Sherlock Holmes: The Shadow From Beyond (14 page)

“What in the nine hells? A demon! Is it even possible, or do my eyes deceive me?” Watson aimed his revolver at the dark floating form. “Be careful of its treachery Holmes!” But the monstrous shadow remained in place, moving not an inch save for the slight falling and rising as it floated lightly upon the air.

“Why does the fiend not attack us? Why does it remain in place? I do not understand?”

The detective took many moments to respond, his faculties shaken by the impossible being hovering indisputably before him. “Fear not Watson old boy, this creature cannot harm us if it wanted to, and mark my words it truly desires to rend us limb from limb, or to drain our very life essence from us as it did to Professor Harper and the vagrant Cowley. Notice the zealous fervor evident in its staring eye and flexing muscles? To inflict pain and suffering is what it exists for alone; it is a creature of absolute evil. If it could only free itself from its prison we would be already dispatched, but notice the diagram scrawled on the stone floor beneath and around it.” Holmes pointed downward to some alien script that ran in a circular pattern a few feet about the creature. “These wards seem to confine the beast to the area within them. I recognized some of these symbols from diagrams found in the Necronomicon. This monster is a malevolent servant, a nefarious slave of Lebda summoned by the magic of black arts and human sacrifice to do the bidding of his master’s commands alone. I would never have thought this freak of nature possible, but here it exists before us in all its dire virulence, incredible!”

The demon completely understood the conversation of the two intruders who stood before it, the words were not lost on it as it realized its pathetic situation. The beast was wise beyond the ages, and its strength paramount, but behind the protection of the wards it was impotent.

Its powerful corded muscles contracted tightly beneath oily skin, flexing with anger, as the single eye burned brightly upon Holmes and Watson with menacing hatred. It continued to observe the two humans as they spoke before him, all the while imagining the worst possible tortures it would put them through, if only allowed.

“Using his skills with the dark arts,” Holmes continued somewhat skeptically “Lebda has created a gate of sorts to an unknown world, and has summoned this fearsome thing from that plane of existence into ours, and once within our realm he has trapped it with these wards. This is most surely the dreaded messenger of the air, the cause of both Professor Harper and the vagrant Cowley’s horrific deaths. The beast had been ordered by Lebda to target any in possession of the amulet he had sent to Harper. It is the harbinger of death that comes when its star Algol is at its height in the night sky. Silly of me for missing the obvious earlier when examining the details of the amulet and that single etched word upon it: Algol comes from the Arabic Al Ghtil which translates to ‘the demon’ or ‘the ghoul’! In English the star Algol is often referred to as the demon star due to its bright orange glow. Here floating before us is the ghoul itself, the demon emissary.”

“So this is the agent of doom responsible for Harper’s demise, as well as Cowley.” Watson stated as he eyed the sinister creature before him. “If that is the case, why was the sea beast sent in its place when the Aurora was attacked?”

“Lebda seems to possess the necromantic skills needed to summon a multitude of creatures from beyond this world. Some have specific uses I guess, based on target location, composition or size. It was noted in the Necronomicon that the various amulets can hold multiple souls within, all available to do its masters bidding. I will assume that the larger the intended target then the larger the messenger needed to fulfill the task. Imagine now if you will the size of an entity needed to destroy an entire city! It is my assumption that this is the ultimate desire of our Count Lebda and we must stop him at any cost before he is allowed to complete his plan.”

“But why Holmes? What is his reason, his motive?” “For now I see only revenge, the simplest and oldest motive in the world, old friend. Revenge for past wrongs committed that until avenged will leave an empty hole demanding to be filled. The burning desire to even the scales left unbalanced from time immemorial.”

“Revenge for what and against whom?”

“If I am correct and that Count Lebda, or whatever his real name, is a devout Muslim, then there are countless possible enemies to choose from that have wronged his culture over the centuries, our Western society is one on the top of the list I am sad to admit. Over the past centuries, as well as recently our governments have often imposed their interests and hidden agendas upon those cultures through war or foreign policy. Often our gains come at their expense.”

Watson nodded his understanding before he shined his torch light upon the intricate web of symbols scrawled about the floor in front of them. “The diagram Holmes, is that blood its written in?”

Sure enough the floor was scripted with a glistening crimson fluid.

“The table with the chains, the mislaid livestock and recently the missing vagrants all point to sinister foul deeds Watson, this Lebda is definitely not a figure to be taken lightly. Proof of his dark powers are evident in the winged beast that floats menacingly not more than a few feet in front of us and the destruction of the Aurora by the monstrous sea beast. A type of criminal as he I have never encountered before in all my years fighting crime. He may even possess the capability to threaten all of mankind with these sinister skills, and my faculties are almost useless in this realm of chaos and madness! No amount of logical thought can explain these beasts that seem to defy all laws of science and nature. I thoroughly admit Watson, to being well out of my usual area of expertise, and new methods will have to be developed on my part to fight these alien threats. In fact I am already using tools of deduction that I would have easily dismissed only a week ago. For me, these are unfamiliar waters indeed.”

Their conversation was suddenly cut short by the long moaning sound that originally led them to this underground pit of horror. It was much louder now, and distinct. It emanated from a darkened alcove just off to the side.

The seething eye of the demon followed Holmes and Watson as they wandered off to investigate, its fists clenched tightly in anger knowing it could do nothing but watch. In one of the side alcoves the torches of the companions illuminated a large rusted iron cell of about eight feet square. Sprawled across its floor and bound in chains is what Holmes recognizes as the remains of what can only be the runaway teenager, the one mentioned earlier by Francois as having fled home after a fight with his father.

The term what remained was in reference to the greatly misshapen and abnormal form of what was obviously once a human boy, but no longer. The twisted state of the figure showed evidence of abominable medical experimentation as well as some forced unnatural evolution or perhaps devolution in this case. The limbs had extended and become multi-jointed, orifices seemed to open and close randomly over the length of the torso, the skin was a patchwork of colors and textures, from reptilian to almost plant nature, and the face, that tortured visage of youth, was a mangled assortment of eyes that peered up at them weeping.

Watson collapsed to one knee and dropped the revolver to his side. Even he, a man of medicine who has seen the gore of war and the worst of human condition while solving crimes with Holmes, lost his lunch. He wretched uncontrollably at his partner’s side.

The beast’s misshapen mouths opened slightly, and in a labored raspy voice the suffering boy begged the two shocked viewers; “Tuezzz-moi... Killlll me... Killlllll meeeeeee.... Pleeeeaassse!”

Holmes stooped down and gathered Watson’s discarded revolver, then rose and steadied his trembling arm as best as possible while he aimed at the youth’s head.

A slight smile crept over one of the tortured boys mouths as it realized it fate.

Then a loud bang echoed throughout the cellar. The blasted skull smoked and the body lay still. Released from its bonds of agony, peace finally embraced that tormented soul, the boy was free.

Holmes gently helped Watson back to his feet and handed him back the revolver. “Come, we are off. Let us leave this slaughterhouse behind, I fear there is no more here to learn and I grow sick of its atmosphere.”

They gathered up the sacks with Lebda’s pilfered items, stole back past the demon sentinel, up the twisting stairwell and onto the main floor through the lower secret door. They were about to exit the mansion through the unlocked doors used to enter the house prior when Holmes paused to remove a bottle of cheap brandy from one of the sacks he carried.

“I doubt this is a good time for a drink!” Watson quipped upon seeing the bottle of spirits. “Could you at least have bought a quality blend other than that cheap swill?”

“It’s not for drinking old chap, more for use as fuel. Now please take out you matches and give me a light won’t you?” On that note Holmes removed the cap sealing the bottle and proceeded to pour its alcoholic contents about the carpets, drapes and tapestries of the room, finally smashing the bottle against a bookshelf, the remaining liquid splattered about the room. Watson held up the burning match in front of him. “Go ahead,” Holmes indicated with a nod of his head in the direction of the room “light it up.”

Watson now understood Holmes’ plan. He smiled widely and flicked the wooden stick of flame over the threshold and onto the liquor soaked carpet within the doorway. When the spinning tinder-stick struck the alcohol a light blue and gold flame suddenly erupted and rippled across the surface of the fabric, it moved rapidly toward the delicate curtains that hung along the wall. The fire then spread quickly as it fed greedily on the sweet brandy spilled about. The amber flames danced drunkenly over the objects in the room and soon the blaze was in full rage.

“Let’s be gone from here Watson! This place of evil and all it possess will soon be no more, hopefully consumed by these violent raging flames. No longer will this mansion of the damned haunt this countryside and its inhabitants. No longer shall its shadow of darkness cast its evil pall across the land. These poor locals will be rid of its nightmarish menace once and for all. May its foundations and all within be reduced to ash and scattered in the winds!”

They gathered up their bags of pilfered goods and hurried out the way they came, past the moaning brutes on the back lawn who were slowly coming too, over the stone fence and eventually back to the village.

The duo snuck into their room just as the rays of dawn crept over the eastern horizon, rays obscured by thick black smoke that rose from a massive fire that burned off in the distance, high upon a hill.

Puzzle Pieces

The town was all gossip the next morning, and the subject of the hour was the fire on the hill that had gutted Lebda’s mansion. Few had been awake to witness the raging flames devour the huge residence, but many awoke to the smell of charred wood that wafted down from the hill soon after. By the time the locals had realized what had happened, the mansion was no more.

A curious group that had taken a carriage up the road to investigate arrived to find a hulk of shouldering timbres, much too late to save anything of value. The servant’s quarters, at the rear of the property was untouched. The servants were seen hastily loading up their belongings into a couple of horse drawn wagons. When those townsfolk offered to aid them, the servants declined politely and continued quietly with their packing.

Watson observed the scene that unfolded in the streets below from the room he and Holmes shared at the inn. “The folk seem happy Holmes, a celebration of sorts even. Look how they smile and dance about. Incredible!”

“Yes Watson, it seems that Count Lebda was not the most gracious neighbor, and had very few friends in town, if any. Other than by some local merchants he ordered supplies from, I doubt anyone will miss him at all.”

“And what of his servants? And the dogs?”

“From the rumors swirling about they are all safe and unharmed, and in the process of extricating themselves from Lebda’s employ. By the end of the evening, the estate will be devoid of all life save a few mice, who will not stay long themselves I’m sure. Now help me sort these papers won’t you? We have a formidable task ahead of us if we want to make any sense of this mad jumble.”

Throughout the rest of the morning Holmes and Watson brooded over the notes, charts and maps acquired from the prior evenings heist at Lebda’s mansion. One of the maps featured the region of the Middle East and it surrounding countries, upon which large circles were marked in red ink, besides these were listed assorted dates: The city of Aden in the southern region (1838), Qatar in the west (1868), Cairo in the east (1882) and most recently that of Kuwait (1899) were well indicated. A few small question marks were noted beside some of the other major cities located around the coastline, these had no dates listed beside them. The Suez Canal, an artificial sea level waterway that connected the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, recently completed in 1869, had been re-named ‘Invader Canal’ in shaky red script.

“More proof of Lebda’s fanaticism here Watson,” Holmes blurted out, startling the doctor from his own studies. “The dates and places on this map are all connected with the expansion of our own British Empire during the last seventy years or so. The dates listed refer to when the Empire took possession of those cities, absorbing them as British protectorates, or in simple terms, the occupation of foreign lands for personal benefit, mostly economical I’m sure. Notice that all these are major port cities that border the coast and surround the interior,” he mentioned while holding up the map. “It would seem that he region is being surrounded, fenced in.”