“Ava was curious about the cane as well,” Mark adds. “Especially this.” The photo grows larger, focusing on the small crest just below the silver cross of the cane, etched into the wood.
“That is odd,” Ivan murmurs. “I recognize the cane. Kirill has one with this same symbol carved into it.”
“How is that odd?” I ask.
“Not odd in the sense that he has the same cane,” Ivan explains. “But this is the Eye of Providence.” He points to the lidless eye in the middle of the symbol. “And this is the Seal of Solomon.” His finger sweeps around the rest of the symbol which is depicted as a pentagram inside of a perfect circle.
“Isn’t the Seal of Solomon a legend?” Mark inquires. “An alchemic symbol thought to control demons and such?” Ivan nods.
“It has had many meanings throughout history,” he breathes. “Same as the Illuminati symbol. It all depends on who you ask and what time-period you are sifting through. The Eye of Providence, as it is attributed to the Illuminati, is the All-Seeing Eye. Meaning that they have eyes everywhere. Can see everything.”
“Big brother is watching,” Mark smirks.
“Something like that,” Ivan agrees. “In other parts it means wisdom and protection. Some believe it is a variation of the Eye of Horus in Egyptian Mythology which is restoration andprotection.” I listen intently, pride spreading warmly through my chest at hearing my brother’s depth of knowledge. He is smart. Obviously well-educated and the passion he exudes catches me up and holds me hostage.
“You know a lot about this.”
Redness creeps up Ivan’s neck. He shoots me a small, bashful smile. “I’ve always had a passion for history and symbolism.”
I nod and smile at him.
“Do you have other pictures of people with this cane and symbol?” Ivan questions, turning his attention back to Mark who nods.
“A few,” the hacker confirms. “The cane itself is rather common, but there are very few I found that have that exact symbol. The first one is this lady.” An image of a woman they identified as Madam Therese fills the screen. “From what we’ve gathered, she’s a buyer for the Dollhouse.”
Ivan takes a moment to study the picture before announcing that he knows her.
“I have seen her meet with Kirill on several occasions,” he admits. “That explains a lot actually.”
Puzzled, I ask, “What do you mean?”
Ivan swallows, his throat bobbing as a slash of anger cuts through his features before disappearing. “Kirill has that same cane. With that exact symbol carved into the wood.”
Crickets.
“Do you think he is a buyer?”
“Or a client?” Mark adds.
“Both,” Ivan whispers, his gaze turning to me. “If he’s involved with the Dollhouse, I think he is more than just a client. I doubt clients are given a special decoder cane and I highly doubt Kirill can afford their services if he isn’t part of the inner circle. Which means, he’s helping supply them while skimming off the top.”
“The assassination attempts.” Everything is becoming clearer. The threads of fate weave the tapestry of my childhood, starting to come together to reveal Kirill’s grand design.
“How many were there?”
I scoff. “More than anyone should have to count,” I tell him, bitterness coating my tongue. “After Antony, they come every few months. The older I grow the more frequent the attempts become.”
“He was growing desperate. Why?”
“Matthias is the only one who can identify your mother,” Dima speaks up from the doorway. The three of us missed the unlocking of the hotel room door. “Think about it,” he steps into the room handing out the bags of food we ordered. “If it was about straight up succession, he would have made an attempt on your brothers.”
“He did,” Mark points out.
“Eh,” Mark scrunches his nose. “Not really, though. Yes, he manipulated your brother into hunting down Matthias. How he did that, you’ll have to ask him yourself, but I honestly don’t believe that he expected Matthias to kill him.”
Dima makes a valid point. If Kirill wanted to remove the obstacles in his way of direct succession, he could have taken out Antony and Ivan long before he came after me.
“Antony was collateral,” Ivan snarls. “Either way, Kirill won. Our brother either killed you and his secret was safe, or you kill Antony and that was one less person in his way.”
