Chapter Twenty Two Frauds love Forgeries
The tiny bar was full of strangely dressed people, Anne wondered how many of them were licensed spiritualists looking for a good prop. She walked around the various tables with the items for auction and noticed a large number of Egyptian artifacts among them. Anne was certain that more than one museum would like to know where they were.
She bent over one item that to her trained senses sparkled with magical energy. A lovely, beaded gold bracelet with a scarab beetle charm in the middle that was set with malachite and lapis. It was sitting next to a set of “dragon” bone rune-stones which Anne admitted were lovely, a rich dark brown color with the runes inlaid with gold, however she was positive they were made of horn, and they were about as magical as James’s hammer.
Other objects littering the tables were dousing rods, bones guaranteed to help you connect with a “spirit guide”, beautiful hand illuminated tarot cards, along with the bits and pieces of Egyptian jewelry and statuary. Something struck her as being off about one statue of Anubis that she was looking at, but she shrugged it off. She wasn’t an expert on Egyptian magic or art, so she decided it didn’t concern her.
She smirked and floated back to James, who looked bored where he stood next to a wall, away from the odd crowd. “I was almost impressed when we first entered the building. However most of these ‘mystical’ objects are nothing but frauds.” She shook her head. “I can see why Madame Margaret said that the person running this auction doesn’t have the best reputation.” The woman in question was, as a matter of fact, ignoring the artifacts entirely, in favor of chatting with apparent colleagues.
“Oh?” James asked, though he sounded far from surprised. Considering one ‘mystical staff’ he had seen was mad from disposed of clockwork, a fact he’d pointed out to her, she wasn’t surprised.
“Most of the Egyptian artifacts are younger than me.” She observed. “They’ve treated them with sulfur salts and tea to age them. I think the only things that are truly real here are my mother’s book and an Egyptian bracelet that definitely has some kind of ward on it.” Anne paused. “Although to be honest the bracelet may be just as new as everything else. It may have just been made by someone who knew what they were doing and gave it an Egyptian feel.”
James shook his head. There was a certain sense in the air. These people knew they were coming to purchase most likely stolen goods; indeed several of them had recognized Elbert when they’d come in, however they were going to be the ones cheated in the end. It was very nearly poetic, he mused.
“James? What on Earth are you doing here?” A young male voice caused James and Anne to turn. A young man with skin so pale Anne worried for his health stood behind James. His black hair was long, worn in an almost feminine fashion past his shoulders, and his eyes held a biting glimmer to them. He was dressed very well, and next to him was a woman in a bodice so low it made Anne want to blush for her.
“Aliks?” James blinked. Anne was stunned that she knew the boy. He couldn’t have been Emily’s age.
“In the flesh James.” The dark young man said with an ironic smile. “The question is, what draws you to this gathering of collectors and con men?”
“I am here to purchase an item.” James stated awkwardly.
The boy’s ironic smile widened. “Since this is an auction that doesn’t surprise me, what amazes me is seeing you in this crowd of charlatans.” The young man made a grand gesture towards the people who were mingling around the tables deciding what they would bid upon. “You never seemed the type.”
James grimaced, but had to admit he did look out of place. “There is an object here that belonged to a very dear friend of mine. She passed away but I want to make sure that her legacy is taken care of.”
“The dead are dead, they don’t care.” Aliks observed with a shrug “However if you tell me what you’re bidding on, I’ll make sure to leave off it. Call it thanks for support at the last shareholders meeting.”
“It was nothing. Father did more than me.” James commented, ignoring Anne’s glare.
“Still, I know you are the one who asked him to help me with the investment proposal, and they are doing well which gives me a certain sense of self satisfaction.” The man waggled his eyebrows and looked the woman with him up and down. “And allows me to indulge in the finer things.”
James rolled his eyes, and pretended to ignore both the boy’s leering and the woman’s vapid giggle. “I am here for a book. The one with a runic cipher.”
“Damn.” Aliks cursed. “I did have my eye on that.” Then the young man grinned and shrugged. “Oh well, my word is given. I should warn you that Monsure Guiles de Burke, a Parisian business man of the criminal sort, is also interested in the book. He’s a true bastard and a personal enemy. If things get to heavy I may help you just to spite him.” Both Anne and James noticed he looked rather happy with the prospect.
Shortly after Aliks took his leave to great another person he knew among the crowd, the auction started as a mousy looking man with a very full mustache began calling for bids for the various objects. James and Anne sat back and allowed themselves to enjoy the show, watching the winners smirk as they glanced at the people they had beaten out for the right to purchase forgeries and fakes. It caused the two to smirk themselves.
A half hour into the auction a statue appeared; it was about the size of two loaves of bread and exquisitely made of carved and painted wood. The image was of Isis on her knees cradling Osiris, her lapis wings wrapped tenderly around her husband as she caressed his face with one hand. Osiris’s eyes were just beginning to open and there was a look of rapture on both of their painstakingly carved expressions. The base of the sculpture was thick and carved, not with hieroglyphics but with lotus flowers and papyrus plants. The auctioneer started the bidding at five pounds, which seemed strange to James that this genuine piece of art was not garnering any attention.
“It’s not old Egypt, and not in an Egyptian style.” said Alick, noticing the older mans frown and shifting of posture. “No one here wants art; they want ‘artifacts.’”
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James frowned at the thought, and raised his hand to bid. He won what he thought was the only item in the auction, save Anne’s book, that was worth purchasing.
After about an hour, the Campbell Family Tome was brought out, and Anne felt sick seeing it held up for people to gawk at.
“This spell book is the real thing gents! Written entirely in mystic runes, and once belonging to the Campbell family, it contains a wealth of knowledge for the person who can break the code! Bidding is starting at one hundred pounds!”
The bidding was hot and heavy, and finally it was down to James and the Frenchman. James began to worry as the bidding topped a thousand pounds with no signs of slowing. He had only brought fifteen hundred with him.
The French man smirked as he glanced back at James, seeing the inventor’s sweat. “Sixteen hundred pounds.”
For a second James felt his blood run cold as he heard Anne whimper next to him. Then a familiar voice casually called out. “Two thousand pounds.” He glanced over at Alick, who wore a grin that was at once lazy and vindictive, which turned to a full out feral smile as the gavel fell and the Frenchman graced him with an obscene gesture.
“My, this was more fun then I’d thought when I came in. I’m so glad I didn’t leave.” Alick observed in a breezy voice. “Give me what you brought. And I’ll make up the difference. The expression on de Burkes face was worth any price.”
“Thank you!” James said, firmly shaking the boy’s hand after surrendering the wad of currency to him.
“It’s nothing; it was worth it to see de Burke lose to me. Again.” The younger man took James’s money and headed towards the muscular man in charge of the till to pay for the book. James followed him, paying for the statue with the small sum of cash he had kept; both items carefully boxed up.
James looked this way and that then leaned over to the young man’s ear. “The bracelet, the one with the scarab, that’s the piece you want. It’s the only authentic artifact on the block.”
Alick blinked, then let his gaze turn wolf like. “Thank you for the tip James. I will keep that in mind. Now that you have your book however, I’d head off before it gets much later. I’d leave with you but I have a Frenchman to annoy, and to distract from your exit. Here’s hoping I can really spoil his night!” The young man waved as he dived back into the crowd.
“Who was that?” Anne looked into the crowd at the youth.
“Alick Crowley, his father Edmund Crowley was an investor in one of my family’s breweries. I’ve known him for a long time, and while he is a troublemaker and na’er do well, once he puts his mind to something God help the person who stands in his way.”
“An interesting young man.” said the long silent Elbert. “Heard rumors his own mother calls him a beast.”
“Where have you been?” Anne demanded loudly, so she could hear him.
“Turns out there was a second auction in the back room, geared for the spiritualist on a budget, if you will. I know some of the gent’s there, so I managed an invite. This motley crew had a nice lot of Egyptian trinkets, I have to admit.” Elbert pulled out a small box and opened it to reveal a small gold pendant inset with red glass. The image on the pendent looked vaguely like a man standing, or an ankh whose arms had fallen to its sides.
“I got it as a thank you gift for you James.” He admitted. “It’s not much and more then like fake, but I do appreciate what you’ve done for my cousin. Not to mention helping me with a few difficulties of me own.”
Anne saw the glimmer of magic on the charm and considered it closely. “That is real…” her tone was hushed, the charm and its magic was so old she could feel it resonating, almost as if it was a living thing. She reached out and caressed it with an incorporeal hand, letting it vibrate through her body with a soft gasp of pleasure from the nearly forgotten sense of heat it gave her. The magic was warm, loving, and easy to identify, the artifact almost singing its purpose to her. “It’s a comfort spell, made to help the ones left behind.” She observed. “Though this was so well made… it’s probably more powerful now than when it was crafted.”
James smiled at Elbert, as well as the awe that was in the ghost woman’s voice. It was a lovely gift, even before Anne had told him it was real, and another small sign that the self-proclaimed ‘villain’ had loved his cousin and was at heart a decent man.
“We should go.” James said, slipping on the small pendant and nodding towards the door. “I have it on good authority that we have annoyed a very bad man tonight.”
“Bloody hell, Jimmy.” Elbert groaned. “I was gone for what, ten minutes? A quarter hour at most? I don’t believe I can take you anywhere!”
“Yes, well… I’m a right proper villain, didn’t you say?”
“If we can get you a survival instinct, surely you would be.” The other man muttered.
Quickly they were out into the night, James noting the chill October air wasn’t cutting through him as it had when they arrived. “It got warmer while we were inside.” He observed.
“You’re a daft one, Jimmy. Its colder then a witches tit out here… begging pardon for the comparison Anne.” The last Elbert said with a grimace as he remembered her presence, and profession.
“I’ll let that pass only because I am a bit cold, though I would appreciate no more comments about my breasts from you, Elbert Swain!” She yelled, shooting a glare at James who had the temerity to chuckle.
“Don’t move, you lot.” The voice, a deep bass rumble, came from out of the shadows and caused both men to pause. Three men, two with clubs and one with a knife, stepped out of the shadows. “You purchased something that belongs to us, so you’ll be handing it over presently.” The largest of the men instructed.
“I’m guessing they want the book.” Elbert observed mildly, his voice only carrying a slight hint of panic.
“I would suspect so.”
“Lovely.” Elbert and James turned, as if they had rehearsed the action, and began running with the three thugs hesitating only a moment before giving chase. “I know this area! We can lose the blighters! Elbert called as he turned and led James, with Anne in tow, down an alley.
Unfortunately the alley with a tall wooden wall at the end. “But… But… This shouldn’t be here!” Elbert yelled, staring at it in shock.
“Looks new.” James observed, spinning around to face their pursuers. The three thugs, realizing they had trapped the two men, slowed and stalked down the alley. “We was going to just let it go with the book, gents, but now you’ve made us run. We’ll be taking the rest of your valuables as well.” The big man said in a tone that could have been mistaken as friendly.
The knife he was fingering was not.
“What do we do?” Elbert asked, looking over his shoulder at the wall, as if considering how hard it would be to climb or batter through the thing.
“We give him our valuables.” James growled, angry but without any options. He wasn’t armed, and suspected that anything Elbert might be carrying would be insufficient to the task at hand. His hand went to the necklace that he had put on only moments ago, pulling it off and taking the other pendants he wore with it. His eyes caught the defensive charm Anne had made, and his heart nearly burst out of his chest.
“Anne, what’s the activation phrase for this?” He whispered, holding it up.
“What? How’d you get that! I told Emily to put it in the drawer until I could have you go somewhere to test it!”
“This is a good place for a test. What’s the word?”
“Spanish Armada.” Anne replied.
James swallowed and hoped it would be enough to disable at least one of the men. Two on two were odds far closer to what he considered fair. Holding up the medallion he cried out “Spanish Armada!”
He’d braced himself, expecting the blast and flash of a musket firing, or perhaps a shotgun. Instead he grunted in pain as he and Elbert slammed against the wooden slats of the wall, from being on the opposite side of the directed blast. Shaking off the shock of the impact James looked up to find the men who had pursued them over ten feet away, groaning and insensate, one of them with an arm twisted in an unnatural position.
“Bloody hell!” James gasped out in awe. He turned to look at Anne, groping for words, and found her just as stunned looking. “How much bloody powder did you use?”
“Not that much!” Anne denied. “I broke it up into three charges. Maybe a pound each?”
“A pound of black powder!” James yelled, appalled
Anne, blushing, whispered. “Well I wanted you to be safe.”
“Bloody glad I’m not a history professor.” James muttered, slipping the medallions back on. “And it’s got two more of those god awful explosions?”
She nodded. Elbert, who had been regaining his breath after slamming into the wall, muttered “You don’t do things by halves, do you.”
“Apparently not.” James muttered. “Let’s get going, before they regain their senses and think to get even.”
Elbert didn’t need to be told twice, and James found himself running after the other man.