through. There’s danger on that route as well. We have a run in
with Murad Bey and his bloodthirsty Mamluks, but that’s nothing compared to the
trek across the desert.”

       “You
make it sound as if you’ve been here before,” said Nordhausen.

       “Before?
Yes. I’ve done the whole tour three times. I’ve seen it all: the battle of the
Nile
,
the first look at the great pyramids, that marvelous engagement with the
Mamluks there, and the insurrection in
Cairo
. That first year is full of excitement.
Then Napoleon gets this idea about driving through to cut the
British Empire
in half and isolate their operations in
India
.
He’s such a rogue, that one. I don’t really enjoy that part of the tour.
There’s that long march across Sinai, the nasty engagements along the way. The
shooting of the prisoners and the siege of
Acre
are
particularly
unpleasant. When you throw the plague into the mix, you can see that it becomes
rather trying. But I have to go along. It’s part of the duty. You never know
when something will come up that you don’t really expect. The second
assassination attempt on Napoleon took place just a few weeks ago on the
retreat.”

       “Yes!”
Nordhausen latched on to that. “Paul pulled me aside and gave me an earful
about that before we left. He said there was a man who shot at Napoleon on the
road. Four guides cornered him and put their carbines to the man’s belly—but
all four misfired.”

       “That
was quite a scene!” LeGrand slapped his thick knee to accent the professor’s
remark. “Would that be Mr. Dorland you are referring to?”

       “What?
You mean Paul? Yes, of course.”

       “Ah,
what a genius the man must be. I must say, this is quite an honor to meet the
two of you this way. It’s a perfect example of what I was just describing. You
weren’t here on my first two tours, you see. At least I was unaware of your
presence if you were. That incident in
Alexandria
was the breadcrumb that put us on the right
trail.”

       “
Alexandria
?” Nordhausen was now building up an excited curiosity, his
suspicions melting as LeGrand unraveled his story.

       “Of
course! You see, the first two times we thought it was a local Arab—a
dissident, or perhaps even an agent, who fired the shot from that alley window
in
Alexandria
. We found the room, the discharged musket,
the prayer rug, washing bowl and a copy of the Koran opened to a particularly
telling passage. Imagine my surprise this last tour when I happened across that
purse! I sent it back at once, of course—note and all. They put the full
resources of the research department on it. Outcomes and Consequences went
round and round, and the upshot of the lowdown is that I get a message to be
particularly alert on the morning of July 14
^th
. I’m told to look for
two Americans on the road to
Alexandria
—given precise coordinates in fact. Lo and behold,
I am graced by the arrival of Nordhausen and Lindford! Imagine my surprise and
delight!”

       “You
say you sent the purse back?” Now it was Maeve’s turn to take up the
questioning.

       “Of
course. Any evidence of temporal contamination must be removed from the
Meridian
at once. It’s a rule we have. I sent it back for analysis, and
it was returned, via special courier, only last night. I was told to look for
two Americans on the road west of the town.  Research must have found trace
indicators linking your arrival here to the incident last year in
Alexandria
. Apparently the decision was made to restore the purse to its
rightful owner for proper disposition. I was to present it to the lady on the
road, and so I have.” He made a graceful bow, smiling as he finished.

       “Ingenious,”
Nordhausen breathed. “You were aware of our mission all along?”

       “Not
exactly. As I say, this is something new. The discovery of the purse did indeed
lead us to a Founder’s mission. That’s what we call you, if you don’t mind the
burden of history. We were not quite sure what to make of it at first but, if
they sent in a special courier, the situation must be developing to something
very significant. I don’t know what they’ve determined back home in operations,
but it seems certain they now believe a Nexus is forming, deepening by the
minute, and it appears to be centered here, on the discovery of the Rosetta
Stone.”