Gene Wolfe - An Evil Guest

And discovered that Reis’s driver was standing in front of her. Very softly he said, “No, Señora Casey.”

“Allow me to offer a compromise, Cassie. Will you listen? Carlos could fold you like a paper doll. I won’t have him do that, you understand. I wouldn’t even think of it.”

Less loudly than she had intended, Cassie said, “No indeed. Of course not.”

“Right.” If Reis had been struck by her sarcasm, his ghostly voice conveyed no sign of it. “First, let me say that I’m a man of my word. I may break the law at times, and in fact there are so many that nobody can live without breaking them. Now and then I may cheat a man who would’ve cheated me if he could. My word is good, however. Good always. Good to everyone, but particularly to you.”

Cassie’s nod felt forced.

“Here’s my compromise. If you’ll get into my car, where I can see you and you can see me, Carlos will return to his place behind the wheel, leaving the door open. I’ll tell you my news then. I may or may not give you the gift I mentioned. It was expensive, even for me, so if the moment doesn’t seem appropriate I’ll withhold it.”

Her courage had returned. “Please do, Wally. I don’t like to take gifts from men. If you’re a friend, you don’t have to prove it by giving me presents. If you’re not, I don’t want anything from you.”

“I’m financing the show you’re in as a vehicle for you, Cassie.”

She nodded. “I suspected that, and I’m grateful. But I didn’t ask for it, and if you’d asked me whether I wanted it, I’d have said no.”

“Please sit down.” Reis’s voice was spectral as ever. “You’re tired, as you said. Your face says it for you, and more forcefully. I never enjoy cruelty, and I detest the idea of being cruel to you. Sit down. You have my word.”

As she slid onto the white leather seat, Reis’s face floated above a seat facing her own. “That’s better. Much better. Is the door still open?”

Her eyes darted toward it. “Yes. Thanks, Wally.”

“You’re very welcome. If you’ll look to your left, you should be able to see into the front seat. Is Carlos there?”

She nodded. “He’s just getting in.”

“Good. Look at this.”

Reis’s face vanished. The stage replaced it, and she herself stood singing on that stage.

Her vidimage stood beside her, and seemed about to speak.

She clasped hands with her soul, and the two began to dance.

Her images vanished. After a half second of darkness, Reis’s face filled the screen once more. “I wanted you to see yourself as others see you. I wanted you to see what the audience sees — what I’ve seen so often, playing and replaying the Cassie Casey captured for me by a friend’s digital camcorder. Now that you have, do you understand why every man who sees you wants you so badly?”

“No.” Cassie shook her head. “No, I don’t, Wally. There are a lot of good-looking women out there.”

“Could they play Mariah Brownlea? Would they draw the crowds you do in the part?”

Cassie said nothing.

“I came back to America to entrap you, Cassie. To entrap and destroy you. When you came up to the microphone to take my gold bracelet, I realized I had made a horrible mistake. For a time — a brief time — I continued on the path I’d laid out for myself. I’m stubborn, and I can be stupidly stubborn.”

“Wally...”

“While we sat together in this car, I scrapped all those plans. Every man who sees you desires you, Cassie.” Reis smiled. “I will win you. I alone, out of all the millions. Would you like to be a queen?”

She could only stare.

“I’m talking about real royalty. You’ll be a queen who rules, as well as a queen who reigns. You’ll sit on a throne, a throne of black basalt carved immemorial ages ago, and wear your crown when you choose to. If you choose to elevate a man, he will kiss your feet in gratitude. If you choose to execute that man later, he will be made to lay his head on a stone. Should I tell you the rest?”

“I think it might be good for me to hear it, Wally.”

“You recovered quickly. I like that. He will be made to lay his head upon a certain stone, and there it will be smashed with a club. You will be queen, and I will be your king whenever I am there. Think about it.”

“I will.” Cassie swallowed. “I’d like to take the show to Broadway first.”

“Of course.” In the screen, Reis nodded. “The two are not mutually exclusive. There will be a film, as well. You, Queen Cassiopeia of Takanga, will star in that film.”

“You know my r-real name.”

“I know a good deal, Cassie. For a man in love, study of that kind is a pleasure. Now the gift. There is a sort of bag built into the door on your left. It’s in there. You can take it out now.”

She did, noticing that the box wrapped in gold paper was the same shape as the first, although not as heavy. “All right if I unwrap it?”

“Please do.”

She slid the ribbon of gold lace off and laid it on the seat. The stiff gold paper followed; the leather of the box it had wrapped was the color of old gold, and as soft as butter to her touch.

“Open it, Cassie.”

She did.

And felt that she floated in space above some immense rectangular city. That she sailed through the night sky above a city whose countless lights were far too bright for stars.

Too bright and too near.

WHEN Cassie looked up the door of the limousine was shut and the limousine in motion; she tried to speak and failed, coughed, and whispered, “I’ve never seen so many diamonds. Or such big ones.”

“Few people have.”

“It’s hard — very hard — to keep my eyes off it.” She closed the jewel box. “You promised you wouldn’t shut your car door, Wally.”

“Your expression gave consent. Are you frightened?”

She shook her head.

“You’re right. There’s no reason why you should be. We’re simply taking you to your hotel. Since you’ll be wearing that bracelet when you go into the lobby, Carlos will accompany you as far as the door of your room. I think that’s a wise precaution and hope you’ll agree.”

“I’d rather not take it out of the box.” Cassie felt she was strangling.

“If you want to hear my news, which you may consider moderately important, you’ll have to put on my bracelet, Your Majesty. It concerns your friend Dr. Chase.”

Cassie opened the box, took the bracelet out, and fumbled with the catch.

“Thanks. Someone tried to kill Dr. Chase, but only succeeded in wounding him. You know that, and you probably think I was behind the shooting. Chase himself may well be of your opinion, but you’re both mistaken. That’s my first news item. I hope you’ll agree it was worth the labor of putting on my bracelet.”

Cassie did not speak.

“My second is that I’m trying to find out who the shooter was and who’s behind him. The identity of the man who pulled the trigger is not really important. What is, is the identity of the person who got him to do it. That may matter a great deal. In time I’ll learn it, I promise you. When I do, I’ll probably tell you. That isn’t a promise, but I think it will work out like that. I’ll tell Chase as well — or you can.”

“I still think it was you.”

“It wasn’t. Chase is only a minor threat to me, and I rarely wish those who are dead. Anyone strong enough and clever enough to be a threat to me is someone I’d prefer to win over. I try, and succeed in most cases. When I fail, I can generally draw their fangs without killing them.”