Page 77 of The Lost Future of Pepperharrow

‘I think any police along the way will have other things to consider.’ Vaulker hesitated. ‘Look, I can see you’re in a state, but I’ve got a nasty feeling you’re the only one fluent enough to go. We’ll ask the Chinese and the Dutch, but – be prepared.’

Thaniel nodded slowly. He wanted to say no, he had to get to Yoruji, now even more than yesterday. Something had happened to Mori. That was the only explanation left. He could accept that Mori might let a carriage crash and a minister be murdered, but it was stupid to imagine he would let Six drift into harm’s way. The windows had exploded. She could have died. If Mori had been able to stop that, he would have.

But if the volcano was going to erupt, getting Six away was going to have to come first. Not to mention everyone else’s children, and the juniors, who were still boys themselves.

‘I can get on a train in the morning.’

Vaulker sighed as if he’d thought Thaniel might refuse. ‘Listen,’ he said suddenly. ‘I know I was the one who sent you in that wretched carriage. Don’t imagine I don’t know it should be me sitting there with a bullet wound.’

Thaniel had to lie. ‘I hadn’t thought about it.’

‘Well, that’s very …’ Vaulker shook his head, which shimmered his light hair. He must have run water through it already, because it was clean even while the rest of him wasn’t. The effect was odd, like he was made of two photographs of the same man in different lights. ‘I’d better make my obeisances to the Dutch Minister. Do your best not to swear at the Dutch translators, won’t you.’

It was nearly reassuring to see him return to his usual self.

‘What’s that racket?’ Vaulker added.

Now that he’d pointed it out, Thaniel saw the staccato white raps that were banging over the low murmurs in the hall. They sounded like telegraphs. In an office just off the hall, five telegraphs were indeed going mad by themselves, spooling spirals and spirals of transcript paper right over the floor. Some Dutch clerks were trying to make them stop, but pulling out the electrical wires hadn’t helped.

‘Excuse me,’ Six said carefully.

Thaniel stood aside for her. She ignored the alarmed yells when she dipped her hand past the hammering key of one machine, and pulled out the spark gap. It died. The clerks all looked surprised.

‘They’re electric,’ she explained. ‘Dot dash is on off.’ She studied all the men. ‘I don’t speak Dutch,’ she added into the quiet.

‘Where did you get her, did you say?’ Vaulker asked. ‘And … do you suppose there are more?’

Six looked between them. ‘Is he being horrible or good?’ she asked Thaniel.

‘He’s being good,’ Thaniel promised. He wanted to pick her up, but she would hate it. He was surprised when, without looking, she patted him absently. He looked out at the city instead of at her while the Dutch clerks set about dismantling the telegraphs. Away towards the canal, the smoke had made huge clouds. The air was full of cinders that might have been great swarms of fireflies. While they were watching, something further away went off with a colossal bang and fireworks exploded every which way. People laughed and oohed, and Six rocked happily. It was beautiful. But it rocketed the fire over the canal. The trees on the other side were starting to burn. The next building on from those was the Palace.

Towards dawn, the Dutch Minister’s man came back, ash-covered, to report that the Met Office were issuing a statement to the morning papers. It would say that while the weather was alarming, it was definitively nothing to do with any volcanic activity under Fuji, and the city was, except for the hazards of increased electricity, quite safe. They were forecasting an end to the problem once the storm blew over.

Thaniel didn’t know what the Dutch for ‘absolute bollocks’ was, but he suspected it was what went around their staff. It was certainly what had gone around the English, and the visiting Americans who had come to see if they were all right. The Chinese diplomats didn’t look convinced either. They had brought food for everyone.

The American Minister came across to say he was inclined to give it another couple of days. The Dutch Minister came too, and then the Chinese. It was difficult, because some people had no English and not everyone had Japanese, but after some translation, the Chinese Ambassador, who was the oldest and most senior, sat back in his chair.

‘Of course we need to send somebody to Mount Fuji, but Mr Steepleton here is in no state to go. There must be other translators.’ He looked round them all expectantly. The Dutch and the Americans glanced at each other, guilty, and admitted that they only had badly paid freelancers who would laugh in the face of anybody who tried to make them go to Fuji on no notice.

‘What about you?’ Vaulker said, a little accusatory. ‘Chinese is much closer to Japanese than English; don’t you all speak it?’

‘It is about as close,’ the Chinese Ambassador said, slow and flat, ‘as English and Norwegian. Naturally we have a translator, but he is from the royal family, and I’m afraid I can’t conscience that risk.’ He pointed with his eyes to a very young man huddled over a cup of tea not far away. The boy was a perfect Chinese version of Pringle. The Ambassador sighed. ‘Mr Steepleton, I really hate to ask this, but will you be all right?’

‘I’ll be fine,’ said Thaniel. He didn’t feel too certain, and he was still seeing the xylophone flashes, but hell would freeze over before he let any iteration of Pringle anywhere near anything dangerous. He folded his arms and tried to stifle the noise of all his paternal bells going off at once.

The Chinese Ambassador didn’t look very convinced. ‘I suppose that’s that, then. We shall wait for Mr Steepleton to come back from Mount Fuji, and if it’s bad news, my government will host you all in Peking.’

‘Steepleton,’ Vaulker murmured as they all separated off. He put his hand on Thaniel’s back to make him incline his head down and close. ‘Listen. Whatever you find up there: I think it would be wise to report back officially that it’s dangerous.’

‘Why?’

‘Because the FO got a message to us last night. Prime Minister Kuroda made the official and final order on a fleet of ironclads a few weeks ago, but the contract had been in place for years. The damn things had already been built, on the understanding that the Americans would buy them if Tokyo’s funds fell through. They’re being brought here from Liverpool now.’

Thaniel leaned back. ‘So … whatever is going on here with Mount Fuji, we’ve got the Russian fleet just off Nagasaki still, and now there’s a British fleet sailing to deliver new battleships to Tokyo.’

‘Mm. They’ll literally have to shove the Russians out of the way to get here. I think there’s going to be a firefight one way or another. Whatever you see – find a way to make it into a reason to get us out of Tokyo before the world and his wife tries to flee the start of a war and there are no more bloody ships to flee on.’

PART FOUR