Alex Archer - False Horizon

“But how did you know I’d come to you?”

Tsing shrugged. “I know everything about your financial situation. There’s little that cannot be accomplished with a few keystrokes these days. Even here in our rather remote portion of the world, we can still reach out and discover all we need to know. The map was too expensive for you. Yet after you laid eyes on it, I knew you would need financing for it. But you wouldn’t seek help from conventional means. After all, what if it turned out to be a ruse? You would become the laughingstock of your peers. No, you did exactly what I expected you to do. You came to me.”

“And you gave him the money,” Annja said.

“Absolutely.”

“Knowing full well that he would buy the map with it.”

“Yes.”

“And then you would have what you needed.”

Tsing shook his head. “Well, not quite. You see, I am bound by some rather perturbing aspects of my condition. I suffer from a skin ailment that prohibits me from going out into bright light. I dare say that I would make for a poor explorer. As such, the map is not as useful to me as it would be to someone else.”

Mike sighed. “You used me and now you want me to do your dirty work.”

“I want you to use the map to find the fabled location and then report back to me here,” Tsing said.

“What do you hope to gain from that?”

Tsing smiled. Annja noticed the utter whiteness of his polished teeth, even in the dim light. “I am part optimist and part fool believer. If the legends that surround Shangri-La are to be believed, then the place is a utopia of mystical qualities. I may, in fact, travel there by night and eventually find a cure for my condition.”

Annja laughed. “I’ve known people who thought that they could find magical places before. And each time they’ve been sorely disappointed.”

Tsing turned slightly to better face Annja. “And what brings you over here, Annja Creed? Is it just the promise of adventure with an old friend? Or is it something else?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean nothing more than I asked.” Tsing smiled broadly now. “I have long enjoyed watching you on that delightful show. You have so much more…presence than that other rather pitiable woman.”

“Thanks. I like keeping my clothes on, if that’s what you mean.”

“But your reputation also precedes you, doesn’t it?”

“I doubt it.”

“I know, for example, that you are an inherently dangerous woman.”

“Says who?”

“Says any number of witnesses to your rather adept fighting prowess. If rumors are to be believed, and I must admit I’m a bit of a sucker for such tales, then you have quite a formidable manner about you.”

Annja frowned. What else did Tsing know about her? She wasn’t comfortable with the direction the talk was heading. The last thing she needed was Tsing asking about her sword. Had he heard rumors about that, as well?

“This is quite a nice place you’ve got,” she said. “How is it you came to afford it?”

Tsing waved his hand. “A trifling matter not worth much discussion. I simply happened to make a great deal of money and invested in the right places. That’s all.”

Annja raised an eyebrow. “And the government here? How is it you escape their attention?”

“As I mentioned before, violence is only one method to achieving a goal. It is useful at times, yes, but overall it’s a deplorable thing to have to resort to. Often, better outcomes can be had if a little bit of leverage is applied.”

Annja grinned. “And your proximity to Tibet probably doesn’t hurt, either, huh?”

Tsing’s eyes narrowed. “Are you driving at something?”

“Just a theory,” Annja said.

“Care to share it?”

Annja smiled. “Not a chance.” She nodded at Mike. “So, you want Mike and me to find this place using the map he bought.”

“The map I bought,” Tsing said. “The money used was mine. I am the map’s rightful owner. You may consider it a loan right now, but it belongs to me.”

“As you say,” Annja said. “So we find this place and then what? We come back and tell you about it and that’s it?”

“Yes.”

“And Mike’s debt of the fifty grand?”

“Forgiven.”

“You’re serious?”

Tsing nodded. “Absolutely. The map is mine and I paid for it. I want only what I cannot achieve on my own. You must locate the exact position of the fabled land and then come back to me. What I do from that point on is no longer any concern of yours. Any attempt to meddle with my affairs after that will be dealt with firmly, if you catch my meaning.”

Mike grunted. “Perfectly.”

“Excellent.” Tsing clapped his hands. “And just to make sure there are no hard feelings about all of this, I will even loan you the use of one of my smaller planes. It will, I have no doubt, be of tremendous help to you in your search.”

“I don’t suppose it would do us any good to refuse your kind offer?” Annja asked.

Tsing smiled. “That would be tremendously disrespectful of you to do so. And really, I must insist that you use it. At least I know that you will be in good hands.”

Mike glanced at Annja. She shrugged. “Seems as though we don’t have any choice in the matter.”

“You do have a choice,” Tsing said, “but I’m afraid the other option isn’t nearly as enticing as the one I’ve put before you now.”

“What about Mike and his find? Does he get to tell the world that he found it?”

“And why would he want to do that?” Tsing asked. “Solely for the purpose of self-gratification? I daresay it would be much better for such a place to remain a fabled legend rather than to be overrun with mobs of tourists who would no doubt ruin the magnificence of the place.”

“You’re betting that it really is everything that the legends claim it to be,” Mike said. “We might find it nothing more than a dried-up lake bed. It could have been demolished in an earthquake. There are any number of possibilities.”

“And I’m counting on you to discover exactly what happened,” Tsing said. “All I want is for you to report back to me as to what you find. If you do that and then leave it to me, then we will have concluded our business. Which I’m sure will make you a much happier man than you seem to be at the present time.”

“The sooner we get started, the better,” Mike said.

Tsing nodded. “Shall we have a drink to celebrate our new arrangement? I have the most delicious peach wine.”

Annja held up her hand. “I had a beer earlier. Probably not the best idea to mix them.”

Tsing frowned. “Mike?”

“I guess I’d better. I wouldn’t want to be rude and refuse your kind offer.”

Annja winced. Mike’s tone was both condescending and rude. She saw both henchmen tense briefly before Tsing waved them back down.

“Bring the wine.” He regarded Mike and then spoke simply. “I suppose you cannot be blamed for feeling a sense of betrayal, although you were a bit naive to think that it would be a simple matter dealing with me.”

“I was stupid,” Mike said. “I won’t make the same mistake ever again. Trust me on that.”

“I do. You don’t strike me as someone who suffers failure easily. I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you that trying to double-cross me would be foolish.”

“I gave you my word and I’ll stick to it,” Mike said.

The goateed man brought in a bottle of wine and three glasses. Tsing poured for them all, despite Annja’s earlier refusal. She knew she was expected to drink the wine, as well.

Tsing handed her a glass and then one to Mike. He raised his in a toast and smiled at them. “Here’s to a successful adventure and an outcome we can all live with.”