The Grandmaster Book Giveaway--Week 3

We're in week three of The Grandmaster Book Giveaway.  The rules remain the same.  If you have not yet won, you can post your answers below.  We'll select one winner to get a free copy of The Grandmaster when it is released in September. 

This week, we give you a brief excerpt from the book.  Afterwards you'll find the question.  Share your answers!

An Excerpt from The Grandmaster:

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Reinhardt continued to sit with interest in my story. His color had returned and he looked considerably healthier. Ironically, I was so involved in my own tale that my strength had increased to an almost normal level. I still felt the two burning eyes in the back of my head, restricting my powers; but for once, I did not feel totally incapacitated.

He finally answered. "What happened to your parents?"

"Victims of the Chelmno trucks. I escaped and I ended up here."

His eyes lit up. "Were you responsible for that bizarre escape almost a year ago? The necks of those guards were literally crushed into powder. And the way you displayed those bodies," he said with a small chuckle. "One night when I visited a Berlin bar, the Commandant from Chelmno told me in confidence that he hasn't slept the same ever since."  His chuckles continued as I sat there in disgust remembering what I had done. "Herr Doctor, you realized your potential long before you met me."

 "That is true, which is the reason why I chose my path as a healer."

 He dismissed my comment with a wave of his hand. "Whatever the case may be, you possess more than you realize." Reinhardt absorbed more of my story. "I have to admit, I was skeptical with your family secret. But you described your history in such specific detail." He shook his head. "I couldn't decide if you were a very creative liar, or you were in fact telling the truth. You are not the type of person to lie about such things. I believe you, Herr Wagner. However," he paused, as if trying to find the appropriate words. "Your story, especially the part regarding the love letter by Batya, was so specific I began to wonder. All of those details regarding your grandfather, were they told to you by your father...or by the spirit of Wagner himself?"

Even as I write all of this now, I still scold myself for letting my guard down by revealing my other powers to Reinhardt. I was so angry at my mistake I could not even answer. The colonel smiled as he continued, "You're clairvoyant, aren't you?"

I hated talking to him. I was afraid of any other secrets he might trick from me. He wasn't even using his powers; and yet, he discovered my talent of seeing and communicating with the dead. Still, there was no point in holding it back. Or, I thought at the time, there was no holding back when it came to my communication with Wagner. "That talent is extremely intermittent. I saw him only once. I have never spoken to him since. Perhaps he has no desire to talk to me anymore."

"What did he say to you?" he asked. He moved himself closer on his desk, excited about the new discovery.

I shrugged. "He told me what I told you. That was it. He was pleased about his music maintaining its popularity. However..."

He waited in anticipation. "Yes?"

 "His joy was bittersweet. He felt another emotion when the subject of his life came up: regret. He regretted not looking for Batya, for she was easy to find. But he allowed his emotions to cloud his reasoning, letting his hate to consume his soul, not only for the Jews, but for all of those he thought were against him. Wherever he is now, Batya is not with him. Only his grief," I said.  I sat there, pitying my grandfather's fate. When I first spoke to him, I was too young to grasp what he was trying to convey. Yet, as I sat in Reinhardt's office, I finally understood the sorrow my grandfather felt. Such a despairing man. I held my head with one hand as I leaned back, weary and sad.

Reinhardt listened in silence. I looked up and saw sympathy in his eyes. I sat up straight. "Have I answered all of your questions, Herr Colonel?"

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This week's Question:

If you could contact any person from the past, who would it be, and why?  What would you talk about?