"Come on, we've got to hurry!"
No sooner had we gotten out of the cab than the driver
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slapped the reins on the horse's back and took off like a shot. I heard him mumble something about a drunken sot. I looked up to find the Grim Nipper reeling on the dock, clutching various parts of his body as the curse worked its way through him.
Although there were scads of men working nearby, none of them spared the lurching Nipper a glance. Perhaps they also thought he was drunk. Whatever the reason, I was grateful for their indifference.
I didn't think the curse would kill him, but I didn't know for certain. If he died, I wouldn't have anyone to hand over to Turnbull in exchange for Father. I glanced around the docks, wondering what to do with the beastly man.
"Here, this way," I called out to him.
He lumbered toward me as I led him closer and closer to the edge of the dock. Quietly, I said to Snuffles, "When I say so, grab his coat and we'll push him into the water. Got it?"
Snuffles nodded.
The Grim Nipper nearly barreled into us and his shouts were growing louder and louder. If we didn't do something fast, he would attract far too much attention. "Now!"
I shoved the Grim Nipper backwards. Next to me, Snuffles pushed as well. There was a slight tug of resistance, and then the Nipper tumbled back into the water.
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"Help!" he said, spluttering and floundering about. "I can't swim."
"You don't have to swim. Just grab one of the posts and hang on. Someone should be along shortly. And the salt in the water might even remove the curse."
I turned back to Snuffles just as he was putting something into his coat pocket. He caught me watching and patted it possessively. "Wot? I couldn't risk letting all that gold fall into the river, now, could I?"
"No, of course not. Now let's go!"
As we made our way to the dock where the Dreadnought lay at anchor, we did our best to keep hidden. I didn't want Chaos to find me before I found them.
Plus, I had to decide what to do with Snuffles. I didn't want to take him with me to face the Serpents of Chaos-- he would be defenseless against their brand of evildoing. But as I looked around, the docks didn't seem like the best place, either.
I found a hiding place behind a stack of cargo containers-- we were out of sight, but I had a good view of the ship's loading plank. There were sailors guarding the entrance, as there had been the day Admiral Sopcoate had brought Grandmother and me for a tour.
The thought of Sopcoate made my heart skip a beat. I
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couldn't let anything happen to him. Grandmother wouldn't be able to bear it.
I glanced down at the watch pinned to my gown. It was nearly eleven o'clock. Sopcoate had told Grandmother he was escorting the Abyssinians at the top of the hour, so they should be here any moment. Chaos had said they'd need to be ready for high tide, at 12:47. How much time did they think they'd need to get the ship ready to sail? I glanced up at the giant vessel with hundreds of men scurrying around on its decks, tending to their duties. Hundreds of men whom Chaos meant to kill, then bring back as reanimated dead and use to kidnap the crown jewel of the British Navy. I thought how every one of those men would be horrified to learn that he would be committing treason within the space of a couple of hours.
Unless I could stop it.
"Here," I said, taking a Blood of Isis amulet from my satchel and handing it to Snuffles. "You'll need to wear this."
He recoiled. "I ain't wearin' no girl's frippery!"
"It's not frippery, you little dolt! It's an amulet, to protect against curses like the one that just attacked the Grim Nipper."
"Oh." He eyed it with great suspicion. "You sure about that?"
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"Never mind. If you don't care if your fingers rot off, it's no worry of mine." I went to put the amulet back into the satchel, but Snuffles reached out and stopped me.
"No, miss. I'll wear it. I'm right fond of me fingers."
"Very well," I said, then slipped it over his head before he changed his mind. "You can wear it under your collar if you like, so it doesn't show."
Behind us there was a loud, hollow clattering as a horse and carriage drew up onto the wooden docks. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the footman hop down and open the door. Admiral Sopcoate alighted, followed by seven others. Except for Sopcoate, they all wore long flowing robes and brightly colored sashes. They had dark skin and full beards and wore turbans on their heads. The poor Abyssinians! They had no idea what they'd just wandered into.
The group laughed, and I heard raised voices speaking a strange language. Still using the cover of the cargo crates, I inched closer.
The tallest man had a strange forked beard. And blue eyes. Odd for such a dark complexion. The man next to him sneezed, knocking his whiskers askew.
One of the Abyssinians gave him a nudge and motioned to the man's face. The fellow who'd sneezed quickly reached up and adjusted his whiskers.
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Except he didn't use a hand to fix his whiskers, but a hook. A horrid realization struck me.
I searched the rest of the faces. It was difficult to tell because they weren't all facing me, but it appeared as if the thick eyebrows on one man shadowed a heavily scarred left eye, although his skin was much darker than when I had last seen it.
With a sinking feeling, the brilliance of their plan hit me. Chaos was posing as the Abyssinian ambassadors! In mere moments, Admiral Sopcoate would be escorting them onto his pride and joy! I had to stop them, but how?
At the sound of quick, efficient steps on the dock behind me, I pulled back into my hiding place. A uniformed sailor was heading my way. I turned to Snuffles. "Whatever happens, stay here! Do you understand me? Stay here so you can show the police where I went. Oh, and may I borrow one of those guineas you lifted from the Grim Nipper?"
Snuffles tried to look shocked. "Wot guineas, miss?"
"Don't worry. I'd much rather you have them than they end up at the bottom of the river. I just need one."
At his continued reluctance, I sighed. "I promise I'll pay you back."
"Well, all right, then ..."
I pocketed the coin, and then, without allowing myself to
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think about it too much, I stepped out from behind a crate directly into the path of the sailor.
He stopped, surprise marking his face. "Out of my way, there, miss."
"Good morning, sir." I did my best to look a little lost and worried. (It wasn't hard, believe me.) "I am in a bit of a bind and was wondering if you could help me? I need to speak to Admiral Sopcoate before he goes onboard, but I don't want his visitors to see that it's only me who's called him away. Being foreign dignitaries, they might not understand."
The sailor scowled. "What's a slip of a girl like you want to bother the admiral for?"
I wanted to scream with frustration. "It is of the utmost importance that I speak to the admiral at once," I said, using my best Grandmother Throckmorton voice.
"Now, look here. We've all got more important things to do than play nursemaid to a hoity-toity young miss."
By this time, the sailor had raised his voice and was beginning to create a bit of a scene. I saw the admiral look over at us, his eyes widening as he saw me. He murmured something to the man next to him, then detached himself from the small group.
I stepped behind the sailor, not wanting any of the Serpents of Chaos to recognize me.
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"What's going on, sailor?" he asked.
The sailor whirled around, his face flaming at being caught arguing with me. "This girl wanted me to disturb you, sir. I didn't think--"
"You did exactly right, but I happen to know this child. I'll take it from here."
The sailor gave a relieved salute, then hightailed it out of there.
Admiral Sopcoate gave me his full attention. "What on earth are you doing here?" He stepped closer, his face full
of concern. "Is your grandmother all right?"
"Oh, yes. She's fine. But ... it's about that group you're with. What I'm about to tell you might seem hard to believe, but you must try." I took a deep breath. "They aren't Abyssinians at all! They're evil men who work for a secret organization called the Serpents of Chaos. And they're planning to kidnap the Dreadnought right out from under your nose!"
The relief at being able to put this enormous problem smack into the hands of a competent adult was nearly overwhelming.
Sopcoate rocked back on his heels, a frown crumpling his brow. "You're quite right, my dear. This is a serious problem. But don't worry. I'll fix everything."
The admiral's face suddenly changed, going from his
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friendly, pleasant manner to a chilling, unreadable mask. He reached out and grabbed my arm with an iron grip. "You, my dear, have meddled for the last time." Then, with my mouth hanging open in shock, he began to drag me toward the Abyssinian delegation.
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CHAPTER THIRTY HIGH FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
***
"You MIGHT WANT TO GET YOUR FEET under you and pretend you're walking," Sopcoate said under his breath. "Otherwise I'll have to carry you aboard and that won't be pleasant."
Scrambling, I managed to get my feet working. "But..."
"You know, I doubted the others when they told me how much trouble you'd been. That's why I befriended your grandmother, in fact--so I could keep an eye on you and see if one eleven-year-old girl could really cause such a fuss." He tightened his grip on my arm and shook me. "They were right. But I think we've underestimated you for the last time."
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We? He'd said "we"! My mind reeled under the implications. "You mean you're with them?" My voice squeaked.
"If you mean the Serpents of Chaos, yes. I'm with them."
Admiral Sopcoate was one of the Serpents of Chaos?
"I tried to play nice, Theo. I arranged for three governesses in order to distract you and keep you out of our way. But no, you were too clever for them. Too clever by half."
So that was how Grandmother had been able to find so many governesses so quickly. "And you're the one who told Bollingsworth where to look for the staff! Because I told you I'd been working down in the basement," I gasped.
"Exactly ... Look what I found skulking around, gents."
Sopcoate thrust me forward so that I faced Bollingsworth, von Braggenschnott, and five other agents of Chaos I'd never seen before, all disguised as Abyssinians.
Von Braggenschnott raised his hook and took a menacing step toward me.
"Stop!" Sopcoate commanded. "We'll not risk our plans for a moment of petty vengeance."
"We should see how petty it feels when it is your hand she loses," von Braggenschnott muttered.
Bollingsworth studied me with cold, angry eyes and a disturbing smile. "Decisions, decisions--to kill her now or to kill her later."
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"I'm not sure she should be killed, seeing as how she managed to outsmart all of you." Sopcoate's voice was scathing. When he had everyone's attention, he continued. "Our first move will be against the officers. If we cut off the head of the snake, the rest of the body will be easier to overcome. Who's got my mask?"
One of the men I didn't know pulled an extra turban from the folds of his robe. That was when I realized they weren't just slightly misshapen turbans, but masks to keep the men safe from the staff's deadly fumes. They'd managed to roll them up so that they looked like turbans and would be immediately accessible. It was brilliant, really.
"The captain is gathering all the officers in the wardroom for an official reception," Sopcoate said as he secured his mask inside his jacket. "Once they're there, von Braggenschnott and Janos will join me at the front of the room and the rest of you will take up your assigned positions."
"What about her?" a man with a Russian accent asked.
"You'll help Bollingsworth keep an eye on her." He shot the former First Assistant Curator a withering look. "D'you think you can manage her this time?"
"Yes," he snarled.
"I should hope so." Sopcoate thrust me at Bollingsworth, who clamped his beefy hand onto my arm.
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I looked back to see if there was any sign of Inspector Turnbull. I could have used a contingent of policemen right about then. But there was no one. Bollingsworth shoved me forward. "I still think I should be the one to wield the staff, as I've got two good hands," he muttered.
Von Braggenschnott looked over his shoulder at us, his blue eyes burning in his darkened face. "Ja, but my magic is stronger."
"Stop your bickering!" Sopcoate ordered, and we made the rest of the way to the ship in silence.
We were met by a number of sailors on the dock, who saluted and instructed us to proceed up the boarding plank. Onboard, a small band had gathered on deck and was playing a jaunty bit of music. When they finished, Captain Bacon and a group of officers stepped forward to greet the dignitaries.
If he was surprised to see me accompanying the Abyssinian delegation, the captain gave no sign. Well, he blinked twice, but carried on as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Well disciplined, as Grandmother would say, which was too bad because I would have loved for him to ask a question or two right then. I thought briefly about simply blurting out what had happened, but a glint of steel in Bollingsworth's left eye convinced me to keep quiet. At least for now.
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"The men will be ready for full inspection shortly," the captain explained. "They've just finished cleaning up after coaling."
"Ah." Sopcoate rocked back on his heels. "You're full of coal, then?"
"Aye, aye, sir. We'll be leaving tomorrow with the tide, so we're completing the last-minute preparations. All the officers are gathered in the wardroom just as you requested, Admiral."
"Excellent," Sopcoate said. "We'll go on down, then, shall we?"
With one last salute, Captain Bacon stepped in front of our party and led us to the hatchway to the next deck down. Bollingsworth kept a tight grip on my shoulder--so tight, in fact, that it was numb, which I supposed was a blessing.
We filed into the wardroom, which was half full of officers engaging in small talk as they began to take their seats. Admiral Sopcoate gave a friendly nod, then led our group to the very back of the room. "Everyone remember their places?" he asked under his breath. "Piotr and Franz, you take the far doors. Bollingsworth, you're in the back. Yuri and Jacques, you'll be in front of the pantry. The rest are up front with me."
The turbaned heads nodded back at him.
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"You." He speared Bollingsworth with his gaze. "Have a care with her arm there or you'll have every officer in the place down on our heads for manhandling the child." The admiral pointed to a small supply pantry. "Tie her up in there. Yuri, go with him."
"With what?" Bollingsworth asked, indicating his empty hands. Well, empty except for me, of course.
"I don't know. Do I have to do all your thinking for you?"
Snarling under his breath, Bollingsworth dragged me toward the supply pantry. "Sit there," he said, thrusting me against a small footstool in the corner. His eyes narrowed as they alighted on my satchel. "What've you got in there?"
He tore the bag from my hands. "If you have another one of those ruddy execration figures, I swear I'll use it on you this time."
He yanked the satchel open. Frowning, he reached in and began rummaging around in it. "Rather slim pickings for such a clever girl, eh, Theo? Losing your touch?" He pulled out the atropaic wand, then tossed it onto the floor. His face lit up when he spotted the rope. "Look at this! You've very conveniently brought me just what I need to tie you up." He wagged the rope in front of my nose in a gloating manner.
However, I was afraid it was I who started gloating.
He wasn't wearing any gloves.
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He grabbed my shoulder and twirled me around on the stool, then tied my hands together. Or tried t
o. The rope was too short. "What do you have all these ruddy knots in it for?" he asked as he began untying them. I shuddered at the thought of the mut getting loose on the ship. When there was still one knot left, I couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Honestly, I think it's long enough now."
He eyed me curiously. "Now, why don't you want me to remove this last knot?" Keeping his gaze on me, he moved his hand toward it. Just then, Yuri stuck his head into the pantry.
"Hurry!" the Russian said. "They're about to start."
Distracted, Bollingsworth forgot about the last knot and tied me up. Luckily, my dress sleeves were tightly buttoned at the wrist so he simply tied the rope over them. "I'll be back to deal with you in a while. Oh, wait." He tapped his turban. "I won't have to!" Laughing, he followed Yuri into the wardroom.
I didn't know whether he had meant to or not, but he had managed to leave the door open a crack.
The minute they were out of sight, I began struggling against the rope, but carefully so my sleeves wouldn't creep up and expose my skin. I wasn't sure how long my amulets would hold against a curse this strong.
Light conversation floated to my ears as the last of the
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officers took their seats. When I heard Captain Bacon's voice, I stopped struggling in order to listen. "My fine men, we have a treat in store for us today. Our own Admiral Sopcoate is here to say a few words and introduce us to his guests. Won't you welcome me in joining him?"
As applause followed, I worked even harder against my bonds, but it was no use. The clapping died down and another sound reached my ears. A muted scraping of metal on metal. I cocked my head. It was coming from behind me.
I tried to twist my head to see, but it was near impossible. The sound grew louder, so using my feet, I wiggled my body around on the stool until I was facing the wall.