Tm not stepping aside for anyone,’ the other shook his head. ‘I just don’t want the job, that’s all. I don’t envy any man that job. Yuri Andropov won’t rest until he’s crushed the lot of us – even if it takes the rest of his lifetime! Frankly, I wish to hell I was out of it altogether. Did you know I was a trained architect, Dragosani? Well, I am. Read the future? I’d far prefer to read the plans of great buildings any day.’
‘Why do you tell me this?’ Dragosani was curious. ‘It has nothing to do with anything.’
‘Yes it has. It has something to do with living. And I want to live. You see, Dragosani, I know that you will have something to do with Borowitz’s death. With his “heart attack”. And if you can tackle him and win, which you will, then what chance would I have? I’m not brave, Dragosani, and I’m not stupid. E-Branch is all yours . . .’
Again Dragosani leaned forward. His eyes were pricks of red light gleaming through the dark lenses of his spectacles. ‘But your job is to tell Borowitz this sort of thing, Igor,’ he rasped. ‘Especially -this sort of thing. Are you saying you haven’t told him? Or does he in fact already know that I’ll be … involved?’
Vlady shook himself, sat up straighter. For a moment he’d felt almost hypnotised by Dragosani. The man’s gaze was like that of a snake. A wolf? Something not quite human, anyway. ‘I really don’t know why I’ve told you any of this,’ he finally said. ‘I mean, for all I know the old warhorse might even have sent you here!’
‘But wouldn’t you know it if he had?’ said Dragosani. ‘Isn’t that something your talent would have foreseen?’
‘I can’t see everything!’ Vlady snapped.
Dragosani nodded. ‘Hmm! Well, he didn’t send me.
Now tell me “truthfully: does he know he’s going to die tomorrow? And if so, does he know that I’ll be involved? Well, I’m waiting . . .’
Vlady bit his lip, shook his head. ‘He doesn’t know,’ he mumbled.
‘Why haven’t you told him?’
Two reasons. First, it wouldn’t change anything even if he did know. Second, I hate the old bastard! I have a fiancée and want to be married. I’ve wanted it for ten years. But Borowitz says no. He needs me to keep my wits sharp. He doesn’t want my talent dulled. Too much sex might ruin me, he says! Damn the old bastard – he rations me with my own fiancée!’
Dragosani sat back and laughed out loud. Vlady saw the gape of his mouth and the length of his teeth and once more felt that he talked with some strange animal rather than a man. ‘Oh, I can believe that!’ Dragosani’s laughter finally rumbled into silence. ‘Yes, that’s just typical of him. Well, Igor,’ he nodded knowingly, ‘I think you can now safely go ahead with your wedding arrangements. Yes, just as soon as you like.’
‘But you’ll want to keep me in the branch, eh?’ Vlady’s tone remained sour.
‘Of course I will,’ Dragosani nodded. ‘You’re much too valuable to be a simple architect, Igor Vlady – and far too talented! But the branch? That is merely a beginning. There’s more to life than that. After this is over I’m going on and up. And you can come with me.’
Vlady’s response to that was a blank stare. Suddenly Dragosani was sure he was hiding something. ‘You were going to tell me what you’ve read in my future,’ he reminded. ‘Now that we’ve dealt with Borowitz, I think that would be a good idea. I think you said there was something . . . odd?’
‘Odd, yes,’ Vlady agreed. ‘But of course I could be wrong. Anyway, you’ll know all about it – tomorrow.’
And he gave a nervous twitch at Dragosani’s startled expression.
‘What? What’s that about tomorrow?’ the necromancer came slowly to his feet, uncoiling from his chair. ‘Have you been wasting my time and confusing me with trivialities when all the time you knew there was something in store for me tomorrow? When, tomorrow? And where?’