The Black Crow Conspiracy Read online

  “But as it stands,” he continued regardless, “I will have to send you and the rest of your family into exile. I have the perfect home for you in mind – a comfortable manor house in the forests of Prussia, far enough away from the heart of the Empire to keep you all out of mischief.”

  “You will not succeed,” the King gasped, slowly rising to his feet again. “The British army will fight to the death for its King.”

  “My scheme has been conceived to dispense with any unnecessary bloodshed,” the Kaiser replied coldly. “When I became Emperor, my generals presented me with countless papers, maps and intelligence reports detailing this island’s defences and setting out plans for invasion. With my dear grandmother still on the British throne, I would not countenance such a move, but after her death I returned again to consider their invasion plans. What I found was a recipe for disaster. Although it was clear that the might of the Imperial German Army could easily conquer this island, with the strength of your navy every possible invasion route was fraught with danger, with no guarantee that my troops would even make harbour. And what was worse, any act of aggression on my part could be the spark that would set the continent ablaze, drawing France, Russia and countless more nations into a bloody war with no clear prospect of victory.”

  The Kaiser’s eyes gleamed with a steely light.

  “As you know, dear Uncle, I pride myself on being a man of peace. So instead, I conceived this scheme to conquer your nation without a drop of blood spilled. By removing your sorry self and all other obstacles ahead of me in the line of succession, it will be my bloodline that delivers me the throne.”

  “This is intolerable,” the King gasped, slowly rising to his feet again. “The British people will not stand for such skulduggery – let alone accept the sight of Kaiser Bill on the throne.”

  The Kaiser shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a mocking smile that matched the shape of his moustache.

  “The British people will rejoice at the news,” he replied. “I will oversee the unification of our two great nations and then take my rightful place on the throne as King Wilhelm – the first Emperor of the Imperial Anglo-Germanic Empire. With our armies and navies joined, I will be able to impose a lasting peace across the globe – by force if any nation dares to challenge me.” He gestured to the phalanx of radiant boys forming a guard of honour behind him. “And with the soldiers of my New Atomic Army, I will restore your upstart colonies such as the United States of America to the bosom of the Empire again. Your British people, dear Uncle, will revere me as their saviour: the King who returned Great Britain to her rightful place in the sun. Grandmother would be so proud of me.”

  As King Edward seethed, the Kaiser turned on his heel.

  “We can continue this discussion on the voyage to Prussia. I have prepared the guest suites on the Hohenzollern. My guards will return to escort you to the ship once I have taken my final leave of this city before I return as its King.”

  As the Kaiser spoke, two of the masked radiant boys dragged the bulky figure of a man through the shadows of the vault, the long tails of his dinner jacket scraping against stone. With a shiver of recognition, Penelope saw this was Monty, the actor’s glazed eyes set in an unseeing stare.

  With a jangle of keys, the first of the guards unlocked the iron cage. As the young children sobbed into Queen Alexandra’s skirts, the rest of the royals backed away fearfully. The masked figures unceremoniously dumped Monty in a heap, his unconscious form slumped in the far shadows of the cell.

  “In the meantime, Mr Montgomery Flinch will keep you company,” the Kaiser called over his shoulder as the guards locked the cage again. “Although I fear he is hardly in a fit state to recount for you one of his entertaining tales.”

  Queen Alexandra’s clipped voice cut through the funereal gloom.

  “What have you done to him, you odious little man?”

  Scowling, the Kaiser halted his step, glancing back with a thunderous expression on his face.

  “Mr Flinch made the mistake of prying too closely into the affairs of state. It is only fitting that he now spends the rest of his days in this dungeon where so many traitors have languished before him.” He narrowed his gaze, fixing the Queen with a savage glare. “And I would remind you to watch your tongue, Aunt Alexandra. After all, I will soon be your King.” Drawing his greatcoat around him, the Kaiser turned again to leave. “I suggest that you ready your family for the journey ahead. The Hohenzollern sails with the tide.”

  Forming an escort around their Emperor, the radiant boys brandished their lanterns against the subterranean gloom; the next King of England guarded by a company of grey-green ghosts. As they marched in step through the catacombs, the light from their lanterns swept past Penelope’s hiding place. Fearing discovery, she felt Amsel’s hand close around her own as he pulled her back into the shadows. Focusing her mind, Penny felt her flesh seep through the stone walls of the dungeon, their bodies melting into the darkness until only their eyes remained. Unnoticed, Penny and Amsel looked on as the Kaiser and his guards passed by.

  As the sound of their footsteps faded away, Penelope stepped forward again, her mind spinning as she peeled herself free from the stone. She could feel the very atoms of her being still pulsing with Röntgen’s invisible rays, the sensation leaving her breathless.

  “Where are they going?” she asked, peering into the darkness as the tread of the Kaiser’s men faded into silence. Amsel emerged from the shadows, his face still lit from within by the same unearthly light that illuminated Penelope’s own.

  “The tunnel leads to the wharf,” he said. “A secret route into the Tower once used by smugglers, but now long-forgotten. That is where the Hohenzollern is waiting – in the shadows of St Katharine Docks. We don’t have much time if we are to free the King before the Kaiser sends him into exile.”

  Heeding his warning, Penelope turned towards the cage. She could see the King and his family tentatively approaching Monty’s prone form, the dark-haired figure of Princess Victoria already kneeling solicitously by his side. The King glanced up at the sound of Penny’s and Amsel’s approaching footsteps.

  “What fresh trickery is this?” he demanded, the Queen clutching his hand at the sight of their glowing green faces.

  “Have no fear, Your Majesty,” Penelope replied, the train of her velvet evening gown trailing in her wake. Fixing her mind on the iron bars impeding her path, she reached out her hands as Amsel had shown her. The King watched on aghast as Penelope’s body melted through the cage as if it was made of mist. “We have come to free you from this prison.”

  XXII

  As Princess Victoria tended to Monty’s comatose form, Penelope knelt by her side. The young princess glanced up, her porcelain features betraying a flicker of fear at the pale-green sheen that marked Penny’s skin.

  “There is no need to worry, Your Highness,” Penelope reassured her. “I am a woman just like you. I only wish to see that my Uncle Montgomery is unharmed.”

  With an uncertain smile, the Princess retreated to the safety of her father’s side. King Edward looked on astounded as Amsel slipped through the bars of the cage as well. Penny turned her attention to Monty, still lying prone where the Kaiser’s guards had left him. The rise and fall of his chest told her he was still alive, but the actor’s beard was now streaked with silver and the trauma of his experience at the hands of the radiant boys was written across his face. As Penelope stared down at her fictional uncle, the actor’s eyes flickered open, blinking owlishly, before he let out a cry of horror.

  “What new nightmare is this?” Monty dragged himself up into a sitting position, staring back at Penny with an anguished gaze. “My God, girl, what have they done to you?”

  “It is Professor Röntgen’s machine,” she replied, keeping her voice calm even as the pale fire raced through her veins. “It has transformed me into one of his glowing ghosts – for the moment, at least.”

  She reached out a hand t
o help Monty to his feet, but the actor backed away from her touch.

  “I do not need your assistance, Penelope,” he said, pulling himself to his feet. “Only a way out of this nightmare you have penned! Where on earth are we anyway?”

  Monty glanced around his surroundings and then gasped as he saw King Edward glaring back at him.

  “Your Majesty,” Monty stuttered, bowing his head at the sight of the royal family huddled together in this dripping dungeon. “Thank the Lord, you are unharmed!”

  “Can you explain what is happening here?” the King snapped, gesturing angrily towards Amsel and Penelope. “When these ghosts came to take my family, smothering us in our beds with sedative-soaked handkerchiefs that sent us into a stupor, I thought I was trapped in a dream of one of your stories, Mr Flinch. But then when we awoke in this godforsaken place, I could see that this plot was no fantasy.”

  “I can assure you, Your Majesty, I am innocent of all accusations that have been made. None of this is my doing—”

  Penny stepped forward, cutting short Monty’s grovelling reply.

  “There is no time for explanations, Your Majesty. We have to get you to safety before the Kaiser’s men return.”

  “They are already here,” the King replied darkly, the sight of Amsel’s naval uniform bringing a bitter frown to his brow.

  Penelope shook her head. “You are mistaken, Your Majesty. It is only thanks to Sea Cadet Amsel’s brave assistance that we managed to find you here at all, and it is with his aid that we will help you to escape.” She turned towards the young sailor. “How do we get them out of here?”

  Amsel’s gaze flicked from the King to his family: Queen Alexandra, Princess Victoria, the Dukes of Connaught and York; brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren, ranging in age from babes in arms to the stout figure of Edward himself. He turned back to Penelope.

  “It is impossible – the only way out is through the tunnel that leads to the wharf. The Kaiser’s guards will be returning at any moment. There is no way we will be able to sneak the King and his family past them.”

  Penelope frowned. There had to be a way to save the King and foil the Kaiser’s scheme; the alternative was too dreadful to contemplate. She reached up to brush a stray curl of hair from her forehead, her fingers still gleaming with a pale-green fire. At the sight of these, a sudden spark of inspiration shone in Penny’s eyes.

  “We can get them out the same way we came in,” she said, gesturing towards the dripping stone walls of the cell. “Through the walls of the Tower itself.”

  The young sailor shook his head, dark shadows clouding his brow.

  “There are too many of them, Miss Tredwell. I told you, the only way to share this curse that is pulsing through our veins is by touch alone. I could take one, possibly two with me, holding their hands as we plunge through solid stone, but even between us, there is no way we could rescue them all.”

  In the distance, a faint echo of footsteps could be heard; the sound of the radiant boys returning. Penelope despaired, her only hope of saving Great Britain from the Kaiser’s bloodless invasion evaporating as the footsteps drew nearer. They only had minutes left. She looked back at the royal family: Princess Victoria clutching her father’s hand, whilst the Queen gathered her children and grandchildren close to her, hoping in some way to forestall the inevitable. Standing close to the King, Monty fixed Penny with a desperate look, his hooded eyes filled with fear.

  “You have a plan, Penelope?” he asked plaintively. “You always have a plan.”

  Penelope looked from the King to Monty, the two men anxiously awaiting her reply. She was struck for the first time at how alike they looked, not in garb, where the King’s dress uniform put the cut of Monty’s tailcoat to shame, but in bearing and countenance. The same silvered beard, the same bristling eyebrows, broad shoulders set in a stance that mirrored the other man’s exactly, although the King’s frame seemed a little fuller round the waist. And where the King’s features were set in a look of fierce defiance, Monty’s face wore a dark, haunted frown. With a sudden leap of imagination, Penny knew how they could rescue the King.

  “There’s only one way we can get you to safety, Your Majesty,” she said. “You have to swap places with Montgomery Flinch.”

  XXIII

  The two men stared at her astounded.

  “What do you mean?” the King demanded. “How on earth will my changing places with Mr Flinch help us all to escape from this ghastly place?”

  “Not all, I’m afraid,” Penelope replied. “Just you, Your Majesty. You have seen how we have walked through the bars of your cage unharmed. If you take Sea Cadet Amsel’s hand, he will be able to guide you safely from this place – you will even be able to walk through the walls of the Tower without any harm.” She turned towards the young sailor. “You must escort the King to 10 Downing Street and inform the Prime Minister of the Kaiser’s plan without delay.”

  Casting a nervous glance at Amsel’s glowing visage, King Edward shook his head. “I do not deny the unearthly powers that you both possess, but I refuse to leave my family behind.”

  “But, Your Majesty,” Penny protested. “The fate of the British Empire rests on your safety. You are the bond that unites this great nation and it is to your name that they will rally. The British people hold you in the highest regard – you only have to see the coronation decorations that fill the streets to understand this. You cannot abandon them to the Kaiser’s iron rule.”

  The King glowered from behind his silvered beard, his eyes darkening as he took in the full meaning of her words. Beneath his furrowed brow, Penny could see the struggle playing out across his features, torn between his duty to his family and the Empire at large.

  Queen Alexandra rested a hand on her husband’s arm, turning his face towards hers as she met his gaze with a brave smile.

  “She is right, Bertie,” she said, her words soft but firm. “Your country needs you more than we do now. It is your duty as their King to escape from this place unharmed.”

  The King clasped her hand, a solitary tear creeping from his eye.

  “My dear Alix,” he said. “What a remarkable woman you are. Take care of the children, my dear, and be reassured that I will return for you before that fool of a nephew of mine has even sailed past the London Docks.”

  “Your Majesty,” said Penny, mindful that the sound of footsteps were almost upon them. “You must hurry.”

  With a swift nod, the King began to disrobe, unbuttoning his military greatcoat before lifting his cap to reveal his balding crown. Mute with fear, Monty began to do the same, slipping his tailcoat from his shoulders before exchanging clothes with the King.

  As Penelope helped him into the King’s uniform, his broad chest now shining with medals, Monty turned to her with a hiss.

  “This will never work,” he protested. “There is no way on God’s earth that I will be able to convince the Kaiser that I’m his uncle.”

  “You won’t have to,” Penny replied. “You only have to convince his guards.” Leaving Monty’s side, she gathered together several of the blankets that had been discarded on the stone floor. Fashioning these into the form of a sleeping figure, she placed this mannequin in the furthest corner of the cage. “We just need to buy enough time to get the King safely away.”

  “But what about you?” Monty asked, casting a nervous glance into the darkness as the heavy tread of footsteps drew nearer still. “Surely these Germans can count?”

  Penelope clasped her hand to her forehead, the flaw in her daring plan suddenly clear to her too. She had been so concerned with how to get the King to safety that she hadn’t given any thought as to how her own presence could be hidden. There was no way she could leave Monty to face the Kaiser’s men alone. The chances of him inadvertently giving the game away were far too great. But before she could answer Monty’s question, another voice piped up in reply.

  “You can swap places with me, Miss Tredwell.”

  Penelope
turned to see Princess Victoria holding out her ermine robe.

  “I know that I am somewhat older than you,” the Princess continued. “But we share the same hairstyle and our figures are of a similar frame. Your evening gown even appears to be cut from the same cloth as mine, whilst my robe and gloves will allow you to disguise this strange glow that afflicts your complexion.”

  With a look of alarm, the King stepped forward in protest.

  “Toria, I forbid you to accompany me. The danger is too great.”

  Setting her face in a stubborn line, the Princess shook her head in reply.

  “It is no more dangerous than being dragged to Prussia against my will by my crazed cousin. I want to be with you, Father – I will not leave your side.”

  From the darkness of the tunnel, the faint glow of lantern light could now be seen: the radiant boys returning for their royal cargo. Slipping the gloves on, Penny wrapped the Princess’s robe around her shoulders, drawing up its fur trim to mask the fading gleam of her features.

  “Your Majesty,” she pressed. “There is no time for you to argue now.”

  With a reluctant nod, the King acquiesced, taking his daughter’s hand in his own as he stepped forward to address Amsel.

  “You have the fate of nations in your hands, my boy. I trust that you will steer the right course.”

  With a nervous bow, the young sailor extended his hands towards the King and his daughter.

  “I will do my best, Your Majesty. I only ask that you both concentrate your minds and keep hold of my hand at all times. It is the only way I can ensure your safety as we walk through the walls of the Tower.”

  King Edward paled, but as his daughter reached out for Amsel’s hand he did the same, a muttered prayer escaping from his lips as a shimmering green glow enveloped them both.