Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris-Theo 2 (26 page)

Just then, a creak on the floor pulled my attention away from the conversation. An enormous round shape stood in the doorway, limned by the yellow light from the tavern room. I pulled back as far into the shadows as I could. "Cognac," he muttered. "They want cognac. Do I look like the kind o' place that has cognac? Why can't they just drink ale like normal folk? Brandy'll have to do or they can go find somewhere else."

And then I heard a sneeze. Then another. Someone was coming!

Moving as quietly as I could, I retraced my steps to the back door. I stepped out into the night, glancing around for Will, who was nowhere in sight. Someone grabbed my arm and yanked me behind the corner of the building.

"Someone's coming. Might be one o' them Chaos guys."

I looked to where Will pointed, then I squinted, trying to see through the darkness.

The good news was, it wasn't the Serpents of Chaos who'd followed us.

The bad news was, Edgar Stilton had. And he wasn't alone.

S
TILTON AND THE SIX OTHER SCORPIONS
Trawley had assigned to me stood behind us. With one last glance at the Salty Dog, I gave my full attention to my guard, although I was quickly beginning to realize that was a misnomer. "What are you doing here?" I hissed at Stilton.

He stepped forward so he could keep his voice low and not risk attracting the attention of the agents of chaos or the local thugs. "You didn't tell me you were headed down here, Miss Theo! I would never have let you leave had I known that."

"And you didn't tell me you'd be following me."

"You had me followed last night without warning."

"I've already told you—that was purely coincidence."

"Oo are these men, miss?" Will's voice came from right behind me. "You want Snuffles and me to take care of 'em for ye?"

I looked from the seven Black Sunners, grown men all, back to Will and Snuffles and couldn't help but think that was rather optimistic on his part. "I think I can manage," I whispered. "But if you wouldn't mind watching my back for a few more minutes, that would be grand."

Stilton looked injured. "No one needs to watch your back, Miss Theo."

Drat. Heard that, had he?

"We mean you no harm. We're your guardians, you know. We're just here to keep you safe."

"And bring her to Trawley," one of the other scorpions—Basil Whiting, I thought—called out.

"Trawley?" I repeated.

Stilton shrugged and even in the dim light looked sheepish. "He really wants his magical favor, miss. Says the stars and moon are aligned just right for working magic and doesn't want the moment to pass."

"He also wants to be sure she's worth it," another voice called out. "If he's going to be going to so much trouble to guard her and do her favors, he needs to know she's the genuine article."

Looking pained, Stilton shrugged again. "You see how it is, miss."

"Do I have any choice?" I asked, my voice pitched low so only Stilton would hear.

"No," he answered, equally softly. "We've orders to bring you along, whether you cooperate or not."

Just as I feared. And Trawley couldn't have picked a worse time. "Very well. Let's go."

Stilton's whole face grew slack with relief.

"Just a moment, Stilton." I grabbed Will's arm and pulled him far enough away from the group of scorpions that they couldn't overhear us. Two of them made as if to follow, but Stilton waved them back.

"Ye want us to tail ye, miss?" Will's voice was barely more than a tickle against my ear.

"If you wouldn't mind," I answered, trying to move my lips as little as possible. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have someone know where I was. or where their wretched temple was either, come to think of it.

"Our carriages are this way, miss." Stilton stood aside and indicated that I should precede him, which I did.

As I climbed into the scorpions' waiting carriage, I cast one last look back toward Will and Snuffles, but they had already disappeared from sight.

***

Once again I was blindfolded. Stilton tried to make small talk on the way there, but frankly, I was too peeved to appreciate it. It wasn't as if I didn't already have enough on my plate! I would have to tell Trawley I wanted nothing more to do with his beastly secret society. They were too much trouble and rather poor at taking orders, adoration or no.

The carriage lurched to a stop. Stilton gently helped me from the vehicle, then guided me to the door, where there was the same patterned knock before it opened.

"What took you so long?" a voice asked.

"We got here as soon as we could. Take us to Trawley."

"Aye, he's waiting for you. In here."

Stilton removed my blindfold, and I followed him down a familiar corridor that flickered with candlelight. I was herded into the same chamber as before, where Trawley waited with his band of acolytes draped in black cloaks. His wild eyes lit up when he saw me, and he rubbed his hands. "You came!"

"You didn't give me much choice," I said.

He ignored my sullenness. "I trust your scorpions have followed your every wish and done as you have bid them?"

"Except for the part about needing your permission and forcing me to come here, yes."

Trawley narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Then let's quit wasting your precious time and get on with it, shall we? This way, please."

He stepped aside and motioned me toward an altar at the front of the room. I was so busy staring at the altar (and worrying about what he had planned) that I walked right into a bronze bowl that had been placed on the floor. With a resounding clang, I sent it skidding forward, the water inside splashing everywhere. "oh. Sorry about that."

Trawley closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them again, he had a look of forced cheerfulness. "Someone get more water. Fell, you get the oil. Theodosia, would you please lie down over here." He indicated a row of four bricks on the floor spaced at even intervals. Four very hard and sharp-edged bricks, I might add.

"Face-up or face-down?" I asked.

"Face-down, if you please."

Gerton righted the bronze bowl in front of the first brick, and as Whiting filled it with fresh water, it became clear to me what Trawley expected. He wanted me to act as a medium so he could communicate with an Egyptian deity. What rot! This was late Egyptian magic and mostly showmanship. Surely he knew that much? But one look at his eager, shining face told me that he did not know that much.
Not at all. Resigned, I comforted myself that it was a very small, harmless bit of pseudomagic. His request could have been much, much worse.

Whiting picked up a smaller vessel and poured a thin film of oil on top of the water. With a sigh, I eased myself down onto the bricks. Luckily, they were rather large bricks. I rested my chin on the first one so I could see into the bowl, with the other three jabbing into my body at uncomfortable intervals. "Let's make this quick," I said, trying to get situated.

"As you wish. Silbert! Light the incense. Gerton, light the lamp."

Within seconds a thick, smoky-sweet, cloying scent filled the room, and I tried not to cough. In order to distract myself, I studied the bowl. The warm yellow light cast off by the oil lamp to my right illuminated the symbols of Anubis engraved upon it's bronze surface.

Trawley began to chant. "Anubis, we call upon your power and strength. open this child's eyes to your wisdom."

As Trawley repeated his chant, I let my eyes go out of focus. Egyptians weren't the only ones good at showmanship—I could play-act with the best of them. And the sooner this was over, the sooner I could get home and figure out what on earth Chaos intended to do with the wretched staff. The
number seven hundred kept playing in my mind, seeming significant somehow. And they had mentioned sailing with the tide, which indicated a ship of some sort. Which made their new headquarters down by the docks make much more sense.

The light glowed off the film of oil, and the incense made me feel both dizzy and nauseated. I wondered what it would take to convince Trawley I'd had a vision. As my unfocused eyes stared at the bowl, the surface shimmered slightly.
Sail with the tide. Seven hundred. Sail with the tide. Seven hundred.
The words ran through my head and mixed with Trawley's chant.

My eyes grew dry, so I blinked. When I opened them again, a picture of the
Dreadnought
flashed in front of me and the penny dropped. "of course!"

"She's seen!" Trawley called out, bringing my attention back to the chamber around me.

Quiet voices rose in murmured excitement. Bother! Now Trawley thought I'd had his idiotic vision. He knelt down next to me and tried to peer into the bowl. "What did you see?"

I had seen the
Dreadnought
and finally understood that Chaos was going to try and kidnap Her Majesty's Royal Navy's crown jewel. Which made perfect sense, as they loved
to stir the pot between Germany and Britain, trying to provoke them into pandemonium and anarchy.

But that wasn't the answer Trawley was looking for. Instead, I made my voice toneless and flat and began speaking. "The Black Sun shall rise up in a red sky before falling to earth, where a great serpent will swallow it."

A quick glance at Trawley's face told me he didn't like that one bit. I rushed to add, "Then the serpent's stomach will burst open, and lots of tiny snakes will wriggle forth and disappear into the ground."

There. That was the best I could do. It's a lot harder to sound prophetic than one might think.

I snuck a look at Trawley's face. He was frowning but seemed lost in thought. I blinked my eyes rapidly, then began to stretch and wriggle a bit, trying to remind him I wanted up from these wretchedly uncomfortable bricks.

Trawley nodded at two of the scorpions, who leaped forward and helped me to my feet. As I brushed the dust off the front of my frock, I wondered what was to happen next.

Trawley seemed to finally realize that we were all waiting for him to respond or give orders or do something besides stare stupidly at the wall in front of him. He waved his hand in the air. "I must meditate on what this prophecy truly foretells. You are dismissed."

***

I climbed into the carriage and sat as far away from Stilton as I could, then folded my arms across my chest and stared pointedly out the window.

We rode in awkward silence for a while before he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Miss Theodosia. I didn't have any choice. Really."

I kept my eyes glued to the window.

"You don't understand. I'm not that high up in the organization. I don't have very much pull. What little I do have is due to you."

I turned away from the window and frowned at him.

"Because I discovered you, you see. And your powers. That's given me a bit of status with Trawley and the others, but even with that, they don't listen much to what I say. He ... he seemed very taken with his vision."

"I trusted you!"

"But there was no harm done! You gave him his magical favor, and now he's quite happy and understands your power."

I shook my head. "Stilton—"

"Please don't be angry, Miss Theo! Please!"

It was quite disconcerting to have a grownup plead with me. Felt very wrong somehow. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to relent. At least a little. "Very well. By the way, what can you tell me about high tide? When is it, for example?"

He looked quite confused. "High tide? Is that something else you saw in your vision? Something you didn't tell Trawley?"

"No! I was just wondering, that's all."

"Well, normally spring tides are the highest, and this spring they're even higher with all the recent flooding and snowmelt."

"Yes, but what time of day do they occur?"

"I'm not sure I know that."

I scooted forward on my seat. "Stilton. It's absolutely essential that I know when high tide will be tomorrow. Can you find the information and bring it with you when you come to work in the morning?"

He blinked at me, looking shy. "Does that mean you're no longer angry at me?"

"Yes, yes. Of course. Now, can you do it?"

"For you, Miss Theo, yes."

***

When Stilton dropped me off at the museum, I pretended to go inside, but in truth, I hid just behind the door, hoping Will and Snuffles would be along shortly.

Sure enough, before very long I heard the soft slap of running feet accompanied by a loud, wet sniffle. I stepped out of my hiding place so they could see me, then waited for them to catch their breath.

"Wot did them blokes want wi' you?" Will asked as he took in huge gulps of air.

"Oh, just a bit of idiocy, really. But I don't have time to explain. I've finally discovered what Chaos is planning!"

"Oy! Wot is it, then?"

"Chaos is planning to use the staff to kill the crew of the
Dreadnought.
Then once they're dead, Chaos will use the staff to bring them back to life. Since the staff has power over reanimated dead, Chaos can use them to kidnap the ship."

"Blimey!"

"Exactly. I need you to get word to Wigmere right away."

Will looked at me oddly. "I'm not sure 'e's still at Somerset 'ouse this late, miss. 'E don't sleep there, you know."

Oh. Of course he didn't. "Maybe he's working late, or perhaps you can find out where he lives, then? And as soon as you've found him, tell him exactly what I've told you, got it?

"Will do, miss. Anyfink else?"

"No, I think that's quite enough for one night's work, don't you?"

***

It was so late by this time that I didn't dare go check on Mother. I was counting on her being far too distracted by Father's arrest to have noticed I had been gone.

It was horrid, though, as I was rather desperate to hear an update on poor Father. The thought of him sitting in a cold, dark jail cell with all sorts of despicable criminals and brutes felt as if I'd swallowed a knife. Sideways.

I needed to come up with a plan. One that would stop Chaos from stealing the
Dreadnought,
keep Will safe from the Grim Nipper, and rescue Father from jail.