Chapter Twenty-Seven

It was cramped in the boot of the car.

“Sorry,” Peter apologized as another bump in the road pushed him against Maedbh.

“Not your fault,” Maedbh said as she fitted into a sixty-six position with her back against Peter.

The Tramp was waking up, grunting and snorting. He began to howl like a mad animal.

“Please!” Oengus demanded. He was next to the Tramp and the smell was getting to him.

The Tramp thrashed about much to Oengus’s discomfort but he was too tightly secured and could not get loose. He tried to kick the boot and following his example so did Maedbh, Peter and Oengus . But there was very limited room to move and the boot lid was too near to leverage properly. They were thrashing about to no avail.

Oengus brought up his knees and braced the Tramp against the side of the boot. It took all his strength to pin the tramp in position. The tramp stopped struggling and became limp again. He continued to breathe heavily and Oengus gagged against the body odors that wafted from the tramp. Clearly the tramp was one of the great unwashed.

“Do you think you could get your fingers into my pants...?” Peter whispered.

“I beg your pardon,” Maedbh interjected, hissing in indignation.

“Please, I have a penknife in my pocket. I always carry a field penknife when I’m out on field work.”

Maedbh fumbled into Peter’s pants. Her fingers clasped the penknife. It was a bulky Swiss army type penknife with multi functions and this made it difficult to maneuver out of his pocket in the cramped bouncing boot.

“I dropped it,” Maedbh whispered in frustration.

“Keep looking,” Peter hissed.

“Got it,” Maedbh said after searching about for a while.

“You’ve got to get your back to me so I can cut the plastic tie.”

“OK,” Peter agreed.

“Oengus, make room,” Maedbh hissed.

Oengus didn’t know what was going on but he heard the urgency on Maedbh’s tone. Taking a deep breath he squeezed up against the tramp.

Peter and Maedbh twisted and turned until they were in position, back to back tied hands touching.

“I can open the blade if you can hold it still,” Peter had said in the course of their movements.

Peter worked the blade open while Maedbh held the penknife steady. Then Maedbh sawed the plastic tie on Peter’s wrists. She could tell from his reactions that she cut him a few times and she hoped she wouldn’t cut his wrists.

“Got it,” Peter said as his hands became free. He took the knife and freed Maedbh and then Oengus.

“Cut the tramp free,” Peter said handing the penknife to Oengus.

“Are you nuts?” Oengus said.

“When we get wherever we are going we will need a diversion. The tramp is nuts enough to go at them and maybe we can get away,” Peter reasoned.

“Maedbh can you do a spell?” Oengus asked.

“Forget it,” Maedbh said. “I’d need a clear target line. I don’t know how to do it through a car seat.”

“I’m not nuts,” the Tramp growled.

“Who are you?” Peter asked.

“A former colleague of John. He addicted me to the sword. I felt it calling. I need it like an addict needs heroin.”

“Addicted?” Peter asked.

“It’s complicated. Just cut me loose.”

“We are not the enemy,” Maedbh said.

“Understood,” the tramp agreed.

Oengus cut the tie and the tramp stretched his long arms.

“They’ll open the boot carefully,” the tramp said. “So stay still and look beaten. As they lift us out we make our move.”

“What move?” Oengus asked.

“They intend to kill us,” the tramp said.

This left a silence in the air.

“What?” Peter asked.

“It’s complicated,” Maedbh said.

Before she could speak further the limousine came to a sudden halt. Hugo pulled the ford pickup in behind and waited.

The Greyman turned in the front seat and smiled.

“This is the 86th street transverse. We need to move our friends in the boot into the park and over to the reservoir which is just here.”

“There’s very little traffic at this time,” Leanan said.

“Motor traffic is forbidden through the park on the weekend so we should be good. Hugo will help and two of his gang will take our limo and their pickup away. That way it won’t attract attention. But we need to move quickly and decisively with little fuss.”

They climbed out of the limo and gathered at the boot. Hugo and Joey joined them and one of Hugo’s men climbed into the driver’s seat of the limo.

“All set,” Hugo said.

“As we drove along there was a deal of noise from the boot,” Leanan said.

“But then they went quiet,” Dearg Due added. “Very suspicious.”

“Expect the worst when I pop the boot,” the Greyman said.

Hugo took out his cosh.

“When I pop the lid, Hugo you hit the tramp immediately. I want him out cold, he’s trouble,” the Greyman said.

“Gotcha,” Hugo said balancing on his toes ready for action.

“I’ve got my Smith and Weston revolver,” John said, taking it out of his inside pocket.

“That should induce a reasonableness,” Leanan said in good humor, apparently fully recovered from her encounter with Oengus.

“Are we ready,” the tramp hissed, made nervous by the distance sound of voices outside the boot of the Limo.

They tensed, ready to spring into action once the lid popped.

The Greyman popped the boot and Hugo struck immediately just as the tramp’s head came up. The tramp fell back unconscious and Peter’s penknife fell to the ground. Joey swooped it up.

The remainder of the passengers in the boot found themselves staring into the barrel of John’s Smith and Weston. Maedbh’s frozen spell hit Leanan and she froze on the spot.

“Any more of that and I shoot,” John threatened.

He put the gun against Maedbh’s head as he spoke.

Joey hauled Oengus and Peter out of the boot and then, by now cowed, Maedbh.

“Joey will carry the tramp,” the Greyman instructed.

Hugo helped Joey get the heavy tramp onto his shoulder.

“I’ll take Leanan,” Dearg Due said and effortlessly lifted her onto her shoulder, carrying her like a frozen plank. “Morag or Deirdre will unfreeze her,” she added.

Maedbh shrugged and cast her antidote unfreeze spell.

Leanan cuddled into Dearg Due for warmth but otherwise seemed sleepy.

“Thank you for being sensible,” Dearg Due said with a touch of a smile for Maedbh.

John retrieved the Great Fury from the Limo.

Hugo went and took some electrical equipment from the back of the pickup. He pulled down a trolley and put the gear onto the trolley including some heavy batteries.

“You may have to carry that gear over the break in to the main system but the trolley will do to get down the system,” the Greyman said.

Joey dumped the tramp on top of the trolley and together with Hugo prepared to push the load.

The Greyman gave the ok. The Limo and the Pickup pulled away leaving the group at the edge of the road.

“This way,” the Greyman said and led them into the park and the adjacent reservoir.

The tunnel entrance was heavily overgrown and the gap in the ironwork was not obvious but the Greyman led them through unerringly.

The tramp stirred and Hugo hit him again. They maneuvered the trolley and equipment through the gap and onto the smooth internal walkway and rolled forward.

“He’s going to have a terrible headache,” Leanan said with satisfaction. “Can I borrow that cosh and hit Oengus?” she added.

“Not now,” the Greyman said irritably. Ever since his failed romance with Dearg Due he had retained little tolerance for women scorned and their wily ways.

Deeper inside the water system Morag, Deirdre and Dutronc saw the light of the approaching torches as they shone down the disused reservoir tunnel, accompanied by the noise of the trolley and distant footsteps.

“That should be the Greyman and party approaching,” Morag said.

“We better get set up,” Dutronc instructed.

Morag took a position near the entrance from the disused tunnel in case it was other unexpected visitors.

“I’ll handle it,” she said as Deirdre came to join her. “Deirdre, you get on with it.”

Deirdre sprang to action, anxious to show what she could do.

She took the backpack from Dutronc and spread out the contents under the light of a torch. She began a low melodic chant, getting in the mood for magic. Humming as she went Deirdre dragged a large old cauldron from an obscure corner where it was concealed under tarpaulin and bricks.

“Hugo is bringing some lighting equipment and batteries,” Morag pointed out.

“Good thinking,” Dutronc said. He found a convenient spot where he could sit and watch.

“Will I use the strong spell first?” Deirdre asked.

“Yes, we want maximum contamination in minimum time,” Morag said, adding, “Then we’ll trial this sword device. If it works we’ll re-contaminate on a slower timescale but we will be confident that we have the means to reverse quickly when we wish.”

“I have the reversing spell, but it’s back at my place,” Deirdre pointed out.

“Just keep it as backup, if the sword is more certain we may as well use it.”

“OK,” Deirdre said. She was proud of the reverse spell she and Morag had developed but she was on Morag’s team and a team worker for the present and if Morag wanted sword magic that was all right with her. Her ambition was to do well and persuade Morag to keep her in America and on the team.

With a clatter the second group arrived with the Greyman leading at the front. Behind him came the prisoners herded by John with his gun. Joey picked up the tramp and carried him the last few yards and unceremoniously dumped him on the ground near the water’s edge. Behind them Hugo began to bring in the electrical gear, the rubble from the break in to the water system having blocked the easier passage of the trolley. Joey went back and helped him to carry in the cabling wires for the lights. They began to set up, cutting the cabling to size and connecting the batteries to the lights.

John instructed Peter, Maedbh and Oengus to sit at the wall of the tunnel and they gathered together in a huddle.

Then Greyman introduced John to Deirdre and Dutronc and John shook Morag’s hand. He remembered the Greyman had had to clear his deal with her.

“You have this sword?” Dutronc asked.

“Yes,” John said. He held the sword aloft in its scabbard for a second and Dutronc gave him a tolerant smile.

“A million dollars and a new identity,” John said.

“I understand that’s the deal. But only if the artifact performs as described.”

“Don’t worry,” John said, adding, “And I get to keep it when this project is done.”

“Yes, yes, lets’ get on with the job,” Dutronc instructed.

Morag gave Deirdre a helping hand. Hugo set the lighting so it was easier to see everything. The lamps reflected off the clear clean water.

Around a fire of wood Deirdre and Morag danced and chanted while the large cauldron bubbled.

Maedbh watched with keen professional interested, delighted to see two mature witches in action.

Dutronc fussed with his cell phone and looked up from time to time. Eventually he gave up on the cell as it could not get a signal in the tunnel system.

Hugo and Joey kept an eye on the prisoners but watched the two witches in action.

“This is nuts,” Joey whispered.

“Maybe they’ll get naked,” Hugo whispered back.

“Quiet,” the Greyman hissed.

John watched the tramp who seemed comatose, but he was ready to hit him a crack with the butt of his gun if the tramp caused trouble.

Leanan and Dearg Due enjoyed the show but their glances returned repeatedly to check Oengus and Peter and Maedbh on the floor.

“It’s ready,” Morag said.

Dutronc put the cell back into his pocket.

“Impress me,” he said.