Into the Lion's Den (74 page)

“I was trying to correct all this!”

“How? Shouting with him? A slap? Making him suffer under Dr. Dähler? It's useless because the final
responsibility for his acts lies in you, not in him. He's just like a child in a harder boarding school! You said that to
command he has to learn to obey; well it's wrong! To command he has to learn to be responsible! Like you are!” I
raised my voice and had to lie down against the chair because the excitement was making me dizzy.

“Do you still have any doubts about his value as Consort, Ferdinand?”

“Not any more, Konrad. He's exactly as his father, but less bossy. A real Dachs. Löwenstein was also
right,” Ferdinand chuckled and I couldn't understand him.

“Your arguments will be taken into consideration, Guntram. Let's go eating before Albert arrives,”

Konrad said and I thought I was in another place because they had switched their moods so fast that it was
impossible to understand. Now, they were only concerned about their dinners!

We had dinner and Konrad and Ferdinand were only talking about business and I spaced out. They had
coffee in the living room and I had to be there, drawing and quiet as a mouse, because they were busy with their
things. At eleven, Albert arrived, very pale and I wanted to die in shame.

Konrad charged in his usual charming way. “There you are cousin. Tell me one good reason for not
finishing you off.”

“My Griffin, it has been a horrible misunderstanding! My son would have never dared to raise a hand
against Guntram! He has no reason to!”

“No, he raised a weapon against him. We should be glad his fighting skills are so deficient.”

“Please, Griffin, hear me as I'm the grieved part,” I said and Albert looked at me with true hate in his
eyes. “We both fought over a childish thing. Children fight and it's part of their education. They forgive each other
and forget the offences till the next time they quarrel. Let us speak and solve the problem between us and I swear that
we will behave like adults in the future.”

“If the children say so,” Ferdinand supported me.

“I give you my word that we will never do anything like this, my Griffin,” I pleaded and Konrad looked
at me, judging me in a cold and calculating way. “I have the upper hand if he ever tries something stupid again,” I
smiled and that convinced him.

“I will give your eldest a second chance if he apologies to Guntram, Albert, but don't think he will not be
punished for this.”

“We both should be punished, Sire,” I said softly.

“Rest assured we will speak about your behaviour later, Guntram,” Konrad said very coldly and I really
felt afraid and cast my look to the floor. “The Consort has mentioned that all this is the result of our ineptitude as
parents, Albert. I can't place myself in that category yet, but I agree with Guntram's view on the matter: Armin has no
real idea of what responsibility is. He plays the serious young man and fools all of us but his acts never carry a real
reward or punishment. We were born in the middle of wealth and never suffered a thing. Our Tutors did their best to
teach us some humility and empathy but we never learned the lesson. How can we rule if we don't really know what
the people under us suffer? How can we lay off someone if we never were in the queue of the unemployed? Did we
ever have to strain ourselves to make the money last to the end of the month?”

“With all due respect, cousin, we run much more things than an ordinary man,” Albert said.

“Yes, of course. We, adult men but what about the children? How much money makes Armin in the bank,
Ferdinand?”

“A normal salary, I think it's 2,000 francs.”

“No, he makes 1.456 francs and gets another 4,000 for his normal expenses,” Konrad said and I paled.

Shit! That's my account! “How much were you making in Buenos Aires, in dollars?”

“Fixed income was a little under $1,000 but with the tips it was almost $1,400.”

“And you paid rent and everything?”

“Yes, but the university there is free, not like here.”

“Including your medical expenses?”

“I had no medical expenses at that time. A box of aspirins, maybe.”

“Very well. From now onwards, your son will receive no allowance from any member of your family,
Albert, including Aunt Elisabetta and Carolina. You will only pay for his school fees. He can keep his salary in the
bank and Ferdinand, if he ever misses work or arrives late, deduct it from his salary. He will study in the mornings in
the University and be in the bank every afternoon and send him to the office boy job. Someone has to carry the coffee
for the traders. He's far away to be a Griffin. He will continue to live with us but will pay for his keep. How much was
your rent, Guntram?”

“About $600 for thirty-five square metres.”

“He will pay Friederich 800 francs every month, Albert. If not, he's out. In five, years, if I'm pleased
with his work, he will be considered as a candidate for my succession, but for the moment, he's out as he has proven
to be a brat. Let's see if he can be a responsible man. He's also permanently removed from my will.”

“Thank you Konrad. We're grateful to you,” Albert said and I couldn't believe it.

“Armin doesn't deserve to lose all what he has been working for!” I protested

“Guntram, as you should know by your own family's history, physically assaulting the Griffin or any
member of the council, including you, is punished by your line's total annihilation. It's in our Code and you have
accepted it as all of us have,” Ferdinand said and I looked at him horrified.

“You have prevented my son's execution and you have earned my gratitude and respect,” Albert told me.

“This is our way, young man. I see that all this was a set up from another line.”

“I swear Albert that neither I nor my boys have any interest in the succession. Karl Otto wants to be
CEO of one of the hedge funds and Johannes is a scientist only caring about bio-plastics,” Ferdinand said. “Perhaps
Karl Otto will be in my place one day but that's for the next Griffin to decide.”

“Your daughter gave the cold shoulder to Armin since he was thirteen and the minute he's appointed
Griffin she decides he's a good candidate? She started the fight and she had provided him with the drugs! It was a
miracle he didn't kill Guntram with all the stuff inside of him! Your Johannes is a chemist!” Albert howled, ready to
attack Ferdinand.

“Johannes is in Munich at the Max Planck! He has nothing to do with this! He and Guntram are good
friends and there's not a single call or e-mail between Marie Amélie and he for the past three months! They don't like
each other!”

“That's true, Johannes and I speak now and then. He's kind to me,” I supported Ferdinand.

“And I see nothing wrong in their friendship, both have similar natures.” Konrad closed the argument.

“That little bitch tried to be in your bed Konrad! Then she ruined Karl's wedding just because he was
going to be your successor!” Albert shouted. “My son had amphetamines in his body for a full weekend! He doesn't
take them! He says she provided them to him as a natural supplement. You have seen the bottles!”

“It's the word of one against the other and it does not excuse your own son's idiocy. Were I to judge them
as I would like, none of them would see the next morning, but it's Guntram's right to decide what to do with them.”

Konrad used such a cold voice that I had to grip the armrests to keep myself sat. “You already failed me in Rome,
cousin, and Guntram suffered. Your son endangered his life. Get out of my sight before I take justice into my hands
and forget the Code.”

“Konrad!” I shouted rising from my place because this would end badly for Albert or Armin. “This is
unfair! I've forgiven Armin and Marie Amélie. Consider this matter as settled! Albert and Ferdinand are your friends
since the crib! If they were against you, they would have hit long time ago and not through me!”

He looked at me for a long time, irked, really furious, but suddenly his anger cooled down and came
toward me. “Please, my friend, stop now. They're your family, not Repin,” I whispered and my head was spinning
around from the tension and the fight.

“Very well, Guntram,” Konrad said. “Albert, bring your son back the day after tomorrow. Guntram, go
to bed now.”

I did as I was told because I knew he was one step from killing.

December 20th, 2005

Zurich

The strong cold Guntram had caught forced him to remain in the house for several days. He felt miserable and preferred to remain in his studio, working on the stories. He already was sure that he would miss his own
vernissage
in Berlin because of his poor health. Wagemann had been very clear; absolute bed rest for two weeks and Friederich was the enforcer.

Guntram had apologised to Heindrik for stealing his weapon, but the Swedish had taken it very sporty, telling him that he had just been unaware but next time Guntram would not be so lucky and finally both had agreed that the boy would teach him how to do it when he was feeling better. “From now onwards, you're the
Dachs
just as Armin is the
Strolch!”

Armin returned on the 20th and went directly to Guntram's bedroom to apologise, under Friederich stern gaze because Konrad had to leave the house to refrain himself from murdering his own blood.

“I was so stupid, Guntram. I thought she loved or at least liked me. When I fought with you I knew what I was doing, but it was as I couldn't stop myself. Before we arrived to the house, she gave me one of those pills, a

“rocket” and they're incredible when you make love with someone. You feel like you're going to explode in a million suns. I took it and she had one too because we both wanted to have a great time.”

“Why do you need such a thing? You're twenty!” Guntram asked bewildered. “I bet you can turn a lady mad in bed.”

“Of course I can, but she had been complaining for some weeks that I was so boring, like my uncle Konrad; that I was becoming like him.”

“To your information, Armin, your “uncle” is not boring in bed at all,” Guntram confided with a smile.

“I'm glad he's older than I because if he were twenty, I would be a corpse already. A happy one,” he chuckled, but stopped his laughter when he heard Friederich lightly cough.

“I've been in love with her since I was thirteen and when she agreed to date me I asked my father for his permission, I really did. I wanted to do the things right as I wanted her to be my wife!”

“What happened?”

“My father forbade me to do it and uncle Konrad too. They said that she was not worthy of my affections! I spoke with Aunt Gertrud and she allowed me to visit her daughter when Dr. von Kleist was not there, of course. I thought they were old fashioned, but now I know that it was because she had insinuated to uncle Konrad when she was sixteen and was in bed with one of the associates at seventeen, just to force the man to marry her! She had a video of it and blackmailed him to make it public! His wedding was cancelled and he killed himself a month later in a car accident.”

“Could it have been a misunderstanding?”

“No, my father is sure that this was organised by von Kleist! You saved my life and I will be eternally grateful to you, Guntram. I'm sorry for all the hideous things I told you.”

“Don't worry; calling me SpongeBob was not the worst. I was going to start to call you Patrick Star.”

“I'm glad you can hit like you do. It really stopped me.”

“You were a bit out of yourself and me also. I shouldn't have used a knife at you.”

“Guntram, I was stoned and didn't kill you by sheer luck. Amundsen and Hartick had to jump on me to control me when they got there. I was absolutely crazy with that thing. I hit Marie Amélie and perhaps would have killed her when she called me impotent. It was a great luck the men arrived. I never hit a woman in my life and then, I did it with her.”

“I didn't know that,” Guntram said astonished.

“I was furious that she had suggested to fuck with you too. She laughed at me and said that perhaps with a second man, she would feel something because with me, it was like doing it with a dildo.”

“Look Armin, forget about this. Be nice and work hard and your uncle will forgive you too. I'm sorry that you were not loved back. Perhaps one day, you'll find a nice girl who copes with you.”

“Uncle Konrad is a lucky bastard for having you.”

“Uncle Konrad will skin you alive if he hears you saying such a thing,” Guntram smiled and offered his hand. “Friends?”

“Of course, my father adores you,” Armin shook hands with Guntram.

“Do you know where Marie Amélie is?” Guntram asked, but Friederich rose from his chair and only said: “I think it's time for you to leave, young Lintorff. The Duke will see you at dinner,” Abashed, Armin left the room with his head bent.

“Why can't I ask this?” Guntram nearly shouted.

“Because this woman has no relationship to you, child. She's away and her name will never be mentioned again in this house. I'm very pleased with your behaviour and attitude during this unfortunate incident. You followed our Lord's teachings and I believe your father would be proud of you. You should rest now.”

Guntram did his best to comply with the order because he wanted to be able to attend the Christmas Market organised by Pater Bruno and Clara von Ribbentrop, if only for a few hours.