The Enchanted Obelisk (Clockwork Calico Book 2)

by Lana Axe

  It was doubtful that Emmit’s tiny form could trigger the security system, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He stayed two feet behind Cali, mirroring her every move. “The papyrus display,” he whispered. That was the most likely place to find an explanation.

  Halfway to the papyri, Cali stuck out a paw, halting Emmit in his tracks. She pointed toward the ceiling. “Careful,” she whispered.

  Mounted to the rafters above them was a long metal beam with jointed sections. Cali recognized it as the menacing mechanical claw that would hold an intruder in place. She had cringed when she saw Lionel’s design schematics. It was a much harsher invention than the tinker usually designed. He had explained its workings to her and assured her that no harm would come to the suspect. But seeing it mounted above her, she wondered how it couldn’t. Menacing and dangerous, the look of it alone was probably enough to deter a thief.

  Smiling, she realized the genius behind Lionel’s design. It didn’t have to crush a person, only scare him enough to make him think twice. Most thieves would enter the museum while it was open to case the interior before making their move. One look at that pinching claw, and they’d probably decide to find a new line of work.

  Staying well out of the claw’s path, Cali led the way to the papyri. Emmit was correct. Beneath each display was a brief explanation of some of the hieroglyphs.

  “Falcon,” Emmit whispered, finding the first symbol. “It’s a god, Horus.”

  Cali frowned. That information didn’t help at all. The dung beetle was the easy one. Porchester had already explained that it meant rebirth. All that was left was the menacing eye. She found it drawn upon several papyri, its style varying from plain to elaborate. Its meaning was defined below one of the aged scrolls. It stood for protection, power, and good health.

  “What kind of message is that?” she cried out, frustrated.

  Emmit patted her shoulder to soothe her. “Look at it this way,” he said, his tone smooth and calm. “Someone is planning his own sort of rebirth by taking power. Horus was the god of the sky, one of the most important gods of all. It kind of does make sense if you think about it.”

  Cali considered the mouse’s words. It did make sense. Lots of people craved power, but who needed to be reborn? The answers wouldn’t come easily, but with patience and perseverance, she would find them.

  “We might as well have a look around the courtyard,” she said. By now it was most likely empty of gawkers, and they would have the area to themselves. They could search for the source of the lights without interference.

  Waltzing out the front door was impossible. Bars, both vertical and horizontal, covered the glass entrance. There wasn’t enough room between them for Cali to squeeze through. Returning to the balcony was her only choice. In her haste to reach the exit, she neglected to watch for the movement of the security cameras. The random patterns resulted in an impossible situation. Not one but three cameras were now staring directly at the intruders, who stopped dead in their tracks.

  “Did they see us?” Emmit whispered.

  The steady red eye, rather than the green blinking one, suggested that the camera had indeed spotted movement.

  “Hold perfectly still,” Cali said through clenched teeth. If these were Lionel’s design, they wouldn’t waste power before confirming they had indeed seen intruders. If the pair didn’t move, they might be able to fool it.

  No such luck. These were not Lionel’s cameras but an invention of some other tinker unknown to the calico. A clattering whir sounded from one camera, the brass globe at its base spinning faster and faster.

  “It’s charging!” Cali cried, grabbing Emmit by the tail. Leaping for her life, she narrowly missed the release of scalding steam that spewed from the gyrating globe. Only steps away from the balcony, the second system engaged. This was not Lionel’s invention either. It made a high-pitched whine, too high to be detected by humans. But Cali’s keen ears didn’t miss it. The familiar crackle of electricity sounded after the whine, and she knew she had to get out fast. Leaping with her mouse friend in tow, Cali paid no heed to the museum’s fine glass. Crashing through the unsecured section, she sent it shattering against the stone balcony. A series of sparks landed just outside the door. They had narrowly missed being set ablaze.

  “Who designed that?” Emmit shouted, clutching at his heart. What kind of inventor would design a security system to electrocute an intruder? Wasn’t a thief entitled to a fair trial? Not to mention the possibility of a misfire.

  Cali shook her head. “The museum director doesn’t care. He’s head of the Artisans Guild.” Corruption abounded through Ticswyk’s numerous Guilds, and those in charge of them were the worst criminals of all. No doubt the Guild had approved the security system’s design knowing full well the consequences of triggering it. Anyone caught in its path could be killed, and the museum director would no doubt call it a tragic accident of untested technology. No investigation would be launched after that. The Guilds could easily get away with murder. Her fur bristling, she shuddered at the thought.

  “I’ll bet you anything the Guilds have something to do with those lights on the obelisk,” Emmit said.

  He might be onto something. Cali was more determined than ever to get to the bottom of it. Sleuthing was dangerous work, but her enhancements had, so far, kept her one step ahead of the criminals.

  This time the feline didn’t take her eyes off the small camera mounted on the balcony. It showed no signs it had detected them, but she wasn’t taking any chances. “Hold on tight,” she said to Emmit.

  He clutched at her brass enhancements as she swung the two of them over the rail and landed softly on the ground beneath.

  “Are there cameras out here?” the mouse asked.

  Cali shook her head. “The courtyard is open at night.” She pointed to the iron gates, which stood wide open. “A night watchman patrols, but citizens are allowed use of the area at night.” The museum courtyard was one of the nicest parks in Ticswyk. Behind the obelisk, the grounds stretched out into green grass and a series of fountains complete with a pair of white swans. Funded by the Guilds, it was one of the few measures they took to improve their image in the eyes of Ticswyk’s citizens.

  Despite the lack of security cameras in the courtyard, Cali still didn’t want to be seen. She might be considered a nuisance and shooed away before her mission was complete. Keeping her body low to the ground, she moved across the grass, avoiding the sidewalks to prevent any chance of a run-in with the night watchman.

  The light overhead was fading fast, only further illuminating the obelisk. “We should try to determine at what angle the lights are flashing,” Emmit suggested.

  “Smart thinking,” she replied. The little mouse bounded in front of her, standing directly in front of one side of the obelisk.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before!” Cali exclaimed.

  “Notice what?” Emmit asked. Apparently he wasn’t seeing what she saw.

  “Look,” she said, moving close to the obelisk. “There are no lights projected on me.”

  Emmit gave her a questioning look.

  Cali decided to explain. “If the lights were projected from somewhere in the courtyard, I’d be blocking them right now. The colors would be on my fur, and my shadow would be on the obelisk.”

  Smiling, Emmit said, “You’re right. That means the lights must be coming from either inside the obelisk, which is unlikely since it’s solid rock, or…”

  “The source is extremely close to the monument,” Cali finished for him. Sniffing at the obelisk for a second time, she smelled only dust and age. Or did she? Inhaling deeply, she realized the monument had an earthy odor, more like decay than dry rock should. What am I missing? An answer to her question was right beneath her paws.

  With her mechanical eye, she zoomed in on the ground below her. Holes, tiny ones, had eluded her notice before. Yet there they were, and they were the source of the strange odor. “Gas!” she exclaimed,
realizing what she’d found. These were pipes, buried beneath the obelisk sometime before it was put in place. The grass around it hadn’t been recently disturbed, so whoever did this had foreknowledge of the obelisk’s impending arrival.

  Emmit moved to her side and looked at the ground. The holes Cali had found were quite small indeed. They’d escaped his notice as well. He sniffed at the gas and turned his head away. “Phew,” he said. “It smells awful. How did we miss it before?”

  Studying the hieroglyphs, Cali realized that the shining mineral she’d noticed before was all part of the scheme. Wiping at it with her paw pad, she removed a small amount. “Just as I suspected,” she said. “Someone put this substance on here, whatever it is. It’s enhancing the lights.”

  “But why?” Emmit wondered. “And how does it all work?”

  Taking a deep breath, Cali tried to think of a way to explain it. The trouble was, she didn’t exactly understand it herself. If only Lionel were here. He’d marvel at the way this was all set up, and he’d have it figured out in no time.

  “It appears the gas reacts with this substance, causing the lighting effect,” Cali said. It was the best explanation she could offer. She knew nothing of gases, and she had no idea what the reactive substance might be.

  Emmit climbed high enough to observe a few of the hieroglyphs. He noted that some were chiseled deeper than others, most notably the staring eye and the scarab. He didn’t want to climb all the way to the top to find out, but he suspected the bird was carved deeper as well. Sighing he returned to the base.

  The look of disappointment on the mouse’s face troubled Cali. “Why so glum?” she asked. “We’ve solved our little mystery. Well, part of it anyway.” They knew what was causing the lights, but not who had done this or why. Still, it was something to be proud of.

  “I looked at the hieroglyphs, and the ones we thought were sending a message aren’t,” he said.

  “Why do you say that?” she asked.

  “Well they’re carved deeper, meaning they just happen to have more of the chemical on them. When the gas travels up the obelisk, it catches there the longest. That’s why they stay lit together like that. And the thunder and lightning would be easily faked by someone who had knowledge of volatile gases.”

  Cali shrugged. “You’re probably right. But why does that make you sad?”

  “It’s silly,” he replied, turning away.

  “You can tell me,” she said. She would never mock him or make fun of his feelings.

  “Well, I was hoping that some ancient Egyptian really was trying to send a message,” he began. “Maybe that he hoped one day the ancient society would be reborn.”

  “It’s a romantic thought,” Cali said, smiling. “There’s nothing wrong with a little imagination. You shouldn’t be embarrassed. I kind of like the idea of the ancients trying to speak to us.”

  “You do?” he asked, surprised.

  “Sure,” she replied. “It’s like being inside an adventure story.”

  Emmit grinned. “We get plenty of adventure on our own.”

  She patted her friend on his back. “Yes, we do.”

  Before meeting Cali, Emmit never thought of himself as particularly brave. Now he found himself leaping into harm’s way with Cali at his side. Something about the calico cat instilled courage in the little mouse. “So what now?” he asked. “Do we figure out how to shut off this gas?”

  The feline weighed her options. After a moment of thought, she answered, “I don’t think so. We still don’t know the who or why of the situation. If we turn off the gas, the person who set this up will know someone is investigating his scheme. Whoever it is might panic and flee. Then we’ll never know who the culprit was.”

  “You could get Porchester’s attention tomorrow and show him these pipes,” the mouse suggested.

  Cali shook her head. “He doesn’t know who put them there, or he wouldn’t be so upset about the lights. I bet he’d have them removed, and that doesn’t help us.”

  “He might get the police involved,” he replied.

  “I think we can both agree we don’t want that,” she said. Most of Ticswyk’s police were honorable men, but several of the captains were in the employ of the Guilds. If a Guild leader was responsible for this, the police would be ordered to look the other way.

  “Watch and wait then?” Emmit asked.

  “I’m afraid that’s all we can do,” she replied.

  A fitful sleep awaited Cali that night. Visions of flashing lights and hieroglyphs played over in her head. In one dream, a man in a dark suit was chasing her through the city. He carried a length of pipe that shot dense clouds of gas in her direction. As she fled, she lashed out with her hind legs, knocking herself from her windowsill perch. Luckily she managed to land on her feet.

  After that she joined Lionel on his bed, the presence of so dear a friend bringing her comfort and pleasant dreams. She awoke feeling confident that she would be able to solve this mystery.

  She followed Lionel to the kitchen with a bounce in her step. The nightmares were forgotten, and her mind was focused. Breakfast was a wonderful mixture of chicken and vegetables, and she lapped it up with her tongue until there was no flavor left in the bowl.

  As she did most mornings, Florence stopped by with a bag of pastries to share with her brother. She retrieved his newspaper from the doorstep and glanced down at the headline. “The Enchanted Obelisk,” she read aloud.

  “What’s that?” Lionel asked, taking the paper.

  Cali padded silently into the sitting room to hear the discussion.

  Shaking his head, Lionel said, “Enchanted my foot. This is more nonsense.”

  “It was actually quite beautiful,” Florence said.

  “It’s a rock,” Lionel said. “It’s nothing special, just old.” The grand monument had left no lasting impact on him.

  “Last night it was lit up,” Florence said. “I was out with my friend, Mr. Lisen, and we passed by there on our walk.”

  “I see,” Lionel said, grinning. He wasn’t one to pry into his sister’s romantic relationships. But he had noticed that she and Lisen were spending more time together. Florence was independent, but he saw no harm in her having a boyfriend. As long as he was a respectable man and he treated her right, Lionel wouldn’t make a fuss.

  “Yes,” Florence said. “We went to dinner and afterward took a walk. We planned to visit the museum park, but we didn’t make it in very far. The lights were breathtaking, so we sat awhile and enjoyed them.”

  “Alone?” Lionel jibed.

  Florence blushed. “Not for long,” she said. “Quite a few other couples happened by and joined us. The lights were still going when we left near midnight.”

  Cali’s ears perked up. She had seen no one return after the crash of thunder had driven the other onlookers away. Apparently whoever was controlling the situation decided the thunderstorm was over the top. The colorful lights alone would draw attention.

  “I’m surprised there wasn’t panic in the streets,” Lionel said. “With all that talk of a mummy.” He looked down at the newspaper and began to read the article. “Oh, I guess there was a panic,” he said, pointing to a paragraph about the frightened guests.

  “Well, it had died down by the time we got there,” she said. “And I wasn’t frightened at all.”

  Cali didn’t doubt her. She was a brave woman, not prone to believe in supernatural beings. If Mr. Lisen was scared, all he had to do was hang onto Florence for protection. The feline chuckled at the thought, but quieted herself before anyone could take notice.

  Lionel continued skimming the article. “Porchester says the lights aren’t part of the exhibit, and the museum doesn’t know the cause.”

  “Really?” Florence asked. “That seems odd.”

  “First mummies, now magic,” Lionel said, tossing the paper aside. “It’s all hogwash.”

  “Now that you mention it, I did overhear another couple talking about the mummy,” sh
e said. “The man claimed to have seen it skulking about the streets near the train station.”

  Lionel grimaced. “He was trying to impress his lady,” he said. “Not a shred of truth to it.”

  Laughing, Florence said, “Making up silly stories wouldn’t impress any woman.” She stood and smoothed out her skirt. “I suppose I better get to work.”

  “Take care, Flo,” Lionel said. He muttered under his breath as he retreated to his workshop. The only words Cali could make out were “obelisk” and “poppycock.”

  The feline was disappointed to hear that the mummy rumors had persisted. The newspaper article would likely draw a bigger crowd to the obelisk, meaning the lights would have to run continuously for some time.

  She wondered how much fuel would be needed to keep the monument lit. If she was going to get to the bottom of this, she was going to need eyes and ears in several locations. Someone had to buy the fuel and chemicals, but who was providing them? Surely not any of Ticswyk’s chemists. That was too easy a trail to follow, and the perpetrator would want to keep this secret. Cali wasn’t quite sure where to begin, but there had to be clues out there. The trouble was finding them.

  Fortunately, Cali knew just who to turn to. Emmit prowled the streets every day in search of his favorite foods, and Nellie pulled carriages from one end of Ticswyk to the other. Both would gladly keep their ears to the ground for unusual happenings. Cali would monitor the newspapers for any useful tidbits, and the ladies at the gas-lamp factory next door were always full of gossip. She could visit them daily and curl up in a lap while still gathering information. It was a wonderful plan, the thought of which set the calico purring.

  Darting out the window, she didn’t bother to look back. With Lionel busy in his workshop, he’d never know she was gone, nor worry where she was going. Fog had settled over Ticswyk in the night, giving the morning a gray cast. It added an air of mystery to the city, an appropriate weather pattern given the day’s headline. Cali could already hear the gossip about the obelisk and its strange powers. She wondered how the fog might affect the gas lighting, but she didn’t have time to go and look. She had to find Nellie as quickly as possible.