Chapter Five:
Meeting Of The Elders
The Manor:
The creature gave a hideous screech, and swung forward at Lucy – just as she gathered her wits and rolled away. She felt a sharp pain, and – pressing a hand to her chest – struggled to get to her feet, whilst she tried to support herself on her other hand.
"Over here!"
Both Lucy and her assailant froze. Turning around sharply, they spied Inspector Cooke sprinting from around the west side of Hanbrook Manor, running towards them as he raised his pistol. On his heels were about three militia guards. The uniformed men quickly dropped to their knees, and raised their loaded rifles.
They were already here…? The thought struck Lucy – just before the first shots rang out, assailing her hearing, even as the creature was hit by some of the shots. Immediately, however, a problem presented itself. The hide of the monster was thick – and after a few seconds Lucy, from her close-up perspective, watched in horror as the bullets were pushed out from the grayish-green skin of the horror.
Another screech split the evening air, reaching the ears of the party attendees. Finding part of the low enclosure wall around the fountain to lean her weight on as she pulled herself up, Lucy whimpered and tried to control her racing heartbeat. The creature was taking to the air now with its wings, gaining a few feet – before it launched itself at Inspector Cooke and the posted militia, swinging wildly with its taloned arms and clawed feet. One man cried out and fell as he was slashed. The others dived for whatever cover they could find in their chaotic panic.
Fearfully, Lucy looked down upon herself, and gasped, slowly pulling away the hand that had clamped against her chest. There was a wound – but only a minor one. Instead, it was her new necklace that had taken the bulk of the blow – the chain link was now severed, and the sharp-edged sapphire was now cupped in her shaking hand.
Lucky old me, again… She told herself. She had a history known to Karl and her family of being fortunate in evading serious injury – ever since growing up as a risk-taking young girl.
"Lucy! Get clear!"
She shot her face up, breaking out of her trance. Karl was at the bottom of the steps below the terrace now. Thomas was next to him, handing over a sword. The saber from the display case in the house, to be more exact…
"Karl!" she shouted back. But even as she called out, the creature turned its attention from the moaning, injured militia, and back to her. Flapping its bat-like wings, it rose again from the gravel of the garden path and dived towards her – a taloned hand outstretched…
Gasping, Lucy sprinted for the nearby entrance of the hedge maze. She had nearly reached it when the displacement of air told her she had ran out of time. Immediately, she spun round, raised her clenched hand, and swung out with the narrowest edge of the cut sapphire – even as she ducked down.
The fiend screamed as the jewel sliced across the skin of its throat. Then its horizontally-inclined body sailed over its crouched prey. Distracted, the monster's direction of flight changed slightly. It was enough to cause it to crash into the corner of the maze, and consequently it then somersaulted to the ground.
Lucy panted for breath, hearing the screams of her mother and the party guests from the open ballroom doors. She also heard Inspector Cooke calling out for 'Mr Morgan'…
Harlow Morgan…!?
Then she saw Karl stepping forward with his saber raised. His free hand gently, but firmly, was pushing the goatee-bearded Inspector aside.
"I'll handle this!" Karl declared. Then he dashed forward towards the now-stirring monstrosity, placing himself between it and Lucy.
"Karl – it has a thick hide!" she warned him.
"Thank you for the warning! Get clear!" he called back, keeping his eyes on the hateful glare of the creature as it folded in its damaged wings and rose once more on its strong-looking legs. He saw that one of its talons was still red with the blood from Lucy's wound…
"You fiend…," Karl spat. He and the creature made their battle cries at the same time – and they lashed out at each other. As Inspector Cooke and Thomas pulled Lucy back to safety, she watched – mesmerized – as Karl swung his sword expertly, and twisted away to avoid the cruel-looking talons. He used the walls of the garden fixtures to his advantage – jumping up upon one wall, and leaping across to another as he evaded the monster's swipes. After a few moments, Karl was kicked back by the creature as it took off into the air with only the one working wing. Momentarily winded as he crashed against the marble steps leading up to the ballroom, Karl gritted his teeth and forced himself to lift his sword in both arms as his inhuman opponent dived to finish him off. Lucy screamed. The men cried out in terror. But just as the monster's fetid breath hit Karl, he swung down at an angle – and his blade wedged itself deep into the creature's neck. With an expression of shock that was nearly human, the being tried to pull the blade out of its body with its hands. Gray blood oozed out of the wound, dripping down its muscular torso.
Karl held firm with his sweat-laden hands, not daring to let go.
With a final, agonized screech, the monstrosity buckled sideways and tumbled down the stairs, landing at the base of them with a heavy 'thud'. It gave a few, raspy breaths – then become deadly still.
Karl retrieved the saber, and closed his eyes in relief. He had seen death enough times to know even a being such as this was done for.
"Get down!" Inspector Cooke yelled. There was another 'screech' filling the air close by…
There was a 'bang', followed by an inhuman roar. Karl opened his eyes to see a second winged creature being struck by a net that had just spread out as it descended. A net that had apparently just been fired from a stocky-looking gun as a cartridge. The shooter was a balding, bespectacled man – aged in his fifties – with wide sideburns that led downwards into his thick, neatly-trimmed brown beard. He wore a white shirt, a green waistcoat, black slacks, and black shoes.
"I…I got it!" the man exclaimed, apparently surprised by his success.
The hovering creature, now covered by the net that was weighted down around its edging by stone pegs, promptly crashed into the fountain below. The splash of water caught the wailing Inspector Cooke, Lucy, and Thomas. But as the creature hissed and tried to push itself back up from the basin of the fountain, the Inspector pushed the barrel of his pistol through a gap in the netting at the being's head, at close range.
"No, you will not move again!" he declared with determination.
The gunshot that followed saw the fiend's head punched open by the bullet. It collapsed face down, its fluid seeping into the water…
Karl saw the man with the net gun collapse upon his knees. He dropped his weapon and clutched his ribs, as if in pain.
"Mr Morgan… Are you all right?" Inspector Cooke called out. "That one you brought down… It injured you when it attacked us at the front of the house, did it not?"
"Yes, Inspector. But…I will be fine. See to the others…," Harlow Morgan gasped.
"Mr Morgan! Thank you!" Lucy ran over to him. "Let me help you. I do know how to treat wounds…"
He held up a hand to stop her. "Honestly, Lucy. It was just a scratch."
"It looked more than that to me…," Karl muttered, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. He glanced between the Welsh man and Lucy. "You know each other, then?"
"Oh yes, sir! I have come across Miss Hanbrook during her visits to Shadowbrook. It is a pleasure to have a friendly face to talk to. Especially one who takes an interest in my work." Harlow smile dropped as he kept his right hand pressed against his injured ribs. "My apologies, sir. I am unable to offer you my hand to shake, if we making introductions…"
Karl bowed. "Apologies accepted - as is your help - Mr Morgan. I am Karl Harrison – a childhood friend of Lucy's."
"Ahh…yes. Lucy has often spoken fondly of you to me. A pleasure to meet you, Mr Harrison."
"Likewise… And…your work?"
"I am an inventor. I dabble – a lot. Now, please excuse me." Nodding to Lucy, Karl, and Thomas, Harlow Morgan gathered the remains of his net gun – using both hands to do so, Karl noted, despite the older man's waistcoat being stained red.
As the conversation unfolded, the Inspector was barking orders at Sergeant Allardyce and those amongst the militia men who were still standing to see to those who were injured. Suddenly, there was a cry from the terrace. Everyone turned, to see Lady Hanbrook running down the steps to seize Lucy in a tight hug. Close behind her, Lord Hanbrook and Major Bruckner stopped running as they laid eyes upon the corpses of the two winged monstrosities. Karl glanced behind them, to see Isabella von Took and Anne Marie Piaget at the top of the terrace steps – who were also stupefied at the sight of the downed fiends. Anne Marie stooped down and helped up Victor Danforth, who was gibbering.
"Oh my dear baby! Are you hurt?" Lady Hanbrook's face was the most animated Karl had ever since it.
"I…I am well enough, mother. Mr Harrison defended me…," Lucy managed to croak out.
"Did he now?" Lady Hanbrook looked up at Karl, who was straightened himself, conscious of the minor tears in his uniform. She dipped her head at him. "It seems that your arrival here tonight was fortunate after all."
"By that, I believe my wife is saying 'Thank you for what you did, Mr Harrison'." Lord Hanbrook smiled. His gaze shifted to the saber that was still in Karl's hand.
"Oh… Apologies for…borrowing this in the moment of crisis." Karl offered the saber back to his lordship.
Lord Hanbrook exchanged a look with his wife. "I think…, given the circumstances, Mr Harrison… You should keep the saber. As a token of our gratitude."
Lady Hanbrook paused, but then solemnly nodded in agreement.
Karl slotted the weapon away in its sheath and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, your lordship and ladyship. However, the others here played their part too – it wasn't just me. And Lucy also displayed courage in her distress. She…"
"Oh, Karl…" Disengaging herself from her mother's hold, Lucy stepped forward to retrieve the broken sapphire necklace. The sharp edge of the cut jewel was still stained with blood from her inhuman attacker. "It got broke in the struggle."
Karl sighed. "Never mind… I'm glad that you are safe now, Miss Lucy," he declared, keeping his tone formal in the presence of her parents.
Inspector Cooke stepped forward towards Karl and Thomas, but kept his gaze on the soldier. "I am grateful to your honorable gesture, as you stepped forward to deal with this…thing, Mr Harrison." He paused and regarded them both now. "I apologize to you gentlemen… It seems that I was too rash in regarding you as suspects to the deaths that had occurred."
"No matter…" Karl returned Cooke's steady gaze. "How come you were here with the militia tonight?"
"I was concerned that too many people in one location…might have attracted…something. I was right to take precautions," Cooke answered.
"Damn well that you did, Inspector," Bruckner grunted his appreciation. His eyes narrowed as he took in the slain winged beings. "What in the devil's name are they…?"
Cooke released a drawn-out sigh. "I have no idea," he admitted.
Lady Hanbrook eyed the creatures with disgust. Her lip trembled. "Inspector Cooke, I am truly relieved that the scourge plaguing this community has now been overcome. But kindly remove these…these grotesque…fiends from the property!"
"I will see to the arrangements, your ladyship and your lordship. Please return to your party," Inspector Cooke muttered.
"The party has now been ruined!"
"No – it has not, mother!" Lucy took hold of one of her mother's arms, as she attempted to return both of her parents to the ballroom. "We can celebrate our deliverance from the shadow those creatures had cast over our town…" Looking back over her shoulder, Lucy mouthed a 'thank you' to Karl and Thomas.
"I think some brandy is called for to steady the nerves of our guests," Lord Hanbrook speculated, his expression and posture still tense.
The sober mood began to dissipate as the Hanbrooks re-entered the ballroom, followed by Major Bruckner. With Cooke and Allardyce overseeing Harlow Morgan and the injured men, Karl and Thomas joined Isabella, Anne Marie, and Victor at the top of the marble stairs.
"Well… The evening has certainly been…interesting," Isabella remarked drily, one eyebrow lifted as she moved towards the creature Karl had killed.
"Don't touch it, you fool!" Thomas snapped.
"And vhy not?" Isabella bristled, control over her native accent slipping, due to her annoyance of how she had just been addressed.
"Because people 'ave been turned to stone by these freaks!" he snapped at the noblewoman. "Maybe it's done by touch."
"Really?" Isabella gestured with her head towards the fountain where Allardyce and a pair of militia were resorting to pulling out the creature from the basin with their bare arms. "That…grotesque thing…doesn't seem to be affecting anyone, now that it's dead."
"There was another one…" Victor croaked.
"What?" gasped Anne Marie.
"On the ground, in-between the trees of the woods outside of the estate… I glimpsed it during the fighting…" The playwright's wide eyes shifted quickly from one face to another on each of those gathered around him. "It's not there now!"
Isabella touched the hard hide of the downed monster without fear. She then examined her palm. "No change to my hand. And I fail to see how these creatures caused the weeping wall that I told you about, Mr Harrison," she declared.
"Mon dieu! What?" Anne Marie's face was turning paler.
Karl stroked his beard with his index finger. "No… I believe that you are right, Madam Von Took. Whatever is going on around here has not ended. Instead, it has only started to show its hand."
"Or its talons and wings…," Thomas added his non-cheery thought.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
After the celebratory drinks to the defeat of the creatures that were now becoming referred to as 'the grotesques', Lucy's birthday party was wrapped up by her parents – who were now keen to see their guests leave in an orderly fashion, so that those affected by the attack of the fiends could be seen to. With the cook still missing and Karl insisting that she was now dead, Lord Hanbrook ordered that her room be made available as overnight accommodation to Lucy's rescuer. Whilst Lady Hanbrook wanted the man who had failed to protect her daughter gone from the manor as soon as possible. That man being Victor Danforth – who was still in something of a state of shock.
After hearing Victor's account of what had happened in the garden, Anne Marie did not agree with Lady Hanbrook's cold attitude. She could not be seen to share her bedroom with him for the night, though.
"That would be…improper…Monsieur Danforth. After all, we barely know each other," she told him – with the hint of a smile.
Sighing, Karl handed Victor the key to the cook's room – the key that he had just been given. "Keep a low profile, Mr Danforth. In the morning, gather your items and leave – before Lady Hanbrook sees you."
"But Madam von Took here is a friend of her ladyship…," Anne Marie pointed out.
"Do not worry. I am, and will be, totally oblivious to your presence in the manor, Mr Danforth," Isabella retorted with a smirk.
Victor nodded his thanks at his new acquaintances. "But where will you stay, Mr Harrison?"
"At my lodgings in Shadowbrook. Thomas here has the room next to mine. And now, goodnight to you all," Karl declared, as he and Thomas left the others.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
In the morning, as he was getting dressed, Victor answered the rap on his door – to find Anne Marie. With a finger pressed against her mouth, the schoolmistress passed to him the wrapped up freshly-baked portion of bread and butter.
"Au revoir!" she whispered, as she slipped away.
"Er… Merci. And…, au revoir…" Victor shook his head in amazement, as he closed the door back to.
After his makeshift breakfast, he tried to sneak around the manor – hoping to avoid crossing into the path of Lady Hanbrook in particular. Or sneak as well as a man of his girth was able to anyway, as he tiptoed sideways along the first-floor corridor leading from the servants' quarters and peeped around the corners of the walls. For his own piece of mind, there was something that he had to do before leaving…
From what he could see and hear downstairs, there seemed to be an awful lot of activity. Several people seemed to be just arriving at the manor.
There she was! Just coming out of the dining room. Taking care to avoid making much noise, he took long strides in order to catch up with her.
"Miss Lucy!" he hissed.
She spun round, and yelped. Grabbing hold of the front of her long skirt, the younger Hanbrook ran away from him. Forcing himself on, Victor caught up with her and grabbed her hand.
"Get off me! Mother told me you had gone from here!"
"Please keep your voice down, Miss Lucy! I only want to…"
But after some effort, she had yanked her hand out of his grip. Lucy then dashed into the nearest room – slamming the door to behind her.
Victor gulped. Deciding that he was not going to back down where his honor was concerned, he strode forward and wrestled with Lucy for control over the door knob before she could lock the door. After a few moments, he managed to push his way into the room beyond.
His eyes widened. It was a small, but well-stocked library of books. In the middle of the room was a wide, circular table, with eight chairs placed round it.
Lucy rubbed her now-sore hand as she glared at him. "Do I have to yell for the servants, Mr Danforth?" she bristled. "I am not happy at how you ran on without me, last night! I could have been…!"
"…killed. Yes, I know." Victor shut the door to behind him as he hung his head. He took a few steps towards her. "I wish to apol-"
"Please – just leave!" Lucy ducked underneath the huge table, slipping though the gap between two chairs with ease. "You should not have sneaked up on me in the corridor! After last night, I am scared of everything…"
Victor groaned. He slapped himself in his annoyance at his ongoing lack of wisdom in how to deal with the challenge he had set himself. Then he heard the voices in the corridor, coming closer. One of them was definitely…
"Lady Hanbrook! Oh, I say!" Victor's eyes quickly shot around the library. There was no other exit. Nowhere to hide, except…
"I am sorry for all of this, Miss Lucy!" he rasped, as he got down upon his knees and wiggled his way underneath the table to join the speechless young lady already hiding there.
"What in God's name are you…?" Lucy gasped. She trailed off, seeing Victor's finger pressed against his lips.
"Alas, I am not a brave man! Not against…winged monsters. And not even against irate mothers!" he whispered. "Now… We must be still – and silent!"
Lucy was about to argue, when the door was opened wide. Lord and Lady Hanbrook strode into the library – followed by several other people. There was a low murmur of voices. It was the voices - as well as what Victor and Lucy could see of the feet and lower legs of the visitors - that told them who had now inadvertently surrounded them.
The stream of people coming into the library eventually ceased. Six of the chairs were pulled back slightly, so that they could be sat upon. Victor and Lucy exchanged wide-eyed looks of barely-suppressed panic, realizing that they would be trapped together where they were, keeping their silence – otherwise, to reveal and explain themselves to the full compliment of Shadowbrook's town elders.
Oh, dear lord! Do not let me develop cramp – or even a sneeze… Victor pleaded silently.
More footsteps approached. A creaking floorboard sounded, making Victor shudder. There was the noise of something being placed on the table.
"Your tea and coffee, sirs," a meek female voice declared.
"Thank you Selena. You too, Delani. You may both go now," Lord Hanbrook replied in his calm, measured tones.
Seconds later, after the door had been shut again, the Reverend Harding broke the silence that had fallen.
"Personally, I would prefer something stronger to drink, right now, given the news that I received in your despatch – sent by that unkempt Mr Harrow…"
"Maybe so. But you should avoid slipping back into your bad habits, Elijah," Lady Hanbrook retorted, her voice sharp and clear. "We need to have clear heads, right now. Despite the deaths of those…grotesque…creatures, we must all take precautions. I am adamant that Solomon was in the maze yesterday! And he vanished as…unnaturally…as he appeared. It can only mean…" She trailed off.
"…that the spirit of his mistress is still in the locality – and not in the hell where she belongs," Harding hissed. "So how is this possible? Did her spirit do a deal with the devil?"
"She did vow to return around this time of year. Around the first anniversary of her death," Doctor Manning remarked, as he filled a cup from the teapot.
"Her fight against the Delion Dryad… I wonder…if somehow, she was able to absorb some of the powers of that creature. Adding to her own. If this was so, her spirit may be able to now exert influence over animals and trees." Sophie O'Hare speculated.
Kroft snorted in agitation. "So, the men at the crossroads were torn apart by some wild animal, controlled by the Shadow Witch? Is that what you are saying, Miss O'Hare?"
"I…I am not sure, Magistrate. But I have my doubts that we are only dealing with one enemy…" She tapped her fingers on the table, and then stopped. "What do we tell Major Bruckner – or that Inspector?"
"Where it comes to Elaine Bartlett? As little as possible," Lord Hanbrook answered. "As to the…grotesque beings…let the Inspector do what he likes with them, even if he takes their bodies back to Boston. I have never seen the like of them before – in spite of the horrors we have suffered from the local ghosts, and the wretched Delion Dryad and our…Shadow Witch."
"If Bartlett has indeed returned, we need to have a plan of action!" Kroft angrily thumped the table, making the crockery placed on it shake. "If she was responsible for those winged things, then where did they come from? And how do we track down her shade – or even a cat that appears and disappears like a ghost itself!?"
"A reasonable set of questions, Tiberius," Harding sniffed. "Clearly, spiritual means of protection are called for. I will consider what I can provide… In the meantime, perhaps Bartlett's shade is lingering around the ruins of her home in the olde woods?"
"I think not," Sophie objected. "I was there recently with Lucy during our horse ride together. I walked around the ruins, to see if I could sense Elaine's spirit. I felt nothing."
There was a snort from the reverend. "During the daytime… You would have more success at night," he ventured. "And you still call her by her first name?"
"My apologies, good sir. Old habits die har-"
Sophie was interrupted by the footsteps in the hallway outside, followed by the knock on the door. As Lord Hanbrook bade an "Enter!", the door was opened wide – revealing the broad figure of Major Bruckner. Behind him was Inspector Cooke.
"Ah… Major. Inspector Cooke. Please both take a seat. We have just started our discussion regarding…last night," Lord Hanbrook kept his voice steady. "It has been agreed to let you and your sergeant handle those…winged corpses. Do you know what you will do with them?"
"I am not certain, your lordship…" Cooke paused as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Then he spoke again. "Maybe an autopsy on one of the creatures would be in order – before I return to Boston. Where would I have the facilities to carry out such a task in this area?"
"My doctor's office," answered Manning. "I have a room that acts as a mortuary. And the necessary tools are there."
"So," Major Bruckner's voice barked. "What do we elders have to say about these…winged creatures from last night? Were they responsible for all of those people dying?"
"That…," Lord Hanbrook drew in a deep breath, "…is what the good Inspector, aided by Doctor Manning, or his deputy, will find out. Will you not, Inspector Cooke?"
"I will endeavor to discover what I can, your lordship," Cooke replied. "But… But that still leaves the mystery of why some of your people have gone missing – and been replaced with statues in their likeness…"
"There is no man in the vicinity that has the skill, or resources, to make those statues. It all appears to be some joke in poor taste." Kroft sniffed. "Now… To business. I will instruct Captain Townsend and his men to gather those…grotesques…on some carts and deliver them to the Doctor's office, so that you can study them…"
The meeting ended about a quarter of an hour later. Or so Victor gauged, since he was too frightened to even glance at his watch, in case the movement of his clothes made a noise. Lord Hanbrook called an end to the proceedings, and the elders left, along with Inspector Cooke. Only when they were certain that everyone had truly exited the room, did Victor gasp and roll himself from underneath the table and Lucy helped him back up.
"Well that was…interesting!" Victor declared as he thanked his unwitting accomplice. Then his smile of relief dropped as he saw the forlorn look on Lucy's face. "What…is it, Miss Hanbrook?"
"I regard Miss O'Hare as a friend…, but she has never told me those things before…" Lucy regarded Victor. "They are not even prepared to tell Inspector Cooke any more than they have to! How many other secrets are the town elders hiding, Mr Danforth? What else have my own parents not told me? And, perhaps…"
Victor concluded her line of thought. "…what secrets are they possibly hiding from each other?"