Preys and Predators Part 1 Chapter 40

 

40                Whatever means needed 

 

Mary Reid stood at the window looking outside, with her nude body she presented quite a view to any who may look up at the window on the third level. She was not entirely nude; she had on the shirt worn by Jon Roxton. It was the scent of the sweat that attracted her to it.

Mary saw the man who sneaked onto the coach and left something on the bottom of it at the rear on the street. She had seen the works of it during the war when a more needed message was to be delivered. She saw the man retreated, and knew she not much time. She turned to her discarded clothes, and found her gun belt. She grabbed the gun there, and cocked the trigger.

“Wow! Did I do a bad task? I am sore from it.” Jon was lying on the bedding with the cover discreetly covering his groin.

Mary ignored him and approached the window. She aimed the gun at the coach. She needed the fast action there. She fired and saw the bullet impacted on the street. It was the noise that caused the horse pulling the coach bolted off.

The horse neighed and then pulled the away. The driver was thrown off by the horse’s action, and the occupants inside the coach was startled.

“Whoo!” Mycroft almost fell off the seating, while Doctor Watson was lying on the side.

“The horse has bolted from the noise of the shot!” Holmes called out. “Driver!”

There was no response form the driver. Holmes looked out and saw their coach was without a driver. The runaway coach slammed into some carts on the side, but maintained it speed approaching the end of the street.

At the end of it was the junction and before it was the park.

“Jump!” Holmes was the first to open the coach door and did just that. Mycroft followed on and Doctor Watson hesitated when he felt the coach was lifted, he did the same.

The coach lifted onto its wheels when the horse swerved to the left to proceed on but the coach had slammed into the fence at the park. It went down sideways and dragged the horse along with it.

The three passengers had landed on the street; bruised but alive.

“By George, we are alive.” Mycroft exclaimed. “What the ……”

It was then the noise of an explosion sounded from the spot where the coach was earlier parked.

“Is that an explosion? What has happened to the city nowadays?” Mycroft looked down the street. “It used to peaceful.”

“It is an explosion.” Doctor Watson said. He was used to that noise from his days in the military when the shells from the three-inch guns exploded on the ground. “Whoever bolted the horse saved our bacons.”

“Apparently.” Holmes had pushed himself. “It is obvious the works of a military person.”

“It cannot be.” Mycroft was on his feet and rubbed his back. “I have no enemy capable of that here. Unless the Boers are in the city.”

“Mycroft, the Boers are down south past the sea. I doubt they will explode your butt here.” Doctor Watson said  to the other. “Bloody oaf!”

“Watson, you are crossing the line there.” Mycroft took offence to the swearing.

“Settle down, men. It is not every other week, we get exploded, but let us check on our guest first.”

Colonel Moran saw the failed attempt from across the street, two buildings from the brothel. He was disappointed at that. He had wanted to eradicate the threat to Mary Reid; she was the niece to the Doctor. It was a wild decision of his, but felt the explosion would have damaged the coach and hurt the occupant but the explosive was on the street. If he had intended to kill them, Tommy would have left the bomb in the rear of the coach.

“Sorry, Sire. I did as what you told me.” Tommy Hill was a explosive expert who had laid the three sticks of dynamites with the lighted wick there.

“You done right, Tommy. Someone caused the horse to bolt. Nevertheless, the message was conveyed.” Colonel Moran stepped away from the window.

“Maintain surveillance on the lady.”

“Aye, Sir.” Tommy stepped away.

The Colonel saw the lady and her man companion stepped out to the street joining the gathered there. The lady was dressed in the oversized shirt and donned a pair of pants with the boots. She held the long coat over the right arm, concealing the gun there. The man was shirtless but wore his pants and boots.

“What an explosion.” Jon commented. “Do you know who did it?”

“Young man! What do you take us here for? The jungle?” The prudish older lady with the umbrella glared at Jon. “Get a shirt on for Pete’s sake.”

“Il peut avoir le mien à tout moment. » (Translated from French; He can have mine any time.) The lady nearby commented.

“Let us move on, George.” The older lady pulled her companion by the sleeve of his coat.

The companion who was an older gentleman was gaping at the ladies who were gathered there. It was not every other moment he gets to watch so many ladies covered in only camisoles. He wished he was still in his teens then.

“Stop looking or I will gorge your eyes out.” The lady forcefully pulled Geroge away.

“I cannot say George was distracted.” Mycroft had reached the spot then. Holmes ignored his brother and examined the blast area. He picked up some of the debris there.

“Part of the blasting cap, and clay.” Holmes looked at the collected bits. “It was a dynamite.”

“Nasty way of sending anyone to the other side.” Doctor Watson said. He had seen the effects of the explosion at the Frontiers. The lucky ones are the dead ones, while maimed may return to Blighty without part of their limbs. It was a sad wound to have when you are getting older.

“Interesting.” Holmes was into his thoughts. “It is unlike the works of Professor Moriarty; killing is within his expertise but to do it in this manner is beyond him unless his had become more vicious.”

“Holmes, Colonel Moran was in the military, and we used explosives there.” Doctor Watson reminded Holmes.

“A possibility….” Holmes frowned on his expression. He saw then the arrival of Mary Reid and Jon Roxton.

“Mary.” Mycroft was the first to greet them. He held the pained expression when he saw the shirt on the lady.

“Jon!” Doctor Watson smiled at the man. “When did you returned? And what happened to your shirt?”

“Elementary, Watson.” Mycroft borrowed the expression from his brother towards the doctor.

“We shall meet inside.” Holmes motioned to Mary. “It may be safer.”

Holmes was looking at the windows for any protruding barrel.

At that moment, Colonel Moran took his leave of the unit and exited by the rear to the awaiting coach. He was given the message to meet Lord Dennis. He was to leave when the other message arrived.

“Holmes with the lady.”  

 

 

Preys and Predators Part 1 Chapter 39

 

39                Bloody Choices Count

 

Vlad crouched into a ball like behind the divan to protect himself from the sunlight. It was his weakness then.

‘Every curse comes with a deadlier curse to it.” The old lady told him. “One that will inflict more pain to you.”

It was when Count Vlad attacked Ottoman territory, massacring tens of thousands of Turks and Muslim Bulgarians. Sultan Mehmed launched a campaign against Wallachia to replace Vlad with Vlad's younger brother, Radu. Vlad attempted to capture the sultan but failed. Worried for his safety, the advisers convinced the ruler to leave Wallachia. When the local Wallachian army saw the Sultan departure, they deserted to Radu.

It was a loss situation for Vlad, and he went to Transylvania to seek assistance from the King of Hungary but was imprisoned instead. There he met the gypsies who were to share his cell.

“I vow to fight for your people, and a land for yours to keep.” Count Vlad told the inmates of his cell.

“We harbour no land, Count, but the safe passage on your land. We do not encroach onto settlements and villages, but will take our stay at the fringe for trade. We do not steal but offer a fair bargain for our wares. All we ask is no persecution of us there. We are travellers of the land, and shall remain so.” The leader of the group spoke on their behalf.

“The nobleman perceived as rascals and reported us to the King. We pleaded out case, but the noble man held influence. He forgotten his ancestors were once like us; they were named Magyars; nomadic tribes like us.”

“I will give you the passage.” Count Vlad affirmed his intention. He then reeled from the pain on his chest. The leader called upon the healer to attend to him. The healer checked the Count’s vitals and then spoke.

“You suffered much and your injuries are internal. You may cease to breathe soon.” The healer was an old lady dressed in rags and held many vials on belts on her frame.

“I must think of a cure for you. Either you can wait for die waiting.” That was the healer’s words towards the Count. There were bouts of pain for the Count, and finally the healer spoke.

“I may hold a cure for you but it is with a price to you. A costly price but the reward of it is immortality.” The healer told him.

“Healer, immortality is craved by all since the start of the living, but it remains a fallacy to all. We will live to the time we have to die. I am to do so with my injuries.”

“True, Count. Immortality eludes us except our memories to the ones who may choose to tell it or lose it forever.” The healer smiled displaying the missing tooths. “But immortality allows you the extra time to kill your enemies or their generations to die too, would it be worthy of yourself. And the injuries healed.”

Count Vlad was baffled. He was given the choice of a new life. He nodded to the healer.

“A cure that is a curse within another.” The healer looked at him. “Does blood distaste in you?”

“Blood? I am a warrior. I have killed many others, and while their blood may have not stopped flowing, another would had been killed by me.” Count Vlad hardened by his early years as a hostage of the Turks, was punished hard with sessions of cuts and blows that left his body bloodied.

“And you have impaled the enemies and hold their blood in the pots below.” The healer reminded the Count.

“Blood is the elixir of life. It held the nutrients of every living creature. It is the same shade and flows throughout their body. A predator kills its prey by severing the flow of the blood. It will feed on the parts that held the blood.” The healer points to the bats that hung by the ceiling with their fangs hooked on the narrow crevasses.

“The night creature is one that does not kill but takes what is needed to survive. They fed on the preys’ blood. It gives them nutrients.”

“Bats? I …...” Count Vlad looked at the hanging creatures that will hunt at night.

“I do not eat them.”

“Eat? I did not say eat, Count Vlad. I was to say prey like them. Can you drink blood?” It was the curse he had to carry to cure his injuries and made him a monster.

“Master, are you alright?” Rosa appeared at his sight. She was dressed in the plain frock and without shoes. “Your wounds are healing. Here, please do take into my blood.”

Rosa offered her right wrist to the Count. She had offered him before but on many occasions, the Count had declined. He knew the lady understood his sufferings but she suffered from the captors. They have her ravished before his eyes. Monsters they were and Rosa fought hard. She was beaten with sticks and tortured but she never gave up on her master. Her churi knives were confiscated.

“I am fine, Rosa. You need to rest.” Count Vlad looked away. His urge was there but he saw the pin in Rosa.

“You must feed, Master. If you are not well, you cannot avenge for me.” Rosa had tears on her eyes. “I am your servant.”

“I will not die until I avenge your pains, Rosa.” Count Vlad looked to the heavy chains on his limbs. “I will break free soon and they will suffer for it.”

“How is the doctor?” Count Vlad asked.

“I have seen twice. He is chained like you but heavier chains than yours. He is alive.”

“Hyde or Jekyll?” The Count asked.

“Both.” Rosa said. “He is in pain when he sees me. He became the other but the chains are too thick for him to breakthrough. They also got the other monsters to fight him. He is in pain.”

Count Vlad tears flowed from his eyes. He could feel the pain then. The door to the room opened and a figure came in.

“Hello, Vlad.” The voice spoke to the Count.

“Radu, you animal.”

“Emotions, brother.” The newly arrived approached the Count. He was holding the cloak on his arms. “I am here to see you. Leave us, servant.”

“She stays with me, Radu. Why are you here?” Count Vlad looked to his brother. “I saw you before and never once you help me. Or Rosa.”

“We met and I cannot help you. If you must know now, I am the leader here. I own the Syndicate.” Radu the brother of Vlad said. “I am known to them as the Professor. To you, I am Radu Tepes. Thank you for saving my life.”

Radu was held hostage with Vlad at young but he remained there at the Sultan’s court. After the Sultan first defeat of Vlad, the Sultan opted to reward Radu's ongoing loyalty by setting him on the throne of Wallachia in Vlad's place. He was also later made the head of the Janissary. The war against his brother, Vlad was still on. When the forces of the Sultan approached Târgoviște, they encountered over 20,000 of their kind impaled by the forces of Vlad III, creating a "forest" of dead or dying bodies on stakes. This atrocious, gut-wrenching sight was too much even for them to bear therefore they had to retreat to regroup.

“It was my strategy to deter the bigger army of the Sultan.” Vlad had defended the killings. “It worked then.”

“It did and your infamous night attack on the Sultan’s army was the deciding factor in the war.” Radu told his brother. “But it drove the boyars to side with me. And the earlier enemy, the Saxons resented you. You were deemed a monster.”

“You pursued me far and long, Radu.” Count Vlad eventually was chased out of the land by Radu. “Yet….”

“Yet, you saved my life when I was fatally wounded. You gave me your blood when I was dying.” Radu looked at the other. He was wounded fatally, and Count Vlad came to his rescue. Soon after that, Count Vlad went into hiding and soon retired to the valley, while his enemy thought he was dead.

“Your tarnished blood that soon made immortal but with the curse.” Radu lived on and one day was declared dead, but he went also went into hiding. “Bound by blood, we are brothers and also as the monsters.”

“You cursed me, brother. I had to stay away like you did, but I took my time to build another empire called the Syndicate. It took a long time, and with careful planning, I avoided the authorities and our enemies. Thanks to you, and your blood, I will restore our kingdom.”