Team Seven of Heroes Chapter 25

25.

Monsignor Dupont sat impatiently in the carriage drawn by the four horses and handled by his trusted aide, the Frenchman he knew as Clouseau. The thick moustache man was dressed in his light beige knee length jacket and drop brim Fedora Stalker hat was an excellent horse handler. The carriage was travelling at high speed for a four horse drawn carriage and was escorted by the four riders on each side.

At dusk, the trail on the Ardennes Forest was a region of extensive forests, rough terrain with rolling hills and ridges. It stretched from across four countries in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France. The forest was harvested for its charcoal that enabled the greater industrialization then. The horses pulled hard on the reins to pull the carriage ahead when it climbed the mountains with the trail running along the carved out ridges and ringed by the swift flowing rivers. The area was covered in thick mist and low cloud during the colder periods.

The four riders swift on their rides were no match for the speed of the arrow released the hunters who were doing it since the days when they could stand. The arrow heads weigh about a hundred and twenty five grains with the Orford Cedar woods preferred unlike the orient fascination for bamboo. The shaft composition lent strength to the impact. There were four bowmen on swift horses had rode from the rear and caught up with the carriage. The first four arrows were released by the riders on horseback. Four riders at the rear of the carriage were taken down with the back of the neck shots. The other riders did not realize their companions have fallen and when they did the pursuing riders have caught up with the carriage.

The carriage handler named Clouseau had his instinct up and saw the riders fell. He lashed out the whip at the horses but he knew that the four mares were tiring. He had to resort to alternative move. He picked up the wireless set and radioed the hovering dirigible high above the trees. The dirigible there overseeing the carriage then descended to the tree heights. The dirigible was a smaller unit with the carriage the shape of the horse driven one but it held a set of machine guns on the sides. The dirigible was shaded dark along with the balloon.  At the precise height, the machine guns opened up at the pursuing riders.

The threat removed and the carriage went on.

It was German precision and French ingenuity.

“Everything alright out there?” Monsignor Dupont shouted out when he tapped his cane on the carriage roof.  The reply was by the small bell that was attached by the rope to the handler. It was his way of telling him that he had arrived for he had dark shades over his carriage openings.

Cousteau rode on with two riders trailed back to the rear to provide its protective cordon.

The next attack came from a bend on the trail with the ridge on the right. The arrows came at the riders from the trees and the dirigibles were surprised by the flaming arrows. At the lowered height the bow men reached the carriage sides without much trouble. The flames spread and the dirigible went down.

Cousteau saw the attack and lashed out with the carriage wheels on some stretches missing the hard ridges ground. He rode the horses harder and then he saw the clearing in the front. He slowed the horses and then held the rein hard. The horses came to a halt there and the handler then pulled the rope to ring the bell.

Monsignor Dupont opened the door and stepped out. He was expecting to be taken across the border to France but he was then in a clearing at the Ardennes Forest. He saw the figure stepping out to meet him.

“Professor Moriarty. I am pleased to meet you once more. We have a …”

“I am Frank Moriarty, and I am not a Professor. I am an ordinary man with a more renowned twin.” The figure then shorter than Monsignor stood there with the great overcoat over his tweed suit and a fedora hat. He held a walking stick which then was held at his hips with the hilt held out with the rest of the stick behind.

“My brother the Professor conveys his disappointment on your failed coup. I am here however to convey my condolence on your demise.”  Monsignor heard that and laughed.

“I am Monsignor Dupont, the man who ruled over half the continent here. I shared with my network and …” The blow came fast and hard when the walking stick snapped the left knee joint. The man with the stick held the stick near the hilt had used it in a thrust move to snap the knee. He swung his body to lay the next thrust with the hilt into the left ribs and then with a twist of his hand, the hilt of the cane went up onto the left armpit. The move was completed with another thrust there into the upper left ribs that shattered the bones there to pierce the heart.

Monsignor fell down to his knees clutching his chest and heaving in his breaths. Frank Moriarty stepped back and then he turned his back.

“Monsieur Moriarty, you …need to …help me.” Monsignor Dupont heaved in his breaths but his heart was bleeding inside him. “How can …you do this…. to me?”

“Monsignor Dupont, you are a lesser being. We deplore one like that.” The one named Frank Moriarty replied. “We do regret our action but it was needed.”

It was then a figure in the dark fatigues with the bow and quiver of arrows walked up to Frank Moriarty. The dressing was a plain dark tunic and the loose pants with the clothed boots. The figure had his hairs tied to the rear in a piggy braided style. His bow was smaller than the European design and was a recurve model preferred by the Far East lands.

“我的主人说要杀他”It was Chinese which spoke of ‘master said to kill him’.

“It’s not needed. He will die soon. And the wolves will devour his flesh.” Frank Moriarty replied. “Just tell your Master that he is dead. And speak English to me. I will return to England today. We have the plan there working.”

The oriental warrior nodded and then disappeared into the dark forest. Frank Moriarty then looked to Clouseau.

“You have done well, Inspector. We can leave now.” Frank smiled. “I hope to see how our network can improve further with you on board. As promise, Monsignor Dupont associates are yours to arrest.”

Unseen by the Inspector, the bowmen in the green camouflage loosen their hold on the arrows at the bow string. They were too late to deal with Monsignor but they knew justice was carried out then. They then disappeared back into the forest.

In another part of the Ardennes Forest, in a castle seen above the mountain, Sherlock watched with fascination at the methods of torture. He was in the dungeon with Mycroft and their German hosts.

“Mycroft, that was very revealing and in a manner fascinating. I know that pain is an inducement to one for telling the truth. The Spanish did it then a few centuries ago but they were not the only ones. The art of torture was seen during ancient Roman times. The word torture was from the Latin word; tortus.” Sherlock raced those words off his tongue until Mycroft stopped him.

“You are right on the Mandarin involvement. He was most active here and we are given the clearance to travel east.” Mycroft handed over the telegram which was given to him minutes ago. “M wants to dig deeper.”

“East? I loved that. How are we travelling there?” 

“By train and then by ship before we travel overland by dirigible.” Mycroft smiled. “You will be surprised that the Far East held some industrial secrets.”

“No camels and horses across the deserts? I will love that.” Sherlock smiled. “I am an adventurer too like that Italian chap. I was never in Sudan but I read of the unrest there.”

Watson heard the man spoke and recalled his old friend, Major General Charles Gordon portrait on the wall of his home. The man was the Governor General of Sudan then during the unrest.

“Watson, I do know the Caliph there. Or was it with some letters to him.” Sherlock commented on. “I wonder if that is treason by colluding with an enemy of the country.”