The Old One’s laugh rattled. “I haven’t thought of Twinkies in thirty years.” His grin was smooth. “Ibrahim, my oldest son remaining, is not going to like you. He’s going to be threatened by you, and no matter how much I reassure him, he will recognize that I prefer your company. You are not descended from the Prophet, all blessings upon Him, so you will never ascend to my place. These facts should soften his jealousy, but they won’t. Ibrahim fears Darwin, but he will despise you.”

“Your boy sounds like he’s got marshmallows in his nut sack. You might want to rethink this little campaign to restore the caliphate. You haven’t got enough backup.”

The Old One measured him. “That’s why you’re here, Rakkim. You and Darwin.”

“Well, that’s flattering. Are you trying to seduce me? Because if you are, you should know I’m going to end up breaking your heart.”

“I’ll take that risk.” The Old One looked past him. “I wish you and Essam had met. He would have liked you. He wasn’t afraid of anyone.” His lower lip trembled. “Such a beautiful boy…now lost in deep, dark sea. I hate the ocean now. I used to swim every day, but I can’t bear the sight of the waves anymore. I sometimes think that’s the reason I chose to live in the middle of the desert.”

Rakkim watched him. The tears in his eyes seemed genuine.

The Old One cleared his throat. “I’ve been waiting for you a long time. Same with Darwin. I searched for a retired assassin for years, someone off-the-books, someone who had broken his leash to the Fedayeen. I used all my resources, but it was only later, when I finally found Darwin, that I learned why it had taken so long.” He leaned closer. “Assassins and shadow warriors are linked. Both are elite units of the Fedayeen, fiercely independent…and both ultimately betrayed by their leaders.” The Old One smoothed his lapels. “Assassins average nineteen missions before they are terminated. If they survive that long, they become too dangerous, too resistant to control, mad with bloodlust. It’s the great secret of the Fedayeen, known to no more than a dozen senior officers. Assassins aren’t aware of this, of course, they believe the lie of the retired assassin, his identity unknown, living out his years like a pasha. It’s not so. There are no retired assassins. Except for Darwin. He’d completed forty-five missions when they decided to kill him.” His amusement was icy. “They waited too long.”

“How do you kill an assassin?”

“Are you taking notes?”

Rakkim didn’t answer.

The Old One nodded. “The Fedayeen sent three assassins to kill Darwin, experienced men told by their superiors that he had gone rogue.” The red lights of the city were reflected in the Old One’s eyes. “Darwin killed all three of them. Then he killed General Cheverton, head of the assassins unit. The man who had given the order. So you see, you and Darwin have something else in common.”

The Old One was trying to impress Rakkim with his knowledge. A sign of his vulnerability or his ego. Rakkim wasn’t sure which it was.

“Shadow warriors are extraordinarily valuable, even more useful strategically than assassins, but equally dangerous to the high command. Shadow warriors always go native. It’s what makes them shadow warriors to begin with. The ability to blend into the environment, to assume the protective coloration of the enemy…well, really, what did they expect?” The Old One shook his head. “There are plenty of retired Fedayeen, but no such thing as a retired assassin. No retired shadow warriors either. You and Darwin, you’re each one of a kind.”

Far beyond the city’s lights, beyond the mountains, Rakkim could see the stars. There was comfort in their unimaginable distance. Close enough to see, but too far to reach. He imagined God living out there among the galaxies. That’s where he would live if he were God.

The Old One leaned against the railing. “That last mission of yours…what exactly happened? I’ve tried to find out, but all the files have vanished. It must have been something special. All I know is that you were gone for months. Much longer than anticipated. It was assumed you were dead. Then you were back. Untouched as always. If you were debriefed, no records survived. Then, a few days later, the two officers above you in the chain of command disappeared. Two top Fedayeen gone. As though they had stepped into a mist one morning. From the disposition of the body, Darwin made his displeasure with General Cheverton quite apparent, but no trace of these two officers was ever found. Still, the message was clear. Perhaps that’s why they let you retire. Or perhaps it was Redbeard’s intervention. He was more powerful then.”

“Thanks for the conversation, and the nice view, but I’m a little tired. Still not fully recovered from my wounds. I think I’m going to take a nice warm bubble bath.”

“Be careful. You wouldn’t want to doze off in the tub. I hope you’ll consider my offer.”

“Sure, I’ll give it the full ponder. Either way, you win, right? If I sign up, you gain a shadow warrior. If I pass on the deal, Darwin dogs me and eliminates anyone who might harm you. I find the evidence, he gets rid of it.”

“There is no evidence.”

Rakkim shrugged. “Twenty million people dead…you didn’t even get what you wanted. Here we are all these years later, and you’re still worried you won’t make it. Pathetic.”

“I’ve acknowledged my mistakes. I misjudged the spiritual resiliency of the Christians. I had lived too long in the city. I believed their faith was flabby and would be quickly discarded. I never imagined the great migration after Kingsley was elected, millions of Baptists and Pentecostals and Catholics trekking to the Bible Belt. I would have expected this from Muslims-did not the Prophet himself, all blessing upon Him, flee Mecca for Medina in his own hour of need? But Christians? It would not have mattered if Redbeard had died that day along with his brother. My men at State Security would have taken over, and Kingsley’s days as president would have been brief. Then we would have crushed the Bible Belt. The nation needed to be unified then, and it needs to be unified now. No, the loss of the fourth nuclear weapon was an accident, but I take responsibility for underestimating the faith of the Christians.”

“That’s big of you. Still, you have to admit, that’s a major miscalculation. Don’t you wonder what else you might be wrong about?”

“Do you expect me to run and hide?” snapped the Old One, his mouth pinched. “When the West wallowed in greed and vice and vanity…I prayed. And paid the politicians. When the West banished religion…I prayed. And paid the ex-diplomats and journalists, people for whom everything has a price. There were times I thought I would never be able to wash myself clean. The nuclear attack merely toppled a rotten tree. Look at the map: China may dominate the globe now, but I’ve planted seeds in Russia too, and don’t you think there were many already there who hated their borders being thrown open to the Zionists? No, Russia is ripe…South America is ripe. China remains resistant, but look at the map. Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Pakistan, East Africa, Nigeria, the whole patchwork of believers awaits only a caliph to stitch them together. A caliph come to lead Muslims to greatness. The long wait is over, Rakkim. We’ll start here.”

Rakkim applauded, the sound ringing hollow across the penthouse. “Wow. That’s a great little speech. I bet you don’t get interrupted very often. You just build up momentum and roll right on forever. That kind of power is fine when things are smooth, but it can be a disadvantage. You get so used to having your own way and your own say that, when things fuck up, and things always fuck up, you don’t know what to do. That instant of doubt shakes you. Not so that anyone can see it, you’re too good for that, but you know, and it scares you. So you call in somebody like Darwin, but he’s hard to control. You can’t even invite him up here, because he might do something you haven’t anticipated. I bet you haven’t even told him what you told me tonight. Am I right?” Rakkim wagged a finger. “See, that could be another mistake. It’s dangerous telling Darwin what you’re really up to, but it’s even more dangerous to keep secrets from him. Assassins and shadow warriors…we take things personally. I’d watch out for him if I were you.”