Grumbling, Will and Ratsy slipped on the amulets, and then Will began to untie the rope. "After we left you, Snuffles went home and Ratsy met up with me. We went back to the Salty Dog. The German bloke and the one wi' the chewed-up face were stayin' there, in a room at the tavern. We followed, thinking mebbe we could 'ear anyfink else they 'ad to say. Instead, they led us right to a room full o' mummies! All the missing mummies are piled in the cellar of the Salty Dog."
"Excellent work, Will. What did Wigmere say when you told him?"
Will looked sheepish. "Well, I didn't have time to give Wiggy the message. We came aboard 'ere instead and never made it back to Somerset 'ouse." He gave a final grunt and the rope came away.
My heart fell. I had been counting on Wigmere and the Brotherhood to show up at any moment to help us out. But we were on our own.
Once I was untied, I stuffed the rope in my pocket, snatched the wand from the floor, and we all inched toward the crack in the door, careful not to make any noise. I peeked out.
"...pleased to present to you Ezana Sehul, crown prince of Abyssinia..."
I pulled my head back in. "There are two men right in front of this door. Two are at the front of the room, two are on the far side, and one more is in the back. I'm pretty sure they're all armed with pistols, but they'll try not to use them for fear of raising the officers' suspicion."
"Do you 'ave a plan, miss?"
"Er, not quite yet. Give me a moment."
"...and his high priest, Yeshaq Lebna," Sopcoate continued. "They are here today to view the greatest navy in the world as they begin to build a navy of their own. Even when starting out, why not start from the best, eh?" He laughed, and the room joined him.
I was close to panicking now. We were almost out of time and I had no tools and no ideas. Behind me, the boys were whispering together, but before I could hear what they were saying, Sopcoate's words snagged my attention.
"As a token of Prince Sehul's thanks, he will have his high priest perform a sacred Abyssinian Blessing of the Water ceremony, guaranteed to bring good luck and prosperity to our vessel. Prince Sehul."
We had just run out of time. Once the staff came into contact with the water, the poisonous gases would be released into the room. Perhaps I should just run into the room screaming the truth? That would at least put a temporary stop to the proceedings. I opened my mouth to take a breath when Will poked me in the shoulder. "What?" I asked, annoyed at having my momentum interrupted.
"We figure we can take four of 'em out, see. I got my flick knife, and Ratsy's got 'is slingshot. 'E can take out two, mebbe three, with it before they even know what 'it 'em."
"He's that good a shot?"
"'E's a ratter, miss. That's 'ow he catches the rats."
"Oh, well, yes, but that still leaves the others."
"Mebbe not," Ratsy said from the door. It was the first time he'd spoken and his voice was unusually deep, almost like a foghorn.
"What do you mean?"
"Look."
I looked out the crack and gasped. The back of Bollingsworth's neck had erupted in black boils and his skin was now a grayish-greenish shade. The rope had worked! Even better, he was swaying on his feet, struggling to stay upright as the curse overtook him.
Just off to my right, there was a flash of movement at the door as a sailor appeared. The officer on guard lowered his head to hear what he had to say. "A dog?" he repeated, so softly that only those of us near the door could have heard it.
"Yes sir, a dog."
A dog? My hopes rose. Could it be...?
"Well, catch it as quickly as you can. We don't want our guests' visit to be marred by a beastly animal on board!"
At that very moment, Sopcoate and a dignitary were balancing a huge vessel full of water. They set it down in front of von Braggenschnott. He raised the staff in his hand and began to chant in a strange language that I recognized as a perverted form of Egyptian.
Everyone in the room was riveted.
Except the sailor at the door. "I say, sir, but what's wrong with that gent there?" He pointed at Bollingsworth, whose entire face was now covered in hideous boils.
"Good gad!" the officer said, probably louder than he meant to.
Heads turned to see what the matter was. A ripple of disquiet ran through the room as the conversation was repeated from officer to officer. In the front, von Braggenschnott said something with great flourish, then rotated the staff so it was upside down.
"Now," I said to Will. I bolted out of the pantry with the wand in my grasp. If I hit von Braggenschnott's hand, it would cause him to drop the staff. The only problem was, he'd drop it straight into the water, which would have the exact effect he wanted.
Over the chanting I could now hear the barking, but it was quickly drowned out when the most recent officer to have noticed the cursed man stood up and pointed to the back of the room. "The ruddy foreigners have brought us some nasty disease! Look!"
Many things happened at once then.
Will stuck the Russian with his flick knife, causing him to drop to the ground.
Slightly hidden behind the pantry door, Ratsy fired his slingshot. A small piece of coal struck Franz in the forehead, downing him like a ninepin.
In the confusion that erupted, a lean black shape burst through the wardroom door. It was Anubis! And he was heading straight for von Braggenschnott.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Jackal at the Door
IN A HEARTBEAT, the jackal was at the front of the room. His sharp, pointed teeth closed around the staff.
Seeing my chance, I launched the wand.
It whirled unevenly across the short distance (thank goodness most of the officers between me and von Braggenschnott were still sitting or they would have stopped it with their heads) and struck von Braggenschnott's hand with a muffled crack.
Unable to help himself, von Braggenschnott let go of the staff. The jackal stumbled backwards, almost going end over teakettle, the staff still clutched in his teeth. Realizing he was free of a struggle, he darted out of the room. "Nein! Nicht der zauberstab!" von Braggenschnott yelled.
Pandemonium exploded.
"Get that jackal!" Admiral Sopcoate bellowed.
"The high priest is speaking German!" Captain Bacon exclaimed.
Thwack! Another piece of coal took out the Frenchman kneeling next to Bollingsworth, who had collapsed to the ground.
"Get the girl!" von Braggenschnott yelled.
"Now he's speaking the Queen's English!" someone said.
My eyes sought out Will. "Go back out the way you came and make sure the jackal escapes."
Will threw me a puzzled look. "But 'e's got yer staff!"
"I know, but he'll take it back to the museum. Now go!"
Will gave a quick nod, and then he and Ratsy disappeared into the pantry.
Four Chaos agents were down. Unfortunately, that still left four more.
Hiding behind the officers' legs, I crawled over to where Bollingsworth had fallen and slipped Snuffles's guinea into his pocket. Then, using a group of officers as cover, I duck-walked over to the door and slipped into the passageway. I tried to remember which way we'd come. From the left, I thought.
As I headed for the hatchway, a number of sailors were hurrying to the upper deck, intent on obeying Admiral Sopcoate's order to stop the jackal. When I reached the ladder, I saw one sailor coming down. Unlike the others, he didn't look confused—he looked purposeful and had a rather ruthless air about him. When he caught sight of me, he quickened his pace.
Bother. I'd forgotten they had agents hidden onboard. I whirled around and began running in the opposite direction, looking for a ladder that led up so I wouldn't be cornered in the bowels of the ship.