Chapter 13 #2
Grandad reaches inside the lapel of his jacket and pulls out a piece of paper.
“We laid out your travel itinerary to safely get you both to his base in Canterbury, Kent. You’ll be taking the Simplon Orient Express from Venice to Paris, a train to Calais, and then sail on a ferry to Dover.
At Dover, two of your father’s soldiers will be waiting at the docks to drive you to his bases in Canterbury.
The more modes of transportation you use, the harder it is to follow you. ”
Grandad hands me the itinerary. “The plan is for you both to stay there until the supposed threat from the Brexton gang is gone. This will give us a few weeks to a month to find answers.”
A sigh of relief escapes me. I know for certain I won’t have to stay under my father's protection for too long. I only hope there is enough time for the others to find what we need.
“When do we leave?” Henry asks.
“There’s a Simplon Orient Express train to Paris departing from Venice tomorrow afternoon. There is one room available on that trip—a grand suite. I went ahead and purchased you both tickets for the last remaining suite.” Grandad reaches inside his lapel once again and pulls out two tickets.
I open my mouth to protest, but Amina cuts me off.
“This actually may be a good thing,” she says.
“How so?” I ask.
“Just as Lord Claremont suggested using different methods of transport, we should also consider them going in disguises,” she suggests.
Clarity hits Dr. Alarie but misses me entirely.
“Indeed, Dr. Baccar. If they’re looking for us, Clara and Henry would be difficult to identify if those tracking us are basing their descriptions on what the crewmen on the ship told them.
The disguises, hopefully, will give them a head start at becoming untraceable. ”
“What kind of disguise would we need to go under?” I ask.
We stand in silence, weighing the best way to fool those searching for us.
“We should keep it simple,” Amina says. “You both should pose as a married couple.”
Henry’s gaze lands on me. I try to gauge his reaction to Amina’s suggestion, but I come up empty. Does he find it inconceivable—unable to fathom us as a couple, even as an act? Or does he think it is an excellent idea, one we could slip into easily?
“That would work well with the one-room situation,” Dr. Alarie adds.
“Well,” Grandad says, looking between Henry and me. “What do you think?”
“It’s a solid idea,” Henry says without hesitation. “If Clara is on board with it, then so am I.” He peers down at me, waiting for my input.
I nod. “If it will help us to get back to England safely, we should do it.”
“You will need to use fake names,” Grandad continues. “Before we leave for the express tomorrow, you both should have those sorted out.”
The developments since Grandad came back are moving fast, and I struggle to keep up. Henry and I still need to travel to reach my father’s base in Canterbury, but we need to devise new identities in less than twenty-four hours. The only thing keeping me grounded is knowing I won’t face it alone.
Closing my eyes, I clutch my forehead, a headache forming. I try to tune out the other voices. As I open my eyes, my gaze lands on the chest. “What do we do about the artifacts?”
Realization hits their faces. We’ve overlooked the most important aspect of this plan.
“We should split them up,” Dr. Alarie suggests, gesturing toward Grandad, Amina, and himself. “The three of us can each take one in our travels. Doing so, we would be making it challenging for whoever is looking to get their hands on it.”
Amina raises a finger to her chin, thinking. “You may be right about that, but it would also increase the chance of losing one if we separate the pack. Then it could be another thousand years until they are together again. No, I think they should stick together.” She glances at Grandad for insight.
“You’re both right,” Grandad says. “But there’s a way to ensure we make it challenging for those coming after the artifacts while also keeping them together.”
“How?” Amina asks, confusion etched across her brows.
“The artifacts will go with Clara and Henry to Canterbury. That way, she can use them if—God forbid—she needs to use them. Once they reach the base, the artifacts would be unknowingly under the protection of the British Army. This way, we will keep the artifacts together and with the Eudaemon.”
I close my eyes in defeat. I was afraid he was going to say this.
In no way do I want to carry these artifacts with me across several countries.
The responsibility to ensure these don’t slip into the wrong hands will be on Henry and me.
But I agree that we shouldn’t separate the artifacts from each other… or me.
“To make this a bit of a challenge,” Grandad continues.
“I will take the chest with me by hiding it in one of my luggage trunks. As of now, word of our discovery will only be about the chest, so the chest is what they will be looking for. It will be hard to find a golden chest artifact that is hiding inside a travel trunk.”
Grandad turns to me. “That way, we can trick whoever is after the artifacts and deter trouble from following you along your travels.”
“Grandad, are you sure you want to expose yourself like that? You don’t know who could be following you.”
Grandad nods. “Yes, dear. I understand the dangers of doing this. The benefits weigh much more than the risks.”
Knowing I can’t persuade Grandad to change his mind, I try to figure out how this will work. If he travels with the chest, where do I put the artifacts? My valise is too small, leaving them vulnerable whenever I’m away. I can’t carry them everywhere without drawing suspicion.
How can I transport them safely on this long journey without anyone noticing?
“There’s only one problem left with this plan,” I say. “How do I travel with the artifacts without drawing attention or risking them being questioned or stolen?”
Silence falls. No one can offer a solution to what should have been a simple problem—our Achilles’ heel, halting the plan in its tracks.
“Well,” Amina begins.
Our eyes meet, and from what I’m reading in them, something tells me I may not like what she’s about to say.
“I do have an idea…”