Fielding chuckled. The box from the children’s bedtime story? They must be joking. Then he realized none of the other men were laughing. “You’re quite serious.”
Jensen nodded.
“The real Pandora’s box,” Fielding said. He really shouldn’t have been surprised. As members of Solomon’s, they were all legend hunters. Why would they not believe in an ancient Greek myth?
“One and the same,” Mr. Nichols said, his voice barely registering above a whisper.
“As the story goes, Pandora allowed her curiosity to get the better of her and opened a box, releasing plagues and curses. It is this cursed box you seek?” Fielding asked, unable to keep the derision from his voice.
Jensen set his glass down rather abruptly. “We do not require mockery, Mr. Grey. We were under the impression that you’d dealt with these sorts of antiquities before.”
Fielding had never paid much attention to the antiquities he’d found; he couldn’t afford to. To him they were nothing more than the sum of money he collected. But he knew from his own clients that many believed in the magic of certain pieces. Despite his feelings about Solomon’s, he felt obliged to be the voice of reason. “Could it not simply be an artifact, a jewelry or trinket box from ancient Greece and nothing more that my uncle has located?”
Mr. Nichols shook his head gravely. “If only it were that simple. This box is heavily cursed, sir.”
Fielding shook his head. Curses were nonsense. “So why me? Why don’t the men of Solomon’s go after it? Your members are as skilled at the hunt as the Raven’s men.”
“We each have our own expertise,” Lindberg said. “I myself am prepared for a different quest than that of Pandora’s box. And some of us are content to merely be scholars of our subject. Mr. Nichols, for instance, has studied Pandora’s legend for years, but his skill lies in research, not retrieval.”
Mr. Nichols gave a weak smile and nodded.
Eyeing the man, Fielding could well imagine why Solomon’s had not sent the meek Mr. Nichols to face the Raven. A headstrong woman would be a far better match against his uncle.
“You know the Raven’s henchmen better than we do,” Jensen interjected. “Know the sorts of behavior they exhibit, know where they’ll take the box. You are the best prepared to handle such men. We are . . .” Jensen’s voice trailed off with a wave of his hand.
“Gentlemen?” Fielding provided with a touch of bitterness in his voice. “Of course.” Heat crept up the back of his neck. He should tell them to go straight to the devil. He too was a gentleman. At least he’d been raised one. He even had the title and coffers to prove it. But to the men of Solomon’s, Fielding wasn’t a viscount, he was merely a means to an end.
“Name your price,” Mr. Nichols said. His stubby fingers twisted around his handkerchief, balling the damp cloth into a compact wad. “It is of utmost importance that we retrieve this artifact.”
“Why is this particular piece so important? Other than Mr. Nichols’s obvious affection,” Fielding said.
Lindberg’s easy smile disappeared. “Because it might be dangerous,” he said.
“Might be?” Fielding asked.
“Most likely is,” Lindberg corrected.
“We simply don’t know,” Mr. Nichols said, his voice nearing a fevered pitch. “There are many writings on the contents of Pandora’s box, and we don’t know which ones are accurate. But the potential ” His words trailed off.
“The potential is catastrophic,” he finally said. “Tell him,” Lindberg said.
Mr. Nichols eyed his fellow Solomon’s members before nodding and turning back to Fielding.
“It is said there is evil within Pandora’s box. That the gods put terrible things such as greed, hatred, disease, vanity, envy, and lust inside the box to punish Pandora for her curiosity. These curses, if you will, are believed to be embodied by actual artifacts within the box.”
“Something you can hold or touch,” Lindberg explained.
“Yes, yes,” Mr. Nichols said. “Once the box is opened and these plagues are released, evil beyond imagining will fall upon our land.”
“These evils, as you call them,” Fielding said, “already exist in our world.”
“They can’t compare to the evils held within Pandora’s box. And if that box got into the wrong hands ” Mr. Nichols wrung his hands again.
“And you believe my uncle has located the box?” Fielding asked. “I would not deny the man is good at what he does, but after all these centuries and hundreds of people searching for it, how was that it the Raven discovered its location?”
“He is not the first; others have found it before,” Jensen said. “Perhaps you remember reading about the Black Death?” The man’s smile was tight, his tone clipped.
“If memory serves me correctly, it was rats that caused the plague,” Fielding said.
