Revenge of the Brotherhood (Book 3 in the Tom & Laura Series) (27 page)

Laura stared at the blank sheet of paper and tried to think what to write. With Claude the boy had been whole and all she did was make him be more like himself. Antonia, on the other hand, had a serious head injury. If Laura wrote the same bind, would the head injury increase? She did not know.

“Are you hesitating because she had sex with Tom?” Andrea said suddenly. “Would you be happier if she dies?”

Laura looked up and Andrea saw a genuine look of horror in her eyes. “I might make it worse. I don’t know how to heal her. Her injury is part of who she is. I might make her worse.”

“Do it anyway,” Andrea pleaded.

Daisy stepped through the door. Neither of them had seen her follow them back to the airship.

“Make Antonia more like Andrea. They are identical twins so that should work.”

Laura threw away the piece of paper she had been writing on and took a fresh sheet. She created a bind in which Antonia became Andrea. She felt power being sucked from her as the bind took hold. A wave of dizziness ran through her mind and the room spun in circles.

When she opened her eyes, Antonia’s injuries were gone and she opened her eyes to give Laura a puzzled look.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Antonia said. She lifted her hand and stared at it as though it was a strange and alien thing.

Laura turned to Andrea, but Andrea was not there.

“You have turned them into one person,” Daisy said in awe. “Andrea vanished as you completed the bind.”

“No, I am still here and so is Antonia,” Antonia said. “We have always been close, but sharing the same body is ridiculous.”

Laura turned back to the bind and stared at it. She half-expected to see it burst into flames, as such a bind must surely be impossible. However, the bind seemed to be holding and there were no signs of singe marks.

Antonia grinned. “You really do have a one track mind, Andrea. But who knows, we might.”

“I am not going to explain this to anybody,” Daisy said slowly. “As far as I am concerned, this has not happened. Invent your own excuses. I am going back to Dougal.”

“She has a point,” Antonia said. She got off the bunk and kissed Laura on the cheek. “Thank you for saving me, us. In any case, we are both most grateful.”

“We need to get you to Tom before the bind wears off.”

“Funnily enough, we were just discussing the very same thing.”

When Daisy returned to Dougal she found the group had reached a conclusion.

“We need Laura to make the ship invisible again,” Dougal explained. “The Hubris will take the Queen and Prince Albert back to Buckingham Palace. However, once they are safe, we will not inform anyone. With any luck the Brotherhood will carry out their plan and we can catch them red handed.”

“Just do not make any mistakes, Sir Ernest,” the Queen said in a warning tone. “A Queen without any jewellery to wear would be quite absurd.”

Trelawney bowed. “I shall use my best people.”

“That is what worries me, Sir Ernest. Your best people are always a little eccentric.”

“But they do get the job done.”

The Queen nodded, “That they do.”

When Trelawney asked for Andrea to accompany him, Daisy was forced to take him aside and whisper in his ear. “Antonia is unconscious and Andrea will not leave her until she recovers.”

“That is a problem. I need them to coordinate operations.”

“I will tell Alan to send Eric to you. He should meet your needs.”

“Very well, but tell him to come to my house without delay.”

The Queen entered the observation room and Alice and Edith gave her a perfunctory courtesy.

“Part of the team,” Dougal said hastily. “Edith is an aberrant Farseer and Alice is a transmitting Telepath, who can shout loud enough in someone’s mind to knock them unconscious.”

The Queen was not amused. “You will be telling me next this ship is being captained by a child.”

“I would never tell you that, your Majesty.” Dougal casually kicked the door to the bridge closed and gave the girls a warning look. They smirked back at him, but took the hint and made no comment.

Laura and Antonia entered the observation room from the rear of the ship.

“Ah Laura, Andrea, is Antonia any better?”

“I stabilized her with a bind. We need to get her to Tom as soon as possible.”

“We certainly do,” Antonia said before giving Laura a most lascivious wink.

“Can you make the ship invisible before we take off? It would be best if we weren’t seen over London,” Dougal added.

“Consider it done.”

Dougal sidled to the bridge door. “I will go and tell the captain to take off.”

“I really would like to see the bridge if I may,” Prince Albert said, extreme eagerness in his voice.

“Err, very well, I suppose,” Dougal said and held the door open as Albert walked through it.

Eric passed on Trelawney’s message and Alan relayed it to Gareth Jones.

“I suppose I have to go?” Eric asked.

“Of course you do,” Jones answered. “You should be proud to assist Sir Ernest. I certainly am. Let us get our coats.”

“You are coming with me, Sir?”

“I would not miss this for the world.”

“What-ho, your ’ighness,” Tricky said as the Prince entered. “Where we off to now, Dougal?”

“To Buckingham Palace if you can find it,” Dougal said, dreading the outburst he expected from the Prince.

“No problem, I knows London like the back of mi ’and. Give us some ’ight, Lucy.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Lucy said sarcastically.

The Prince turned to look at the small thirteen year old girl handling the attitude controls, and then he raised an eyebrow at Dougal.

“I would be most grateful if you did not tell the Queen about my crew until she is safely home at Buckingham Palace,” Dougal said desperately.

The Prince continued to stare at him. Then he smiled. “When people ask me what I find so admirable about the British and what sets them apart from any other country, I always say it is the promise of their children. I should not be surprised that my own words have come back to bite me. I shall inform the Queen at a suitable later date.”

“Tom, come quickly.” Bertie shook Tom awake.

“What’s happening?”

“Your airship is here. At least I think it is. There is a commotion by the doors to the gardens.”

Tom staggered after the Prince. He felt recovered, but could have done with a little more sleep. When they got to the door, the Queen and Albert were just entering.

“Mama, you are safe.”

“And so are you. I was led to believe you were injured?”

“Gut shot, but Tom saved me.”

Queen Victoria turned her attention to Tom and he blushed. He attempted to bow, but it came out a bit like a curtsy. She smiled at him, which only made his embarrassment worse.

“You seem to rescue my eldest child rather more than is seemly, but you have my eternal gratitude for it.”

“Thank… Yes… Your Majesty.”

Dougal decided to rescue Tom before he made too much of a fool of himself.

“Tom, you are needed at the airship. Antonia has been injured.”

Tom fled the Palace at a run.

Tom hugged and kissed Laura full on the mouth as he entered the observation room, then he turned to find Antonia grinning at him.

“I was told you were injured.”

“I am, or one of me is. Laura, Andrea would be grateful if this could be the time when Tom makes good on his promise.”

Tom turned back to Laura, who had a look of astonishment on her face.

“You mean
before
he heals you?” Laura asked.

“Exactly so. If you give me the bind we can tear it up afterwards.”

Tom felt that some private joke was being played out in which he was the butt.

“I suppose it would be appropriate,” Laura said. “Not even cheating in some ways. But what if Tom is unable to heal you afterwards?”

“I cannot imagine a better way to go.”

Laura handed over the bind in a daze and Antonia led a very confused Tom back to her room.

“Are they going to you-know-what?” Alice asked. “Don’t you mind?”

“The life of an adult can be most complicated sometimes.”

“But which one is she?”

“I do not think she knows for sure.”

27.
              
Resolutions

Cam got out of the taxi and paid the driver. As the Hansom Cab set off down the road she took out the key Trelawney had given her and entered his house. It was very quiet inside as Trelawney had given his staff the day off.

Cam locked the door behind her and stood with her back against it, taking a deep breath and then exhaling slowly. She felt weak and vulnerable. Shooting Trelawney and Belinda had put a massive strain on her, being shot and facing death at the hands of Annelise Shultz had made that strain worse. All she wanted to do was find somewhere safe to lie down and fall asleep.

She entered Trelawney’s study and pulled the heavy curtains closed, slumped into one of his stuffed leather chairs and fell asleep.

She woke to the sound of knocking at the door having dreamt that spies were chasing her. Not fully awake, she took a pistol from Trelawney’s gun room and approached the door.

The knocking intensified. Cam opened the door suddenly, a snarl on her face. She cocked the pistol and pressed the end of its barrel against Eric’s forehead. He stood paralyzed, unable to say a word.

“You must be Camilla Burns,” Gareth Jones said calmly from behind Eric. “Please do not shoot the boy, he is not very bright, but he is in constant contact with his brother on the airship.”

Cam relaxed as she became aware of her surroundings.

“Trelawney sent you?”

“We have been summoned here. I take it he has not yet returned?”

Cam nodded her head and lowered the pistol. There was a strong smell of urine and Cam looked down to see a puddle forming between Eric’s shoes.

“Sorry about that,” she said, patting him absentmindedly on the shoulder.

Tom checked to confirm that his manhood was still attached to his body. It had become numb sometime during the second hour. The combined creature that was Antonia and Andrea had been insatiable. There was an urgency and intensity about their needs that drained him, but was still somehow fulfilling.

“Can I perform the healing now?”

Antonia/Andrea rolled over and smiled wickedly at him. “One more time, for the road?”

“If that bind breaks when I am exhausted, Antonia could die.”

The woman whispered angrily with herself.

“If we must, we must,” she said in a forlorn voice.

Tom stood and quickly pulled on enough clothing to satisfy decency.

“Where will Antonia be when we break the bind?”

The woman shrugged and tore the bind. Tom dropped to his knees as the girl on the bed grew an enormous bump on the head and her breathing became shallow. When he touched her he realized how close to death she was. There was massive pressure on her brain from a bleed inside her skull and her skull was fractured.

As he fought to save her life, he felt Andrea’s hand drop onto his shoulder. Strength flowed through it into him. He hoped it would be enough.

Major Tannis knocked smartly on Sir Ernest Trelawney’s door. It opened a crack and he heard the distinctive sound of a pistol cocking.

“Name and reason for visit,” a female voice asked. Despite the feminine tones, Tannis recognized cold steel in it.

“Major Tannis from the Prince of Wales. Here to enquire about the plan of action at the request of the Prince.”

He heard the pistol being un-cocked and the door opened fully.

“Camilla Burns, agent of Trelawney’s hoping for a quiet life.”

Tannis entered the house.

“You have picked the wrong employer if that is your ambition,” Tannis said dryly.

“Do you think I have not noticed?”

Tom stepped into the crowded observation room and took a seat next to Laura. He looked pale and exhausted and Laura put a hand on his thigh. He flinched as it was sore.

“What happened to Antonia?”

Tom leaned over and kissed Laura passionately. “Never allow those women to get me alone while they are in that state. I doubt I shall survive it a second time.”

Antonia and Andrea entered the room. If not for their different clothes they would have been indistinguishable. Both had broad smiles on their faces.

“It seems as if I know you all intimately already through my sister, But it is good to meet you in person,” Andrea said.

“Are you fully recovered?” Dougal asked the twins.

“I am feeling wonderful,” Antonia answered.

“Then now that we are all together, I can brief you on Sir Ernest’s plan.”

Trelawney placed a map of London on the dining table which it more than covered. Twenty people Trelawney trusted gathered around to stare at it.

“It took an American to explain it to me. We believe that the real target of the Brotherhood is the royal collection known collectively as the crown jewels. Baxter has ordered all the troops stationed in the Tower of London to take part in the search for the Queen. However, I gather the commanding officer left three men to guard the Tower. Under normal circumstances, given the portcullis, the thickness of the doors, the Tower fortifications and the vault, this ought to be sufficient.”

“How will they break in?” Cam asked. “If enough of them scaled the walls, they could take the guards and let themselves out.”

“We have no idea.” Trelawney admitted. “They used a new kind of vehicle to kidnap the Queen and there is evidence they have a Grade 1 Spellbinder among their number.”

“Then we need a Spellbinder of similar power of our own or they will get away.”

Trelawney ignored the question about the Spellbinder. He doubted very much they would need one if they let the Brotherhood make the first moves.

“The Queen has given permission for us to let them take the jewels.”

There were murmurs of astonishment.

“Provided we ensure their safe return,” Trelawney added dryly.

“You are taking a risk with our careers, Sir Ernest,” Jones pointed out. “The safest thing would be to stop the thieves at the Tower.”

Trelawney sighed. “We need to catch the Brotherhood receiving the jewels. Be certain that the people doing the stealing will know very few of the Brotherhood and will not betray them. The Brotherhood will have taken their families as surety.”

“And what is to say they will take the jewels to the Brotherhood? It would be safer for the Brotherhood to stay clear and to share the profits from their sale,” Major Tannis asked.

“The Brotherhood has shown only one consistent characteristic,” Belinda said and everyone turned to her, waiting to hear more.

“My wife is right. However sensible it would be for them to stay in the background they will split the jewels soon after they are taken. Their greed will betray them. They would never trust a third party to handle the sale of the jewels, being certain they would be robbed.”

“It is what any one of them would do, given the chance,” Belinda added.

“What is our plan then?” Cam asked.

Tom felt at peace with the world as he asked Antonia to take them high into the air. It was a beautiful clear night and the Hubris was invisible, Laura having cast a fresh bind. He turned the ship east and followed the river towards the Tower of London.

“Don’t the ’ouses of Parliament look pretty,” Alice said as they saw them approach on their right. All its windows shone with gaslight.

“Be better without the people in ’em. At least that’s what mi Dad says,” Tricky commented. “Present company excluded,” he added, looking at Dougal.

Dougal laughed. “You and Ebenezer should go to the United States together. You would do well there.”

Laura entered the bridge. “I have a few binds ready to use. The biggest danger we face is their Spellbinder.”

“Provided he does not see us we should be safe,” Dougal said, but Laura disagreed.

“If he suspects we are here, he will attack us again.”

Tony readied the binds he might have to use. Of the four men sitting in the shed, he was the only one beginning to regret having taken the job.

“I always knew that papers printed lies,” Ross said. He threw down his copy of The Times in disgust. “According to them, the Prince is fully recovered and the Queen and Albert are back at the Palace. Their
‘special palace informant’
has told them.”

“Unless the Queen has learned to breathe water, I think they have it wrong,” Ernie said. “Biggest problem I’ve got is that there will be no one to kill at the Tower.”

“The biggest problem we have is the Spellbinder,” Tony said angrily. “We should call the job off.”

“What Spellbinder?” Ross asked.

“The one in that thing floating in the air. The one that made all my paper burst into flames.”

“You made that thing crash. I saw it coming down.”

Tony picked up the paper and threw it in Ross’s face. “Show me the story saying where it crashed.”

“Your binds always burst into flames,” Ross countered.

“These weren’t binds; they were blank pieces of paper. I don’t know of anybody who can do that.”

Even Brains found that funny. “You sets paper on fire all the time.”

“The Spellbinder did not know who I was,” Tony explained patiently. “To locate me and set my spare paper on fire took real power.”

Ross banged his fist on the table.

“We are not cancelling the job. We leave in three hours. If this imaginary Spellbinder bothers you, write some binds to stop him.”

The Hubris hovered high above the Tower of London, the massive walled castle looking much like a toy at the height they were at. A height chosen as the highest at which Edith’s talent fully operated.

“The soldiers are making themselves a brew,” she reported wearily. It had been hours since they arrived and the most exciting thing that had happened was that one of the soldiers had walked round the wall and checked that the gates were locked.

“I could knock ’em out?” Alice asked hopefully.

“They are on our side, Alice.” Laura pointed out.

“Eric says that Trelawney and his men are in position and waiting for us to report.”

“Tell him that when we have something to report, we will report it,” Tom said. He had left Tricky and Lucy in charge of the bridge while he came back for a cup of tea.

Brains pulled the gates open and Ross drove the Charger out onto the road. Brains closed the gates, but left them unlocked for their visitors. He got in the Charger and it made its way to the Tower, its electric motor making almost no sound.

As they approached the Middle Tower, Tony got out two binds. He used the light from his lamp to check them.

“These binds will open the first two gates. Drive us through as soon as I finish them.”

“Why don’t you just turn the gates to water?” Brains asked.

“That takes far too much power,” Ross explained as Tony shook his head.

Tony completed the binds and the Charger went though the Middle Tower and Byward Tower gates. Ross drove the Charger around the Outer Ward to end up at Martin Tower where the jewels were stored. There was no entrance from this side, but that was why they had a Grade 1 Spellbinder with them.

Tony got out and looked up at the sky. He could see nothing but stars.

“Get on with it,” Ross urged. They had seen no one so far, but that did not mean there was nobody there. The Tower of London was big.

“In a second, give me time.” Tony took out a prepared bind and stared at the stone tower as he finished the bind. The stone wall flowed and reformed, creating a ramp down to the vault below. “We have five minutes at most,” Tony reminded them.

“The gates have been breached,” Edith said excitedly. “One of the guards is going to check the vault.”

“When he reaches the vault, use your power to look inside. A Spellbinder would not use the front door,” Laura said. She poised a pen over the final character of a special bind and hoped she would not have to use it.