Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #13 April 2015 | Page 40

team had spent months excavating the bones and now
they were being returned to England. In fact an almost
complete body of a three horned dinosaur with a huge
frill was to be unveiled at the museum that very Friday
evening at a party for fund raisers.
Nothing here you would think, unless you read to the
very end, to the last paragraph. The line where the
professor bemoaned the fact that his dinosaur had
been vandalised by someone who had scratched lines
all over the back of the frill.
#
Sir Henry Carpenter Fitzwarren was the inheritor of
a minor title that came with the family estate outside
York. A dreary place and the locals were unbearably
dull. He never visited, he had a fairly competent manager to run the place and so he was free to enjoy life
and indulge his passion for archaeology and exploration. His wealth made him independent, his wit and
charm made him a hit with the ladies and his daring
do and tales of adventure made him a frequent guest at
these sort of parties.
He was, in short, the very picture of a gentleman
explorer.
Of course pictures can lie.
The estate was real and of course broke, the manager
was a drunkard who stole what little rent came in from
the tenants. The family wealth, no such thing.
Sir Henry was, to put it politely, a specialist in obtaining items of ‘objet d’art’ and selling them on to discerning buyers across the wealthy of Europe and the
Americas.
At present he was living comfortably on the proceeds
of a lost tomb. With his reputation as an explorer and
adventurer he had to no more suggest that he hadn’t
been to South America for a few years than he was
invited. To join the hunt for a long lost royal palace.
When the tomb was found and the door opened Sir
Henry was there to spot what looked like a trap waiting for would be thieves, not a man or woman thought

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it odd that he volunteered to risk himself by going first
to search for other traps. After all he was well known
for that sort of thing.
Once it was safe for everyone to enter the tomb was
explored and carefully catalogued, of course since no
one had looked upon the tomb for hundreds of years
who was to say how many gold statues had been on
that shelf or how full of gems the bowl had been.
#
It was the most wonderful soiree; everyone who was
anyone was here. Some of the Empire’s finest lord s
and ladies rubbing shoulders with royalty, officers and
gentlemen and of course the various wives, mistresses
and other ladies.
The band was playing some imported number, something from the states by the sound of it and a growing
crowd were laughing and joining the dancing.
Sir Henry strode across the room, weaving through the
crowd and exchanging words with a few people that
he knew.
“Charlie, your horse won again, I don’t know how you
do it, honestly I don’t.
Madam how nice to see you, yes of course I will attend, wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Ah professor, how are things in Egypt, the search for
the king’s tomb goes well I trust?”
Others called a greeting, Sir Henry was well known.
Many a head turned to watch him as he went, a strong
handsome man, he drew the admiring gaze of many
single ladies. One in particular watched him, waiting
for the chance to speak to him. Lady Helena Colby-Sax flicked her long red hair about her shoulders
as she watched the broad shouldered man stride across
the room. A fine catch, a fine catch indeed.
She started to walk towards him then stopped when he
suddenly turned and stepped through a door on the far
side of the room, the sign above the door said Prehis-