11.
Mistress Fa Lo Suee stood by the window dressed in her casual wear of the yellow mandarin collar jacket and the red loose pants with the red sandals. Her hairs were braided and without her head piece, she looked like any commoner standing there except for her garish choice of shades. She stepped away from the window and walked to the table laid with the tea cups set and sweet delicacies. She reached for the cup filled with the black tea.
“Are you coming to bed?” The figure was lying on the bedding beneath the covers with an obvious protrusion that rose above at where the belly was placed. The lady looked to the figure there. He had served his purpose and her needs had changed.
“Leave me now.” The mistress turned to her drink in her cup and saucer while she stepped away to the round table with the stacks of reports for her to review.
“Surely you have the need of mine.” The figure on the bed tossed aside the sheets to reveal his prized manhood. His expression of happiness changed to agony when the saucer tossed by the mistress hit at the prized target. He curled up in pain.
“No crawl out before I removed your bigger head.” The mistress lady told the figure on the bedding. The later rolled off and then crawled out. He was met at the doorway by another figure who was stepping in then. The newly arrived figure was dressed in the same mode of design as the mistress but his shades were dark. The figure was a lady in gender and she was annoyed at the figure which was crawling out. The crawling figure was grabbed by the dark dressed figure on the back of the neck. The fingers there clasped hard to crush the spine bones. The hand that grabbed the neck then pushed hard on the flesh there to push the fragments of the bones into the brain.
“When would you stop picking the trash?” The dark figure stepped over the dead man.
“Why should I stop when I have you to clean it?” The dark figure approached the mistress. “You father send his concern. Are you sure what you are doing will be successful?”
“My father is getting old and with that, he is testing my patience with his incessant concern for me.” Mistress Fa Lo Suee extended her arms in the fighting stance favoured by the ancient masters. The dark figure jumped and charged at her with the right leg bent. The right leg kicked out at the critical moment but the kick was blocked by the right arm of Mistress Lo with the inner block move. The mistress moved her body and lashed out with the left fist into the attacker right leg at the knee joint. At the last moment, Mistress Lo relaxed her fist and then pushed the leg away.
“You could had struck, Mistress.” The dark figure straightened her stand and then bowed at Mistress Lo. “I am ever your servant.”
“And lover, my dark killer Black Cat.” Mistress Lo pulled the dark figure towards her to lay her lips on the other. Both the ladies held each other and then the Mistress spoke.
“My task here is not complete until the Doctor revealed the location which I desired.” Mistress Lo pulled off from the other and walked to the window. “I can see their hotel from here but can’t do anything until they make their move.”
“The Emperor’s spies reported in that besides us, there are the German Empire which they have dispatched a gunship from the Africa contingent and there was also the Dark Wolves. I heard that they were hired by the French consortium and they are working through Van Helsing. More to it, there is the mercenary named Sean Mercer. I heard they were paid by the Germans but there were conflicting tales that they were also financed by your father, the Emperor. And there are also us with the Raj as our front.”
“You have forgotten the SOE which made up of five parties.” Mistress Lo smiled. “We are all driven by greed.”
“I do not trust the Raj or his warriors.” The lady known as the Black Cat voiced up. “I have inserted our own people here. They are in hiding now. Tell me what make the doctor a most wanted man?”
It was the same question on the mind of three others other than the Holmes brothers. The one who may knew the answer was Watson.
“I believed we all need to know what are we looking for?” Van Helsing raised the question.
“The …. We are looking for the Princess which has escaped the clutches of the new Raj.” Watson looked at them. “They killed the old Raj when he won’t tell them the whereabouts of the Princess. She held the secret to the hidden island known by many names but the most common name was the Deep End. Or the other only whispered by the few as the Lost Island.”
“The old Raj will have known the location.” Lady Greystoke cut in.
“The Princess could have told them how to get to the island but to get the treasure required the map which is with the old raj and …myself. It was never written down but told by mouth to us.” Watson continued on. “Myself and the old Raj. He died without revealing it. That leaves me the one who seek the treasure.”
“What is the Deep End? Are we talking of ….some treasures?” Lord Greystoke asked. “I have seen my shares of treasure hunters and they all ended up dead or mad. There are no hidden treasures in my land and it think even here on this land.”
“It’s not on the land but on an island surrounded by the deep ocean. If one wants to find the island, it’s impossible for only the island can be discovered when it wanted to be found.” Watson defended the island.
“I thought we have a map?” Van Helsing asked.
“The map is passed on verbally and you will only know when you are on the island.” Watson replied. “We need to find the entrance to the vault. For us to get to the vault is the difficult part. Its underground and I was told that the path was dangerous. I was not old of what but I was cautioned.”
“So what is so special on the island?” Van Helsing continued on his questions.
“All of you have heard of King Solomon? And his so called fictitious treasure.” Watson looked at each of the faces there, and he was greeted by a laugh from the demon slayer.
“Please do humour me on another day. The so called treasure was an imagination of some ….” Van Helsing was cut off by the sleuth who had taken a huff on his pipe before he spoke.
“Solomon was mentioned in the Book of Kings, books Chronicles a, Quran, Hadith and the later Hidden Words of the Bahai followers. Solomon was the last ruler of a united Kingdom of Israel then. He was succeeded by his son, Rehoboam.. It….”
“We know who he was…” Van Helsing had intercepted the droning voice of Sherlock but he was overtaken by the later to come to his conclusion.
“Solomon is said to be rich during his rule. He was claimed to hold like six hundred and sixty talents of gold at one time. That is about forty thousand pounds in comparison or was it thirty nine thousand nine hundred sixty. A most intriguing figures that seems to place itself by the numerical number six or the inverted nine.”
“So he was rich but how does it link to your…” Van Helsing changed his words to something less intrusive. “The Raj. What hast that to do with the Raj?”
“The Raj was said to hold a part of the Solomon treasure when the King distributed part of his treasure for safe keeping. Whatever the share of it, it was still an immense amount by todays’ standard. The Raj secret was the hidden from the outsiders but of late it had surfaced which was why ….”
“Why what, Sherlock? You seem to know more than even myself.” Watson snapped at Sherlock.
“I was approached some time back before we met.” Sherlock looked at Watson. “It was the …. SOE then. They asked me to look at some old letters from the Raj to another named the Captain of the Deep Seas. It encrypted but I managed to decipher it.”
“You were working with the SOE then?’ Mycroft was startled by it.
“Yes, you then in Albania I think. Anyway, I found the link then and there was a mention of a treasure. I told the SOE that. Years later, I was called to attention of a dead mariner named Carey.”
“The case of the Black Peter?” Watson remarked out. It was a case he assisted with Sherlock on the request of the Inspector Stanley Hopkins. “We solved the case with the conviction of Patrick Cairns.”
“Yes, we did. Marvellous memory there, Watson but there was something else you missed. The reason Carey was killed. He was said to have absconded with the personal memoirs or extracts of it of one named Neligan. Well those missing pages were soon to turn up. It mentioned of great amounts of gold deposited by the Raj into the care of the banker including some interesting bars. The banker was said to be killed by Carey.”
“The question at hand then was the gold that was in care of the banker. Actually it was discovered in the yard behind the house and to my surprise, the gold bars that intrigued SOE and myself were the ones having the markings of King Solomon. The mariner named Peter Carey did take the gold after the banker died. The sea mate of his came to claim his share.”
“We returned the so called securities to the surviving member then. I was there.” Watson spoke up.
“Not all, my dear doctor. SOE kept the gold bars for future investigation. I was secured as adviser and when your name came up the so named death of the Raj, I had to come.”
“You knew of the gold and the Raj…” Watson was upset then.
“But not of you until recently. I had to come here, Watson. I had to help you.” Sherlock saw Watson was not taking in his reasoning and changed the topic of discussion.
“Dangerous foes are our everyday fare.” Sherlock commented. “I will like to know how to get there. And we are short of one in our ….team. The last time we were seven but now we are only six. I am for one not keen on numbers unlike Moriarty which life works focus on them.”
“Six is a numerical favoured by the demons.” Van Helsing cut in.
“Lady Harkness is ….uncontactable. Last known location was in Munich and she did tell us that she was looking to fly the Hindenburg.” Mycroft replied. “But numbers in the team does not tell us that we are ….short or unable to perform. We are a team again and we do it.”
“So tell me where the island is located then?” Lord Greystoke asked the fuming doctor. “Do tell so we can end this accusation against you.”
“Don’t be a prude, Watson. We are here to help.” Lady Greystoke held out her right hand to hold Watson on his left arm. “We are your friends.”
Watson turned his face away and then stood up to walk away. He paced himself to the window and then he spoke.
“We have to find the one who can take us over. His name is not known but his reputation supersedes his name. He is named Captain Nemo. His ship is the Nautilus.”
“Nemo? Nautilus? Now you are making me laugh.” Lord Greystoke let off a loud laugh before he was pinched at the thigh.
“Nemo is real and alive. I can find him.” Watson replied. “But first I need to find Nina. She may be with her mother’s people on the island.”
12
“Sir Robert Bristow is moving mound of deposits there to create a man-made land barrier there from the greater sea out there.” Mycroft leaned out the four wheeler vehicle that they had commandeered from the local office of SOE. It was a convoy of four vehicles which had travelled from the north towards the beaches of the southerly western side of the continent. The journey was not all on the four wheelers but covered mostly by the train service that covered most parts of the continent. At the southerly states of the continent, the new development had reached there despite the link up of the trains. The four wheelers shipped on the same train were their last mode of transport and the sight of it had drawn the curiosity of the locals. Children and the curious adults had ran along the vehicles on the final part of the journey although their numbers dwindled by the miles covered. By the time they reached the beach, the numbers were few but they had reached their final land destination.
“Welcome to the Dover’s equivalent of a sea faced accommodation.” The place was a two levelled structure with an outer wall of brick red walls that held it exclusivity from the nearby fishermen settlement. The garden was adorned by the palm trees with a cluster of coconut trees on the southern side of the wall. “It’s managed by a local who was once a head servant of the Governor then. And here he is.”
“Ganesh Nathan.” The man who greeted the group was a short figure with a girth that gave him a humpty shape. He was dressed in the plain tunic and loose pants with the wooden sandals. He stopped before the vehicles and looked at the deposits of ground that will eventually block his view of the sea. The mound of the deposits could be seen from his porch for the structure was built on a higher plateau.
“They are building not a sand barrier but an island. I know them well.” The man then turned to look at the group. “Welcome to the Kochi Mansion. We aim to please during your stay here.”
Once the guests were given their adequate time to rest and recuperate they joined the host for a tea session. Everyone was dressed for the weather with the loose tunic and pants with sandals. The host brought out the famed black tea and the baked delicacies with a portion of Kerala best; the pumpkin and lentil stew or Erissery by its local name.
“You must try our curries?” The host was kind but Mycroft was declining then while the others woof it all down with enthusiasm. It was Watson who broke the small talks and asked the pertinent question.
“I seek the Captain of the Nautilus.” That was the same question raised by anther a distance from Kochi Mansion. That person asking was Sean Mercer.
“H is not to be sought unless he wants to be found.” Sean Mercer was replied.
“Tell the bastard I will raise his price to double if he will to get the men I want by tonight.” Sean Mercer was an impatient man then. He had taken a series of rides from horses, trains and then horses to get there. It was hardship trying to shadow the doctor and his entourage but he prevailed. He had seen the others in pursuit but they kept their distance from each other. He told himself that if he waits out the doctor to reveal the location on his own accord was to his preference. He decided to take things into his own control. He was in the musky hut seated on his haunches with his knees hurting being bent that way. He was with his translator and facing the man who was called the Master Assassin with his protective details of four killers behind the man. They were all facing a burning ember of sandalwoods which was repulsive in the scent to Sean but the locals loved it. The hut was bare of anything worth mentioning but for the hanging bones that the Master had told Sean were the rib bones that he took as souvenir of the victims his warriors killed. The Master was holding the hunter on the terms then.
“The master says triple your offer and he will consider.” Sean’s native guide translated for him.
“Tell him….” Sean’s eyes averted to the four guards standing behind the master. They were trained killers and within the confine of the chamber, Sean was not sure he would make it out alive. He was alone with his useless translator but his own killer squad was outside with twice their numbers of the others. He also knew he was in the other’s domain where a hundred killers could marched on him should he kill the master. More to it, he needed those killers.
“Okay, triple the amount but I want them assemble at the location by midnight. We attack at three hours before dawn.”
“Agreed on it.” The master himself replied in English. “We will be there.”
“What the…How …Why didn’t you tell me he knows English?” Sean stood up and pulled out his sidearm. He did not hesitate and shot the translator before the later could explain. He then looked at the Master who sat there without moving and so were the warriors behind the man.
“I have no consideration for those who failed me.” Sean cautioned the assassin master. “I don’t take excuses.”
“Pay me now and leave me to my work.” The Master replied. “I won’t promise you that it will work but we have not failed yet.”
Sean paid the Master and then took his way outside where he saw his own killers having a stand-off with the others.
“Stand down. They are our allies for now.”
Back at the hotel, the multi nationality group were entertained to a good spread of home cooked food by the host. The spread comprises of chops with the garnishing, roasted chicken with stuffing, piles of bread and scones, fresh plucked rooted vegetables, various sauces to dip it, and a few bottles of good wine.
“Tell me, Nathan. Where did you get all these stuffs?” Lady Greystoke asked.
“Well, I take a small part of it off the Governor’s monthly replenishment with my old friend who brings them in. So considered them as freebies by the Empire although I may charge your benefactor more than twice for it.”
“Benefactor? Who might that be?” Lady Greystoke asked.
“That will be my office. I wired SOE for the arrangement. They will pay considering the gold we…. “ Mycroft was shut off by Sherlock but the doctor had heard that line. The later dropped the food and walked away from the table. He stepped over to the nearby cupboard and saw the stacked up rifles. They were all Lee-Enfield Model Mk II circa 1907.
“Bolt action, twenty to thirty shots per minute if you are an expert with a distance of over a thousand five hundred feet….”
“Five rounds clip and it go up to nine thousand feet in distance with a good scope. I know all that I dug out the bullets from the wounded and did some firing myself. Have you fired any of it?” Watson asked the host who had earlier displayed his knowledge on the rifle.
“Only in the fields and the occasional dogs that tried to steal my food.” Nathan laughed.
Watson ignored the man and walked off to the next room which was the library. He saw more guns there including some Webley and Mauser. Besides those, there were the shelves of books on every imaginable topic. He stepped over to the window and looked out. The old tall tower clock clanged its presence to all that was to hear.
It was then half past nine hours to the clock.
Watson dressed in the casual white shirt and dark pants with the leather soled shoes. He was back to his usual dressing but he still felt naked then without his blades. Those were still upstairs in the room. He was soon joined by the others who sat near the window to get the wind on their face. They began trading news of their recent whereabouts but the doctor decided to retire to his room.
It was then eleven hours to the clock.
“Lady and gentlemen, this is the final call on the bar. Last servings and then we will all retire to rest.” Nathan told his guests.
“What about Captain Nemo?” Sherlock inquired while he was flipping some pages on a book that he was holding.
“I won’t know. He may turn up or none at all. He is his own Captain.” Nathan gave out a yawn and then retired to his room at the rear. Outside on the garden, the sound of the dogs barking echoed in the darkness.
“Darned hounds!” Mycroft turned to leave followed by Sherlock and then Van Helsing. The Greystoke lovers sat by the window looking outside listening to the barks. Then Lady Greystoke stood up and moved to the gun cabinets. She pulled out two Webley and a Mauser. She loaded the guns and then pocketed some extra bullets. She took down a Lee-Enfield and loaded it too.
Lord Greystoke had left the library to his room. Guess he disliked the guns.
It was then the stroke of midnight to the clock.
“I could not sleep.” Mycroft stepped back to the Library half an hour later. He was with Sherlock. “It’s those hounds.”
Sherlock hushed the other and motioned to the lady seated there on the armchair with the Lee-Enfield rifle. She appeared asleep but her body stance was tensed. The two brothers retired to the dining area after they turned off the lights there except a reading light at the far wall.
“Yeah, reminded me of the Hound of Baskervilles. Their howling could kill you.”
“It wasn’t the hound. I read the tale. It was always Man.” Mycroft added on. “Anyway, do you remember Sigrina always tell us to keep our guns close us when we played Cowboys and Indians?”
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