Now at the helm, I signalled for Coleman to take the ship up, and in moments the Stratos began a slow rise, for the draw on the hook-line yet attached to Moreton’s ship made any rapid ascension quite impossible; however, rise we did and now renewed by the urgency at hand, I made a direct path to the capstan once again. Finding the trailing end of a deck line, I cut off some length of it with my Bowie knife and, upon wrapping one of the ends about my hand and wrist, threw the opposite end across the hook-line, repeating the process with my remaining free hand and creating a means by which I would be able to slide along the rope down to the deck of the Arkeo, which was now positioned somewhat below us.
Leaping from the deck of the Stratos, I traversed the distance between the two vessels with tremendous velocity, bombs bursting in the sky all about me as I went, and upon reaching Moreton’s vessel was dashed upon the deck where, for a moment, I lay sprawled upon my back, somewhat bruised but not so much so that I would not be able to carry out my scheme. Before I was able to act Moreton was upon me and, taking me by the collar, lifted me all but off my feet and, having done so, gave me such a thump that I flew across the deck, landing with such force that I became so dazed as to make it quite difficult to reason.
Moreton charged me once again, but I was able to scramble to my feet, and as he swung his fist, I managed to duck under the attack and return a blow of my own to the lout’s midsection, which to my dismay stunned him but a little and raised his ire all the more. It did, however, afford me the opportunity to withdraw the revolver from its holster in order that I might bring the contest to its full and final conclusion, for it was quite apparent to me that Moreton would in no way consent to becoming my captive in any manner and that he meant to snuff the very life from me, so I supposed to have no other choice in the matter if I were to live to see through the rescuing of Ophelia.
To my alarm, when my hand came to the spot where I supposed the weapon to be, it found the place empty, and thus I was left at quite a disadvantage. Upon brief examination of my surroundings I spied the revolver some fifteen paces away, and taking note of the direction of my gaze, Moreton laid eyes upon the weapon as well, and leaving me quite breathless after a blow to my midsection in exchange for the one I had bestowed upon him, he turned and, dashing across the deck, retrieved the pistol, fixed upon carrying out that which I had intended for him.
Now quite filled with rage, I determined that this would not be the day I passed from this world to the next, and so gathering all that I had within me, I drew my Bowie knife, that knife of knives, and leapt through the air as good as a dozen paces across the deck at Moreton, so far in a single bound did I close the distance that the fiend's eyes grew wide with wonder, wider still did they grow as I plunged the terrible blade into his chest. I withdrew the knife and great gouts of blood issued from the wound as Moreton staggered back, whereupon he toppled over the rail and plummeted to the ground.
Still tethered to the Stratos, the Arkeo convulsed as the greater vessel attempted to ascend, and knowing both were in harm’s path and not desiring any ill to come to either the Stratos or to the girl, I made a wild dash for the stern of the craft, the Bowie knife still clutched in my hand, and there slashed the hook-line through, releasing the smaller vessel from the grasp of the larger, which now sailed upward at remarkable speed to the cheers of a good number of the crew. Nevertheless, the sudden release of the Arkeo sent her careening downward toward the thick overgrowth of the Congo, and before I was able to take proper control, found the jungle floor greeting the uncontrolled vessel with astonishing force.
Upon striking the ground I was thrown about the deck of the smaller craft in a manner that left me quite battered but the more pressing matter remained the condition and well-being of Ophelia. I was certain that our altogether graceless landing must have inflicted upon her some amount of harm, the extent and severity of which I shuddered to imagine, but chose in its stead to believe she had come through the ordeal with but little abuse.
Passing through the companionway in search of the girl, I came upon several cabins whose doors I found ajar and quarters empty which, to my way of thinking, was an indication that Moreton had acted upon his own behalf and was the sole perpetrator in the theft of the Arkeo and the kidnapping of Ophelia, for whom I had yet not yet been able to account. Thus, I began to explore the craft from deck to keel until, after the most thorough search, I came upon a well-secured closet and, having received no response from the calling out of Ophelia’s name, pried open, with the aid of my now well-loved edge, the small wooden door expecting to find, without doubt, the unconscious form of the dear girl.
However, upon gaining access to the closet, I was rather vexed to find it empty, containing nothing in the slightest, altogether void of even the most mundane of items. Why a closet should be locked tight if it contained nothing of importance, I could not in the slightest fathom. It was then that my mind slipped back in time to the moment the Arkeo had dipped below the morning fog when first we set our eyes upon her, and I reasoned that it was at that moment Moreton had settled the small vessel, for but a moment, near the jungle floor and turned the girl over to the Egyptian who had been waiting beforehand, concealed beneath the morning mists, to receive her.
The worst of my fears had come to pass, for it was without doubt the Egyptian was in possession of Ophelia, and what manner of evil he proposed to impart upon the lass I could scarce imagine. Nonetheless the thought, though fleeting, set me seething; thus I determined at that very moment I would succeed in returning the girl to London in safety or forfeit my life in the attempt. In either case, the Egyptian had now become my most accursed enemy, and I vowed too that I should put to end any further mischief that he might endeavour to create in times to come. What means I would employ to halt the fiend I would, for the moment, be forced to leave in the hands of fate.
Upon finding nothing more of use aboard the Arkeo, the weapons store being bereft of any form of armament, which I found a rather curious estate indeed, I disembarked the wrecked airship and journeyed north-east, the direction in which the ziggurat lay, with the greatest of haste, for I wished not a moment’s delay, as to do so might afford the Egyptian some favourable circumstance which would therefore allow him to further whatever scheme he had devised concerning Ophelia, for who could know the vile imaginings of the Egyptian or his evil designs and purposes which awaited the unsuspecting girl.
I had ventured through the jungle for, if my calculations were indeed correct, one quarter of a mile before exiting at the river’s edge; this as I had hoped, would lead me to the hidden entrance of the ziggurat, which as my plan dictated I would traverse up and into the structure so as to conceal my presence and might take the Egyptian unaware and thus rescue Ophelia, returning by the same route through which I had first come into the edifice.
Following the river’s edge I, after some time, came upon the somewhat hidden entrance of the long passage and, stealing in, made my way forward, guiding myself along the length of the narrow passage with my hands, for I was without a means of illuminating my way as the fresh set of Congreves Herschel had supplied me with remained within my pack upon the Stratos. I traversed the passage until I came upon the spot where last we had made our stand against the great apes, and seeing the tunnel collapsed quite caused me to relinquish all hope. Nevertheless, were I to abandon my efforts then, I dare say I would never be forgiven of myself even to the end of days; therefore, with hands alone I began to dig at the earth and rock barring my way until at the last I was beyond the obstruction and within the small chamber where we had at first made our escape.
From there I passed into the building proper, and once I had found myself within the ziggurat, it came as little surprise to me that at that instant the sound of Ophelia’s voice rang clear and true within my thoughts, and though seeming as a mere whisper to begin, grew clearer and louder the farther I travelled into the structure. It was in rather short order that I came to the realization that the dear girl was gu
iding me through the passageways toward her, signalling through our connected thoughts the correct direction which I must travel and although simple instructions, they sufficed in that in a rather brief amount of time, I found myself at the bottom of the long stone steps which led to the uppermost portion of the temple and, having climbed them, found her before me, held fast in the Egyptian’s grasp.
It was clear to me that my appearance within the temple chamber caused the Egyptian no small amount of ire, for I could see, even in the faint light of the flickering torches, the great displeasure of my arrival carved upon his face. He was quick to speak it as well, addressing me in the tone of one who had wrought sufficient mischief as to cause the subject of such no small amount of frustration, much like the impish pupil who had secreted away a frog within the teacher’s desk drawer more than a tolerable number of occasions.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised; stubbornness is a rather common trait with you Hawthornes,” the Egyptian said.
“Then you must also be aware that I mean to return Ophelia to London,” I said.
“Oh, I’m certain you do, but I’ll not allow it. We have sacrificed far too much for this success, small as it seems,” he said.
Of the Egyptian's precise meaning I was somewhat unsure; nevertheless, I was certain it was to do with, in some measure, Ophelia. Stepping forward in order that I might close the distance between the Egyptian and myself, I became quite aware that the girl was no longer communicating with me in any fashion, verbal or mental and that she now appeared to be in some form of catatonic state. I was rather perplexed at this, and the Egyptian guessed my puzzlement.
“She cannot communicate with you in any way, Edgar; she is not even aware of your presence here, for I have masked her thoughts and senses and placed her under my control. We have abilities you cannot yet understand, Edgar, the girl as well,” he said.
My anger grew until I could endure it no longer. I took another step forward, and in response the Egyptian, his hand clasped about Ophelia’s throat, tightened his grip as though he meant to suffocate the life from her. I took his meaning and halted my advance.
“I mean to depart with the girl, Edgar; she is our last hope, and I will not allow you to prevent me from completing the task with which I was charged,” he said, drawing the girl closer to himself.
“And what charge is that?” I said.
“The charge of saving my people.”
“Enough of these riddles; tell me the purpose of this all,” I said.
“My dear, Edgar, after all that has come to pass you still do not understand. My people live upon another world, very much like this one, revolving about a sun near exhaustion, casting its poisonous red glow upon our inhabitants. It is that dying red orb that has caused our women to become infertile and rendered our world uninhabitable; therefore, we were forced to find a means by which to survive.
“The world of which I speak, however, was not our original home. That world, our first world, or perhaps to be more precise, its people, became hostile to us for jealousy over all that we accomplished and the wonders which we wrought. We were a better people, this they knew. They desired all that we created and possessed, but we withheld those things from them, for had we not they would have, with certainty, destroyed themselves and us as well.
“For this reason they warred against us and attacked us in our homes until at the last, with a weapon of great power, for they were a violent lot, caused the very earth, by means of a mighty volcano, to spew forth a rain of fire and death upon us. Some were forewarned of the cataclysm and escaped to all corners of the world and there, for a short time made new homes for themselves.
“However, we were not to be let alone, and once again found ourselves in conflict with the lesser of our brethren; their proclivity for war almost guaranteed our extinction. However, and quite by chance, my people discovered a means by which to escape that world, a means by which we could travel among the stars, a means by which we would be able to discover a new home.
“With a great many trials and sacrifices we were able to map ‘celestial fissures,’ which appear, with seeming randomness, throughout the heavens and the worlds that inhabit them. At first we travelled by fate alone, but after a fashion the greatest of our people created a device of singular design which, when used together with its counterpart, an ephemeris inscribed with the knowledge of the ancients, could tell us when, past or present, as well as the precise location, a fissure would occur. Thus we used such a means to enable our escape,” he concluded.
“But what involvement then is the girl?”
“As I have said the dying sun of our world has taken its toll upon our women; therefore, to continue our line we set forth to discover a means by which such a task could be accomplished. Our greatest minds searched many years for a solution until we at last discovered a process whereby a new being could be raised by artificial means within a device of incubation, the ‘casket’ within which you found the girl,” he said.
“How chose you Ophelia? Why does she resemble my sister so, and why here on earth? You have the answers, of that I’m certain. Tell me,” I said.
“The girl is a mingling of life-material from a male of your kind and a female of mine, grown and raised in a chamber of incubation. As for earth, a pure and unstained land free of contamination was needed for proper growth of the subject. The girl is to be the ‘Eve’ of our continuation, for she alone possesses the ability to reproduce as nature intended. She and her progeny shall be the salvation of my people. As to the likeness of your sister - that, I believe, is a mystery best left unsolved,” he said.
“If all you say is true, and you succeed, what then will you do? Will your people return to their true place of origin and conquer those whom you left behind, for as you have confessed your current home is no longer able to sustain you?” I said.
“Yes, dear Edgar, that is what we mean to do. Oh, it will take some years before all is ready; however, you must take me at my word: Our people will live again in the world to which, by right, they belong and the girl is to be the object with which all will be set in motion,” he said.
“You may carry out your plans on the world from which you came, for I have no concern over the matter. Nevertheless, as for Ophelia, I’ll not allow her to be subjected to the vile deeds that you have set out for her. I am taking the girl and returning to London; you would be wise to return from where you came as well,” I said.
“Return I shall; however, it will be in the accompaniment of the girl, and to that end you have but little say in the matter. The conquest of our former world is a matter in which you should take serious consideration,” he said.
“Ophelia is my one care. I’ve no interest in any designs which bear upon me not,” I said.
“Oh, but they do, Edgar. Allow me to speak in as plain a manner as I might. You will be affected a great deal by the undertakings of my people now and in the future near, for you see, Edgar, the world we left, our home of old, is the very land on which we now stand, you and I. Earth is where my people took their first breath. Earth is the place of our birth and our birthright.
“My ancestors laid the foundations upon which all civilizations were built. We were the stronger, the more intellectual, the better people. Our ancestors were the heroes of days long past, the children of the Nephilim imbued with gifts no ordinary man could ever understand. Our people spread throughout the world, secluding themselves each in their own part, living and working, learning, developing the sciences and mechanics which had been coveted so. We were the Minoans, the Sumerians, the Atlanteans. We were a people of great note, shaping and forming the mighty cultures that have since long passed - gods among men.
“By our forefathers the great monuments and cities of this world were raised, the pyramids and their like, temples great and small, carved tributes to our fallen brethren of old: Hercules, Forseti, Kuan Ti, Jupiter, Poseidon, Tabaldak - mythical beings to all but those who are their true descendants,” the Eg
yptian said.
“If this is true, if your ancestors were the gods of men, then how is it that they were driven off by the lesser of us?”
“By number alone. As a colony of ants is able to drive off the largest of their enemies, so too were the lesser able to drive away the greater,” he said with a wry smile. “Nevertheless, that is to change, for even now we lay our plans and schemes to return to this world and reclaim all that belongs to us and then, in the wake of our victory, force those who oppose us into slavery. Of this you can be certain,” he said.
“I am certain of but a single thing,” I said. “That you will not leave this place with Ophelia and, if I must, I will end your life to ensure it.”
I withdrew the Bowie knife from its sheath and advanced yet another step, prepared to lunge at full speed upon the scoundrel and cut the very life from him in order that I might save Ophelia, that small, kind girl with which I held a most unusual connexion, a connexion I had not felt with any being since the very hour in which my dear sister had been lost to the ravages of her condition.
Indifferent to my threats the Egyptian smiled, took out his pocket watch, glanced at it for a brief moment, then returned it to the vest pocket beneath his long black coat.
“The time has come, Edgar. We must leave you now.”
At that very instant I was witness to a most amazing manifestation, for just beyond the place in which the Egyptian stood there appeared, as though the very fabric of the air had been pulled wide as a parlour curtain, an opening which I surmised was the land to which the Egyptian had intended to depart, for I was able to see through the garish light of a ruby sky, a city of great magnitude as though viewed from a perch upon the summit of some high peak. Carriages without horses, similar to Father’s but showing no sign of smoke or steam, rolled to and fro upon the streets while citizens did likewise upon the walks. The buildings of the gleaming metropolis rose into the sky at frightening heights and cast their long shadows upon those below. I was left in complete wonderment at the astounding vision before me.
HAWTHORNE: Chronicles of the Brass Hand: Mystirio Astronomiki Page 16
