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Holmes eyed the long passage he and Victor traveled. The ancient walls were sweating from moisture. The recent thunderstorms had caused the moisture content of the air to be quite high. There were fans every several yards to try and minimize the dampness. But it was a losing battle, and more than likely one of the major reasons the whole underground complex was being renovated.
“Damp here.”
Victor nodded, smiled at a man who passed, then said. “One entire portion of their library was inundated when the roof collapsed.”
“Beneath a sewer pipe?”
“Evidently.”
“I see.”
They walked further.
The hallway seemed to stretch for miles, but only because it was so poorly lit. No Tes lights anywhere, just old oil lanterns sputtering away, casting thick clouds of oily smoke into the air, and giving the whole undeground passage an almost eerie and diabolical feeling.
There was hammering going on in all directions. Crew were distributing fresh wood, pipes, fixings, cans of nuts and bolts, nails and other construction items as they passed.
The smell of fresh wood was refreshing, compared to the rotting mold of old wood and worn walls thick with moss and drippings.
“Rats?”
“Too many. Part of what I do is making sure that when this is all done there will be none.”
“Where will they go?”
Victor laughed. “Does it matter, they will just find another subterranean basement to haunt and carry on as always.”
Holmes nodded, but judging by the labyrinth they had circumscribed so far, he doubted the rats would travel much further than the next room where no worker was.
They were very intelligent creatures.
Man did not give them enough credit. But then, man didn’t give many of the wonderful creatures of this planet enough credit. Perhaps that was why Lord Graystone had so much disdain for this world and preferred the wild beauty of Fairie instead.
Perhaps.
“I had no idea the depth of their construction.”
“Most wouldn’t. On purpose, of course,” Victor replied.
Holmes stopped to look Victor in his eyes. “And why is that?”
Victor leaned closer and in a conspiratorial voice said, “There be magic here!”
Victor laughed, but his laughter was hollow and filled with fear on its fringes. Even his eyes couldn’t focus on Holmes, as if they were lost in some far off jungle of nightmares and destruction instead.
“Magic?”
“The worst kind.”
Victor whispered. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone.” He smiled, trying to shore up his lack of proper security in disclosing private information like that. “But then, it’s only rumors more than likely. Men do not like working in damp, dark places.”
“Some don’t.”
Victor gave Holmes a searching look, but then turned his attention to several dozen yards ahead. “Ah, we are near our destination finally.”
He looked about to see who was near, then led Holmes towards one of three doors. “This first one goes directly into the archives. Manley will be there. He is laying down new flooring, but he won’t mind. The second door goes to the storage. Currently it’s empty.”
“Not much of a storage room then, is it?”
“It will be.”
Victor took him to the second room and flung open its door.
Holmes almost gasped. It was so huge.
“Big, yes?”
“For storage, you say?”
“Yes. Quite remarkable amount of space for such, I think.”
“Indeed. I would have to agree with your estimation.”
Holmes didn’t know an adequate word at the moment to put on the vast barely lit space that stretched out for what must have been leagues before him. A few lanterns broke the dark, but their gothic pools of light, smeared the darkness, making the distance seem even further than it was. But not only that.
Unlike the corridors they had walked, which were already gloomy and fearsome at times, this vast chamber could put the fear of the devil into any man’s heart. To be here alone in this with no one else about would be utterly shattering.
He could imagine what horrors a weak mind could confute to such a place, filling it in with imaginary monsters and demons, frits and ghosts, werewolves and vampires. Lurking in corners, hanging on ceiling beams ready to drop on an unwary victim.
“Dear God, you could sleep the whole of London here.”
Victor looked about again, and whispered even more softly. “Please tell no one you saw this.”
Holmes looked at him. “Why?”
“Victor!”
Victor froze.
He turned about.
A burly looking man with a miner’s cap on his head, sweat glistening on his forehead and eyes as big as an owl’s, stood in the doorway behind them, hands fisted on his hips. “You know no one is supposed to see this.”
Victor was frozen, unable to speak.
Holmes smiled and stepped forward, offering a hand. “I’m sure Her Majesty won’t mind one bit.”
“You know the Queen?”
Holmes took out his wallet and flashed his badge too quickly for the man to see his name, but long enough for him to see the Queen’s seal upon it.
“Ah! Well, in that case,” The burly man gave Victor a scowl. “Next time let me know in advance.”
He gave Holmes a suspicious smile. “I’m sure this must be quite boring to you. Victor, show him the archives. I’m sure he won’t be in the way of Manley.”
“Will do, sir.”
Victor nodded towards the doorway and he and Holmes exited.
Holmes felt the stare of the burly man between his shoulders the whole way back to the first door. He grabbed an ancient, weathered wooden knob. It’s a bit sticky after all these centuries, but works with a bit of effort.
He grunted and managed to twist the knob enough for the lock to make a clicking sound and the door open, making complaining sounds like an old man with arthritis rising to his feet in great pain.
Holmes smiled. “You first, Victor.”
Victor entered.
Holmes entered, but turned slightly. From the corner of his vision he could spot the burly man still watching them.
Then he entered and the man was lost to view.
The door behind them swung shut on its own.
Victor almost jumped
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s not supposed to do that.”
Holmes eyed the door. “It’s not alive.”
Victor turned a pale face towards Holmes. “There’s some who say nay to that, Sherlock.”
“Holmes, please, Victor.”
Victor lost some of his gloominess, and the worried, frightened look of a bird caught by foxes vanished to be replaced by his normal jolly smile and dancing eyes. “Right, you are, Holmes!”
They both chuckled.
But Holmes was not smiling inside.
Something was going on here.
Something no one wanted to be found out.
Something dangerous enough that the threat of physical violence hung in the air. And he needed to find out what and why.
