‘Of — archaeology.’
‘Ah, of course.’
They were alone in the laboratory. The last assistant had quietly closed the door behind her.
‘Right.’ He swiftly removed his hands and shifted her chair-back to an upright position once more. ‘Let’s do it.’
She looked wide-eyed at him. ‘Here?’
He gestured at the table-top. ‘The last layer. Come on.’
Even with tweezers and generous smears of lubricant, the greased wrapping proved difficult to remove, and flapped back on to the casket lid. Amy peered through the illuminated magnifier. ‘I think I’ve got it this time.’ She gripped the tweezers more tightly.
Twined ribbons of inlaid gold surrounded an intricate frieze of dancing mythological figures. You could see no detail from studying the russet splodges on the lid, but Spanky knew that the ancient gods lay beneath a layer of grime, longing for the chance to shine again. There had been many containers across the centuries for the treasure held inside, but this was the best casket so far. Ten inches by six, and six deep, it sat on the formica-topped desk awaiting inspection, a spectacular relic from a forgotten world. They had removed soil from a tiny gold-rimmed keyhole with a water-pic. The rest of the wrapping was easier to remove. As it slid away, Amy cautiously wiped a finger across the lid, and the precious figures revealed themselves.
‘It’s beautiful,’ she whispered.
‘And we can open it.’ Spanky opened the top button of his shirt and removed a slender gold key from around his neck. He could feel his fingers trembling in anticipation. She stared at him, then at the filigreed key. What did he mean?
‘I can unlock the casket, Amy.’ He could not resist sounding boastful.
‘Where did you get that?’ She reached up to touch the key, then withdrew her hand, as if wary of being scalded.
‘It’s been in my possession for many, many years.’
The casket was behind her. She positioned herself before it protectively. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘You don’t have to.’
‘I can’t let you open it.’
‘Why not?’
‘This is of historical importance. A senior member of staff must be present.’
‘Then let’s send for Mr Bernardier.’ If you don’t mind summoning a mud-caked headless corpse, he thought, smiling grimly. The director had never known what hit him. A pity, that. Spanky enjoyed taking credit for his work.
‘You know exactly what’s inside the box, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do,’ he answered. She was a smart girl. There was no more need for subterfuge now that he was so close to his goal. ‘I’ve always known.’
‘Perhaps you’d like to tell me.’ She could feel her unease growing by the second. The museum was closed for the night. Only a few of the research departments scattered in the building’s cul-de-sac corridors would still be inhabited by lingering personnel.
‘All right. Have a seat.’ Outside, the warm weather had finally broken and it was starting to rain. ‘Listen carefully, and don’t question anything I have to say.’
Sensing the danger she was in, Amy dropped to the chair.
‘I am not like you. Not — human. I am Spancialosophus Lacrimosa. If you find it easier, you can call me Spanky. God had seven fallen angels. Seven daemons. Seven rogue creatures of inspiration and vengeance, banned from Heaven for refusing to worship Man. Damned to a watery limbo existence between Earth and Paradise. Only allowed to visit Earth in the encumbrance of a mortal shell, to be entered upon the invitation of the owner. But I am not like my fellow daemons. I have little of their boundless patience. I am not content to wait for ever, until God, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, sees fit to readmit us to his Kingdom. And now there is a chance to do more than just return to grace. There is a chance to rule for all eternity. It’s all to do with the box.’
Amy snapped around to check that the casket was still there beside her in its nest of wet straw. What if this lunatic tried to snatch it? How would she ever stop him?
‘You want to see inside? Take a look.’ He unlooped the key from his neck and handed it to her, savouring the moment. ‘Do it,’ he commanded.
The key was so worn and delicate that she was frightened of breaking it in the lock. To her surprise it turned easily. The lubricant and the water-pic must have loosened the mechanism. And of course, it had been built by Fabergé. With trembling fingers, she raised the lid. The interior was completely dry. Beneath several layers of fine grey silk were—
‘Iron rings. Seven of them. One for each of us. The rings of Cain. Forged by Adam’s first son. How is your knowledge of the Bible?’ He grinned at her, inching closer to the opened casket, holding out his hand for the return of the golden key.
‘Let me refresh your memory. Cain was a tiller of the ground, driven from the Earth by God for slaying his brother Abel. Doomed to become a fugitive and a vagabond. Cain tried to atone for his sin by appealing to us, God’s other fallen children. He brought us gifts, the rings he forged from the ore beneath his feet. But just as we despised Adam, so we despised his offspring. We refused his offer, and Cain threw the rings back into the earth.
‘It took many centuries for us to truly understand the power of the rings. You see, if we had accepted them, we would have been restored to Paradise. That was Cain’s gift to us, and we turned it down. It was only by accident that I discovered the truth. But by then, the rings were lost. I’ve tracked them through time and across the world. Now I’ve been here too damned long. I can’t get back to my home without them. The others won’t let me in empty-handed.’
Obviously the man was crazy. Amy knew that the safest solution to her dilemma was to play along until she could find a way to summon help. ‘Is that what you want, to be restored to Paradise?’ she asked.
‘Of course. Wouldn’t you?’ Spanky drew a step nearer. ‘Only this time, we’ll have the element of surprise on our side.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, we wish to rule, obviously. God has had everything his way for far too long. You have no idea how boring he has made the celestial heavens. We’ll change all that. You wait, you’ll feel the effects all the way down here. It’ll be like having the worst neighbours in the universe living right overhead.’
‘You’re mad.’ She hadn’t meant to say it. The words had just slipped out. He laughed at her.
‘If you think what I want is so very illogical, good luck with the rest of the world. A little respect is all anyone wants.’
Amy made a grab for the casket, and was surprised when he made no attempt to stop her. Instead, he watched as she took it from the desk and clutched it protectively across her breasts, smearing mud and pieces of straw on her lab jacket.
‘We’d better get going,’ he said, checking his watch. ‘The others are expecting us.’
‘What do you mean?’ She looked frantically about for someone to help her. Why was it that the one time she would welcome an interruption, none came?
‘Cain protected the rings. They can only be returned to us by a mortal. Lucky you.’ He grinned mischievously as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. ‘You get to see where we live. You’ll be the first human being ever to meet my brothers and sisters. I’m sure Spancialosophus Dolorosa will take a shine to you.’
She pulled back from him. ‘Wait, I have to set the alarm system. I’m the last one out.’
‘You’re lying to me, Amy.’ He bared his teeth and yanked her arm hard. ‘Don’t try to trick me. I can see inside your head.’