Hello, everyone. Thank you SO much to jibblitmuffins3675, Tatters5, and Guest for the kind reviews. They are much appreciated. There will be an author's note at the end of the chapter since I don't want to spoil it. Enjoy!
Chapter Eight
Deryn and Alek arrived at the Society soon after dark. Stars lit the sky above like lanterns, able to be seen even against the brilliant lights of London. And a light snow fell to the ground like sugar, covering eveything in a sparkling, white powder.
The zoo itself was closed for the day, and all the tourists had left. Only the employees were still there, bustling about, feeding and cleaning up after various creatures.
The Society's offices and library were located by the zoo's main entrance. As Deryn and Alek walked through the iron gate, Deryn couldn't help wondering what sort of mission the lady boffin had in mind for them.
The last time she'd called had resulted in Deryn and Alek being up half the night, chasing an escaped tarantula. She smiled, remembering how Alek had nearly fainted upon discovering the creature perched on his shoulder.
The spider hadn't actually been poisonous, but Deryn hadn't let him know that until after it had been safely returned to its cage.
"What are you smiling about, Deryn?" Alek asked, as they walked up the path to the Zoological Society building. Two marble chimeras, creatures from Greek mythology, stood guard on either side of the stairway. Shadows from the trees flickered across the ground, and a lonely cry sounded from further within the zoo, some nocturnal beastie hungry for its dinner.
Deryn turned to Alek and shrugged. "Nothing really," she said, her breath appearing like the steam from a teakettle, coiling and whisping in the wind.
"Just remembering the time when that barking tarantula got loose and we had to go look for it. And how you nearly passed out when we found it climbing about your back."
She ran her fingers up his spine, smirking when he jumped.
Alek scowled.
"Well it was rather large. And you might have said that it wasn't really poisonous."
Deryn snorted.
"That's nothing. The lady boffin says they've got spiders in South America twice that size. And barking poisonous, too. I reckon you wouldn't want one of those skittering about on you."
She watched with satisfaction as Alek shuddered.
"How revolting," he murmured, as Deryn and Alek continued into the office building. They passed few others as they headed toward Dr. Barlow's office. Deryn guessed most people were at home, enjoying dinner.
She rather wished she and Alek were, too. Deryn had managed to cook, despite help from the count, a fairly edible meal of roast beef and potatoes. But the lady boffin had called, of course, when they were in the middle of eating, and they'd had to leave for the Society.
They'd left Bovril and Volger back at Deryn's apartment, the two engaged in an intense staring contest. Bovril was seated at one end of the dining room table, Count Volger at the other. The loris had seemed to be enjoying itself quite a bit.
Deryn hoped the wee beastie wouldn't annoy Volger, too much though. You never knew what the wildcount might do.
At last Deryn and Alek reached Dr. Barlow's office. Alek stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door.
"Come in," came Dr. Barlow's voice from inside.
Alek opened the door, and they entered the room. In front of them, the lady boffin was seated at her desk, examining a pile of papers. Her loris was atop her chair, and Tazza lay asleep on the floor beside her feet.
"Good evening, Dr. Barlow," Deryn said, stepping farther into the room. "Alek said you have a mission for us?"
The boffin pushed her chair back and stood up. She held two white envelopes in her hand, "Mr. Hohenberg" and "Mr. Sharp" printed in fancy script on the front. Deryn wondered what was inside.
"Indeed I do, Mr. Sharp," Dr. Barlow said, walking around her desk to stop in front of them. The boffin wore a long, mauve-colored dress, and on her head was perched her usual bowler. She rested her gaze on Alek.
"I trust you remember the man who locked you inside the cage with the boomslang hare?"
Now that was a daft question, Deryn thought. It would be a bit hard to forget what the man who tried to kill you looked like.
Alek nodded, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Excellent," the boffin said, "Inside these envelopes are invitations to a party being given by one of my associates. A man closely resembling your description, Alek, will be attending the event." She paused to study his reaction.
"And since you are the only one who has actually seen the man, you, along with Mr. Sharp, are being sent to the party. We must find out if he is indeed your would-be murderer."
She handed them each an envelope.
"Here are your invitations."
Deryn quickly tore into her envelope and pulled out a small, white card. Her eyes widened as she scanned the note. On it, printed in ornate lettering, it said:
Professor Arnold U. Redgrave
requests the pleasure of your company,
on Friday evening, February Sixth, 1915,
at 7:00 p.m.,
to witness the unwrapping of a genuine Egyptian mummy from Thebes.
Refreshments will be served after the ceremony.
"What in blazes?" she exlaimed. The party was for someone's barking remains being uncovered? Deryn looked up from her invitation to see Alek with a similarly horrified expression on his face.
The lady boffin smiled. "Yes, Mr. sharp," she said, "A mummy unwrapping party. I expect it shall be quite fascinating."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. First off, mummy unwrapping parties really did take place. They were extremely popular in England during the late 1800's. I'm not sure if they still held them in 1915, but for this story I'm including one.
Since the Egyptians were heathens, English people did not feel that their dead deserved proper respect, and would purchase mummies for parties or to make medicine. And the chimera, as I said, is a creature from Greek mythology. It has the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. Really cool. For more details about mummy unwrapping parties, you'll have to read the next chapter!