The Anubis Gates

As Wilbur paused for breath, Richard had reached into his shirt and held his finger and thumb over the ears of his little wooden monkey, for he always suspected scary talk would upset it. “Well,” Wilbur had gone on, “we stayed there for a few minutes, and I didn’t dare leave for fear he’d hear me. And, all of a sudden there was a loud thump sound, and a quick gust of wind in the treetops, and I looked out just in time to see a big black tent collapsing in the middle of the field.” He had squeezed Damnable Richard’s shoulder at this point. “And it wasn’t there when I peeked out a few seconds before! It just appeared there, you see? I made warding signs and said ‘Garlic!’ about a dozen times, for anybody could see this was the Beng’s work. Then a couple of fancy-dressed chals come crawling out from under the tent and pull it away, and what do you think? There were two coaches inside, with their lamps burning and all! And people in both of them, and horses harnessed up all ready to go. And one of these bengo chals says, real loud, ‘What a jump! Is everybody all right? How about the horses?’ Another one shushed him. Then a couple of them folded up their tent and buried it, and the two coaches headed for the road. That’s when the chief ran back to camp, me right behind, and got us into this wagon to follow them.”

Wilbur had now retired to the back of the wagon and was, to judge by his loud, slow breathing, seizing the opportunity to take a short nap. Damnable Richard envied him the ability simply to stop thinking about upsetting things. The old gypsy shifted uneasily on the driver’s bench and stared at the back door of the Crown and Anchor. Even being in the city made him nervous, what with all the gorgios staring at him, and the prastamengros always eager to clap a Romany chal into prison, but to learn that there was sorcery afoot that made his head ache with the danger of it all. Richard had an ungypsylike ability to compare past and present situations, and he wished forlornly that old Amenophis Fikee hadn’t disappeared, eight years ago; the picking had been rich enough when he was their chief, and life had been a lot less stressful. He put his hand into his shirt again and petted the monkey’s head reassuringly with his thumb.

The tavern’s back door squeaked open and Doctor Romany, carrying a limp body over his shoulder, bobbed across the alley toward the wagon. “Up, Wilbur,” Richard hissed, a moment before their chief appeared at the back opening.

“Help me get this fellow in, Wilbur,” said Romany softly.

“Avo, rya,” said the instantly alert Wilbur.

“Carefully, you idiot. Don’t bang his head—I need what’s in it. Avo, on the blankets, that’s kushto. Now bind and gag him.” The old chief drew the back opening shut, laced it up, and then, surprisingly agile in his spring-soled shoes, hurried around and climbed up on the driver’s bench beside Richard. “They’re evidently about to leave here,” he said. “I netted one, but let’s follow the rest.”

“Avo, rya,” acknowledged Richard. He clicked his tongue at the horses and the wagon surged forward, the canvas cover flapping as the high iron hoops rocked back and forth. They turned onto the Strand two blocks east of the Crown and Anchor, and then drew in to the curb.

They waited nearly half an hour, during which time a number of pedestrians wandered up, attracted by the ornately painted letters that spelled out DOCTOR ROMANY’S TRAVELLING EGYPCIAN FAIR across the canvas sides of the wagon. Then Romany’s eyes narrowed. “Richard! There they go at last—after them.”

The reins snapped and the wagon swung out into traffic. The street was crowded with carriages and hansoms, the two coaches were receding quickly, and the old gypsy had to stand up on the foot board and use every bit of his horse-handling skill even to keep their quarry in sight.

Doctor Romany pulled a watch from his pocket as they careened to the right into St. Martin’s Lane, amid angry and scared yells from other drivers, and he eyed it and then thrust it away. “They must intend to get back to the gate before it closes,” Richard heard him say to himself.

The three hastening vehicles, two together and one trailing, retraced the course they’d followed earlier in the evening, and by the time they were clattering west on Oxford Street Richard was sure that the lone man perched at the rear of the second coach had noticed that there was a wagon behind them matching their speed. And as soon as Hyde Park had swung past on the left and they were surrounded by dark fields, there was a muzzle flash and a hollow knocking sound from the second coach, and a pistol ball spanged off the iron hoop over Richard’s head.

“Pre my mullo dados!” the old gypsy exclaimed, instinctively reining in a little. “The bugger’s shooting at us!”

“Damn your dead father and speed up!” shouted Romany. “I’ve got a bullet-deflecting spell working.”