Excerpt: The Illuminati

'What do you want from me?' replied Alaric.

'We need men like you Alaric; men of character, wealth and vision. But there is a catch.'

Alaric looked puzzled and said 'And that is?'

'You will have to swear an oath of silence and unquestioning allegiance to the order, on the pain of death, and this time it is no idle threat. It has been executed more than once. The Illuminati is a group of powerful and determined men, dedicated to protecting the freedom of the Western world. You can count on them to do so, but you can also count on them to punish you if you betray them.'

A space of silence descended in the room. After a while Krüger continued.

'The Grand Master of the Illuminati always has an apprentice who knows the work and can take over when the time comes. Always there is one master and one apprentice to ensure the continuity of the work. This is an ancient tradition.'

Alaric nodded.

'I have been watching you. You have the qualities we seek and I want you to become my apprentice. You will work closely with me and in time you will take over the work and choose an apprentice yourself.' Krüger looked directly at Alaric. 'No one can know about this. This will be our secret.'

Alaric was silent for a while. 'You are the Grand Master of the Illuminati?' he finally whispered.

Krüger nodded. 'Yes I am.'

>> More: "A New World Order"