The answer was: Nothing!
“Umm…don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d prefer if you dropped me off at the lodging house and I’ll bring the Grail round to the Ripley within an hour. I gotta get out of this city. I just wanna pack a bag and once I deliver your cup I can be on my way.”
Magenta began to laugh.
“I don’t think so, William. What’s the problem?”
“Well…to be honest, I’m worried your boy up there will slit my throat if I take you straight to the Grail.”
“And how does that change if you bring the cup to me?”
“It doesn’t, but I figure I can pick my time to drop it off and at least get a head start. I don’t want no trouble, ma’am…I just want to live.”
“And you think you could run away from me if I wanted you dead?”
“I’m just asking for a chance. I’m pretty fast when I wanna be.”
“Not fast enough,” Da Vine said, her toothy grin even more predatory and unnerving than usual. “Luckily I have no intention of killing you. We made a deal, William, the cup for your life, remember? I intend to honor that.”
“What guarantee do I have of that?”
“Absolutely none. Now where’s the Goddamned Grail?”
For just a moment, the actress’ eyes appeared to flare bright red in the darkness of the cab but surely it must have been a trick of the light outside, her eyes reflecting the open flame of a gaslight as they raced on by. At least that’s what William told himself to refrain from screaming. He swallowed down a mouthful of acidy fear and said, “Okay…okay. Just take me home. I’ll get it for you.”
“The cup is at the lodging house? I thought you said it was hidden somewhere I’d never find it.”
“You wouldn’t. It’s hidden in the loo.”
“Pardon me?”
“It’s at the bottom of the privy.”
“You took the Holy Grail, the most priceless, sought after artifact in all of Christianity, and dropped it in the toilet?”
“It was the only place I was sure no one would find it. Don’t worry, it’s safe. It’s sealed inside a bag and tied to a rope. All I have to do is reach in and pull it up, quick as you please.”
“You’re a bigger idiot than I thought. You better hope it’s still there.”
“It will be. No worries.”
Magenta passed the information on to her lackey and then they rode in silence the rest of the way home; William still trying to come up with his escape plan, Da Vine simply too disgusted with Hare to speak. When Big Josh pulled into Tanner’s Close, he rapped on the roof of the cab to let them know they’d reached their destination.
“Let’s go,” Magenta said.
“No way. The privy’s at the back of the house right next to the room Mr. Black’s staying in. Trust me, we don’t want to wake him up. Just stay here. I’ll be back in two minutes. Promise.”
Against her better judgement, Da Vine sighed and said, “Okay, but hurry up.”
Hare was out of the cab and inside the house as quickly and quietly as a burglar. He hadn’t been kidding about not wanting to wake the sculptor up. All Hell might break loose if Black and Da Vine were to face off over who was taking the cup and the last thing William wanted was to be stuck in the middle of that fray. If only he knew how prophetic his fear actually was, he might have knocked on the sculptor’s door and let the inevitable confrontation begin, but he was still relatively clueless as to what he was really a part of so he tip-toed down the back hallway as silently as possible. His new plan was to give the actress her golden prize, grab a few supplies and his secret stash of cash, and disappear before Maggie or Ambrosious Black were any the wiser. He’d make his way back to Ireland, or perhaps head for England where hopefully no one would know who he was. He’d change his name and start a new life far away from all this insanity.
William made it to the privy and had to blindly grope around in the filthy hole until he chanced upon the rope he’d hidden within. He could actually hear Mr. Black snoring loudly through the paper-thin walls, the perfect reminder that he needed to be as quiet as a mouse. Twenty seconds later he had his hands on the leather, waterproof sack and tried his best not to think about what was squishing between his fingers as he untied the knot at the top. Once he had the cup, he dropped the soiled sack and rope back in the smelly hole and snuck to the front of the house. Da Vine’s cab was still parked out front, the actress anxiously awaiting his return.
“That was quick,” she said, her eyes never leaving the smooth chalice cradled in Hare’s hands.
“Told you I would be. Like I said, don’t want any problems. I just want you and Black gone.”
“Give it here, then.”
William wiped the golden cup on his shirt, trying to clean it as best he could but also stalling for time. He still wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing here, but then again, what choice did he have? More afraid than he’d ever been in his life, William walked over and handed the actress the Grail.
“There. We’re even,” William said, backing away from the cab. “Now go away and leave me the hell alone.”
Da Vine smiled wickedly and sat back in her seat, out of William’s line of sight. “Whatever you say, boss.” The actress started to laugh and just as the horses began to walk away, the entire inside of the hackney cab began to glow a brilliant blood red that was blindingly bright. William shaded his eyes from the unearthly light and fell to his knees in the street. The last thing he heard (if in fact he heard anything at all) was the mysterious actress whispering directly into his confused mind, saying, “Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Hare.”
* * *
At the rear of Log’s Lodging House, the great Snowy Owl Nazza screeched, and Ambrosious Black bolted upright out of a sound sleep. Instantly he felt the same alarming shift in the balance of nature that the bird of prey obviously had. He hadn’t felt panic like this in a very long time and his heart was starting to race hoping things weren’t as bad as they seemed.
Outside, the sculptor could hear the sounds of a team of horses racing away into the night. Ambrosious started to climb to his feet to see what was going on, but out of nowhere a great wave of pure hatred and ice-cold menace struck Black like a physical blow, pummeling him back onto his bed. Black gasped for breath, suddenly knowing what must have just happened.
And he also knew who was to blame.
“Oh my God!” he said. “What has that fool done?”
Chapter
17
William Hare was scared to open his eyes but he was even more afraid to keep them closed. He didn’t want to look, but he desperately needed to know if Da Vine was truly gone. Part of him was sure the sound of the receding horses was merely a trick and she would be standing two feet away, eyes like burning flames, ready to pounce at his throat the moment he looked up. He compromised and only opened one eye, squinting through the fingers of the hand he was shielding his face with, attempting to peek without being obvious about it.
Tanner’s Close was empty.
She’s gone, William thought, relief flooding over his still trembling body. He’d never experienced anything quite like what had just happened. He’d given the actress the golden chalice and like something straight out of a nightmare the inside of Da Vine’s cab had lit up with that unnatural red glow, and a feeling of intense fear instantly slammed into him, driving William to the cobbled street. It was as if a giant invisible hand had reached out of the Hackney carriage and squeezed the breath from him. The only word that came to his uneducated mind to describe the darkness that had swept over and through him, was evil. That’s what it had been. Pure evil.
“What have I done?” William whispered, unaware that at the rear of the lodging house Ambrosious Black was being startled awake and wondering the same thing.
William had no answer to his question, but he was sure of one thing: He had to get away from here as soon as possible. Edinburgh had become a more dangerous prison to him than the
actual jail he’d just been released from. At least in his moldy damp cell he’d been relatively safe. Out here on the streets he had mobs of angry men and woman looking to string him from the nearest gaslight, a mysterious woman who was quite possibly a witch, and an old man who was – hell, William had no idea what Black was, or what he’d gotten himself and poor Billy into the middle of. Nor did he want to know. All William wanted to do was skip town and start fresh somewhere far, far away.
He didn’t even want to bother waiting to pack a bag of supplies or any of his personal belongings. He’d rather leave now with only the clothes on his back than risk hanging around the extra ten or twenty minutes it might take. He wasn’t leaving without his stash of money, though. Couldn’t even if he’d wanted to. How could he disappear and start a whole new life if he was penniless? Clothes and food and a place to sleep didn’t come cheap. Neither did the booze and the women William promised himself once he’d made his getaway and put a little sanity back into his life.
But first, the money…
William entered the lodging house as silent as a ghost, hoping to be in-and-out as quickly and discreetly as he had twenty minutes earlier. Everything was still dark and quiet, the way he’d left it, and he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. A shot of fine scotch would have done a better job of it, but that would have to wait. William headed for the common room where there were no embers glowing in the fireplace. There were kindling and several logs in the hearth but no one had bothered to ignite the wood. Maggie likely just had the fire all set, ready for the morning.
Thinking about his wife made William a little sad. Not that he loved her. Not really, anyway. It was just that a woman like her, who would let him stay out all night drinking and fighting and whoring and still keep his belly full and a roof over his head, was all right in his selfish opinion. It might take him months to replace her in London, or wherever he ended up. Oh well, that was a problem for another day. He could leave Maggie behind in a heartbeat if it meant abandoning all his other current problems. A clean slate was definitely the way to go.
William made his way over to the left of the fireplace and bent down in the corner of the room beside the exposed brickwork of the chimney. He thought he heard a faint scratching noise from somewhere close, but when he turned around there was no one there. It was probably nothing; maybe a mouse, so William returned to his work. Down near the floor, the second row of bricks up, one of the blocks could be wiggled loose from the others, and in behind it there was a small hollow where Hare kept all his earthly treasures. Hidden in the hole was just over one hundred pounds in carefully rolled up bank notes and a sterling silver pocket watch he’d recently nicked from a drunk down at the pub. William crammed the watch in his pocket and just as he was doing the same with a handful of money, something above his head moved, catching his eye. It was too dark in the room to make out details but when William looked up he could swear there was something on the wooden mantel that hadn’t been there before. Something large. And then William stood up and noticed the yellow eyes looking at him.
The Owl!
Black’s monstrous beast perched on top of the fireplace mantel watching Hare’s every move. William had been through enough frights for one night and this pushed him over the edge. He stepped back and was about to let loose a scream, when suddenly a giant hand clamped over his mouth from behind and stifled him into silence. A cold icy voice whispered in his ear.
“Not a sound, William…or I’ll have my friend pluck your tongue out. Maybe your eyes too. Understand?”
Hare slowly nodded his head and was released. He knew exactly who had spoken to him but he spun around quickly to see Black anyway, panic causing his heart to race and making him breathe hard as if he’d been running. He glanced at the front door, thinking running was exactly what he should be doing right now, but decided against it.
“Mr. Black? What in blazes are you—?”
“Be QUIET!” Black said, his voice so cold and angry William immediately did as he was told. “I’ve no more time for your nonsense, so take a seat and listen. I don’t want to tell you what I’m about to, but you’ve left me no choice.”
William slumped into a nearby chair like a scolded boy, his frightened eyes trying to dart between the bird of prey on the mantel and the enraged sculptor but he was having trouble seeing either in the dark room.
“Can I draw back the curtain or maybe light the fire?” Hare asked. “I can’t see a bloody thing in here.”
“Scared of the dark, are we?” Black rubbed his hands together and a reddish-blue flame appeared out of nowhere to rest in the palm of his right hand. “Only reason the fire’s not lit is that Maggie’s afraid the mobs will burn down the lodge if they think you’re inside. She hasn’t so much as lit a candle after dark for two weeks now, but if you want a roaring fire…you‘ll have one!”
Black hurled the mysterious flame toward the hearth and the stacked up logs immediately burst into fully engulfed flames, the light in the room going from midnight to noon within seconds. The owl on the mantel squawked and flew away. William sat back in his chair in bewildered awe.
“How did you do that? I mean, Christ, am I going daft or is everyone I know around here in league with the devil?”
“No, not everyone, William…just the woman you gave the Holy Grail to.”
“How did you—?”
“Keep your bloody questions to yourself. Doesn’t matter how I know; I just do. Let me guess, okay? Young, beautiful, dark hair, long legs, lots of cleavage…am I getting close?”
“That’s her all right. Miss Da Vine. She seemed to know you too.”
“Da Vine? Is that what she’s calling herself this time?”
“Aye. Magenta Da Vine.”
Black nearly laughed at that. “Magenta? And you actually believed her?”
“Well, she did tell Billy and me it was one of those…what do you call it…stage names. She’s an actress down at the Ripley theatre.”
“She’s a monster, William, and you’re a fool! The only thing keeping her young and beautiful is her evil. She’s no more an actress than I’m a sculptor-for-hire.”
William wasn’t sure what to make of that and was about to ask but Black carried on, starting to pace the small room as he spoke.
“I should have known she was here. Blast it! I tried to see you and Billy but they wouldn’t let me in. I never dreamed things were as bad as they were. What were you thinking, man? I told you to bring the Carpenter’s Cup to me.”
“You didn’t tell me anything! You just kept telling Billy and me that we’d know it when we saw it. What were we supposed to do? You were paying us…she was paying us, but she also had two goons who were gonna slit our throats if we crossed her.”
“Billy would have been better off with his throat slit. I hear they’ve sent him to the surgeons for dissection and plan on displaying his bones in a glass case at the university. You did a fine job helping your mate out, William. A fine job indeed.”
William hung his head low, honestly ashamed for what had happened to his only friend. “I didn’t want any of that to happen but it was him or me. Miss Da Vine told me one of us had to go to the gallows for what we’d done and—”
“She got you the deal with the crown? It was her that saved your useless neck?”
“Aye…in exchange for what we found in the grave. I didn’t really have a choice, did I? I also didn’t think it was real. Neither did Billy. We thought it was just an expensive gold cup. I mean honestly…the Holy bloody Grail? That’s just a legend, right? A silly story told around campfires and pubs.”
Ambrosious Black exhaled a long slow breath, nodding his head, no happier than he was a minute ago, but at least now understanding what had happened. “William, William, William…unfortunately your stupidity knows no limits. The Holy Grail is much more than a legend, young man, and it’s anything but silly. I take it you’re well aware of the Knights Templar, yes?”
“Of course. It was a Tem
plar’s grave we found the cup in.”
“Was it?” Black said, only a little surprised. “Makes sense, I suppose.”
“Big man; and it looked like he’d just died a fortnight ago. More magic I’m guessing?”
“Certainly. Protect the Grail and it will protect you. For a while at least. That brave man willingly sacrificed himself to hide the chalice from evil.”
“What? You mean he wasn’t already dead when they put him in the box? How can you possibly know that?”
“Because it’s the way it has to be. The power in the Carpenter’s Cup would sustain him…keep him alive. That knight, whoever it was, probably lived for years below the ground, ready to protect the Grail if anyone found out where it was buried and tried to dig it up. No food, no water, no light. Only prayer. Even after his drawn out death, the Grail would slow his decomposition down to almost nothing, which is why he looked the way he did when you saw him.”
“Even if I buy all that, why in blazes would any bloke allow himself to be sealed inside a casket and buried alive? It’s madness!”
“It’s faith, William. He believed in the Grail, and in protecting it from falling into the hands of evil.”
“Oh bollocks. Nobody would throw their life away like that.”
“Not many people today, I’ll grant you that. It was a different time and a different place. Magic was everywhere and the power of the Holy Grail wasn’t questioned. Not by the Knights Templar anyway…or by me.”
“You? You speak like you were there.”
“I was. Not when the Grail was reburied…before that. There’s an old story that perhaps you need to hear.”
Black ended his pacing and took a seat over by the roaring fire. As he spoke he gazed into the flames, hardly looking in William’s direction, his thoughts lost in a time long, long ago. He began by telling a grand tale of the Templars and their return from the Holy Land with the Carpenter’s Cup. It was a dark tale, not at all like Mallory’s glorious pageant of chivalry and romance. It was a story of suffering, and rivers of blood.
Only the Thunder Knows_East End Girls Page 10
