There was a back door! And even better, it was standing open, letting fresh air inside. Perfect. I headed straight for it, only to feel a hand clamp down on my arm and jerk me back.
"Wot d'you think you're doin', miss?"
"I have to hear what they're up to. I need to know their plans if I want a chance to get the staff back. And getting the staff back is the only way I can think of to clear Father's name. Do you have a better idea?"
"Aye. I'll go." He made to push past me, but I planted my feet and refused to budge.
"No, Will. I have to go. I know more about what's going on than you do, and they might say something that would make no sense to you but would be perfectly clear to me."
Of course, being a boy, he immediately got all huffy, but I ignored it and stayed firm until he finally relented.
Once we'd gotten that sorted out, I worked my way inside the door, keeping a careful eye out for any signs of someone coming in the back.
The room reeked of stale ale and sour wine. I pulled the collar of my dress up to cover my mouth and nose. Hearing a murmur of voices, I dove for the far corner of the room and knelt down behind a barrel of hard cider. I hadn't realized they'd be meeting back here!
"You're late!" a voice with a German accent called out. Von Braggenschnott.
"No I'm not," Bollingsworth grumbled. "You're early."
"Either way, you're the last one here. Now we can begin."
There was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor as everyone took a seat.
"How did the experiment go?"
"It went just as Sahotep wrote it would. The moment we placed the head of the staff in water a yellow-green cloud rose up, thick and choking. Within seconds it enveloped our four prisoners. After that, it didn't take long. Four men dead in under an hour."
"Perfect. That will ensure we sail with the tide." He spoke softly, a whisper really. And there was a huge barrel between us. Even so, I thought I'd heard his voice before.
"None of you suffered any ill effects?" von Braggenschnott asked.
Bollingsworth spoke. "No—the masks worked, although they were a bit hard to see out of."
"We won't need them for long if the fumes truly work that quickly. Plus, the breeze coming off the river will disperse them soon enough."
"Aren't you worried about the fumes harming others as the cloud moves away?" von Braggenschnott asked.
"No, their health is not my concern." The familiarity of the voice niggled at me.
"And the staff was able to raise them? They could function enough to follow orders and execute simple tasks?"
"Yes. They were a bit jerky in their movements, but they retained enough of their living thoughts to perform their duties."
"Excellent, gentlemen. We will make our move on the morrow." Where oh where had I heard this man before? With my heart thudding in my chest, I inched my head toward the side of the barrel. In the dim light, I recognized Bollingsworth and von Braggenschnott, but the third man was heavily cloaked and had his back to me.
"Are you certain there will be enough to take care of all seven hundred of them?" Bollingsworth asked.
"If not, we can always use our pistols."
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.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Aloysius Trawley Calls in His Favor
STILTON 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.