Team of Seven Heroes III Chapter 37 to 38

37.

“Why did you shoot them?” Watson asked while the young lady ran to her father who was bleeding at the chest. Both Emperors were down but Fa Lo Suee was attending to the Emperor of The East. The Emperor from the West was already dead. They were shot by Sir Fleming with the gun that released several bullets in succession on the pull of the trigger.

“That’s two less to contend with for the Elixir.” Sir Fleming levelled the gun at the others. “I won’t hesitate to shoot.”

“Was the Elixir so important to you? He was to show you …” Sherlock looked at the man.

“My future and I intend to enjoy it.” Sir Fleming then aimed the gun at Sherlock. “You are …”

Sir Fleming then keeled over and then dropped his gun. He was shot in the chest then from Moriarty’s cane. Everyone was stunned and then Moriarty explained his cane.

“I had it made to hold two bullets and it’s an improvised rifle. The long length served as a barrel. And it can reach the distance of over five hundred yards.” Moriarty explained. “I had two made. One was given to my aide, Colonel Moran.”

It was Gabriel who broke the discussion then.

“Behold the future of your world. Your future life in a flash. Or to some, the past leading to the future.” On everyone’s head, an orb surrounded their head and then flashes of images appeared on it. Well, not all. There were none on Dracula, Mr Hyde and Lucifer. The ladies were the first to show their emotions with tears. Next was Watson and then Nayland before Mycroft and last Moriarty. Only Sherlock remained emotionless. They all fell to their knees and then Moriarty collapsed to his knees.

Only Van Helsing stood there, He was moving on his feet and then shrugged his shoulders.

“They know their future.” Gabriel spoke up. He then withdrew the orbs and all those affected collapsed but not Van Helsing. He looked at Gabriel and then Lucifer. It was Dracula who spoke.

“You know the hidden truth.” Dracula smiled. “It does hurt initially not knowing then.”

“I was a …” Van Helsing shook his head.

“A Levite? Yes, you a descendant of the clan. Your forefathers were given a heavy task and one was to perform certain tasks like preserving the artefacts like the Elixir.”

“And to capture the errant Fallen ones?” Van Helsing glared at Lucifer. “Are there more of us? With different tasks?”

“No, there are no others. Your line was the only one. All of them have gone to join the others or are held here.” Lucifer smiled. “I do have plenty of cells.”

“No, you are showing us lies.” It was Moriarty. He stood up with the assistance of his cane. “The Empire cannot collapse for we are in almost three quarters of the populated lands. We are in even Greater China. All I need was time to expand my influence to all those lands. I will be the Kingmaker of the Kings and …. Emperors.”

“That Emperor”, Moriarty looked at the dead Fu Manchu. “I told him that I will work with him but he was adamant on building his own. It was him who denied my assistance. He wanted my dream too but on his terms. I would not have that and we went our ways. He did however lead me to an interesting item; the Elixir of Life. I knew I could not find it by myself but like a good master, I left the pet on a long leash. It eventually brought me the hunt I wanted. “

“I am here, and he is there. Sadly, I did not kill him. He was killed by the other.” Moriarty glared at Sherlock. “He was the rare one that I had personally kill. In your case, I will not have to feel the guilt.”

“Just don’t dance on my grave. I won’t on yours.” Sherlock replied.

“Do you think we can go on?” Lucifer looked at Gabriel. “We have guests here. They came here for a reason. The Elixir of Life.”

“Yes, we shall have the Elixir. I will save my dying father.” Fa Lo Suee voiced out. She was holding the machine gun that belonged to Sir Fleming. Next to her was her aide, the other lady was holding the swords dropped by the Emperors. “Show me or I will kill all of you.”

“Women are so predictable. You lived not by instinct but by emotions.” Lucifer replied. “Show them the case.”

Lilith waved her hands and one of her children, the one that a resembled gnome but he held a set of a talon. The halfway heightened creature arrived carrying a small case. The case was about one feet long and with the same height and width. The case held a lid where a lock mechanism was located. The creature placed the case at Lilith’s feet.

“Ain’t you supposed to conjure it like Gabriel was doing then?” Sherlock looked puzzled as if his observation was not leading him to the possible conclusion.

“No, that was Gabriel doing. He thinks the case was still in the previous holding area hidden here at Hades. I am unlike Lucifer. I don’t have the need of those flair to the task. Anyway, the case is here.” It was Moriarty who rushed forth to open it. He grabbed the lock but it was not one he was familiar with. He stood looking sheepish like the kid caught with the hand in the cookie jar.

“Okay, how do I open it?”

“It’s easy.” Lilith tapped case cover with her right hand. The lock sprung open and the lid open. Inside the case was nothing.

It was empty.

38.

“Sherlock, can I have the stone that you took from Lake Onega?” Lilith asked. Sherlock handed the rock and then Lucifer asked for the gyaling but he changed his mind.

“Gabriel, could you play the gyaling please?” Lucifer placed the rock inside the case.

“The scrolls please.” Lucifer handed out his hands but Sherlock ignored the hands and he then opened the scrolls.

“Merlin taught me many subjects and one was how to interpret the scrolls. And it told me of the Elixir too.” Sherlock looked at the others. “Are you sure you want this?”

There was no reply. Sherlock then placed the box into the case, and the lid closed by itself. Gabriel then took the gyaling offered to him. He placed it to his lips and then removed it.

“It will work.” Gabriel handed the gyaling to Sherlock. “You can blow it now.”

“No. I can’t. Violin strings are my preference.” Sherlock handed the scrolls over to Gabriel. “It should be kept in a more secure place. After here.”

Gabriel placed the gyaling to his lips and then placed the scrolls in front of him. He started blowing the gyaling directed at the scrolls. The sound of the chords blew from the gyaling triggered the scrolls to flip and then words surfaced like magic floating in the air before it all landed on top of the case. The words slowly dissolved into the case.

“Open it.” Moriarty voiced out in anger directed at Lilith.

“Don’t ever order me.” Lilith reached her limits. She waved her hands and the gargoyle named Gorgon swooped from above and grabbed Moriarty. It flew up and then dropped the mathematician from above. Moriarty screamed and just before he reached the ground, he was grabbed once more and it was Lucifer who made the grab.

“You will live for another day.” Lucifer told the mathematician before dropping him on the ground.

“None of us can open the case.” Sherlock voiced out. “Let me explain from what I read in the scrolls and my discussion with the mage.”

“The sleuth wishes to disclosed his deductions now.” Lucifer laughed and then looked at Watson. “I hope you have the pencil and paper. It may be important to conclude the tale.”

“If you trace the origin of the Elixir to its most faithful Guardians which were the Greeks. They held onto it for centuries given to them from the beginning of civilisation. It was not the only artefact held by them. They held another which we are too familiar with; the Pandora Box.”

“The legend of the Pandora Box was from the Greeks, and was it a myth or history, I am not sure but its implication towards us was immense. Most of us believed in it that it caused us pains and deaths. Not all of it that escaped the box was deadly. Some of it was a blessing but nothing was ever giveth without a reciprocal want.”

“Fire was what Prometheus took from Zeus and gave it to the people. And in anger, Zeus offered the box to Epimetheus who innocently opened the box and released the contents except Hope. All of you read it in some form or another but why Hope kept back. What was Hope? Hope was the definition of good expectations or was deceptive expectations. Many of our friends died from false hopes. Some of lived with false hopes, that we could change things. And yet some of us hoped to live linger to make the difference.”

“That Hope remained in the box for it did not want to give the people the wrong expectations. We are greedy and what we wished for in our heart was the hope to live forever thus the artefact became the Elixir of Life; ever hopeful for longevity.”

“The Greeks knew it but they also know that hope came with a price. It may be many things or part of those unleashed earlier from the box hence it was kept hidden the Elixir of Life. The scrolls recorded it as an evil item and was to be kept from the hands of the innocents. The Greeks handed the box to the Macedonians. It produced a great leader that expanded their Empire which was their hope to live long to see it but the leader was to pay the price and with him the collapse of the hope. When they were threatened by the hordes of Mongols, the Greeks handed their artefact to the Great Khan hoping that he will perished like their King. The Great Khan was a barbarian and he held no curiosity for artefacts. He had the box placed among the many others artefacts that were given to him. Hope or the Elixir of Life was lost then in its value except to a young man then who was to manage the artefacts. He read the Greeks’ scrolls and then he held onto the artefact for the hope of living on. Then was the reborn of the Elixir of Life.”

“You read all of that on some scrolls written centuries ago. It must had been predictive.” Moriarty raised his query then. “Or you are deceiving us? Buying time perhaps for some spectacular event?”

“No, I am telling you tales. Part of my analogy came from my discussion with the mage who served in the Khan’s court too.” Sherlock explained. “Merlin was there.”

“Merlin is a fable.” Moriarty snapped back. “Sherlock, your mind is deluded.”

“Not so much as mine or yours>” The voice came out from the dark corner. It was a figure of a tall man with long white beard dressed in the sack cloth with the hood over the face that resembled that from the reclusive monks. He approached them in his wooden sandals and holding a leather book.

“Merlin, you are here.” Sherlock expression beamed with pride to have the one he also knew as the mage.

“And I am.” Merlin approached Lilith and then greeted to her. “It has been a long time, my dear Morgause Le Fay.”

“Merlin, once my lover. I find your presence rather timely. Just as we hope to end the quest for the Elixir of Life. Tell us what tales you have spun for the sleuth…. that is what he prefers to be acknowledge as.” Lilith turned to look at Lucifer. “I hoped it’s another Arthurian tale. That took over a thousand nights of reading to end.”

“None of that, my dear. I won’t bore the lifetime of my other brothers lest they lose hope on their own.” Merlin looked to Gabriel and Lucifer. ‘I have wandered the lands above and below, championing leaders among them since the last great war.”

“Yes, Brother. It was a long time and noble of you to stay on. You have tried to restored many things.” Lucifer looked to Merlin. “I can appreciate that.”

“Meddling may be the best term.” Gabriel added in. “Merlin, you could not resist staying away. Why the exile to the Void Dimension soon after the demise of Arthur? Was he not one of your many failures before?”

“I had held hope on Arthur, Brother Gabriel. His failure was a major setback to me. It was …”

“Enough jabbering.” Lilith interrupted. “Tell us what noble task is there for you here now?”

“I am here to tell them that the Elixir of Life is not to be possess by them. Its kept inside the case that is also known as the Pandora’s Box. If anyone re-opens the box, it will be will spread mayhem once more.” Merlin looked to the mortals there. “I have over eons being restoring that box’ contents including Hope or the Elixir of Life as you knew it to be.”

“They need to know of the Minister then.” Sherlock interrupted. He then looked at Fa Lo Suee. “The Minister did live long but his life was full of turmoil then. He lost his family and many friends as a result while he lived a hermit in the Vault there. He devoted his life to preserve his task thus his life. When he was asked to return the artefact to Marco Polo, he refused and requested that he returned with it. The Khan then allowed him the request. He held onto the artefact until they reached Jiayu Pass when the Minister was inflicted of a supernatural attack. He could not die but his body was wrecked. He summoned Marco Polo and decided to pass the ownership f of the artefact to the other. Marco had accepted the task only after he return from the homeland which he had news of war was there. They agreed to it and buried the artefact at Jiayu Pass. Once the Minister was apart from his artefact, he died from his injuries.”

“And Marco Polo did not come back for it but sent the Church to collect it. It was stored in Oxford later on.” Van Helsing continued on with the brief version. “You mentioned supernatural attack? What was that?”

Sherlock looked to Dracula.

“It was Dracula. He attacked the Minister then. He wanted the Elixir for himself but he could not get it. It was hidden from him.” Dracula smiled on the accusation.

“I did but someone veiled the box from me. I knew not who then but it all came to my senses now. Why did you protect the box then too?”

“Out of the same reason as now. The Elixir of Life is not being possessed by anyone. I had the Church took custody of it but they soon lose it. It was then I knew Lucifer had it and hid it in the Vault.” Merlin stared at the other.

“Like you, I was preserving it until it was taken from me.” Lucifer looked at Lilith. “It belonged to Hades for in this dimension, all who enter shall abandon all hopes. Like the lot of you now. I am Lucifer the Guardian of Hades.”

With that announcement, Lucifer grew in his frame to a huge one and laughed his evil laugh.]

“Perish all your hopes now. There is no bargaining with the Devil, the devourer of souls.”