Read The Parliament of Blood for Free Online

then?’
    â€˜What else?’ George laughed. ‘A real, ancient Egyptian mummy is hardly likely to get up and wander off now, is it?’ He hesitated, seeing that Sir William’s expression was still as grave as ever. ‘Is it?’ he asked again, less sure now.
    â€˜It does seem most improbable,’ Sir William admitted. ‘And the fellow had a carriage waiting. I hardly think he could have arranged that while inside a sarcophagus that was itself first buried for thousands of years and then nailed up in this crate for the past few decades.’ He reached inside the crate and pulled at the straw, as if to check that the real mummy was not still concealed inside. ‘It is a shame the photographer did not come back.’
    â€˜You think photographs of the chap might help identify him?’
    â€˜By a process of comparison, perhaps. You see, when I opened this crate yesterday morning, there was most certainly a genuine mummy resting inside at that time.’
    â€˜So any substitution took place in the afternoon.’
    â€˜The evening,’ Sir William corrected him. ‘In the afternoon, I arranged for the photographer, Mr Denning, to photograph the mummy.’
    â€˜Before the Unwrapping?’
    â€˜It seemed sensible and prudent to keep a record of that which was about to be destroyed. Now, if wecould compare the photographs Denning took with our memories of how the mummy appeared last night, we might be able to identify something from the photographs, some change.’
    â€˜If this Denning turns up.’
    â€˜Oh we shall find him.’ Sir William turned, the light glinting on his round spectacles. ‘But that isn’t why I wanted you here.’
    â€˜Then, why?’
    Sir William turned towards another crate that was beside the open one. This crate was also wooden, old and battered. It was smaller than the first crate, and square rather than rectangular – a cube about four feet along each side. Sir William patted the top of it with the flat of his hand, and was rewarded with a puff of dust that hung in the air like smoke.
    â€˜Now this crate is catalogued in the inventory as 57E2.’
    â€˜And what is inside it?’ George wondered.
    â€˜I have no idea. There is a number in the inventory, and also on the top of the crate.’ He pointed to where the number was stencilled. ‘But that number is described as simply “Casket”. My predecessor, the late Xavier Hemming, was meticulous in his records, so I find it odd that he entered such a vague description.’
    â€˜He was instrumental in establishing this department, wasn’t he?’ George recalled. ‘Did you ever meet him?’
    Sir William seemed not to hear. ‘The crate with the sarcophagus was properly catalogued. That is how we found it. After some preliminary remarks about how Hemmingcame by the artefact, the description reads, as I recall: “Silver-lined sarcophagus from ancient Egypt c. 2000 BC. Contains mummified remains of Orabis (see document 56E19).”
    â€˜And that document explains who this Orabis was?’
    Sir William sniffed. ‘That document does not exist. Not in the inventory, not on the shelves. No such number.’ He turned back to the square crate. ‘But the inventory number for the mummy and sarcophagus is 57E1. A connection perhaps? Related artefacts?’
    â€˜You think the missing document might be in that crate?’ George wondered. ‘It’s very big.’
    â€˜There is only one way to find out what’s inside,’ Sir William said. ‘Perhaps it is a document, perhaps a casket, perhaps something else. Perhaps whatever is inside will explain why the wise and clever Xavier Hemming believed that what seemed to be a perfectly ordinary and well-preserved Egyptian mummy deserved a place in the archives of the Department of Unclassified Artefacts.’
    â€˜Unless he knew Orabis was going to rise from the