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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 5538492" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 52 "The Formal Dinner” (Episode Two, Chapter Twelve - Thursday, September 7, 1882, 3:00 P.M.Across town, Alsoomse and Abigail head off in the direction of the Temple to the Egyptian Pantheon. The building turns out to be surprisingly simple in design, consisting of stone blocks three-feet-square with an open oak door in the front. A young Egyptian woman stands by the doorway.Deciding it wasn't quite the thing to pull out Alsoomse's vial and drink, Abby fell back on her own knowledge. Abigail made a respectful bow to the young woman, then spoke in Egyptian. "Would we be disturbing anyone if we go inside to pay our respects?"  She waited a few moments and getting no response looked at Alsoomse, shrugged, and went on inside.The woman replies, "You would not be disturbing anyone, the Priest and Priestess have gone out into the desert to pray to Bast at a sacred shrine. Please, come in." She leads them into the building, which has candles on sconces throughout the temple and dozens of cats wandering about.  "They must be concerned about the future of the shrine here, I hope the desert shrine is well hidden," Abby said. "So many cats here, I feel at home."  The woman replies, "Cats and those who are comfortable with cats are always welcome here. You speak our language well, but from your accent I am assuming it is not your primary tongue. Where do you hail from?"  Abby says, "I've lived many places. All over Europe, here in Egypt with my aunt who married an Egyptian man, across the ocean in the Americas. For now my family is in the southern United States, in the large port city of New Orleans. That is probably the accent you hear, it's a hard one to avoid picking up."She smiles and says, "That is a far way. My name is Sabah. I was a junior priestess here, basically an acolyte, but in the absence of the senior priest I am actually in charge." While she is speaking a pair of cats rub their heads against Abigail's legs. Sabah says, "Now, how can I be of assistance to you?""My name is Abby, Sabah, I'm so pleased to meet you," she answered, then reached down to lightly rub the friendly cats behind their ears. "My companion and I arrived very recently and with the rumors, more than rumors I suppose, of trouble here we aren't sure if we should stay. What really is happening here? We saw the Princess coming in, and you'd not think she was coming to stay with an army on the way."Sabah replies, "That is Princess Neferka. There are three schools of thought as to why she is here. One is that she and the Egyptian rebel General Ahmed Urabi are secretly lovers and she has come to join his cause in opposition to her family. Another is that she is here in advance of both armies in order to strip the town of all treasure and safely return it to the royal vaults in Cairo. The third is that she is here as a representative of the Royal family to negotiate a truce with Urabi."Abby asks, "And what's your own opinion about that? What kind of woman is she?"  The Priestess replies, "I have far more than just an opinion, I am an Oracle and have asked my Goddess. She has told me which school of thought is correct, just as she had also given me a vision of you and your companion. She said that we share the same goal, that you are here to protect Bast's temples from destruction."  Abby's eyes widened and she glanced at Alsoomse. "Your Goddess sees truly. I have dedicated my life to preserving the past and preserving what should not be allowed to pass away. The temples of Bast should not be lost to war and violence."Sabah replies, "And I will do whatever I can to assist you in this endeavor. You asked what kind of woman the Princess is, well she is both pragmatic and an opportunist. She is here for a combination of all three rumors. She plans to empty the city of its wealth in advance of the two armies in the event that negotiations do not work. She then plans to negotiate with her former lover, who leads the Egyptian Rebels. But if negotiations fail she will have also positioned herself to be on the winning side of this conflict regardless of its outcome."Abby says, "Pragmatic indeed. I don't like it, someone who can come out well no matter what happens is unpredictable. And we don't have an army to protect the temples."  She replies, "We have the Goddess Bast on our side, I take comfort in that."  Abby nodded, then looked a bit embarrassed as she turned to Alsoomse and said in English, "You speak so many languages it never occurred to me you might not speak Egyptian. Do you need me to translate?"Alsoomse replies, "No need, I am not a fluent speaker of it but know enough of the language to pick up most of the conversation. Let her know where we are staying in the event that she discovers anything else of use or later needs to see us."  Turning back to Sabah she did as Alsoomse asked, then added, "I don't suppose your Goddess had any hints on how to protect the temples?  We do have some companions, but an army we are not. We'll have to use cleverness."  Sabah replies, "Then we will work together towards that task."Abby replies, "Give me a chance to talk to my companions and find out what they've learned. Once we have a clearer picture of what's going on here we might be able to make some kind of plan to protect the temples. Thank you for your help, Sabah. Not many are so friendly to foreigners."  Abby and Alsoomse left Sabah at the temple and headed back toward the hotel.        After a nice leisurely nap Ruby awakens and begins to dress for the evening's dinner. She chooses a fancy gown, assuming dinner in a place like this will call for it.  "So, I don't think we have any plan but to meet up with the Frenchmen. I can speak some French, Kate taught me, but I don't know if I'll be able to understand all, so I may need the elixir. George should be okay with speaking French since he speaks almost every language imaginable. Nana, you said you think they will recognize you. Is there anything we should or shouldn't say?"Mina replies, "I've only met a few of them and we are actually not sure which wizards of that group will be there. But one of them will be Jean-Francois Champollion and he will definitely recognize me despite the passage of a half-century."  Ruby says, "I'm sure he will, for you are truly unforgettable my darling grandmother. I guess we should just take it as it comes then. I'm ready when you are!"Mina is dressed again in the plum colored dress with gold embroidery that she wore the previous week to the ball in Jacksonville. She takes George by one arm, Ruby taking the other, and they exit the suite. Waiting outside the door are both of the servant girls who fall into line behind the women. They approach the formal dining room, which has a combination of full height table with wooden chairs on the right side of the room, with the lower tables and pillows on the left. Ali greets them at the door and leads them to the right heading towards a long wooden table with twelve chairs, of which four are vacant. Seated at the table is the Princess who arrived simultaneously to the party beside an older Egyptian man in traditional robes. Seated on her other side is an Ogre wearing a brightly colored robe adorned with vast amounts of gold jewelry and gems and a red felt hat also trimmed with gold and gems. The other six chairs have men dressed in the finest formalwear. Three of these men are older, two appear to be middle-aged and the other is young.Ruby heads towards a seat where the Princess is. "Good evening all. Is this seat taken?" she ask.  The men all rise as Ruby and her companions move over. Ali pulls back the chair and says, "For you dearest woman."   Ruby sits gracefully in the offered seat. One of the older men looks directly across the table at Mina and exclaims, "Mrs. Willamina Hamilton Parker, it is wonderful to see you again." He then gestures towards Ruby and says, "And based upon the resemblance I assume that this is your daughter Alma West Burnham?""No, rather it is her daughter, Miss Constance Grace West, my fiancée Monsieur Champollion." replies George seating Mina as Ali seats Ruby.   One of the other older men speaks up, a heavy-set man with curly grey hair and a small obviously-dyed darker mustache.  He says excitedly "Constance West is your fiancée! Then you must be George Eastman! I am honored to make your acquaintance.  My name is Louis Jacques Daguerre and I believe we have much in common." George immediately recognizes the name of the man who invented the first permanent photograph sixty years earlier.George bows "It is I who am honored Monsieur Daguerre. Indeed I am George Eastman, and I do believe that we have much in common. Now that you know the composition of my party, I believe introductions of your side of the table are in order?"  Daguerre replies, "I wholeheartedly agree." He gestures first to the two older men and says, "Your party apparently knows Mr. Jean-Francois Champollion, the historian and founder of modern Egyptology. And beside him is my good friend Michel Eugene Chevreul, a noted chemist and biologist." He next gestures to the youngest man and says, "And this is Jules-Henri Poincare, a mathematician and cartographer, whose maps should be most useful in the current situation." Pointing to the middle-aged men he states "I am pleased to introduce to you a marvelous inventor, Mr. Henri Giffard, who invented the dirigible that you see in the sky above this building. Lastly, we have Mr. Frederic Passy, whose special talents will soon be instrumental."Ruby says, "What exactly is a dirigible, if I may ask? It looks like a giant balloon but what does it do?"  George says, "Well met all of you. Tell me Monsieur Giffard, how does your dirigible improve upon that of the LaFrance, a most gifted airship.”  Giffard says, "Unlike most balloons, this one has a motor and solid shape, which allows you to travel much faster while being able to also control the direction of travel. I had worked out the design with a German engineer named Von Zeppelin. We recently had a falling out and went our separate ways, with him now developing similar vehicles for the United States military. The one above is the largest prototype built to date by either of us."  George nods then continues, “And Monsieur Passy, I don't believe I have had the pleasure of reading of your talents and accomplishments. Tell me what has brought you to Egypt in such esteemed company?”  He replies, "Indeed, most of my writings have not been translated into English. I am an economist and have written extensively about free trade. But my true passion is diplomacy, specifically as an intermediary in disputes between nations. This site is soon to be the meeting point of two armies and if successful I hope to prevent any violence from occurring."George states, "That would be a feat, though I am not sure what resolution you can reach here and not between London and Paris. I offer you my most heartfelt wishes for success, and if I can be of any assistance please do not hesitate to ask."  Passy replies, "Thank you Mr. Eastman.  Negotiation is a mix between offering a 'carrot' and a 'stick'. We have many different bunches of carrots with us, which should, at a minimum, delay one or both of the armies from attacking. And if the carrots fail, there is always the stick." As he says this he gestures to the large and ornately dressed Ogre sitting at the table. Champollion states "Yes, may I introduce you to Prince Ottombi of Nubia."  The large man stands and speaks in a rich baritone voice "The Kingdom of Nubia is a rich land that was conquered by the Egyptians back in the days of the Pharaohs. Our mines are where the Egyptian gold originates.  I technically only rule the land south of Egypt, also known as Ethiopia and Sudan, but my influence extends into the Egyptian lands populated by the Nubian people. Between both places I have over ten thousand warriors at my disposal. An alliance with me would therefore be beneficial to either party in this conflict and one for the other party to greatly fear.""My, we are certainly in prestigious company this evening," Ruby rises and curtsies, nodding her head in respect towards the Ogre. "Pleasure to meet you Your Highness. If I may be so bold, what is your part in the coming activities?"  He replies, "I have sworn to protect Princess Neferka." The Princess interjects "Yes, I plan to meet personally with the rebel leader. Of all members of the Royal Family, I feel that I would have the most success at negotiating a peaceful settlement. However, without some form of protection there would be the risk of my being either killed or taken hostage."Ruby states, "Of course Your Highness, makes much sense. You should not risk your life without some sort of protection. This may seem a bit forward but... is there anything we can do to help?"  She replies, "Perhaps you can. Do you plan to still be in Zakazik when the rebel army arrives a few days from now?"  Ruby looks to George and Nana. "We can be around if needed," she smiles knowingly.Princess Nefelra replies, "Excellent, it should be a lively week. Have either of you ever been participants in a war before?"  Ruby laughs. "Not a real war, though I did have what I consider to be a war with the Cowboy Gang back in the Wild West in America. Have any of you ever been involved in a war before?"  The Ogre Prince replies, "Yes, many time." Princess Neferka says, "I was briefly in Alexandria last summer when the British warships began to bombard the city.""Oh my, that must have been scary." Ruby pauses and sips her wine for a moment. "So, do you have something in mind for us, to help?"  Dagurerre responds to that saying "If she doesn't I do. I believe that Mrs. Parker is acquainted with Colonel Woolsley, the British Commander."  Mina replies, "We have met before in East Asia, but that was a long time ago." Daguerre replies, "True, but based upon what your husband previously told my friend Paul Verne, the British Military owes you a big favor."  Mina glances towards George and Ruby stating "Yes, that is true. A long story, the short version is that we got caught up in the Opium War between Britain and China. A United States ship was evacuating all Americans. James and I were then able to persuade the American Naval commander to intervene on behalf of the British, who up until then had never been an Ally. That was when the phrase 'Blood is thicker than water' was first stated.""There is a large difference between owing a favor to someone and disobeying orders or assuming diplomatic negotiations without proper authority. Why are you so sure it would work." asks George.  Mina replies, "I'm not, but you of all people should know how persuasive the women in our family can be."  Ruby snickers at Mina's comment.  "So, you want Nana to speak to this Colonel Woolsley and ask for what, exactly?"  Champollion replies, "Not destroying the ruins primarily."A formal dinner follows comprised of roast lamb, a seasoned rice dish and some candied figs and dates. Following the meal, George, Mina and Ruby make their way back to their rooms in this inn and take a short nap. Under the cover of darkness they then make their way out the window and down a rope ladder to the alley. They then head across town to the other inn to meet up with the others.   By the time they reach the inn both of the other teams have returned. Ruby exclaims, "So now that we're all together let's go over what we have found. For our part, we've been asked to approach the British government and ask them not to ruin the ruins. I guess they owe Nana a favor. Anyone else find anything?"  The group each listen while the others describe what they discovered. When Mina hears about the cards she states that she knows what that is about, that since there are 52 weekly wizards, one for each week of the year, they conveniently use Playing Cards as a member designation code.  Each suite of cards represents a different scholarly discipline, Hearts for Painters and Sculptors, Diamonds for Performers and Politicians, Clubs for Scientists and Mathematicians, and Spades for Inventors and Explorers. Ranking within each suite is based upon the person's seniority and importance, Ace, King, Queen, all the way down to Two.Ruby comments, "So the cards are explaining... what? Where their army of wizards are positioned around here? What does it mean?"  Abby states, "Probably. It does makes sense. Not obvious to anyone who doesn't know the code. That many wizards are going to be hard to deal with. We're going to have to out-think them. We at least have one ally at Bast's temple. Sabah said she had a vision of Alsoomse and I from the goddess herself, but I'm not sure how much we want to count on a deity's help."  "Oh, I've found they can be quite helpful," Ruby grins, gazing over at George. "At least Aphrodite is, for me. What did Sabah say her vision was?"  Abby replies, "Just that she saw Alsoomse and I coming to the temple, and that we would be there to help protect it and Bast’s other temples in the area. She wasn't wrong."  Lawrence taps his chin. "That means that the rest of us aren't there. We'll have to pick a town where a group of wizards are. The closest place is as good as any."Alsoomse says, "Perhaps, but I'm thinking of taking a side trip to Heliopolis to see what that group is doing. It's a community north of Cairo that has always had major religious significance for the Egyptians, where their main priest college is situated." Hardin says, "Not alone you're not." Alsoomse replies, "Fine, you can come with me. We'll head out on the train in the morning."Mina points out "What is unprecedented is that four-dozen of those French wizards are here in Egypt! According to James they have always congregated in and around Paris, not Cairo."Abby states, "Which means that whatever they're here for, it's going to be hard to get in their way if it comes to it."   Mina replies, "Perhaps. But whatever they are doing appears to be elaborate, with eight teams of six acting simultaneously. One problem with elaborate plans is that they become easy to unravel, especially if they are taking place in a war zone."  Lawrence nods. "All it takes is one broken spoke to stop a wagon. The trick will be to figure out which group will be easiest to sabotage."  Fish retrieves the fetish from his pants leg and sets it in front of Mina. "I liberated that from the Frenchman's suite!" He grins.   Mina, George and Ruby head back to the fancier hotel while the other five remain at the initial lodgings. An uneventful night follows.</blockquote>

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