Chapter 36

Yousef and Christine stepped into the labyrinth and started down the musty path. At one time, Erik maintained each one of the pathways but they had been deserted for almost six years. The path that Yousef chose was covered in dust and spider webs, and rats scurried about under their feet. Christine gasped when one jumped in front of her...

She turned to Yousef, "We are not safe heading down here without any sort of light. Erik could see in the dark because he was accustomed to it. He always advised me to walk about carrying a torch or lantern. I saw none here and we will lose the light any time now." She warned."

The Persian nodded. "There is a lantern ahead of us. I left it here after when I was down before it should still be where we left it. No one comes down here anymore."

"We were down here last year but Erik took us on a more direct path from the Rue Scribe side. He cleared that one of all of his traps long ago. Why don't I show you that way instead? We just need to exit and go to that side. He probably has not yet cleared the traps from this one since your associate fell into one before, between that and the state of disrepair we are not likely to make it down safely."

The Persian cocked the gun once more and held it against her forehead. "You will have to improvise. If I take you out of here someone might see us, I will not risk the chance that you will escape."

"Fine Richard," Christine fumed, I hope that you don't mind that I continue to call you that. I have known you by that name for seven years. Have you forgotten that so quickly? Was there anything about that time that was real?

Yousef sneered "My dislike for your husband has never changed. I am an excellent actor Madame, better than anyone here. I have not been myself since I was a child, thanks to your husband. When I was a ten year old child in Constantinople, I pretended to be a girl, to evade the Shah's minions. I have been Firmin for almost twelve years. At times I feel almost as if I were a Frenchman."

Christine asked "Why do you want to do this Richard? Do you need to make my children grow up without a father? Even if what you believe is true, will Erik's death bring back your parents? Erik told me that your father told you not to seek revenge. Why do you ignore what he told you? You claim to be getting justice in his name; but is this the way to do it?"

He looked at Christine irritably "Stop trying to win my sympathy or explore my motives. I have already told you that I am not seeking vengeance for my father but seeking justice for your husband and the Shah's crimes. Your husband was a powerful man in my country. He rose to power because of his willingness to do the Shah's bidding. It is his motives that you should be questioning not mine. If you were as innocent as you seemed to be back then why didn't you marry the Vicomte as you wanted to? You claimed to be afraid of the Phantom, and not in league with him, and yet you married him. I never did understand why you would have chosen such a man over the Vicomte de Chagny. The Vicomte was a good man, unlike his brother and he truly wanted to marry you, yet you chose that monster."

Christine replied "Listen Richard it is not too late to end this peacefully. I came here to find you to convince you that your crusade against Erik is misguided. Despite what your associates have done to him, he does not hate you. He would let you go and say nothing more about your association with the others. He knows that you are not like Philippe or Bertrand. Erik believes that you did not condone all of their actions. I told you back there that, if we continue down this path, it will be more than just the physical path ahead that will present challenges to you. Erik will never let you go free. You have a wife, Mathilde. Do you love her at all? Was she just a façade for you like everything else?"

He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders "A façade Madame. I am fond of her but if I die, it will be of little matter, she is young and will find someone else."

Christine gave him a glance filled with pity. "Then you have no one that you truly love? I feel sorry for you, to live without love. You and Erik have more in common than you ever thought. He spent most of his life without knowing love. It was the absence of love that made him take many regrettable actions. Do you really want to follow his path?"

Yousef sneered "I am nothing like your husband. I have known true love but she left me years ago. She made me choose between her and my quest for justice. As a Prince of Persia, I felt that my duty to my people far outweighed my own personal happiness."

Christine stopped walking and looked back at him asking softly "What is her name?"

Youself replied "Yasmine. She was the daughter of a Persian diplomat of good family and a gentle heart. She wanted me to abandon my path and take her somewhere far away, where the Shah could not reach us."

Christine could see a tear forming in his eye, which he wiped away. He looked at her and then hardened his heart and grabbed her and held the gun to her temple.

He jabbed her with the gun and said "I told you before, stop trying to distract me. I have been planning this for so long and the end is finally near. I will not have you trying to gain my sympathy for either yourself or the monster that you call your husband. You will not speak to me about anything until we reach your husband's old lair."

Christine looked at him "Erik was right I should not have come. I made a mistake believing that you had any sort of decency left in your heart. You will stop at nothing to achieve your so called 'justice' even killing innocents."

He took the barrel of the gun and slapped her face with it, drawing a little blood from her temple. "I told you to be silent, Jendeh. This time I hit you the next time I will shoot you."

They came to a spot where the lantern had been left. He reached down for it and picked it up and then lit it.

"Stay to the left, my associate walked towards the middle and the floor opened up beneath him; one of your husband's traps."

Christine did as he said and went off to the left. She started to recognize the path as it linked up with the one that she used to follow from her dressing room. She decided not to let Firmin know that it was safe. She wanted him to be distracted just in case she could find a way to stop him.

Erik wasted no time in leaving the manor riding Caesar at a breakneck pace. He did not want to miss the noon train to Paris. The next one after that did not leave for several hours. He hoped that in the meantime Raoul would have had time to call Jean Paul and his mother to see if Christine had gone to see them. He wanted Jean Paul or his mother to telegraph Nadir and Julien in Paris. Raoul had a little more time because Boscherville was a stop closer to Paris than Rouen and he had a shorter ride into Boscherville to begin with. To Erik's relief Raoul, Jean Paul and Severine all boarded the train together and found him in the compartment that Erik had reserved.

Erik looked at all of them irritably and then turned to Raoul "What are they doing here, fop? I did not ask you to bring all of Boscherville."

Raoul turned to him "Both insisted on coming. I tried to tell Severine to stay in bed but she would hear nothing of it."

Jean Paul told him "You need me brother. In my experience with you, every time you have one of these emergencies, you need my services. I am saving you the need to seek out a physician in Paris."

Erik gave him a reluctant acknowledgement "I am hoping that she is still in Rouen or just deceived me so that she could go see Meg in Paris, but if not we might have use for you; but stay out of the fray please."

Jean Paul replied "You treat me as if I am somehow physically weak. I assure you that I was quite a competent medic in the army during the war with Prussia. When I wasn't needed to help with the casualties, I had to spend some time on the battlefield as a soldier. I know how to shoot a gun quite well. I have hunted with you and Raoul."

Erik looked at him critically "Have you ever killed a man?"

Jean Paul stuttered "na..na.. no."

Erik gave him a cold smile "It is not the same as saving one brother. I have killed many men and each time that you do it, no matter how deserving that the man was to die, there is still a part of you that dies with them. The part of you that is innocent and human. You have to dehumanize yourself to do it. Too much emotion and you cannot handle the job."

He turned to his sister "What in God's name are you doing here? Especially being sick in bed?"

Severine replied "I am coming to help my friend who is in need. Christine came to my rescue long ago when Philippe and his henchmen kidnapped me. I will not sit still helplessly and wait for bad news. Besides brother, I love you and want to stand by you no matter what the danger."

Erik looked at all of them bemused "I appreciate your love and support, but this is taking it too far. None of you should be placing yourself in danger when it is my past that has caused this problem. You may all come to Paris with me but you will head to my home there and wait for me to return with Christine."

Severine replied stubbornly "You may forget that plan Erik, we are all coming with you. It will be harder for anyone to hurt all of us than just you and Nadir. We are coming with or without your help. If you send me to your house I will just follow you. If you want to keep us safe you will have to take us with you."

"You are a stubborn woman sister." Erik acknowledged he turned to Raoul "Why can't you keep control over your Countess? Are you not man enough to do so?"

Raoul bristled at the insult "As you did with Lotte? Tell me fiend what should I have done knocked her out thrown her into what is left of Guy's suite? Unfortunately I didn't choose one of those silent well -bred noblewoman as a wife, I picked your sister, who has your temperament."

Erik suddenly laughed "You are right fop, perhaps we should sit back and let our women go after Yousef. You and I can go to the Jockey Club and play some Bouillotte, and then visit the Moulin Rouge for a nightcap."

Raoul smiled "It sounds great, but then my wife would not let me go there either. The last time that I was at the Jockey Club, I lost almost fifty thousand francs at the Roulette wheel. Severine would not speak to me, she claimed that if I was not careful that I would waste our entire fortune at a roulette table and drown in my cups."

Severine told them "Like many of his class, Raoul has a tendency to overindulge in decadent pleasures. He is not afraid of poverty, having never come close to experience it. I have to keep him on the straight and narrow."

Erik raised a brow sardonically "Perhaps the boy should spend a while in a filthy cage. If nothing else, it taught me the value of money. When I obtained my fortune, everyone changed their demeanor towards me even when I still wore the mask."

Raoul replied "No need Erik. I will never make that mistake again. I have Severine's temper to contend with."

They all laughed. Erik watched the countryside change from farmland to city. The train pulled into the Gare Du Nord right around the same time that Yousef started leading Christine down the path towards Erik's lair. When they arrived at the station, to their surprise they were greeted by Julien, and not by Nadir.

Julien looked the group over. "It is a good thing that I brought your brougham Erik, Nadir told me to expect only you and perhaps Raoul."

Erik laughed "As did I, imagine my surprise when Raoul entered the compartment with everyone. Both of my siblings insisted on coming to support me. Where is Nadir?"

The Baron replied "He sent me in his place. He was chasing down an important lead pertaining to Yousef. Since Christine has not contacted any of us here in Paris, we decided that the first place that we should look for Christine is at the Palais Garnier. It seemed logical to Nadir unless you would want to try somewhere else."

"I hope that she did not go there if she were truly looking for Andre. While there are a lot of people milling about there at all times, I hope that I at least taught her to stay in a crowded place when meeting a shady character." Erik told them.

Julien looked at him quizzically "Do you normally send your wife to meet with, as you put it, shady characters?"

Erik replied defensively "Of course not, but I have addressed all sorts of contingencies with her just in case. My life has never exactly been completely carefree. As the Phantom's wife, I wanted her to be prepared for any eventuality. I taught her how to fire a gun, and shoot an arrow as well."

In the meantime Nadir was running his errand to the Persian embassy. Apparently

The Shah's police had uncovered a daughter of a former diplomat who knew Yousef Qajar. The diplomat was currently stationed in London. Their daughter had been disgraced eight or nine years before by a man who she knew as Yousef Qajar. The Persian government arranged for the woman to be transferred to the custody of Amir, Erik's contact at the Embassy. Amir telephoned Nadir to come down and speak with this woman. He promptly complied.