A PRINCE

WITHOUT A

KINGDOM

A PRINCE
WITHOUT A

KINGDOM
Timothe de Fombelle
translated by Sarah Ardizzone

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,

and incidents are either products of the authors
imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Text and cover design copyright 2011 by Gallimard Jeunesse
English translation copyright 2014 by Sarah Ardizzone
Picture of the Hindenburg Corbis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced,
transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system
in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording,
without prior written permission from the publisher.
First U.S. edition 2015
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2014957056
ISBN 978-0-7636-7950-7
15 16 17 18 19 20 BVG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in Berryville,VA, U.S.A.
This book was typeset in Perpetua.
Candlewick Press
99 Dover Street
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
visit us at www.candlewick.com

But my heart is like a precious piano double-locked,

and the key lost.
Anton Chekhov

PART ONE
AN ENCOUNTER IN THE SKY: VANGO AND ETHEL 3
1. THE CORPSE IN THE BLUE COMET

13

2. STORMY WEATHER ON THE TRACKS

25

3. TWO TRAMPS IN THE SKY

35

4. THE TROUBLE WITH DEER

44

5. ON THE RIDGE OF A GLACIER

56

6. LAST WORDS ON DEATH ROW

71

7. SILVER GHOST

85

8. A PRINCESS IN EXILE

100

9. LA BOHME

118

10. A GHOSTLY BEDROOM

134

11. THIS NOTEBOOK BELONGS TO LAURA VIAGGI 150

PART TWO
12. THE CONSTELLATIONS

169

13. GUARDIAN ANGELS

184

14. THE RUINED GARDEN

198

15. THE CITADEL OF WOMEN

208

16. BACK TO EVERLAND

222

17. BLOOD AND HONOR

235

18. FOUR WORDS IN A TELEGRAM

247

19. WRITE TO TELL ME HES WELL

264

20. THE SMOKING ROOM OF THE HINDENBURG

278

21. THE WHITE FLAG

291

22. WEEP FOR HUMANITY!

303

PART THREE
AN ENCOUNTER BY THE SEA: WEEPING WILLOW 319
STELLA

328

23. THE CAPITAL OF SILENCE

338

24. SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST

355

25. THE LIST

371

26. BEFORE THE STORM

380

27. THE SAUCEPANS OF ETERNITY

393

28. HORSES FOR SLAUGHTER

406

29. MIDNIGHT

421

30. BARBARY FIG TREES

441

CAST OF CHARACTERS
Italics denote real historical figures
murderous Soviet agent tasked with killing Vango
EMILIE ATLAS girl who secretly prowls the rooftops of Paris; resistance name
Marie; a.k.a. the Cat
LIEUTENANT AUGUSTIN AVIGNON Boulards ambitious second-in-command
ETHEL B. H. Scottish heiress and orphan; in love with Vango; lives with her
brother, Paul, at Everland Castle
PAUL B. H. Ethels older brother; Scottish heir and orphan; RAF pilot who
fights in the Spanish Civil War and for the French Resistance
DOCTOR BASILIO doctor on the island of Salina; hopes to see Mademoiselle
again
NINA BIENVENUE cabaret singer who achieved fame at La Lune Rousse in
Montmartre, Paris
SUPERINTENDENT AUGUSTE BOULARD eminent police detective at the Quai
des Orfvres (Criminal Investigations, Police HQ, Paris)
MADAME MARIE-ANTOINETTE BOULARD Boulards mother
CAESAR mysterious resistance leader for the Paradise Network
GIOVANNI CAFARELLO murderous pirate who left Salina for New York with a
stolen fortune; a.k.a. Gio
DORGELES Voloy Viktors right-hand man, and a thug
MADAME BLANCHE DUSSAC concierge for the Paris apartment block where
Boulard lives; friend of Marie-Antoinette Boulard
COMMANDER/DOKTOR HUGO ECKENER commander of the Graf Zeppelin; friend
of Vango; member of Project Violette
MOTHER ELISABETH leader of the Abbey of La Blanche on the island of
Noirmoutier, off the coast of western France
DOCTOR ESQUIROL Max Grunds personal doctor; member of Project Violette
CASIMIR FERMINI proprietor of La Belle toile restaurant in Paris
MAX GRUND chief representative of the Gestapo in German-occupied Paris
HEINRICH KUBIS headwaiter of the Graf Zeppelin
CAPTAIN ERNST LEHMANN captain of the Graf Zeppelin; Hugo Eckeners
second-in-command
MADEMOISELLE Vangos childhood nurse; a.k.a. Tiotenka; a.k.a. the
Bird-seller
BORIS PETROVITCH ANTONOV

WERNER MANN

Violette

German World War I fighter pilot; member of Project

cook at the invisible monastery on the island of Arkudah

MARY housekeeper at Everland Castle; guardian of Ethel and Paul
INSPECTOR BAPTISTE MOUCHET assistant to the superintendent at the
Quai des Orfvres (Criminal Investigations, Police HQ, Paris)
NICHOLAS son of Peter, the gardener at Everland Castle; Ethels ally
ANDREI IVANOVITCH OULANOV violin player from Moscow studying in
Paris; blackmailed into spying for Boris Petrovitch Antonov
IVAN IVANOVITCH OULANOV father of Andrei; lives in Moscow
KONSTANTIN & ZOYA IVANOVITCH OULANOV younger siblings of Andrei;
they live in Moscow
JOSEPH JACQUES PUPPET former soldier turned boxer from the Ivory
Coast; now a barber based in Monaco; member of Project Violette; a.k.a.
J. J. Puppet
SIMON the bell ringer at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
JOSEPH STALIN despotic ruler of the Soviet Union
SVETLANA STALIN eight-year-old daughter of Stalin; a.k.a. Setanka; a.k.a.
Setanotchka
STELLA a girl from Chakva
GIUSEPPINA TROISI Pippo Troisis abandoned wife; a.k.a. Pina
PIPPO TROISI once a farmer from the island of Salina; now an asylum
seeker from marriage at the invisible monastery on the island of Arkudah
VANGO washed up on the island of Salina as a child; now a young man
searching for his identity; a.k.a. Evangelisto; a.k.a. the Bird
BARTOLOMEO VIAGGI pirate from the island of Salina; killed by Giovanni
Cafarello
LAURA VIAGGI daughter of the late Bartolomeo Viaggi; from the island of
Salina
VOLOY VIKTOR nefarious arms dealer; also goes by many other names,
including Madame Victoria
VLAD THE VULTURE Soviet agent; rival of Boris Petrovitch Antonov
WEEPING WILLOW mysterious, sickly figure who is hidden away in a valley
in the Caucasus Mountains
PADRE ZEFIRO leader of the invisible monastery of Arkudah; mentor of
Vango; member of Project Violette
BROTHER MARCO

1918. At the age of three, Vango is washed up

on a beach in the Aeolian Islands in Sicily, with Mademoiselle,
his nurse, who claims to know nothing about their past. He
grows up on the island of Salina, sheltered from the world,
among the birds and climbing the cliffs.
At the age of ten, he discovers the invisible monastery, which Padre Zefiro founded in order to protect a few
dozen monks from the mafias that were after them. Vango
is accepted by the community, and lives between his island
and the monastery. But, four years later, when he announces
to Zefiro that he wants to become a monk, the padre sends
him away to find out about the world before making a final
commitment.
So Vango spends the year of 1929 as a crew member of
the Graf Zeppelin airship, by the side of Commander Hugo
Eckener. On board he meets an orphan called Ethel, who is
traveling with her brother. But Vango is being pursued by
unknown forces who want him dead, and three weeks after
meeting Ethel, he is forced to leave her.
A few years later, just as he is about to become a priest at
the foot of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Vango is accused
of a crime he hasnt committed. The senseless witch hunt

continues, and Superintendent Boulard and his men join the

ranks of those already pursuing him. From now on, Vango
leads the life of a fugitive across Europe, as he tries to discover why such hatred follows him.
Padre Zefiro has now left his monastery and is fighting
against the arms dealer Voloy Viktor in order to keep the
promise he made to three friends, twenty years earlier, in the
trenches of Verdun.
In the middle of this whirlwind, Vango finally learns about
his dramatic arrival in Sicily as a child: offshore from the
islands, his parents were killed in their boat by three men,
led by one Cafarello. Vango and his nurse escaped. Cafarello
betrayed his co-pirates, sunk the boat, and disappeared with
the lions share of the mysterious treasure that was on board.
Vango sets off again into the unknown to find Cafarello and
uncover the great secret of his life.

PART ONE
NEW YORK,
MAY DECEMBER 1936

AN ENCOUNTER IN THE SKY:

VANGO AND ETHEL

Lakehurst, New Jersey, September 1, 1929

The rectangle of crumpled corn was their hideout.
They were lying next to each other, draped in the gold of the
crop. All around them, fields stretched as far as the eye could see,
proud and tall beneath the sun. The airship on the ground was just
visible, a few kilometers off, like a shimmer of silver in the grass.
She was twelve perhaps, and he fourteen. She had run after him
through the corn, which had closed up again behind them.
Go away! he had called out.
She had followed, without the faintest idea of where he was
heading. Now they were huddled on the ground, face-to-face, and
she was crying.
Are we hiding? Why do we have to hide?
Vango put two fingers to Ethels lips.
Shhh. . . . Hes here. Hes following me.
Not even the ears of grain rustled. Complete silence, except for a
sustained summer note, a deep note you might call the sound of the
sun. Vango had a crazed look in his eyes.
Tell me whats going on, Ethel whispered.
The parched earth soaked up the traces of her tears.
Theres nobody here. I dont recognize you anymore, Vango.
What is the matter?
Ethel had only known Vango for three weeks, but it seemed to

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

her as if their meeting was the beginning of everything and that in

her entire life she had never really known anybody else. Three weeks
had been like a small eternity together. Hadnt they traveled all the
way around the world?
They had even forgotten about the other passengers on board
the Graf Zeppelin, the crowds that gathered at each stop-off, the
newspapers reporting on the great airships adventure, the magnesium
flashes from the cameras falling over them like a shower of white rain.
In their hearts, it had been just the two of them flying: from
New York to Germany, and then nonstop to Japan. After five days
let loose in Tokyo, they had crossed the Pacific in three days, flown
over the bay of San Francisco at sunset as part of a flotilla of small
aircraft, been given a standing ovation in Los Angeles and Chicago,
and finally landed at Lakehurst, near New York.
Enough for at least one lifetime. Or perhaps for two lives joining
together?
Please, she whispered, tell me what youre frightened of. Then
I can help you.
Once again he put his hand over Ethels mouth. He had just
heard a clicking sound, like a weapon being loaded.
Hes here.
Who?
Ethel rolled over onto her back.
Vango wasnt the same person anymore.
Three weeks earlier, they had been strangers. They had met in the
skies above New York, on the first night of their voyage. Ethel wished
she could be back there, reliving it all, second by second, beginning
with the first words, Dont you ever speak?
She had said nothing, of course, which had been her response to
4

AN ENCOUNTER IN THE SKY: VANGO AND ETHEL

every question for the past five years. She was leaning against the
window, holding a glass of water. They were one hundred meters
above the tallest skyscrapers. The vertical night sparkled below them.
She wasnt interested in the person who was talking to her.
I was watching you with your brother, he had remarked. You
never say anything. But hes very good at looking after you.
He had turned his head to discover a pair of green eyes staring
at him.
All the other passengers were asleep. She had left her cabin in
search of a glass of water and had found this boy, sitting in the semidarkness, in the small kitchen of the airship. He was peeling potatoes.
She supposed he was working as a kitchen hand.
And then, as she headed for the door to return to her cabin, she
had heard him say, If you like, Im here. If you cant sleep, my
names Vango.
These peculiar words had stopped Ethel in her tracks. She had
repeated them to herself, before wondering, And if I can sleep, will
he still be called Vango?

Against her better judgment, she had glanced at him. She saw
that he was peeling his potatoes as if they were precious stones, with
eight perfect facets. Above all, she saw that he bore no resemblance
to anything or anyone she had ever met before. She had walked out
of the room. The Zeppelin was already some distance from the coast.
Manhattan was just a shiny memory in the sky.
When Ethel returned to the kitchen shortly afterward, Vango had
admitted, Like you, Ive said very few words in my life. Its your
silence thats making me so chatty.
It was her smile that betrayed her. She had sat down on a crate,
as if she hadnt seen him. He was singing something in a language
she didnt recognize.
5

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

Vango could no longer recall what he had said to pass the time.
But he hadnt stopped talking until morning. Perhaps he had begun
with the potato he was holding between his fingers. Boiled, sauted,
roasted, grated, stewed: the humble potato always astounded him.
Sometimes, he would even cook it in a ball of clay, which he would
smash afterward with a stone, as if it were an egg. From the potato,
he would no doubt have gone on to talk about eggs, then chickens,
then everything that lives in the farmyard, or that lends its scent to
the vegetable garden or the spice shop, or that falls from the fruit
trees with the sound of autumn. He had talked about chestnuts
exploding, and the sizzle of mushrooms in the frying pan. She was
listening. He had got her to smell the jar of vanilla pods, and he had
heard the first sound to pass her lips as her face approached the jar
to sniff it: like the sigh of a child turning over in her sleep.
They had even looked at each other for a second in silence. She
seemed surprised.
Vango had continued. Later, he noticed the small bundle of
vanilla pods bringing tears to the girls eyes; even the acrid smell of
yeast on the chopping board seemed to make memories rise up for her.
He watched her beginning to thaw.
The next day, as they passed the thirty-fifth meridian, Ethel had
uttered her first word, Whale.
And sure enough, below them was a drifting white island, which
not even the pilots of the Zeppelin had spotted. A white island that
turned gray when it rose up out of the foam.
After that word came the word toast, then the word Vango,
and then other words too: sounds that filled the eyes and mouth. This
lasted for nearly two weeks. Ethel could feel life returning, the way
a blind person recovers their sight. Her brother, Paul, sitting at the
table with the other guests, had watched her getting better before his
6

AN ENCOUNTER IN THE SKY: VANGO AND ETHEL

eyes. He hadnt heard the deep timbre of her voice since the death
of their parents.
But just before leaving Japan, on the twenty-first of August, she
had seen something crack in Vangos gaze. What had happened that
evening of their world tour?
Ethel suddenly remembered that all dreams have to come to an end.
Now, here they were, lying in their den of corn and sunshine. They
should have felt so close, the two of them, on this particular morning,
now that they were far away from the others at last. But instead she
noticed the way Vangos hand was trembling as she valiantly brought
hers close to it.
The balloons about to depart. You must go, whispered Vango.
But what about you?
Ill catch up.
Im staying here with you.
Go.
She stood up. Vango tugged her back down again.
Stay low and walk as far as the last row of corn, over there.
Then run to the Zeppelin.
Something fell to the ground, behind Vango.
Whats that? Ethel wanted to know.
Vango picked it up and tucked it inside his belt, in the small of
his back. It was a revolver.
Youre losing your mind, said Ethel.
Vango wished that were the case. He wished that he had made
everything up. That the invisible enemy who had tried to kill him
three times in one week had never existed, and that Ethels hair could
sweep away the shadows lying in ambush all around him.
Ethel let go of his hands.
7

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

You made me a promise, she added, after taking a few steps.

Will you remember?
He nodded, his eyes no longer able to focus.
She vanished into the corn.
After she had been walking for ten minutes, with her matted hair
stuck to her cheeks and eyes, Ethel heard two gunshots being fired
in the distance behind her. She turned around. The pool of gold lay
still, as if at low tide. Ethel could no longer tell where she had set
out from, or where the sound had come from.
The blaring of the airships horn was summoning her. Ethel
turned full circle, unable to decide what to do; then, remembering
Vangos pleading look, she continued walking toward the Zeppelin.
Commander Eckeners booming voice was making the kitchen window
vibrate.
Wheres my Piccolo? What have you done with him?
Otto Manz, the chef, shrugged, causing all his chins to disappear
into his collar.
He was here at midnight making a sauce for me. Try this!
Otto held out a steaming wooden spoon, which Hugo Eckener
pushed aside.
Im not here to discuss your sauces! Im asking you where
Vango is.
The kitchen was at the front of the airship. The canvas giant
tugged at its mooring ropes, preparing to leave America. In its hull,
ten of Christopher Columbuss sailing ships could have been lined up
end to end.
A pilot officer appeared at the door.
Were also missing two passengers.
8

AN ENCOUNTER IN THE SKY: VANGO AND ETHEL

Who? bellowed Eckener.

My little sister, Ethel, announced a twenty-year-old man who
had entered behind the officer.
This isnt a summer camp! This is the first round-the-world trip
by air! And were running an hour late. Where are these kids?
Over there! exclaimed the cook, looking out the window.
Ethel had just cleared a path through the crowd surrounding the
balloon. Her brother, Paul, rushed toward the window. She was alone.
Get her on board! ordered the commander.
They reached out to haul her up; the steps had already been
taken in. Paul greeted her on the threshold.
Where were you?
Ethel thrust her fists into her pockets. She was staring at her
brother. She sensed that she was teetering on a narrow causeway. She
could either dive back into the silence she had inhabited before Vango,
or she could set out alone on a new journey.
Paul sensed his sisters vertigo, and he watched her with trepidation, as if she were a cat on a glass roof.
I went for a walk, said Ethel.
Eckener appeared next to them.
What about Vango?
I dont know, answered Ethel. Im not Vangos keeper. Isnt
he here?
No, hes not here! boomed the commander. Nor will he ever
be again. Were leaving.
Youre not going to set off without Vango? remonstrated the cook.
Hes fired. Thats it. Were off. . . .
Eckeners voice faltered. Ethel looked away. The orders rebounded
all the way to the flight deck. Otto Manz collapsed against the
partition.
9

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

Vango? You cant be serious!

Dont I look serious? roared Eckener, his eyebrows sticking up.
At least try this sauce for me, pleaded the cook, still with the
wooden spoon in his hand.
But before the taste of truffles could reverse destiny, Eckener had
disappeared.
Suddenly, the voice of Kubis, the headwaiter, could be heard
calling out, There he is!
Ethel bounded into the corridor and made for the dining room;
pushing aside the travelers who were gathered at the window, she
scanned the airfield that was filled with soldiers and onlookers.
There he is! declared Kubis again, from the neighboring window.
And sure enough, Ethel could see, beyond the crowd, a man,
running and waving his arms.
Its Mr. Antonov!
Boris Petrovitch Antonov had also been missing from the roll call.
Hes wounded.
The Russian had wrapped a scarf around his knee and he was
limping.
This time, the white wooden staircase was put back in place for
him to embark. The latecomer explained that he had tripped on a
foxhole while stepping back to take a photo.
His eyes were fixed on Ethel.
Boris Antonov had small wire-framed glasses and a waxen complexion. He was traveling with Doctor Kakline, a Russian scientist
and Moscows official representative for escorting the Zeppelin over
the Soviet Union. Two weeks earlier, Eckener had decided to bypass
the north of Moscow, where tens of thousands of people waited to no
avail. Doctor Kakline had demonstrated his Siberian temper, but it
took more than that to make Hugo Eckener change his mind.
10

AN ENCOUNTER IN THE SKY: VANGO AND ETHEL

Kakline was now busy dealing with Antonov. But he didnt even
glance at the bloodstained bandage on his compatriots knee. Instead,
he was grilling him with a barrage of hushed questions. Kakline
seemed to be satisfied with the outcome of Antonovs adventure. Da,
da, da, he kept saying, pinching Antonovs cheeks as if he were a
good soldier.
The passengers felt the surge of takeoff. This was always the most
emotional moment, as the flying ship pulled away from the shouts of
the crowd and slowly rose to silent heights in the air.
Old Eckener was in his wooden chair on the starboard side, near
the flight deck windows. His blue eyes were tinged with sadness. He
was thinking about Vango, the fourteen-year-old boy who had just
spent nearly a year on board the Graf Zeppelin. From very early on,
he had imagined a mysterious destiny for the person he called Piccolo.
But he couldnt help becoming attached to him. From the outset, he
had dreaded the day when Vango would disappear.
Eckener was gazing down at the corn. The balloon had already
risen two hundred meters. The hive of activity in the hangars at
Lakehurst had been left behind, and only the crop fields were in view
now. But when he saw, down below, in the soft mist and expanse of
yellow, a boy running through the ears of corn, Eckener rediscovered
his smile. He stowed that sight in his memory, along with all the
others: the Sahara hurling itself into the ocean from the cliff tops,
the grid formation of the gardens at Hokkaido in Japan, the full
moon over the dark forests of Siberia. Each moment was a miracle. It
was as if the harvesting had been forgotten about, in order to make
it possible for a young man to cut a furrow through the corn as he
ran beneath the balloon.
Ethel was in her cabin. Her hands against the glass, she leaned
into the window without ever taking her eyes off that tiny dot moving
11

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

across the field below her. The crazy racing of the blue dot was slowly
losing ground against the shadow of the balloon. Her heart pounding,
Ethel leaned even farther so as not to let him out of her sight.
Vango, she whispered.
At exactly the same moment, behind the partition wall, Doctor Kakline
dropped his champagne glass.
The crystal shattered against the corner of a table, making
Comrade Antonov stand up.
Are you quite sure about that? muttered Kakline, pushing the
window slightly ajar.
Why? inquired Boris Antonov.
Im the one asking the questions here, insisted Kakline, as he
glared at the floor.
I . . . I didnt have time to go right up to the body, stammered
Boris. But
What dyou mean?
But I saw him fall.
You didnt check?
The zeppelin was about to take off without me. . . .
The blue dot disappeared. Kakline gritted his teeth.
You idiot.
Exhausted, his legs having taken a thrashing from his race across the
field, Vango stopped. He bent over and clasped his knees, unable to
catch his breath. The purring of the engines was becoming fainter
now. Slowly, Vango stood up. His eyes were fixed on the horizon
until complete silence was restored.

12

THE CORPSE IN THE BLUE COMET

Lakehurst, New Jersey, seven years later, May 1936

Rusty warehouses had been erected where the cornfields used
to be, but Vango still recognized the black earth between his
fingers. He crouched down at exactly the spot where he had
watched Ethel disappear all those years ago.
It was here that his life on the run had begun.
Seven years later, he still didnt know what his enemies
looked like.
Day hadnt broken yet. Vango had arrived in New York
by boat the evening before, on a third-class ticket. He had
made for Lakehurst, where the Hindenburg, the new flying
monster from the house of Zeppelin, was due to land for the
first time.
Vango wanted to have a word with Hugo Eckener.
There are some people whose schedules are advertised in
block capitals at newspaper kiosks. To find out where they
are, all you have to do is listen to the newspaper sellers in the
street calling out, Eckener in New York with his Hindenburg!
Buy the Post!
On their way back from Sicily, Vango and Ethel had traveled
to France before boarding a boat to cross the Channel at
Le Havre.

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

When they docked at Southampton, she had made her

way back to Scotland. And Vango had set off for America.
Ethel couldnt understand why he was deserting her on
the dockside, when they had already been lost to each other
for such a long time. He couldnt even tell her what he
planned to do. This time, he hadnt made any promises. She
was shivering in the cold. He had stood there, saying nothing,
with the rain streaming through his hair. Ethel had walked
away. The ships horn announced the end of the stopover.
No good-byes. Always the same scene being played out.
He would never forget that look in Ethels eyes, beneath her
hood: a sort of threat. She hadnt made any promises either.
Night was clinging on in the west. The airship wouldnt arrive
until after midday. The air still felt cool, and in the distance,
the landing field was empty. Vango lay down under a few
lingering stars.
Through the window of a corrugated iron shack, a man
dressed in black was spying on him.
Silent seagulls circled above Vango. On the bridge of
the transatlantic liner Normandy, approaching the coast, small
squadrons of gulls had been watching over him, as they would
have followed a plowman or a trawling fisherman. Now they
had found him again, despite the gloom, in the midst of these
hangars far from the sea. Five or six gulls pretending to be
nocturnal birds. Vango fell asleep, hypnotized by the flapping
of white wings.
The man in black, clad in a bandits coat, waited a while
before emerging from his hideout. He approached the boy
and leaned over his sleeping face. Concerned, the birds kept
14

THE CORPSE IN THE BLUE COMET

a close eye on things. The man glanced up at the circle they

made in the night sky, then untied Vangos shoes. He put
them in his poachers pockets and headed off.
When daylight woke him, Vango sensed thunder in the
offing, and through his half-open eyes, he glimpsed a stormy
sky. But on heaving himself up with his elbows, he discovered
that his shoes had disappeared. He searched the grass around
him. Checking his belt, he could feel the cloth roll he was
looking for, containing the precious stones. So his old shoes
were the only things that had been stolen. Nothing else.
He tipped his head back to get the measure of the storm.
A rumbling sound was coming from the gray sky, streaked
with glints of mercury. But this particular sky was powered
by four enormous engines and carried more than a hundred
passengers: it was the Hindenburg airship arriving from Europe.
Vango stood up, feeling dazzled. When he had traveled
on board the Graf Zeppelin with Ethel, back in 1929, he could
never have imagined that one day Commander Eckener would
succeed in making an infinitely bigger and heavier airship rise
up into the skies, complete with a smoking room, a revolving door, and even an aluminum baby grand piano covered
in yellow leather. But Eckeners dreams could make mountains fly.
Vango started to sprint barefoot toward the landing field.
The crowd was packed in tightly around the barriers.
Ranks of curious people kept arriving. As he passed among
them, Vango missed the sense of genuine exultation he had
noticed on previous occasions. Something seemed to have tarnished the crazy, childish joy he had always witnessed toward
the Zeppelin. There was a surprising silence all around him,
15

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

making the orders being given to the airmen who were

preparing to grab hold of the balloons mooring ropes ring
out even more loudly.
Vango knew what had changed.
A few weeks earlier, there had been a lot of talk about the
propaganda dropped over Germany from the new Hindenburg
balloon. Every province was showered with leaflets depicting
Hitler, while loudspeakers blared Nazi songs: this terrifying
spectacle had sullied the airships image, even in America. And
now, despite the spray from the crossing, the circle around the
swastika on the zeppelins flank glistened the color of blood.
The balloon had come to a stop. The footbridge was
brought out from its underbelly. Vango recognized Captain
Lehmann, posted at the entrance to greet those about to
disembark the airship. When they appeared at the top of the
steps, the passengers cast victorious eyes over the crowd.
There wasnt a single crease in their white shirts, or a hair
out of place, and their shoes glistened. Still, they looked different from the rest of humanity, as if they had returned from
another world.
Such was the magic spell cast by this flying machine.
Vango decided to let the passengers disperse before
approaching Hugo Eckener.
A blond woman was making her way down the steps.
She was flanked by two young men, who looked like hotel
bellboys, carrying her suitcases and furs. Vango stared at her.
At a thousand dollars a ticket, it was rare to travel onboard
the zeppelin with staff. Usually, they would follow separately
in the hold of a cargo ship, accompanying the parrot cage and
the twelve suitcases of clothes.
16

THE CORPSE IN THE BLUE COMET

Another passenger quickly stole the blondes top billing, attracting the photographers attention. His name was
on everyones lips. He was a famous singer returning from a
European tour. His lips were fixed in a publicity-shot smile.
Vango was carried along by the crowd without even realizing it. Caught up in the whirlwind of journalists and curious
bystanders, he felt himself almost being lifted off the ground.
There was a police cordon to protect the star, but the scrum
trampled the cordon and threatened to turn violent.
Vango bobbed along like a cork in this human tide. In the
middle of the fighting that had broken out, a face rose up and
immediately disappeared again.
Stunned, Vango just had time to recognize it. He tried
to elbow his way against the current. The face was perfectly
etched in his memory.
The man had trimmed his mustache into fangs, while
sideburns hid part of his cheeks, and he wore a brown trilby
pulled low over his eyes. But it was him.
Zefiro.
Vango had spotted his friend Padre Zefiro, abbot of the
invisible monastery on the island of Arkudah, who, some
months earlier, had mysteriously abandoned his monks without giving any indication of his whereabouts.
Padre! whispered Vango.
He received two blows to the head and slid to the ground.
Over to the west, in Indiana, an engineer called John W.
Chamberlain, emancipator of housewives, had just finished
building the first fully automatic washing machine, which
relied on a force known as the centrifuge. And it was this
same centrifugal force that sent Vango spinning slowly in an
17

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

outward direction until he rolled on the grass, whiter than a

sheet.
On opening his eyes, he spotted a coat disappearing behind
a car. Vango recognized the trilby and went after it.
Zefiro . . . He couldnt let him disappear again.
Chevrolet buses were filling up with passengers as Vango
drew nearer. He saw Zefiro chasing a handsome purple open-top
car before jumping on board one of the buses. Vango climbed
into the next one. The convoy was slowed by the flow of
pedestrians. Horns tooted, and the yellow buses lurched over
the bumpy grass before rediscovering the delights of pavement.
The man sitting next to Vango on the bus eyed his neighbors shoeless feet suspiciously. He kept his hands tightly
pressed against his pockets, for fear of having his fob watch
stolen. The last thing the passenger could have imagined was
that Vango, the barefoot beggar, had sewn into his belt a
pouch of rubies valuable enough to buy up all the shoe factories on the East Coast.
The journey didnt take long. At quarter past seven that
morning, the yellow Chevrolets pulled up in front of Lakehurst
station. A few passengers got out. Spotting the trilby and the
coat among them, Vango set off on their trail. The purple car
was parked under the station clock.
Zefiro quickened his step and examined the car. It was
empty. He entered the ticket hall, inspected the waiting room,
and headed out onto the platform. Whistles shrilled across the
station. The Blue Comet was on platform one. It pulled out,
shrouded in steam.
It was a magnificent blue train as handsome as a toy,
with pale yellow lacquered windows. Vango made it onto the
18

THE CORPSE IN THE BLUE COMET

platform just in time to see the padre board the moving train.
Pushing aside the stationmaster who was blocking his way,
Vango began to sprint barefoot. Two other railway workers
crossed the tracks in a bid to stop him.
You shouldnt attempt to board a moving train, sir!
The last carriage was a long way ahead of him, and layers
of smoke prevented him from seeing where the platform
ended. Vango put on a final spurt and jumped onto the back
buffer of the locomotive. Just in time. The platform had disappeared beneath his feet.
At that very instant, the gleaming purple car exploded
under the clock. The explosion was so powerful that it shattered all the windows in the station.
Vango clung to the train, leaving behind him the racket of
shouts and whistle blows. All he could see was black smoke
rising up beyond the platforms.
Vango didnt understand what was going on. Ever since
he was fourteen, there had always been dangers and dramas
trailing in his wake. The world exploded when he passed by.
Ashes were all he left behind.
Recently, on the ocean liner to America, he had spent three
hours in the rain one night, on the deserted bridge, his arms
outstretched to the sky, hoping to wash away this curse. Two
old ladies had scooped him up the next morning. They were
Danish traveling companions, and they scolded him before lending him their cabin for the whole day so he could warm up.
You silly boy! How irresponsible of you!
They made him drink tea until he was full to bursting and
they rubbed mustard poultices into his back.
19

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

Were you out of your mind?

Being on the receiving end of someone elses anger had
never done Vango so much good.
The Blue Comet was a luxurious train offering a high-speed
connection to New York. After its hour of glory, the Great
Depression of 1929 had restricted its timetable. But this morning, all the seats were taken. Vango made his way through
the carriages, one after another. He was wearing a gray velvet
cap and had taken off his jacket, which he carried over one
arm. There was nothing remarkable about him, provided you
didnt look at his feet.
Nobody on board had noticed the explosion. The passengers were reading quietly or else dozing, propped against
the windows.
Vango was looking for Padre Zefiro. The last time he had
seen him, on the main concourse at Gare dAusterlitz in Paris,
the padre hadnt even recognized him. From that day on,
there had been no further sightings of Zefiro: he was reported
missing, believed dead.
Close by, in the front carriage, a lady was lounging on a
first-class seat. She had exclusive use of the two end compartments and had stationed an armed guard in the corridor. Even
the ticket inspector had received a wad of dollars to guarantee that she wouldnt be disturbed. She wore an angora stole
over one shoulder, and from time to time, she rubbed her ear
sensuously against it.
It was the blonde with the bellboys. She had left them in
the adjacent compartment, along with the men in suits who
acted as her bodyguards. On the seat opposite her, two other
20

THE CORPSE IN THE BLUE COMET

burly fellows in matching uniforms were waiting, hats on

knees.
Im away for two weeks, she complained, and no progress has been made?
Neither of the men responded.
Answer me, Dorgeles!
No reply came from the man called Dorgeles, but his
enormous neighbor opened his mouth.
The blonde made a violent sssssshhh! noise. This in turn
made the stole on her shoulder ripple, and out of it leaped
two blue eyes. It was a cat. The woman slowly lowered her
head again, so that it would go back to sleep.
Dorgeles knew what the person hidden beneath this feminine disguise was capable of. He knew how urgent it was to
placate the man behind the makeup: Voloy Viktor.
Well find him for you, Madame Victoria. We know hes
after you. Hell come to us.
The blonde waved her hand, as if Dorgeless voice still
risked waking the cat.
I cant sleep for a single second, she hissed. I know that
Zefiro is following me. I can smell him.
Trust us. Were here to protect you.
Can you smell it, Dorgeles? The stench of sulfur?
She was hallucinating.
Youve got to trust us. Youre putting yourself in danger
by changing the timetable so often.
Surely you can smell it, Dorgeles?
It had never been part of the plan for Voloy Viktor to
travel on board the zeppelin. Nor on this train, for that
matter. Suspicious to the point of being obsessive, he had
21

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

suddenly demanded that his big purple car pull up in front of

the station in order for him to catch the Blue Comet.
I could smell him, whined Madame Victoria. I could
smell him behind me. Hes always there. Zefiro is after my
skin.
There was nothing to worry about in the car. He even
missed you at the Plaza Hotel, back in May.
The blonde pointed a blue-painted nail at Dorgeles.
Youre the one who missed him at the Plaza! YOU!
The cat snarled. Dorgeles stared at the floor. He was
recalling the evening in New York when he had been trussed
up and bundled into the trunk of his own car before hed had
a chance to figure out what was happening.
Next to him in the train compartment, big Bob Almond,
from Chicago, who hadnt been recruited for the quality of
his conversation, was starting to butcher his hat.
You can rejoin the others, Dorgeles told him.
Bob stood up and banged his head on the ceiling. Then he
made a small polite bow, hitting his neck against the luggage
rack as he drew himself up to his full height.
When he had finally made it out of the compartment,
Madame Victoria rolled her eyes.
I wouldnt even hire him to scrape the muck off my
hunting boots. How do you select your primates?
They were both silent for a few minutes. Madame
Victoria leaned against the window. Her eyes flitted over
the countryside. How could anyone have recognized, in this
swooning lady, the madness of Voloy Viktor, arms dealer
and murderer?
22

THE CORPSE IN THE BLUE COMET

I have some news that will interest you, Dorgeles said

softly, in a bid to regain lost ground.
Madame Victoria didnt respond.
Some news as of yesterday evening, Dorgeles went on.
Did you know that Zefiros sidekick, the one we photographed him with, has been identified . . . ?
His name is Vango Romano. Madame Victoria sighed
wearily as she rummaged in her makeup bag. Dont you have
anything new to tell me, Dorgeles?
He arrived in New York last night, by boat.
This time, there was a flicker of curiosity on Madame
Victorias face. She looked at herself in a little mirror edged
with mother-of-pearl.
How do you know that?
Ive got one of my men stationed in customs at the port.
Madame Victoria snapped the mirror shut. She produced
a square of leather from her blouse and took out two photos,
which she held up against each other.
Now at last youre saying something interesting. Ive
always thought wed get to the old one via the young one.
Dorgeles didnt even allow himself a satisfied smile.
He was only too familiar with his bosss mood swings.
Show this photo to each of our men.
Dorgeles nodded and settled comfortably into the back of
his seat.
Now! roared Madame Victoria. Show them now! I
want that little . . .
Dorgeles grabbed the photo, stood up, and left the
compartment.
23

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

* * *
Vango had only one carriage left to check. One last chance
to find Zefiro. Suddenly, the shadow of the ticket inspector loomed before him. Vango pushed open the door to his
right and disappeared inside before he was spotted. He found
himself in the first-class lavatory. A curtain had been drawn
across the window. It was almost pitch-black. Vango turned
the lock. With his ear pressed to the door, he waited for the
inspector to head off.
When he tried to take a step backward, he nearly trod on
something bulky and limp on the floor. He bent down in the
gloom and put his hand out. Using his fist to stifle his cry, he
pinned himself against the wall, tugging the curtain clean off
its rail.
There, curled up in front of him, between the basin and
the toilet, was a lifeless body, almost naked, lying facedown.

24

STORMY WEATHER ON THE TRACKS

Padre?
Vango lifted the head by its hair and turned it toward the
light.
For a split second, he had thought it was Zefiro. His sense
of relief was almost shameful. Slowly, he bent over the body.
The man was wearing underpants and an undershirt. His ribs
rose and fell: he was still breathing. Vango knelt down next to
him. There were no clues as to who he was. The man merely
seemed to be asleep, his right hand closed around something.
Vango leaned over him a bit more. In his clenched fingers, the
man was holding what looked like a small pair of metal pliers.
Is that some kind of tooth extractor? wondered Vango.
He picked up the object to see if there were any bloodstains on it. Nothing. The fewer clues there are, the more
the imagination runs riot. Vango started fantasizing about
a patients revenge against his dentist, and other macabre
scenarios. Above all, he was conscious that he didnt want to
be accused of another crime that he hadnt committed. He
splashed some cold water on his face, undid the lock, and
took a deep breath.
Vango pushed the door open.
Right there, waiting to come in, loomed the figure of Bob

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

Almond, Madame Victorias henchman. Vango turned very

pale, and his eyes bulged.
Bob was squirming in front of him. Not even his huge
body was exempt from the calls of nature.
I need to go in, he said.
Vango didnt budge, having shut the door firmly behind
him. Bob stooped down to his level.
Sick? he asked, staring at the boys pallid face.
Thats right, said Vango. Im feeling sick.
Bob sniffed, as if he wanted proof.
Very sick, repeated Vango.
Bob Almond took a step backward to avert disaster.
Vango seized the opportunity to lock himself inside the firstclass lavatory again.
Come back in five minutes, please, he called out from
the other side of the door, between explicit retching noises.
He heard Bob walking away down the corridor.
Vango was at the back of his tiny hideout, shivering with
fear. But he didnt really start feeling sick until, down by
his feet, in that clammy air, the body of the tooth snatcher
started moving.
When Bob Almond went to sit back down in the compartment, along with his three colleagues and the two bellboys,
he was shocked at how patient he had been. He stared into
space and thought about what hed just done. Next time, as
sure as his name was Bob, he would make that guy deal with
his problems on the tracks.
Dorgeles came by, mentioned one of his colleagues. He
wanted to know where you were.
26

STORMY WEATHER ON THE TRACKS

Bob didnt answer.

The boss says weve got to find that.
Bob didnt even glance at the square of shiny paper being
held out to him. He was too busy staving off the call of
nature. He got out his watch to calculate when he could try
his luck again with the first-class lavatory.
Hes the new target, the other man continued.
Without paying it much attention, Bob took the photo of
Vango Romano.
Im warning you Madame Victoria wants him alive,
his neighbor specified.
Dont ask too much of Bob, joked one of the men, who
appeared to be dozing under his hat. Everyone guffawed.
During this brief exchange of words, Bob Almond had
begun to stare at the photo. The picture did the rounds of
his left brain three or four times before it vaguely began to
remind him of someone.
Then it came to him in a flash. He stood up, banging his
head on the ceiling again.
Crapola!
A travel bag came crashing down from the rack.
Bob rushed out of the compartment, ran down the corridor, and arrived in front of the lavatory door. One kick of
his boot was all it took to wrench the door off its hinges.
In the gloom, he could make out the whites of two petrified eyes. Bob smiled. He had him.
The men arrived one after another to witness Bob Almond
looming ahead of them, dragging some wretched creature
along by the hair.
27

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

Here he is, declared Bob, who was bursting with pride.

Get Dorgeles! Ive found his man.
But the person Bob was holding by the hair didnt look
anything like the photo of Vango. This victim wore only a
faded undershirt and underpants, and his teeth chattered while
words dribbled down his chin.
Seeing the bewildered expression on his friends faces,
Bob Almond raised his catch to eye level.
Crapola! he bellowed.
He threw the man to the ground and returned to search
the lavatory.
Where is he? I swear, I saw him.
Just then, Dorgeles appeared.
Weve got to search the other carriages. Hes on board!
boomed Bob.
Who?
Him!
Bob flashed the photo.
Check the whole train! Dorgeles instructed coldly. And
find the inspector for me. I want to talk to the inspector.
The men all made a dash for the second carriage.
Meanwhile, the victim was still writhing on the floor in
his underpants.
Vango was walking between the rows of passengers. He
didnt want anyone to notice him, but kept checking nervously behind him all the same. When he saw the inspectors
uniform, ten paces away, he threw caution to the wind and
tore down the aisle. The train tilted as it took a wide bend,
and people were shouting all around him. He dashed from
28

STORMY WEATHER ON THE TRACKS

one carriage to the next, leaping over the screeching rails,

pushing aside anyone who got in his way. A girl landed on the
knees of an elderly rabbi, and a man with a pair of pigeons sat
on their cage, crushing the bars and freeing the birds.
In a flurry of feathers, the inspector passed through the
aviary, shielding himself with his arms. He tripped on a suitcase but managed to get up again. He appeared to be limping
now, and held his cap in his hand. Never had so much energy
been expended by a railway worker to catch a fare dodger.
The tornado had barely blown through before another
followed, and this one was much more ferocious. Madame
Victorias men destroyed the debris left by those who had
gone before them. Nobody could make any sense of the chaos.
Vango had now reached the last carriage. The inspector,
who was just behind him, was losing ground to the gangsters,
but he kept on going, dragging his injured ankle behind him.
Dorgeles remained in the first-class carriage, at the other
end of the train. He kept his hand firmly on his gun. He was
the only person left, along with the two porters, to guarantee
Madame Victorias protection.
I bribed the inspector to seal off the carriage! Where is
that moron?
He tossed two guns to the young bellboys, so that they
could mount guard with him.
Vango had arrived at the end of the train. In front of
him, three doors opened directly onto the tracks. Dead end.
There was nothing else for it. He knew he would be blamed
for attacking the dentist. He was used to such accusations.
The train was approaching New York, as it traveled along an
embankment between vegetable patches and gray sheds. The
29

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

poplar trees quivered when the Blue Comet sped past.

A cry. He didnt even have time to turn around. He saw
the shadow of the inspector suddenly rise up, grab hold of
him, and stagger with him toward one of the doors. Vango
tried to break free while, with one jab of his shoulder, the
inspector forced open the door. Vango let out a scream. The
din was terrifying. The tracks flashed past like lightning. They
were both about to fall.
Three men had just appeared behind them. The biggest
held a Colt in his left hand.
Dont move!
The inspector didnt waver for a second. He gripped
Vango even more tightly and leaped with him into thin air.
The three gangsters saw them roll and disappear behind a
mound of earth.
Bob Almond fired seven shots from his Colt blindly into
the bushes, shouting Crapola! several times as a point of
principle. Then he trod on a railway workers helmet emblazoned with blue stars.
A few carriages away, Dorgeles was still shouting himself
hoarse.
Wheres the inspector? WHERE IS THE INSPECTOR?
He stopped. A weak voice was answering him. Dorgeles
looked down.
Here I am. . . . Im the inspector!
Down on the ground, the man in his underwear held out
his hand. He was writhing like a worm on the corridor floor.
Vango opened his eyes. He was lying in the middle of flowering strawberry plants. His roll down from the high tracks
30

STORMY WEATHER ON THE TRACKS

had left a large rectangle of flattened vegetation. He must

have blacked out for several minutes. The sun was beating
down hard.
He heard a man behind him.
Id do well to smash your face in, little one.
The little one turned his head.
There, with barely a crease in his tight inspectors uniform, sat the dark and handsome Padre Zefiro. He was
perched on an upturned bucket and tucking into a tomato
that was still green. Next to him, on the ground, lay a small
bundle.
Because of you, I missed my chance!
He spat out the tomato skin.
Seventeen years spent following him! A lifetime!
Zefiro had never sounded so frosty.
A whole life! And the lives of dozens of others, over
there, in the invisible monastery, all in mortal danger because
of you. Bravo, little one.
Vango didnt move or say a word. He was frightened of
making things worse, of turning other people into victims
simply by saying the wrong thing. Of starting a tidal wave by
raising his little finger.
Did I ask you to meddle in my affairs? asked Zefiro. He
was finally in my grasp!
Who? asked Vango weakly.
Voloy Viktor.
Vango felt desolate.
I . . . Im sorry. But you shouldnt have meddled in my
affairs either.
Theyre the ones who were going to meddle with you,
31

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

Vango. Theyre after you as well! They want to pin you to

their wall.
Me?
As usual, Vango could no longer tell whether he was the
victim or the guilty party.
They sat there together, listening to the silence.
Padre . . .
Zefiro didnt answer.
Padre . . . you saved my life.
And Im already sorry I did. It was a foolish act of
compassion.
Vango hung his head. The padre was watching him out of
the corner of his eye.
They want you because of me, admitted Zefiro, after
letting a few seconds go by. Because they saw you with me
in Paris. So its my fault too.
Vango stood up. His body had been given a drubbing by
the tumble he had just taken.
Was the man in the first-class lavatory another of Voloy
Viktors dirty tricks? he asked.
No. I needed a disguise to get to Viktor. You do whatever it takes. Zefiro shrugged. But Id forgotten to pick up
the ticket puncher. I was heading back to find it when I saw
you.
Padre . . . did you batter the ticket inspector?
He was corrupt. Viktor had bribed him. Im not looking
for excuses. I take full responsibility for everything Ive done.
I tried to booby-trap two of Viktors homes last month. And
this morning I fitted a time bomb inside his car. . . .
32

STORMY WEATHER ON THE TRACKS

Vango thought back to the explosion and the black cloud

when the train had pulled out of the station.
As long as Viktor is alive, Zefiro explained, my fellow
monks are in danger on their island. He will track down our
monastery to the bitter end.
The padre held a grasshopper between his fingers as he
acknowledged his friends confusion.
Youre not sure if you still recognize me, Vango. But
there is only one Padre Zefiro. The same man who built the
Monastery of Arkudah with his bare hands, who sings Gods
glory before a tomato plant, who raises a clutch of monks in
the middle of the sea, and who is determined to track down
Voloy Viktor. Theyre all the same man, Vango. And Im
doing this in order to remain that man.
He contemplated the grasshopper in the palm of his hand.
And now, he said, Im faced with the same question
thats been there since day one. What am I going to do with
you?
Vango closed his eyes. He was thinking of the hanging
monastery at the top of the island.
Back there, theyre all wondering what youre up to.
They think youve gone mad.
Zefiro let the grasshopper escape before picking up his
bundle and standing up.
I have to destroy Viktor before I can return home.
It was Vangos turn to stand up.
Where are we going?
Padre Zefiro was already striding ahead. Then they both
stopped and looked down at Vangos bare feet.
33

A PRINCE WITHOUT A KINGDOM

Is there a problem?
They stole my shoes.
Stole?
Yes, while I was asleep.
You cant trust anyone these days.
Zefiro started walking again, past the vegetable gardens
with their flowers.
Youre in luck! he called out. And, from some way
ahead, he tossed his bag to Vango.
Whats this?
Vango opened the small bundle. There, wrapped in some
clothes, was a pair of shoes. Vango couldnt wait to put
them on.
Thank you, Padre!
I hope they fit.
I mean, what kind of person goes around stealing shoes?
muttered Vango to himself.
Possibly someone who wanted to shake you off their
trail, answered Zefiro under his breath. Someone who didnt
want you demolishing everything theyve achieved.
Vango stopped in his tracks. He looked up and then down
again, to examine the shoes properly, before staring at Zefiro
in the midst of the cosmos flowers. Yes, the shoes fitted Vango.
They fitted him like a glove, because they were his shoes.
Zefiro was laughing.
Padre . . . whispered Vango.
He couldnt quite believe it. Saboteur, terrorist, attacker
of railway workers, shoe thief: it was a lot for one man of
the cloth.
34

A Prince Without a Kingdom

Timothe de Fombelle
translated by Sarah Ardizzone

Characterized by the same beautiful writing and intricate plotting that made the first so
gripping. . . . A worthy sequel. Kirkus Reviews

www.candlewick.com