32.
Enter the vault of Purgatory
Slip in by the wall that stays hidden
Trail the glitter flow to end
Beware the hands that reached out
Seek the Tower that reached low
Behold its sentries that looms
Trapeze and evade the traps
Watch the one who seats on the throne
Solomon isn’t the King
But the Guardian for the Kings
“It’s intriguing, Watson. I am if the others are not.” Sherlock smiled before he turned to the others who were searching for clues to the writings that were just shared then. They were standing by the pond there but no one dared to venture into the pond. The sinkhole was intimidating like the depth of Hades.
“We have to find the temple.” Nina was frantic. “My people need to find the ….treasure.”
Nina’s eyes averted from Watson’s glare and then she ran to her son.
“What did the Elders taught on …”
“The temple is there.” Sherlock called out. “It’s inside the hole.”
“Pray tell, my smart friend.” Watson asked. “I only knew those words but never been here. The Raj had entrusted me with those words. He once told me find the Vault and these words will guide you.”
“It’s elementary, my dear Watson. The words told me.” Sherlock explained and then he smiled when he saw the pained expression on Watson. He could only taunt the doctor on those ‘elementary’ modes.
“The temple is in there. It’s somewhere down there and we need to find it.” Sherlock continued on. “The words said ‘Enter the vault of Purgatory, Slip in by the wall that stays hidden’. That looked like Purgatory.”
“Or its one huge hole for or….” Mycroft cut back on his words when he saw Nina looking at him. He needs to be decent with his expletives.
“We have to get in. but how?” Nemo looked around. “It’s not like we came prepared for anything except shoot some lions. And we don’t have Tarzan here. He can dive in like an otter.”
“No, we can lower ourselves down.” John Jr replied. “I can make some vines into ropes. “
With that, the young man took to the jungle once more. Nemo, Nina and Watson followed behind.
So was Lord Greystoke then was doing that with his lover holding him up. They were following the Irish Hunter who was knocking on every doorway he could find. They came across their previous detention unit of the savage. He saw the two ladies detained there.
“Hello, ladies. Have we met?” Sean displayed his humorous Irish personality.
“Let us loose.” Princess Fa Lo Suee called out. Sean approached her and looked at the shackles.
“Last time anyone did that hurt his wrists.” Sean laughed. “But we won’t do that to you.”
“Let me loose, Sean Mercer. I will have you rewarded.” The Princess voiced out. “My father can…”
“You father is Fu Manchu and also known as Emperor of the East. I know of his wealth and his reach which could hunt me down anywhere. You are his daughter but not his favourite relative.”
“I am here on the …request of my father.” Princess Fa Lo Suee explained. “He is…”
“Missing? I heard of that. For over a year your father had been missing. He was said to be killed or gone into exile and you came along. You took over his empire but the man who is Fu Manchu is not one to be killed or disappear. He is around and may return. And when he does he won’t like me for saving you.”
“My father condition does not concern me. Free me.” The Princess displayed her arrogant self. “I am Princess Fa Lo Suee.”
Arrogance was not the words to describe Watson’s son but courage was it. He had jumped into the sinkhole with the rope vine slung across his chest. Well, the jump part was exaggerated. He actually swam to the edge and then lowered down.
“Don’t let me drop…” Junior’s voice trailed into the echoes inside the sinkhole. Nemo and the others held onto the vine rope and slowly released part of it for the young man to be lowered. Junior then was about twenty feet down when he saw an opening in the wall of water. It was huge enough for a person to step in. He pulled the rope taut to signal the others. The rope went taut but he was one feet below the opening. He climbed back up the rope and then stared into the opening. Maybe it was not but an illusion of the water. He was about two feet away from the spot and swung over. He made it to the all but was still not there at the opening. He did another swing and reached it but he could not find a hold and slid back. He tried again and soon found a small gap to grip on and then he slipped again. He did a few more tries and finally got his second opportunity. He pulled himself to the opening with his legs finding the ledge to climb in. It was slippery but he managed to get in.
It was a narrow opening but the inside was wider. Junior climbed in but the vine rope went taut. He had to pull at it several times to signal them before he was given more rope to move. He searched for anything to hold the rope and soon found the hooks embedded into the wall. It was man made and felt solid although it was coated with moss. He tied the vine rope there and proceeded to look for more things he could use. He found a rope ladder and hoisted it up with the vine rope. Then he waited there for the others to join him.
Waiting was equivalent to patience which the Lord Greystoke lacked then. He took to leap frog the Irish Hunter and looked for the elusive exit point. There was none and they appeared to be moving in circles.
“John, your wounds are opened. Please let me attend to it.” Lady Greystoke took to check the wound and redress the bandage with pieces of her shirt. The savage stopped her but she told him off.
“I rather be naked than to see you die.” Lady Greystoke told him. “You are all that matters.”
“I think we have other things to think about.” Sean Mercer levelled his rifle and when he saw the two tall figure standing in their path. “I say…”
The Irish Hunter did not get to complete the warning, and was brought down by the blast of lights. So did Lady Greystoke and the savage.
It was not the same for the others who had to climb down a rope ladder into what appeared to be a sinkhole, and with the water cascading down it was intimidating even for Nemo who was the most experienced of them all.
“I’ll be good.” Mycroft muttered to himself while he took his careful step. He was about a foot from the opening and when he saw Sherlock on the rope. He yelled up at his brother.
“You were to wait. I am still on the rope.” Mycroft then felt the ladder was unsafe then and he sped up to reach the opening. He was assisted by Watson who had earlier climbed down.
“Sherlock is on the rope.” Mycroft splattered out to Watson.
“I know. Your climb was pathetic.” Watson dragged him in. “We don’t all day for this.”
Sherlock was last, and he climbed fast. And his mind was working faster then.
33.
“Sherlock, where’s next?” Watson asked. He looked at the page he had written. He read the next two lines.
Trail the glitter flow to end
Beware the hands that reached out
“We follow the yellow road.” Sherlock looked into the tunnel, and saw the place was dark but there were areas where the luminous moss lit it up. He placed his right hand on the wall and trailed its surface to the ground. He then brushed away the dirt on the ground. It revealed the sign of the directional arrow. And it was pointing ahead. The more dirt that Sherlock brushed off the arrow lighted up.
“Danke, Herr Gunter took to the trail without telling. The others followed but not Sherlock. He was studying the arrow and then the flooring to the side walls. He then shouted out.
“Stop!” But it was too late. Herr Gunter was grabbed by the four metallic spears that extended from the walls on both sides and then thrust into the man in the body.. It was gruesome but everyone took notice of the warning by Sherlock.
“Don’t move.” Sherlock called out. “We may trigger that again.”
“I would appreciate your warnings earlier.” Mycroft called out. “Now tell us what we should have done earlier.”
“I believe we are seeing here is a pressure activated trap. If you choose to recall back in 1839 the Times carried an article on booby trap; quite similar to this but that was an explosive device in the mahogany box….”
“Sherlock, please….” Mycroft was getting agitated.
“Yes…. One of you triggered the trap. It could be Gunter or any of you. Some place where your feet stepped on.” Sherlock replied. “Or hands placed on the flooring.”
“I think I did that.” Watson called out. “The flooring moved when I stepped on it.”
“Elementary, my dear…Nevermind, do not move for now.” Sherlock got the stares from the others on usual quip. “Watson, do move your leg to bring the flooring back. Do it ever slowly.”
Watson did it and nothing happened. He stepped back and then looked at Sherlock who had made his way forward. The sleuth crouched down to look at the flooring. He saw the tiny spring there glowing like a single spot there. It was yellow in the shade.
“Move the dirt. Don’t stand on the yellow points.” Sherlock called out. He then moved on past Watson into the darkened tunnel lighted by the luminous moss. With care, Sherlock then did not take haste in his exploration avoiding any spot of yellow nor did he step over the sighted yellow arrows. He made it to the end of the tunnel and came upon a cavern where he stood on the ledge at the top looking to the deeper bottom there. The cavern was not huge but narrow in depth where a narrower tower looms from the bottom. The tower held the dimension of about ten feet and yet it stood tall there over two hundred feet in height from what his eyes could make out in the dim light. He was joined by Watson and then the others.
“What in heaven?” Mycroft voiced out surpassing the others. “I have not seen such …. Delicate design for a tower since…”
“Shut up, Mycroft.” Sherlock cut in. He knew how much the brother of his was for the Isle of the Kingdom and exhorted anything else from loathsome to heinous. He was patriotic to the core.
“Could we retrieve the vine rope?” Junior suggested but Nemo took a stone to drop it down before turning to look at the others.
“Too deep.” Not for Sherlock who decided that his sleuth contribution needed to be consulted. He leaned over the edge to look down and then took intricate steps on the edge. He looked at the tower and saw it held a doorway there which was opened then. It was a narrow entrance there. They could not make out the inside beyond the doorway.
“Tell me of the next three lines of your page.”
Seek the Tower that reached low
Behold its sentries that looms
Trapeze and evade the traps
That was what Watson read out.
“We are at the tower and it does reach the bottom considering that we are looking at its top. So if that is true as conveyed to me by the Raj, let me move on to the other lines. Behold its sentries that looms, Trapeze and evade the traps.”
“Sentries? I doubt there are any.” Words spoken in haste do sometimes add despairs to the spoken. The sound of whirring noise vibrated from below and then they saw the source of it. “By his Majesty, are those locusts?”
Mycroft stared at the creature in front of his eyes. They were small in dimensions like the ravaging locusts of the wild, and when in their needs will fly in swarm to decimate the growing crops but these were not the same. They held the same limbs and wings with the elongated frame for the body but these creatures were not of God’s design. They were of some other make and were in the thousands.
“Pesky bugs” Mycroft had to place his opinion forth. “I have seen these before.”
“Pesky they are but bugs they were not.” Sherlock grabbed one with his right hand, and then it bit his hands. “These are pesky locusts if I am not mistaken but they are metallic. “Definitely man made.”
“Then they can be destroyed.” Nemo pulled out his sword that he wore on his waist belt to slash at it. It moved from his slashes. It also started off then a battle between locusts and men. The group then withdraw to the tunnel and the locusts stopped there. They were there to protect the tower but the locusts did not come into the tunnel.
“Mycroft, do not ever speak another word before asking me twice.” Sherlock cautioned his brother. “We need to go ahead and that is our way.”
Sherlock motioned to the tower.
“It’s the way forward. We have no alternative.”
Junior ran off to collect the rope vine and then he suggested a better alternative.
“We can cross over to the tower.” Junior tossed the rope over but there was nothing to hold it.
“Watson, I guessed that part of his intelligence came from his mother.” Mycroft forgot his caution. Sherlock pushed the brother of his aside and then looked at the doorway.
Trapeze and evade the traps
Sherlock took hold of the Enfield rifle and tied it to the rope. He improvised a hold for it to hold the rope before he tossed it over. It went in and then he pulled it back but the rifle formed a hold across the entrance.
“Guys, it’s time to learn some circus skills.”
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