R. LaFevers - Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

“I am,” I said, and she looked at me queerly.

“But Mother, what of the men in the tomb? What did you do with them?”

Mother frowned, clearly puzzled. My heart sank. “What men, dear?”

“There were three men in Amenemhab’s tomb! One of them was Bollingsworth. He’s a spy, working for the Serp — Germans! They were the ones who stole the Heart of Egypt from you.” It saddened me that even now I couldn’t tell her the whole story.

“Calm down, dear. Calm down. You’ve had quite a shock with your injury. Besides, our first priority was getting you out safely. When we went back, there was no one there.”

Which, of course, meant they’d got clean away. Then I realized what she’d said. “You didn’t take a moment to peek at the new section I discovered?” My parents had passed up the opportunity to explore a previously undiscovered tomb? For me?

“No. Not even a peek. We needed to get you out and find the proper medical treatment. Were there others down there?” she asked. She leaned forward. “Were they from the British Museum?”

I shook my head. “No. I told you. They were Germans. Er, looking for things to sell on the black market.”

She clucked her tongue in disgust. A wave of deep exhaustion swept over me. Since there was nothing more to be done, I decided to give up for the moment and let sleep claim me.

Henry and Grandmother Throckmorton were waiting for us at the train station. Henry looked wonderfully alive and well, but he kept giving me accusing looks, as if he were slightly put out about something. Grandmother Throckmorton, on the other hand, was so angry over my running away, she was barely speaking to me. I decided I rather liked this silent treatment of hers.

As we headed back to Grandmother’s carriage, I pulled my brother aside. “Look, Henry. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you I was going to Egypt, but I—”

“I thought you trusted me,” he said. “We were supposed to be partners from now on.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. “Or so I thought.”

Oh, dear. I sorted through all the excuses I could give him, but none of them felt right. In the end, I settled for the truth. “Henry, for years you weren’t interested in anything to do with the museum. Now all of a sudden, you are. You have to understand, it will take some getting used to. I’m so accustomed to going it alone…”

Henry shrugged and kicked at a leaf. His cheeks grew quite pink. “It wasn’t that the museum was so interesting this time around. It’s just that you finally quit treating me like a squashed bug you wished someone would put in the dustbin.”

“Oh, Henry!” Is that what he’d thought? Had he wanted my attention this whole time, just like I’d wanted Mother’s and Father’s? “I’m so sorry. Besides, it was Wigmere’s idea. Orders, really. And he swore me to secrecy.”

Henry’s head jerked around, his eyes wide. “Really? Wigmere? So are you working for him now, like Will?”

“Sort of. Sometimes, I suppose.”

“I say, Theo. That’s prime!” Admiration shone in his eyes, and I felt myself relax a bit.

A slight shift in the crowd right behind Grandmother Throckmorton drew my attention as a grimy little hand reached out for her reticule. I opened my mouth to say something, then clamped it shut. What was it she had said when I got off the train? That I was nothing better than a street urchin. Well, perhaps she ought to have a taste of a real street urchin’s antics.

Will looked up and caught my eye. He winked, then slipped back into the crowd.

“Theodosia?” Father said, turning around. “What are you doing back there?” he asked, scowling. “We’ve gone to a rather lot of trouble over you, and I don’t want to lose you so close to home.” Then he put out his hand for me to take. “Come along.”

A warm, syrupy feeling ran through me as I put my hand in Father’s. Then, hesitatingly, I put my other hand out to Henry. He looked at it, then rolled his eyes. “Girls,” he muttered, but he took it all the same. Then we all headed for home.

WE’VE BEEN HOME NEARLY A WEEK NOW and today is the first day I’ve been allowed back at the museum. Honestly! All this hovering is getting sorely on my nerves. Father, the dear, even brought Isis home to keep me company (and he was sporting a rather vicious scratch on his left cheek for his efforts).

Mum and Dad have decided the Was scepter will be a focal point of our new exhibit, and they are listing me as the person who discovered it! Can you imagine? Me, an eleven-year-old girl, will have my name listed on the museum exhibit. I was quite speechless with joy (which doesn’t happen very often).

As I sat in my workroom, trying to draw a diagram of my newly discovered tomb from memory, I heard a loud squeak outside my door. I froze. Fagenbush, maybe? Even though he wasn’t a spy, I still didn’t trust him.

Before I had time to get well and truly worried, there was a light rap on the door. Visitors who mean you ill rarely knock.

“Come in,” I called out. The door opened a crack and Lord Wigmere peeked in. “Are you up for a visitor, Miss Theodosia?”

“Oh, yes! Do come in. I’ve so much to tell you.”

“Yes,” he said as he closed the door. “I rather imagine you have.”

He limped to my desk and lowered himself into the extra chair. “How did you get in here?” I asked.

He lifted one of his bushy eyebrows at me. “My dear, I am the head of a clandestine society of the most highly trained operatives in the country. I should think I could safely make my way to your…” — he glanced around the room—“office.”

I leaned forward eagerly. “Did you use the spell Mordecai Quirke talks about in Black Magic of the Pharaohs ? The one that allows you to pass by people undetected?”

“No. I told the watchman — Flimp, was it? — I was a doctor your parents had consulted.” He smiled rather sheepishly. “Now, then. Tell me all about your adventures.”

So I did. He listened with rapt attention the whole time, until the end.

“Blast it all!” he said, thumping his cane on the floor in his agitation. “They got clean away?”

“Well, I can’t imagine how, what with being stuck to the wall, and broken legs and such. But yes, they did. I’m sorry,” I said, hating the bitter taste of failure.

“Oh, I’m sure they had help. Probably had backup nearby. But even so, my dear girl, you’ve nothing to be sorry about! You served your country in a time of great need. You saved us all. It’s just a shame we don’t know where they are. It just means we’ll have to keep an eye out for them.”

“Yes, but you do realize it’s not just the Germans they’re helping, don’t you? Germany is only the beginning. The Serpents of Chaos are intending to reduce the entire world to chaos and then step in and dominate everyone. If we’re not careful, the whole world will be at war with itself.”

Wigmere sighed deeply. “I knew they had a grand design; I just didn’t know what it was. This information will be invaluable as we go forward. How indebted we are to you, I cannot even begin to say. Here. I have something for you.” He reached into his coat pocket and fiddled about, then pulled out a tiny silk pouch and handed it to me.

Nearly beside myself with curiosity, I opened the pouch. A stunning gold and lapis beveled ring fell into my hand. “It’s just like the one you and Stokes wear!”

“It is. We all felt you earned the right to become an honorary member of the Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers. You’ve certainly played your part.”