Fiske Cahill (formerly known as The Man in Black or The Man in Gray) is a Madrigal and the former branch leader. He is Grace Cahill's brother. Fiske was also a friend of William McIntyre. He is impersonated by Pierce to gain access to the master serum.
History[]
Fiske's mother, Edith Cahill, died giving birth to Fiske around the year 1941. He was left alone with his sisters Grace and Beatrice after his father left, not even giving him a second look and leaving Beatrice to name the newborn. "Fiske, Beatrice's secret revenge on the baby," stated Grace in 'Vespers Rising.' His main confidante was Grace Cahill, his older sister. She was 12 years older than he was. He is an extremely talented artist, probably from his distant Janus relatives, but lacked communication skills. Fiske is related to the Ekaterina through his grandfather, Henry Cahill, who married Hae-in Oh, his second wife.
When Fiske was fourteen, he went on an undercover mission, as General King's grandson, on the world's first nuclear submarine to keep the ring safe. It ended up that a Vesper named George Carmel found out about him and was sent to interrogate him and then kill him. At first, he thought it was fine but then found out that a Vesper was on the boat because his belongings were scattered across his bed. He assumed it was Ralph, a kid working for his Dolphins and had Fiske assigned to him so Fiske could do some work in the missile room. George tries to sneak into the missile room and kill Fiske but is foiled. Fiske falls on Ralph and is sure that the Vesper is Ralph. But when the man in charge of him, Lieutenant Oppowitz, is killed by George, Fiske immediately goes to Ralph and gets mad at him, then realizing that Ralph wouldn't kill Oppowitz, and figuring out that it was George all along. George chases Fiske and about blows up the nuclear reactor. Ralph helps Fiske escape from the sub, killing George in the process. Fiske rendezvous with Grace and they flew back to Attleboro. Fiske told Grace about Oppowitz's family and that he would send them a letter. Later on, at school, he received a package from Ralph. Ralph and Lieutenant Robinson decided he deserved his own Dolphins. Fiske also stood up to the school bully.
Fiske Cahill disappeared in 1960, and, supposedly, emerged as "The Man in Black." Fiske was commonly referred to as 'The Man in Black' by Dan and Amy Cahill in the first series. Fiske went missing in 1960, but the search was called off on Thursday, March 21, 1960, which means he must have only been missing for 1-3 months. Soon after, reporters presumed he was killed by a wolf that was in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He also disappeared from campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Now he is 69 years old.
Fiske and Grace kept in touch, and he stayed with Grace for an extended time during her illness. He never wanted to join the Clue Hunt, but Grace wanted him to. Fiske's greatest regret is that he didn't spend more time with Grace.
Family[]
- James Cahill - Father (deceased)
- Edith Cahill - Mother (deceased)
- Beatrice Cahill - Sister (deceased)
- Grace Cahill - Sister (deceased)
- Nathaniel Hartford - Brother-in-law (deceased)
- Hope Cahill - Niece (deceased)
- Dan Cahill - Great-nephew
- Amy Cahill - Great-niece
- Alistair Oh - Cousin (deceased)
- Luke Cahill - Great x18 Granduncle (deceased)
- Katherine Cahill - x18 Grandaunt (deceased)
- Thomas Cahill - x18 Granduncle (deceased)
- Jane Cahill - x18 Grandaunt (deceased)
- Madeleine Cahill -Great x18 Grandmother (deceased)
- Gideon Cahill - Great x19 Grandfather (deceased)
- Olivia Cahill - Great x19 Grandmother (deceased)
- Madeleine the Matriarch - Great x22 Grandmother (deceased)
Appearance and Personality[]
Series One
In series one Amy and Dan know nothing about the "Man in Black". He is very stealthy, and often appears quietly watching Amy and Dan Cahill. Amy describes him as in his mid 70's with graying hair. The Man in Black is almost always seen in a suit and tie "black as oil", which is why he was referred to as the Man in Black before Dan, Amy, or the reader knew his real name. In Storm Warning, when Amy and Dan get to know him, he changed his suit to dark gray, which meant that he has a little more hope now. He was an artist and went to art school, but he disappeared before graduating college. He was very shy as a child, so he could not go to school normally. He is very kind to Amy and Dan.
Series Two[]
Dan and Amy now know that Fiske is their great-uncle and on their side. He is now also their legal guardian, along with Nellie Gomez. He no longer needs to stay secretive to Amy and Dan and goes with them on their missions. Unfortunately, he is kidnapped by the Vespers in the very beginning of The Medusa Plot, when he was on vacation in California. He was bitten by a baby water moccasin and was the first to arrive in the Vesper Holding Cell. He is freed from the Vespers in Day of Doom
It is shown that Fiske's personality heavily changes in Day of Doom (more warlike), but changes back in Nowhere to Run, much calmer.
Appearances in Series One[]
The Maze of Bones[]
In the very first chapter, William McIntyre is talking to Fiske. Grace has just passed away and changed her will in her last few minutes. Fiske promises Mr. McIntyre that "Grace's relatives won't have a clue."
Later, Amy and Dan have just escaped from Grace's mansion, which is burning to the ground. Amy sees the Man in Black watching them in the woods.
Also, Amy sees him at the Franklin Institute before it explodes.
At the end, he is seen talking to Mr. McIntyre on the Eiffel Tower and learns that Dan nor Amy trust him.
One False Note[]
Amy and Dan meet Fiske for the first time in a dark cave. An explosion occurs and Amy and Dan think the Man in Black did it. Later in the series, it is revealed that it was Alistair Oh who triggered the explosion.
The Sword Thief[]
At the end of the book, he is seen talking to Bae Oh.
Beyond the Grave []
He is seen talking to Bae Oh again at Bae's hotel.
The Black Circle[]
Fiske saves Amy and Dan in the Amber Room. Before that, Amy and Dan had already spotted him in the streets of Russia. He is revealed to be a Madrigal in this book.
The Viper's Nest[]
In one chapter he captures Alistair at an airport. In the very last chapter, after Amy and Dan have just discovered they are Madrigals, and then they find a picture of their parents on the back of a piece of sheet music. Their parents, Hope and Arthur Cahill are smiling around Fiske.
The Emperor's Code[]
Fiske purposefully changed Amy and Dan's airplane movie to The Last Emperor because he wanted
them to spot the Janus wolf mascot on the wall.
Storm Warning[]
Fiske's identity is revealed. He gives Amy, Dan, and Nellie active Madrigal status and tells them what their task is. In this book, he wears gray instead of black, because he has a bit of hope.
Into The Gauntlet[]
He is always seen with William McIntyre in this book. They are first shown trying to contact Dan and Amy. Later, when Mr. McIntyre is making a phone call to them, Fiske grabs the phone from him and encourages Dan and Amy to never give up. They are last seen on Cahill Island tied up. They are rescued later along with numerous other people. He said "And ours!" after Nellie said "My kiddos! You're safe!"
Vespers Rising[]
In this book, it is revealed that Edith Cahill died while giving birth to Fiske. Before she died, she told Beatrice to name him. However, Beatrice hates Fiske because of what happened to Edith, so she got revenge by naming him "Fiske". In 2009, he accompanies Amy and Dan to Switzerland. He gets beat up by Casper Wyoming, but later saves Amy and Dan on the mountain along with Erasmus.
Appearances in Series Two, Three, and Four[]
The Medusa Plot[]
At 5: 42 A.M. in the Pacific Time Zone, Fiske Cahill was at the El Rancho Jojoba Spa in Napa Valley, California. Other guests last saw him going into a hot tub to take a mineral bath. Suddenly and unknowingly, he is bitten by a baby water moccasin and passes out. Two Vespers inject anti-venom into him so he wouldn't die, wrapped him in a vinyl pool cover, and loaded him onto a transport truck and drive him away. One decided to just throw the snake that bit him into the grass, not caring whether someone gets killed. They didn't take his belongings from his room either. At that same moment, other Cahills in different time zones were kidnapped, only Amy, Dan and Ned Starling escaped.
Fiske is later shown to be in a Vesper holding cell along with other captives.
A King's Ransom- Trust No One[]
Fiske is still under the captivity of the Vespers.
Day of Doom[]
Fiske escapes from the Vespers knocking out Sandy, Casper and Cheyenne in the process. He fights the Vespers somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, where the Machina Fini Mundi is and witnesses the death of Damien and Isabel.
Nowhere to Run[]
He is shot in the shoulder while fighting the Vespers and is in the hospital. When Amy and Dan meet him in rehab and ask him what to do, he says that since they have been hacked and a paparazzi is following them, they should go to one of Grace's safe-houses that is in Ireland. It is revealed in this book that Fiske officially retired from the Cahill Family.
J. Rutherford Pierce impersonated him in order to get the serum ingredients.
Breakaway[]
He attacked Nellie when she visited him.
Countdown []
Nellie realized that his doctor had given him a dose of the serum. Nellie tried to release him but failed.
Mission Titanic[]
He is said to be in Mexico on holiday by Ian. Later in the book, Sammy and Nellie go to Mexico to see if he can help them find the identity of the Outcast. He says the name Outcast is familiar to him and Nellie asked if he knew any. He then reveals he's one and the name means you've been exiled by Grace. Nellie asks why. He explains the reason he is one is that he wanted nothing to do with the family. Grace and him argued all night and then Grace caved and she wanted to protect him so she made him an outcast. He then explains they need someone sinister, who'd remember every feud and secret. When they talked on their computers Beatrice was packing and about to go to the beach. Then she mentions about all the people Grace made an Outcast. But she mentions what "standards" Grace had and Fiske tries to explain that what she did was right but to no prevail. Beatrice retorts with what Grace did to him and her husband. They then argue, Fiske, saying it was a rumour. What she supposedly did was Nathaniel Hartford wanted a divorce and she then supposedly got someone to kill him while he was in Moscow. His body was never found and everyone thought he was dead. Fiske got angered by this. The conversation ended with an angry Fiske. He switches off the video feed and Sammy and Nellie end up visiting Sammy's godparents in Singapore.
Talents[]
- Fiske is very sneaky and can move silently.
- He is also a talented artist.
- He is described as being surprisingly agile despite his age.
- According to his agent dossier, his strengths include extreme skiing and hand-to-hand combat.
Trivia[]
- The Thomas Jefferson Puzzle could possibly be a painting by Fiske. If you compare it with the painting on the back of Card 208, it is a very similar, almost identical style to the picture on the Jefferson Puzzle. In the painting, it shows the Cahill family (Gideon, Olivia, Thomas, Katherine, Luke, and Jane) running away from the fire. This is actually Cora Wizard's painting.
- It is shown that Fiske was really shy, just like Amy, only much worse as quoted, 'Fiske Cahill was not the 'I get nervous before book reports' kind of shy, he was the 'When I talk to strangers it feels like my ears are on fire and there's a hyperactive frog tap-dancing inside my stomach' kind of shy'.
- In Book 9: Storm Warning, Fiske shows that he can replicate the voice of Beatrice Cahill perfectly.
- In Swedish, 'Fiske' means 'fish.'
- Fiske has earned a Dolphins.
- Beatrice Cahill named Fiske, as her secret revenge as he was the cause of their mother's death.
Cards[]
Fiske's main cards are Card 198, Card 203 and Card 208.