Mariah Mundi and the Ghost Diamonds

by G. P. Taylor

  The crowd began to panic. Hundreds of people started to scream as the fire-starter stepped from the building. The noise from the tank on its back began to get louder. It seethed and hissed as it took each step.

  In the cold night air it sounded like the whirring of a parlour fan. It sizzled as it was showered with water from the breaking waves. Steam burst from the hot metal. There was a rush of air. Kerosene fired from its mouth and then exploded in flame.

  The fire-starter walked towards the crowd. It appeared to be searching for Charity. If anyone came close it spurted short bursts of fire to push them back. The dark night and the black storm clouds were made as day by the gusts of flame.

  Soon all the people were running. They screamed in panic as the blaze that engulfed the fish shed grew higher. Mariah and Sacha hid by the lifeboat house, the waves rolling across the stone landing and about their feet. They could see Charity outside the Golden Kipper goading the fire-starter to follow, always just out of reach of the flames. Sacha’s father was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘He’s not there,’ Sacha screamed as she broke cover and ran towards the harbour. Lucius turned slowly, the reflection of the fire flickering in the glass of his brass helmet. He seethed small droplets of fire as he looked at her running towards him.

  The gurgling noise came again as the kerosene tank repressurised. Mariah saw Lucius force the handle frantically. The nozzle on the front of the helmet was re-lit as tiny jets of fuel shot through. He took aim at Sacha.

  Mariah looked about him as the waves broke into his hiding place. There on the wall in a glass case was a fire-axe. Without thinking, Mariah smashed the glass with his elbow and pulled the axe from its mantle. He could hear Charity shouting to him.

  ‘Do it, Mariah! Do it now!’ His voice faded in the wind.

  Mariah grabbed the axe just as Charity fired at Lucius. The bullet struck the back of the helmet with such a force that it knocked the dwarf from his feet. Slowly a pool of kerosene issued about him. Charity fired again. The bullet struck the same place to the inch.

  The dwarf got to his feet and turned as Mariah set off to run across the pier. All seemed to go slowly. He could feel the blood pumping through his head as his heart beat faster. The sound of the wind and waves faded as he ran. He clutched the axe in his hands and raised it above his head.

  Mariah could see no one but Lucius, Sacha and Charity. The screaming of the crowd was no more. In his mind he was alone as the seconds ticked slowly by. Pools of water splashed about him with each footstep. The dwarf got to his feet and turned towards Charity. The wheezing started again as the tank refilled under pressure. Suddenly the kerosene shot towards Charity, splattering the ground beneath his feet. The flame followed like a lightning bolt about to strike. Charity dived towards the harbour just as the fireball exploded.

  Mariah ran down on Lucius. As he came upon him, the axe fell with all the force of his arms. It smashed the bottom of the tank. A small hole burst open. Mariah swung again and struck a blow to the helmet. The iron-wired tube severed. There was the sound of hell. It roared like a fire demon.

  Lucius looked down as Mariah stepped back. The tiniest droplet of fire fell from the siphon. For a moment, Lucius looked Mariah eye to eye. Mariah saw the dwarf smile as if he knew what was to come. Lucius held out his hand as all about him was consumed in fire.

  Suddenly a jet of flame shot out from the pressurised tank. Lucius shook for a moment before abruptly being propelled into the air like a rocket. Mariah looked up as he flew higher and higher as if he would never stop.

  No one could hear his screams as they were drowned by the roaring of the sea. Lucius went skyward faster than any man had gone before. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, he was gone. A bright and blinding explosion rocked the promenade and shook the windows of the Golden Kipper. It broke the sky, brighter than the midday sun. The rumbling surged for mile upon mile like heavy thunder and the earth shook. The crowds of fleeing people looked up and gasped with amazement at the beauty of the explosion.

  A crescendo of sparks fell to the ground like falling diamonds. Far out to sea the remnants of the fire-starter were scattered to the wind. Lucius was no more.

  ‘I told you never to play with fire, Mariah,’ Charity said as he brushed the wet sand from his coat.

  ‘He would have killed Sacha,’ Mariah replied as he dropped the axe from his shaking hands.

  ‘You did well – saved more than just Sacha,’ Charity said.

  In the mayhem they were suddenly aware of the slamming of a carriage door.

  ‘Where is he? Where is he?’ asked Zogel frantically as he stepped from his carriage that had been hemmed in by the crowds.

  ‘Who do you seek, Zogel?’ Mariah asked before anyone else.

  ‘I see you have escaped and I take it my companion is dead,’ Zogel said in a melancholy way as he looked about, not sure what to do next.

  ‘I will take the diamonds,’ Charity replied as he pointed the gun at Zogel. ‘I will exchange them for your life.’

  ‘Very well, my dear friend. The Bureau of Antiquities wins again. As soon as I am at sea I will have the Irenzee bombard the town.’

  ‘That is a promise too far. Not even Skull and Bones would allow that,’ Mariah replied.

  ‘You train him well, Captain. He is so much like you. If I didn’t know better I would say you were his father,’ Zogel said as he walked slowly across the pier towards the submersible. ‘Did you destroy my submarine?’ he asked as the swirling smoke ghosted his appearance.

  ‘Is that what it is called?’ asked Charity.

  ‘I had thought of under-sea-boat, but it didn’t sound as romantic,’ Zogel quipped. ‘I take it I can still leave?’

  ‘Without the diamonds,’ said Mariah as he held out his hand.

  ‘A boy with a golden tip to his finger, now that is interesting. Will you sell it to me?’

  ‘I don’t sell memories,’ Mariah replied. ‘The diamonds?’

  Begrudgingly, Zogel handed Mariah the bag of Ghost Diamonds and scowled.

  ‘Easy come,’ he said.

  ‘Easy go,’ Mariah replied with a smile.

  ‘Let me walk you to your craft,’ Charity interrupted, pushing Zogel in the back to move him along.

  ‘I will have to book in to the Prince Regent next year. I hear the food is very good. Baron Hoetzendorf said how much he enjoyed it – especially the sandwiches,’ Zogel replied.

  ‘We shall always be full. I will make certain Mrs Mukluk never returns your calls or opens your letters,’ Charity said as he pushed Zogel further along the pier towards the submersible.

  ‘Perhaps that would be a very wise thing. You could never win again and I would have to kill you like I did the others,’ Zogel replied.

  ‘I am the one holding the gun. The only thing that stops me shooting you is that I am an Englishman,’ said Charity as he clicked the hammer of the pistol, ready to fire.

  ‘I have outstayed my welcome. It has been a grand chase and one which I have enjoyed immensely. You have my permission to do what you want with Bardolph. He is beyond use, even for the Society of Truth.’

  ‘Are you really the power behind the power?’ Mariah asked. Sacha stood close by him, holding the hem of his jacket nervously.

  ‘Only in this world,’ Zogel said solemnly. ‘We shall all come before a greater authority one day.’

  ‘I think it is time for you to take to the sea,’ Charity said as they got to the steps.

  Before Zogel left, Mariah handed Charity the Ghost Diamonds. He looked inside: they sparkled as if they were jewelled eggs in a snug nest.

  ‘I would have liked them for myself,’ Zogel said. ‘The Bureau of Antiquities will hide them away never to be seen or enjoyed. Such a tragic fate for things so beautiful.’ They were the last words he spoke before he went slowly down the steps and got into the boat. A guard came from within and opened the hatch. Zogel went inside as the engine started. The craft cast off and shunted slowly through the calm
harbour water towards the storm.

  Zogel turned as they were just about to submerge and waved from the open hatch. From inside his coat he pulled an identical bag to the one in Charity’s hand.

  ‘They were for Bardolph,’ he shouted. ‘Identical in every way but made of crystal. He would never have known and neither would you.’ He laughed.

  Charity grabbed two diamonds as he dropped the bag to the floor.

  ‘Look at them, Captain – can you see your ghost?’ Zogel asked mockingly.

  Charity stared into the diamonds. There was only a faint reflection. He crashed them together and watched as the cut glass shattered in his hands.

  ‘Fakes,’ Mariah said. ‘He tricked us.’

  From out in the harbour they could hear Zogel’s laughter.

  ‘Look further – there is a gift from me to Mariah and Sacha,’ he shouted as he pulled the hatch on the submarine and the craft sank beneath the waves in the direction of the Irenzee.

  Sacha searched the bag. Deep inside, wrapped in a silk handkerchief, was a miniature golden monkey. It was cast upon a small stone. For eyes it had red jewels, and about its waist was a belt of diamonds. Written on the stone were the words: Where I fit – there will be more …

  Charity laughed. ‘Sunwu – the Golden Monkey. Yet another legend.’

  [ 28 ]

  Bardolph Revisited

  THE square outside the Prince Regent was lifeless. Far away, Mariah could hear the crowd that had returned to stare at the rats the size of cats running from the burning buildings on the pier. The dark sky was edged in a blood-red glow, and even on the other side of the bay sparks fell to earth like dying fireflies.

  ‘You know what to do?’ Charity briskly asked Mariah as he and Sacha hid in the ornate doorway of Alfie Tugwell’s hair-dressing emporium.

  ‘Take the letter and give it to Walpole,’ Sacha replied as she rubbed her hands to keep out the cold.

  ‘Then head for the theatre,’ Charity added. ‘I’ll make sure the mannequins are ready.’

  Charity then nodded and set off down the steps towards the beach.

  ‘Will it work?’ Sacha asked.

  ‘Perhaps,’ Mariah replied as he read the scrawled note once more.

  ‘I never thought I would be with you again,’ she said as she listened to Charity’s footsteps running down McBean Steps.

  ‘Thought my father and I would be on the boat and away by now.’

  ‘Did you want to go?’ Mariah asked.

  ‘At first I did. But then I thought of the Prince Regent … and you …’

  ‘I’m glad it has ended this way,’ Mariah replied as he looked at her. ‘Funny thing is,’ he went on, ‘I have hated myself for the things I said to you. I really wanted to hate you for what you did – but I couldn’t.’ Mariah smiled apologetically at her. It was the first time since he could remember that he had done so and meant it.

  ‘I felt that about my father. He can be so stupid. So easily led.’

  ‘Like us all,’ Mariah replied as the sound of the collapsing fish sheds rumbled through the town.

  ‘Zogel’s going to just sail away,’ Sacha said as she looked out to sea at the fire-red silhouette of the Irenzee.

  ‘But he’s alone.’

  ‘Shall I come with you?’ she asked.

  ‘I have to do this by myself. Go to the theatre and when I come in remember the spotlight and the hoist.’

  Mariah touched her hand. It was bloodless and cold. Sacha looked away as if it was more than a gesture of goodbye. He gripped the note tightly as he stepped from the shadows and began to run.

  He was soon across the square. Athol House rose up out of the muddy street like a dark mausoleum. By the door, the Peeler kept pacing back and forth. He looked up as he heard Mariah coming towards him.

  ‘Get Walpole! Quick – I have found the Ghost Diamonds!’ Mariah shouted as he stuffed the note into the policeman’s hand and ran back towards the Prince Regent.

  For a moment the man stood and just read the words on the crumpled paper.

  ‘Give it to him!’ Mariah shouted as he turned. ‘Inspector Walpole.’

  Mariah stopped on the corner and from the shadows of the tram hut looked back. The Peeler ambled up the steps and through the old door of Athol House. He was gone for less than a minute before the door burst open and Walpole appeared.

  ‘Grimm, Grendel, we can’t hang about,’ he said as he pulled his porkpie hat down to his ears. ‘Mariah Mundi is in the Prince Regent and he has the diamonds.’

  It was all that Mariah wanted to hear. He ran down the steps and into the hotel. There was the same old familiar smell. His stomach churned in excitement as he took the steam elevator up to the theatre and opened the door.

  It was deathly dark. Only the mellow glow of the limelight lit the stage. Two ropes of thin wire hung down. Mariah walked across and clipped them to his belt. The door burst open.

  ‘Better not be playing games with us,’ Walpole wheezed as Grimm and Grendel followed him in.

  There was a dull clunk as the spotlight cover opened quickly. A beam of pure white light broke through the darkness. Mariah appeared, cast in a crescent of light.

  ‘The diamonds?’ Walpole asked as he walked down the aisle towards the front of the stage.

  ‘In exchange.’ Mariah replied.

  ‘What would a lad like you need? After all, the world thinks you are dead,’ he replied.

  ‘Information,’ Mariah said as he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. ‘Why do you really want the Prince Regent?’

  ‘The diamonds for that?’ Walpole laughed as his face turned to ash and his eyes flickered.

  ‘And my freedom,’ Mariah added as he waited for the man to get closer.

  ‘You are truly free – what could be freer than death?’ asked Grendel as he followed on behind.

  ‘So you have the diamonds – can we see?’ Walpole asked as he reached the front of the stage.

  Mariah pulled the bag from under his coat, pulled out a diamond and held it to the spotlight.

  ‘See – is this what you are looking for?’ Mariah asked.

  Walpole was silent. He looked at the Ghost Diamond and then to Grimm and Grendel.

  ‘Kill him,’ he whispered in a sweet voice.

  Grendel began to giggle nervously as he fumbled in his coat for the holster in which he kept his revolver.

  ‘Give me the diamonds, Mariah, and you will go free,’ Grimm said as he pushed Grendel to one side.

  From somewhere far away came the sound of the whirring of a barrel organ. At first it was distant and soft. Walpole gave it no attention until the music grew louder. Mariah began to tap his feet in time with the music.

  ‘Shoot him and take the diamonds,’ Walpole said to Grendel.

  Before he had time to draw his gun, Mariah had vanished. It was as if he had been snatched from before their eyes. Grendel stood for a moment and looked at the empty stage. He pointed his pistol to the circle of light cast on the floor. Then, just as he was about to speak, a sudden crash shook the stage.

  From high above their heads seven mannequins had dropped to the boards. They lay in crumpled heaps, arms twisted as if they had been ripped from their sockets. Each wooden head tilted to one side as if held by a snapped neck.

  ‘What kind of trickery is this, Mariah?’ Walpole asked as he stood and looked on with Grimm and Grendel by his side. The music grew louder. As Walpole stared at the dolls, he was sure the mannequins began to move slightly. It was then that he realised that the face of each puppet was crafted to be identical to that of Mariah’s.

  At first Walpole thought their fingers twitched in time with the shrill notes. Grimm and Grendel looked on as Walpole moved to the edge of the stage, looking for the boy. Then one by one the mannequins began to move.

  Suddenly, a doll jumped to its feet. It straightened its back and clicked its head from side to side until it fell into place with a double thud. There was a whir of a mechanical engine and the p
uppet began to dance. It was the size of a man and dressed as a sea captain. In its belt was a cutlass. With every beat of the music it clashed its jaw up and down and rapidly winked its eye. It was identical to Mariah in every way. Its hair curled and corked from its head and the tip of its finger shone gold. In the darkness of the theatre it was impossible to tell if it was Mariah; in the glistening spotlight the wires could barely be seen.

  Walpole stepped back. Grendel aimed his pistol as Grimm cowered in the darkness.

  One by one, the other automata got to their feet. Like the first, they creaked and groaned as their limbs snapped in place. Then, as if by magic, they too began to dance. Each one pulled the sword from its belt and crashed it from side to side. They leapt in the air in time with the music, barring Walpole from getting across the stage. They whirled like mad dervishes, spinning on their long taut wires and slashing with their swords.

  ‘Won’t be stopped by some dolls,’ Walpole shouted. ‘You got us here for the Ghost Diamonds and we won’t leave until we have them. ‘Grendel, kill the beasts!’

  Grendel took aim and, as the puppets danced, pulled the hammer on the pistol.

  ‘One of them could be the boy,’ Grimm shouted suddenly realising that any of the automata could be Mariah.

  ‘They’re clockwork, ’ Grendel protested indignantly above the beat of the music from the barrel organ.

  ‘Stop them!’ Walpole screamed as he held his hands over his ears, his face contorted as if in pain.

  Grendel fired. The bullet exploded in the chest of one automaton. It stopped dancing. The sword dropped from its hand. Its head fell to one side. The body hung limply from the wires as the machinery groaned and whined.

  The other puppets continued to dance as the music got faster and faster.

  ‘One of them must be him,’ Grimm shouted above the noise while Grendel’s hand danced back and forth as he decided which one to shoot next.

  ‘Don’t shoot the lad!’ Walpole screamed, unsure which, if any, was Mariah.

  Grendel took aim and fired again. The bullet struck another puppet in the forehead, sending a shower of wheels and cogs bouncing across the stage. Like the first it whirred to a halt and hung on its wires as if dead.