Trafalgar and Boone and the Books of Breathing

by Geonn Cannon

  Dorothy risked taking a step closer. “Ruby, I want you to think carefully about this. The man who brought you here is hijacking my friend’s body. His stated mission is to rescue his beloved, who I can swear to you is also residing in a small, carved statue.”

  “The statue...” Ruby muttered, looking at the tightly-wrapped parcel in Amenemhat’s hands.

  “If you put those facts together, what do you believe he intends to do? Why would he bother bringing you all this way unless he had a use for you?”

  Ruby now moved quickly toward Dorothy, looking at Amenemhat as if he’d sprouted horns. He didn’t bother disguising his rage as he reached under his jacket and fished out a revolver.

  “I only require one body, Lady Dorothy Boone!”

  Trafalgar, Dorothy, and Ruby all moved at once. Ruby ducked, Trafalgar threw herself forward to grab the woman’s hand to pull her out of the way, twisting so that she was between the erstwhile hostage and Amenemhat’s weapon. Dorothy turned sideways to present a smaller target as she brought up the strobe gun, aiming it at Amenemhat’s face. He flinched and fired, the bullet going wide as he cried out in surprise. Trafalgar got Ruby to safety behind one of the columns and withdrew the ravdi fighting sticks Threnody had given to her.

  “Get Desmond’s statue!” Trafalgar said.

  Dorothy ran to the bag as Trafalgar rushed Amenemhat. She grabbed his arm, twisting him so he couldn’t stop Dorothy. He swung at her midsection, a blow she easily sidestepped as she brought the butt of her ravdi stick down on his temple. He dropped to one knee and threw his weight against her. Trafalgar wrapped her arms around his torso and lifted just enough for his feet to leave the ground, then let him go. He dropped hard and she put a knee in the middle of his back.

  “Dorothy!”

  “I have the statue!”

  Trafalgar reached out for it, but Amenemhat bucked her off. He got back to his feet, grabbed the statue he’d dropped, and made a run for the pool. Trafalgar pursued with Dorothy right behind her. When she got close enough, Trafalgar could hear Amenemhat speaking the spell on the base of Henuttaui’s statue and realized he intended to use her as a host. She threw herself at him, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled him toward her. She clapped a hand over his mouth to stop him from speaking. He bit down on her ring finger hard enough to draw blood, and she cried out. Their legs tangled together and they began stumbling toward the sacred lake.

  Dorothy saw what was happening but feared she was too far away to stop it. Amenemhat’s foot hit the edge of the lake and he began to fall. His grip on Trafalgar’s shoulder tightened and Dorothy could see that he intended to pull her down with him. She drew from reserves she didn’t realize she had, hooked her hands under Trafalgar’s arms, and twisted to the left. Their combined weight broke Amenemhat’s hold. His fingers slipped off the material of Trafalgar’s dress and he went over the edge with a final desperate flailing of his arms.

  Dorothy hit the ground and Trafalgar landed hard on top of her. The wind was knocked from Dorothy’s lungs and she alternated between coughs and gasping until Trafalgar pushed herself off.

  “Thank you, Dorothy.”

  “It was my turn,” Dorothy managed to croak, sitting up with a hand against her chest. The adrenaline had worn off and she realized what had happened. “Oh, good lord, no... Desmond.”

  She and Trafalgar got to their feet and ran to the edge of the sacred lake. Though it was clear what awaited them at the bottom of the stairs, they both descended in the hopes there was still a life to be saved. The body was sprawled on the stone, his back grotesquely bent over a stone. A creeping blossom of blood was spreading across his shirt. His eyes were open and staring blindly as Dorothy dropped to her knees next to him.

  “Des... no, please...”

  Trafalgar spotted Henuttaui’s ka statue laying on the ground nearby, shattered into several pieces. She picked up the largest piece but it seemed clear to her that there was no hope for freeing the soul that had been trapped inside of it for so long. But that was hardly worth worrying about at the moment. Dorothy had one hand under Desmond’s head, her fingers smeared red with his blood, and her other hand was touching his chest for signs of life.

  “Dorothy...”

  “No... it’s... the statue. We can repair the damage to his body and put him back inside. The body is just broken. Amenemhat... he’s... he died. He’s gone. If we hurry, we can just fix him and put him right.” She was sobbing openly now. “He can’t die. He can’t die for me. Not like this.”

  Trafalgar knelt and put a hand on Dorothy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t say that. Don’t say that as if this is over.”

  “Dorothy...”

  “We’ll think of something, Des,” she whispered, still sobbing. “We’ll figure something out.”

  Above them, Ruby had moved closer to the edge of the lake to see what had happened. She put a hand over her mouth when she saw Desmond’s body. After a moment she turned, barely stifling a scream as she ran from the temple ruins.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It quickly became apparent that Dorothy was in shock, so Trafalgar took control of the situation. She escorted Dorothy back up the steps and sat her next to one of the columns. “Stay here,” she said. “I’ll take care of it. Just stay here.” Dorothy drew her knees in close and covered her face with both hands. Trafalgar went back to Desmond’s body. She took a knee beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder. She hadn’t known Desmond very well, but she knew he was a good man. He cared deeply for Dorothy and did everything in his power to keep her safe. Their relationship was unusual, but Trafalgar often felt it was more meaningful than some true marriages she’d seen. They respected each other to a degree that seemed more than just friendship. They loved each other.

  “I’m sorry, Desmond,” she whispered. “You deserved much better than this, my friend.”

  It was nearly an hour later when Ruby returned with the local police. Trafalgar did her best to explain what happened without mentioning body-stealing ancient priests or ka statues. Ruby, for her part, remained silent. It was clear that she didn’t want to become even deeper entrenched in whatever the hell was happening with these crazy people. The police did a cursory examination and determined the death was consistent with an accidental fall, so Dorothy and Trafalgar managed to avoid being taken into custody.

  When an officer expressed concern for Dorothy’s state, Trafalgar remembered their public story. “They were engaged to be married.”

  The man offered his condolences as Desmond’s body was taken from the pit by their undertaker. Trafalgar crouched in front of Dorothy and put a hand on top of hers. Dorothy’s gaze shifted from the random spot in the air and focused on her friend’s face.

  “We need to go.”

  “Desmond...”

  “They have him.”

  “No. Desmond...”

  Trafalgar realized she meant the ka statue. It was lying nearby, and Trafalgar picked it up and placed it in her bag. Desmond’s consciousness was still inside the statue. Theoretically, it could be transferred to another body, but Trafalgar couldn’t fathom the moral consequences of doing such a thing. She also recovered the fragments of Henuttaui’s statue, just in case there was any power left in it. She went back to Dorothy and touched her hand.

  “Come on, Dorothy. It’s over.”

  Dorothy wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks and extended the other to Trafalgar. “Help me up.”

  Trafalgar also offered her shoulder, letting Dorothy lean on her as they exited the temple. Trafalgar was already plotting how they would get home. They would have to charter an airship if they intended to bring Desmond along with them, and she assumed he would have wanted to be buried in his home country. She would have Mazzi fly Ruby home and then they would return to London. She just hoped when the dust settled, there would be some way to salvage Dorothy’s resolve.

  #

  Dorothy retreated to her stateroom aboar
d the airship and remained there for the majority of their flight. Trafalgar spent her time on the promenade. She read and watched the European countryside pass by below. She tried to make sense of the mission they’d just completed. They stopped Amenemhat and gained the Books of Breathing. It was a powerful set of spells judging from what she’d already translated, and keeping it out of the wrong hands was a victory. But no one had been searching for the Books. There were no rumors about them, no imminent threat of discovery. She felt that their reward, no matter how valuable, was miniscule compared to what it cost them.

  She made sure the airship crew took food to Dorothy’s room, and most days some of it actually disappeared. On the final day of their journey, when they passed over the coast of France, Trafalgar knocked on the door and let herself in. Dorothy was sitting cross-legged in the window seat, dressed in a lightweight cotton blouse and matching slacks. She was barefoot, no makeup, her hair unwashed. She looked much as she must have as a child, and Trafalgar was startled by the transformation. She said nothing, just moved a chair closer and took a seat.

  “I’ve lost people before, of course,” Dorothy finally said, as if beginning the conversation in the middle. “My brother. My grandmother. I’ve never dealt well with death, Trafalgar. And never someone...” She looked down at her hands. “I loved him. I loved him more than I ever bothered to say aloud. He was so kind and generous. He cared for me. He did everything in his power to protect me, and I got him killed.”

  Trafalgar said, “You had nothing to do with it.”

  “He should never have been there.”

  “It was his choice. To save your life.”

  Dorothy turned toward the window. The setting sun reflected off the tears caught in the corner of her eyes. “Fat load of good it did him...”

  Trafalgar moved to sit across from Dorothy in the window. “He loved you, too. You know that. He knew the risks and accepted that he might not return from this adventure. In his eyes, the reward was worth the danger.” She put her hand on Dorothy’s. “You stopped Amenemhat. You prevented the Books of Breathing from falling into the wrong hands. He would consider that a worthwhile cause.”

  “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But I don’t want to feel better. Not yet.”

  “Of course. I understand. I’ll leave you to yourself.” She stood and went to the door.

  Dorothy said, “Trafalgar... were you the one telling the staff to send me food?”

  “I was.”

  “Thank you.”

  Trafalgar said, “You’re welcome. I’ll come find you when we’re preparing to land.”

  Dorothy nodded, already looking out the window again. Trafalgar closed the door quietly behind her as she left.

  #

  A few hours later, Dorothy joined Trafalgar at the gangway. Her hair was done, as was her makeup, and she’d changed into a more familiar blouse and pants combo. She ignored Trafalgar’s look and explained, “I don’t want Beatrice to fret over me, that’s all.”

  “Of course. Very kind of you.”

  “I can’t wait to see her again. To hold her.” She worried her thumbnail. “Thank you again. For... for being there. Or rather for not being there. Someone else may have crowded me or forced me to talk when I wasn’t ready. Thank you for giving me space.”

  “You’re more than welcome, Dorothy. The truth is, Adeline was killed by a bullet intended for me. I didn’t have the opportunity to mourn properly when it happened. I know how important Desmond was to you. I know you’ll need time. It’s my job as your partner to make it easy.”

  Dorothy nodded. The ship docked and they carried their bags out. Trafalgar had arranged for Desmond’s body to be transferred to a funeral home so Dorothy wouldn’t have to deal with it. She escorted Dorothy off the ship and summoned a cab to take them home. She supposed she would have to start thinking of the Threadneedle residence as home now. The London weather was a shock after spending so long in the desert, and Trafalgar found herself wishing for her leather duster. A few drops of rain fell onto the window of the cab and she smiled, realizing that it was without a doubt her home.

  As they pulled away from the Rookery, Dorothy surprised her by sliding across the street and laying her head on her shoulder. “I’m glad you were there, Trafalgar. I was absolutely helpless after... hm. Thank you for taking care of everything. For taking care of me.”

  “You’re more than welcome. I’m honored to call you my friend.”

  Beatrice came outside when the cab arrived. Dorothy looked up at her as she exited the car and her posture immediately corrected itself. A line of worry appeared between her eyebrows.

  “Trix? What happened?”

  Trafalgar had noticed nothing different about the majordomo - same starched uniform, same rigid posture - but her face shuddered at Dorothy’s question. Her eyes darted toward Trafalgar and her shoulders sagged just a fraction.

  “Nothing that can’t wait. I got your telegram this morning. I’m so sorry.”

  Dorothy pressed her lips together in a firm line, nodded to acknowledge Beatrice’s sympathy, and looked at the bags in the back of the cab. “Our bags...”

  “I’ll take care of them. You two have much to discuss, it would seem. Go on.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Trafalgar nodded. “Go.”

  Dorothy put a hand on Trafalgar’s bicep and squeezed before she went up the steps into Beatrice’s embrace. Trafalgar unloaded the luggage and took it into the house, while Dorothy and Beatrice disappeared upstairs. She had no idea what trauma Beatrice was working through, but she knew that her presence would only get in the way of their healing. She stayed only long enough to change into something more casual and less sandblasted before she took the Books of Breathing and slipped out of the house.

  She walked to the Inkwell and called the rest of the Mnemosyne Society to meet her there. The Keepings were still making their way home from Egypt, having elected to take a ship so Agnes could recuperate. Cecil arrived looking mostly healed from his encounter with Amenemhat. When everyone had arrived - including Ivy Sever, wearing her costume and mask so everyone could see her - Trafalgar explained what had happened in Luxor.

  “Dorothy will understandably need some time to process her loss. In the meantime, it’s up to us to decide what will be done with these.”

  She had placed the Books of Breathing and remaining ka statue on the table, and now every eye was drawn to the stone holding Desmond’s spirit.

  Abraham said, “Desmond’s really... in that?”

  “What remains of him, yes. You saw as clearly as I did, there is some sort of transfer that takes place. The woman who attacked you in this very room was not Dorothy Boone. The man I traveled to Egypt with was. I won’t pretend to understand it, but now we’re presented with the problem of... well, of how to proceed. Desmond has no body but he still exists. He could continue his life... albeit with one rather major caveat. The question is whether we have the right.”

  Cora said, “Do we have the right not to? Desmond understood the risk, but if there’s a chance to at least let him know what happened...”

  Cecil said, “So someone lets Des borrow their body, we tell him ‘sorry, mate, you took a tumble and now you’re dead, so kindly give Abraham his body back so we can off ya nice and proper’?”

  “Why is it my body?”

  Cora rolled her eyes. “It was just an example, Abe. Leave the man alone.” To Trafalgar, she said, “He brings up a good point. It would be like waking him up to let him know he was about to die in his sleep. The man’s body is gone, turned to ash and ready to be spread.”

  Ivy said, “So we just leave him in the statue? Or break the statue so no one can free him?”

  Trafalgar said, “I examined the Books on our return voyage. I believe I can free the spirit to whatever is coming next.”

  “I believe that would be the kindest course of action,” Cora said. “As much as I would like the opportunity to say goodbye to Desmond, and as
I’m sure Dorothy would appreciate the chance, it would be the kindest thing for him.”

  “The most important thing,” Abraham said, “is ensuring the Books are kept safe and secret. Can you imagine this getting into the hands of a king? Forget abdication, just leap into a new body and keep things going indefinitely.”

  “We should burn them,” Ivy said.

  Cecil said, “Well, that’s a bit drastic.”

  “None of you are planning to use it, are you?” Ivy asked.

  Trafalgar raised an eyebrow at the invisible woman. “You’re not planning to use it? Forgive me, but given your current state...”

  “I’ve come to terms with it,” Ivy said. “Gotten very used to it. To be honest, I’d be miserable if I knew people could see me all the time. Things like this don’t stay buried for long. People are going to find out what it can do and they’re going to come after it.”

  Cecil said, “It’s a historical artifact. Who are we to say the world doesn’t deserve to have it?”

  “We’re the Mnemosyne Society,” Trafalgar said. “The people gathering in this room are the best of the best at what we do. No one person should be trusted with the decision, but I trust the combined intelligence in this room will be enough to arrive at the correct solution.”

  “Perhaps we should wait until we’re all here,” Cora said. “Dorothy and the Keepings deserve a vote.”

  “Doesn’t matter if we have a consensus right now.” Cecil stood up. “I say we destroy it. Nothing good can come from something that powerful. Look at what happened to Desmond. Someone finds the spells and suddenly everyone else in the world just becomes a new suit of clothes to put on. Coppers would never be able to catch anyone.”

  Cora said, “We can’t be hasty. This is a valuable historical document. Perhaps we separate the pieces... each of us keeps a portion so no single spell is complete.”

  Trafalgar shook her head. “I believe that would still be too tempting. Either for a thief, or for one of us. If I were to come down with a fatal illness, or if Abraham lost a limb during one of his adventures.”