Sandorius
The
ballroom cleared in the panic that he had helped to create. He saw Bobo Drko and Tsura the gypsy tending
to Lady Dalhousie, blood everywhere. With
rising panic, he looked for Elizabeth. He found her lying prone just outside
the postern gate. He rushed to her and
saw that she was alive. However, her
eyes were blank and she was mumbling to herself. Sandorius knew immediately this was not mere
shock but a darker condition. In the few
seconds she had contact with Elizabeth; the Countess had somehow ensnared her spirit.
He
knew such spells could be broken, given time.
Time, however, was something he did not have. The Countess’ plans were
advancing rapidly. He must take Elizabeth to safety first, and then think of
his next steps.
He
picked her up and rushed from room, calling behind to the priest and the gypsy
that he would find them after he had made Elizabeth safe.
Outside
the castle, there was pandemonium, with soldiers running and riding about,
trying to act as if they knew what they were doing but only adding to the
panic. With a wave from his hand, one
cavalryman was knocked from his horse.
Sandorius quickly mounted and rode off.
He
went first to his mansion. It would not be safe there but there were a few
things, components for spells and rituals, which would be useful. He could see the glow from the flames before
he even reached the Belvedere Gardens.
As he drew closer, he could see that the fire was coming from his home. He turned away with a consoling thought that
at least the painting of Milna had likely gone up with his home.
Thinking
quickly, he realized that the last place the Countess was likely to look for
them was at the salt mines. His
attention had been split between protecting his daughter and stopping the
Countess. As a result, he failed in
both. Now, he would conceal Elizabeth there
and deal with the Countess.
It was
well after midnight when they arrived at the mines. It was still abandoned and the silence,
especially near the mine entrance, was chilling.
He
settled them in the mine office. Then he
sent his spirit to search the Astral realm for any clue about the nature of
Elizabeth’s condition. He saw the line
from her terrestrial body stretch off into a distant haze. He could perceive her spirit a long way off,
being held in a form of bondage that he could not entirely make out. It was a very powerful spell, one that would
require a great deal of effort to break.
He returned disheartened to the material world.
He
then searched the area and found a secluded spot on the rocky mountain side. He brought Elizabeth to it. He easily manipulated the earth in the rock
to create a space in which he could conceal Elizabeth. He thought about trying the amber device to
place her into a static form but was too worried that it might suffocate
her. Then he summoned an earth elemental
and placed it to stand guard over her hiding place. He instructed it that, if he did not return
in three days’ time, it would find the priest, Bobo Drko and inform him of
Elizabeth.
Wearied
beyond measure, he went back to the upper room of the mine office and laid down
to sleep.
It was
only a few hours later that the sound of many horses awoke him.
The Case of the
Resurrection Men in The Natural Philosophy of Crime by Anton
Smelchak
After
“Big Saucy” went off on whatever business he had to attend, I saw that Lady
Dalhousie was being brought out of the castle by the gypsy girl and Bobo Drko. They said she had been wounded by the
Countess Krimskaya but they had rescued her and were tending to her wounds.
“The
Countess attacked her?”
“Yes,
Lady D. tried to stop her kidnapping Mercurio’s daughter. Not to worry, I
stabbed the Countess in the back.”
“My
God!” I exclaimed.
“Exactly,”
the priest replied.
“Where
is the Countess now?”
“Turned
to mist and fled. She was a vampire you
know.”
“I
see.” I was becoming quite used to
accepting these incredible revelations.
Of course, I don’t think I shall ever be as blasé as Bobo Drko.
“What
about Mercurio and his daughter?”
“She
was in a trance. The Professor has taken
her off, probably to find a cure. I
think it might have been black magic.”
“Couldn’t
you have helped?” I asked.
“I
offered but he didn’t think that much fire would be good for her.”
Not
wishing to place Lady Dalhousie in proximity with Dr. Dippel, I directed them
to place her in the gypsy wagon. I then
instructed “King” Zoltan to return her to the police barracks for which service
he would be well paid.
It
took us the better part of an hour to get through the city. Large crowds were gathering in many of the
larger squares. The National Guard was patrolling
many of the large thoroughfares, keeping watch that no barricades went up.
Clearly, word about the disturbance at the ball had gotten out and rumor was
rife that Leonardo had escaped. I knew
there were few troops in the city, just the Russian cavalry and the various
Royal Guard units together with the National Guard who were of questionable
loyalty and even more questionable capability.
If Leopold was actually approaching, there would be some serious
problems for the Regent and his cronies.
Upon
our arrival at the barracks, I ordered Dippel to be taken under heavy guard to
Dr. Vlasic’s surgery. I intended the
Vlasic’s unsettling demeanor to have a role in my questioning of Dippel. I then ordered all my gendarmes to duty and
cancelled all patrols. I wanted everyone
one of my men available to aid, their lack of capabilities or enthusiasm
notwithstanding. I sent a runner to the
Minister of Police informing him that the prisoner was in custody. I then had Bobo Drko write to the Archpresbyter
of Strelzov asking that the ecclesiastical court be convened as soon as
possible on a case of the most extreme resort to deviltry.
As I
was finishing these orders, I saw the gypsy wagon arrived. Knowing that Lady Dalhousie was safe, I
turned to the matter of my prisoner.
When I
arrived in the surgery, Dr. Vlasic was already showing Dippel some of his most
interesting surgical tools and explaining, one surgeon to another, exactly what
they were capable of doing.
While
Dippel tried to put on bold front, I could see his courage was failing. He tried to bluster his way out, saying that
the Regent would have my head for mistreating him so. To which I replied that the Regent had more
pressing matters to attend to that night and by morning Dippel would be
condemned by an ecclesiastical court. I then laid out the evidence that I had
implicating him and the Regent in the foulest of crimes. I emphasized the point that the Regent and
the Countess were the ones I really wanted.
All the while, Vlasic was operating a small hand drill next to Dippel’s
head.
The
man’s courage was broken. He whined that
he feared the Countess more than anything we could do. I assured him that if he confessed and gave
testimony against the Regent and the Countess, he would be protected from her
and that his cooperation would be noted to the court.
“Very
well,” he said resignedly, “I will confess.”
Confession of Franz Dippel, Doctor of
Medicine, Surgeon, and Hairdresser
Sworn
before me this 1st of September in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight
Hundred and Thirty-Two
Sergei
Dumitrita
Notary
I have
come from a long-line of men who have served the advancement of knowledge. My great grandfather was famous throughout
Europe for his discovery of Dippel's Oil, a useful lubricant made from the
distillation of bones. But it was my
father who made the truly greatest discovery in history. He discovered the secret of re-animating the
dead. This was when I was but a child
but I remember sneaking into his laboratory one night and saw him reviving a
corpse. After my mother's death, he lost
his senses, blaming it on himself. He
set off on a hunt for his escaped creation from which he never returned.
He was
declared an outlaw for his work, his dedication to science. His laboratory and
notes were destroyed. Our family title
and castle were stripped from us and I was sent to grow up a pauper, the ward
of cousins. I had managed to keep one of
his notebooks, the one with many of the secrets of his process. I determined that I would replicate his work
and thus restore our family name and fortune.
Query:
What was your former title?
We
were the Barons von Frankenstein.
I
studied medicine and became a doctor so as to follow in my father’s
footsteps. However, I knew I should need
wealth for what I intended to do. So I
followed the most popular cures, whether they worked or not, and used them to
gain entre to the highest level of society.
That
is how I met the Countess Krimskaya. I
tried no fraud with her; rather she understood what I was trying to do. I had
had no success until I met her. She
provided me with ancient tomes that told me how it might be done. She was very knowledgeable and made
suggestions to improve to improve my work.
I was able to fill the blanks that were left open in my father's
notebook.
She
also arranged for my position here in Ruritania, a quiet backwater where my
work would not be disturbed. She
introduced me to Dr. von Elphburg, a kindred spirit with connections to the
Royal Family, ensuring our work would be supported.
And, a
little over a year ago, all my years of toil were rewarded. I was able to revive the corpse of a beggar I
had obtained from the resurrection men.
Soon after I did it again, and was able to reproduce the results
regularly.
The
process, however, was not perfect. The
subject was reanimated and was fully alive in a physical sense but the mind no
longer functioned properly. They were nearly
mindless incapable of any thought beyond the most basic. Sometimes they became savages
full of rage. Several of our assistants
were harmed by the creatures, one even killed.
However, I discovered that a combination of mesmerism and galvanic shock
would render them calm and pliable. The
Countess was the first to suggest the use of them as a sort of servant. I thought this was as good a start as any. In doing so the world would become use to the
reanimated and lose its fear.
But
the creatures had little strength; they easily tired and were very
fragile. That was when I realized that an
elixir based upon my great grandfather's formula could be used to increase the
strength of the reanimated. If used upon
an outstanding specimen, we could produce supermen who answered our every
command. Each specimen took a very long time in our limited facilities in the
city and suspicions were being raised. The countess suggested that we find a
remote area where we could expand our facilities and produce the reanimated in
greater numbers. We built the laboratory at my country estate. It was not too far from the salt mines from
which we obtained the preservative while the process was completed. The number of specimens increased
substantial, along with our demand for source material to provide them.
It was
then that the Countess confided in me the extent of her plans. We would find another location, one closer to
the great center of power. Britain. We would find a place in the north, in
remote Scotland. There we would not
build servants but conquerors. We would
quickly build up an army of giants who would overrun the country. We then would have the most powerful nation
on earth under our thumb. With it, we would have its great capacities for
manufacturing. After all were we not
manufacturing life? We would change the
face of the entire earth.
This
was how we hit upon Baron Dalhousie, the greedy fool. We would use his estate as our first base and
he would serve as a cover for our smuggling of my creations into Scotland.
Query: Is the Baron Dalhousie still alive?
He is
still alive, in a way, at our original laboratory here in the city
Query:
Where is that laboratory?
In the
sewers...
The Pimp
Anatol Frufroque was not a happy man. He had been losing at cards all night and this at his own gambling establishment. Then Baroosz had asked him to see Big Saucy immediately. Well, Baroosz was his oldest friend and it gave him an excuse to back away from the gaming tables. Still, Frufroque didn’t like Big Saucy, when he bothered to think about him at all. Frufroque was the real leader of all the rackets in the city, just like Hozzenko the Brigand ran the countryside. Who was this pimp to give himself such airs. Thinks he’s tough? Frufroque drank out of the skulls of such upstarts.
“What
do you want, pimp? I get plenty of girls
without paying for them.”
“With
due respect, Ban Frufroque, I’ve heard that girls were among the things that
the Regent pays you to keep trouble down in the city.”
“Don’t
get high and mighty with me, pimp. I
know that you, like the rest of us, get paid by the toffs to keep trouble
down.”
“Maybe
it’s time we paid the toffs back,” the pimp said.
Frufroque
was startled. That type of statement
could get someone hung pretty easily these days. Worse, it could get bring the Post Office
down on you. Big Saucy was supposed to
be a careful man. There must be some angle.
“What
do you mean, pim-“
“I
prefer to be called ‘Saucy’”
At
least the man had spirit, Frufroque respected that.
“What
are you suggesting?”
“Things
are heating up around town. Old
Leopold’s son escaped and someone tried to blow the Regent’s culo right off of Castle Hill. There’s
going to be riots, or more, tonight.”
“And
tomorrow the Army shoots everyone involved.
I’m not stupid enough to get involved in that. I leave that to those school boys at the
University.”
“You
know Leopold crossed the border.”
“Of
course, and I know that the Army was sent to stop him.”
“What
if I told you the Army didn’t stop him.
That they marched away in the wrong direction. Old Leopold captured Hcentzov two days
ago. Without a shot fired it’s been
said.”
“How
do you know this?”
“Men
talk to my girls. I keep in touch with
my girls, even the ones I sent to keep those poor, lonely soldiers marching off
to Leutonia.”
“You’re
full of it, pi… man. Why would the army
march east when everyone knew Leopold was in the south, at Iskandernople.”
“Maybe
the Post Office sent them the wrong orders?”
Frufroque
thought about that. The pimp was said to
know everything but did that include what went on in the Post Office? So far as to know which way they were going
to jump in the current power struggle?”
“What
do you want from me?”
“Let
say I have friends who would like to see some trouble for the Regent. Some
arson, maybe, shootings, the odd riot here and there…”
“What’s
in it for me?”
“All
the plunder you and your boys can carry.
Remember, in confusion there is profit.
I hear there’s a big fire down in the Belvedere already. Get Little Leutonia riled up, those idiots
are always ready to burn their own houses down when their angry. You should be able to come away with quite a
haul. Look, if things turn around, you
can always blame it on those damn students.
I heard they were the ones behind the interruption of tonight’s ball.”
“Saucy,
I like the way you think.”
Letter from Lady Euphemia Dalhousie to Miss
Elspeth Dalhousie, 28 August 1832
Miss
Elspeth Dalhousie, Spinster
Ossian
Hall
Cranlarich,
Scotland
… I suppose it was
the fresh air that revived me. The next
thing I kin, Sarah and the big priest Drko were carrying me out of the castle
grounds towards a pile of carriages and wagons that crowded at the bottom of
the castle ramp. The priest pressed a
flask to my lips and a hard but fine liquor poured down my throat.
“Here, man,” I
managed to squeak oot, “if it’s free water o’ life, I’m game.” I took the flask from his hand and downed it
in a body gang. I began to feel much
better.
He said, “The
miracle has worked but you must still rest. Also take this to be sure.” Then he
passed me a small vial and told me to drink that as well. When I asked what it was, he replied,
“Antidote for wampyr bite. This will
make sure you not die and come back to drink blood.”
I drank as he instructed
and a fouler mingin’ brew has nae crossed my lips. “I think being a vampire might be
preferable,” I said.
By now, we were
down on the causey and I was a wee bit tipsy.
My head spun what with the loss of blood and the infusion of spirits and
godknowswhat in the antidote. I was
vaguely aware that the Inspector was there saying something about nae putting
me in the police wagon with Dippel but give me to the gypsies. And in my state, I wondered if they would steal
me like they’re said to do with wee bairns.
Sarah took me into
the wagon and helped me out of my bloody gown. Then I lay down upon a wee
scratcher in the wagon and promptly fell asleep to the rocking of the wagon.
I had strangest
dream. The most handsome man I had ever
seen standing afore me in a state of nature looking down at me and sighing in
admiration. Well I was so flattered that
I reached up a kissed him. Then I kissed
him again. And again. And one thing led to another and it was a
most passionate and romantic dream.
When I awoke,
Sarah was coming through the door saying something akin to “Sorry we took so long, the streets are full of soldiers
and Zoltan thought best to avoid-“ Then
she gasped in surprise as I sat up.
I said, “I don’t kin
what ye and the Bobo packed in that draught but I ne’er felt better in my life! Odd dreams thoucht.”
She pointed at the
scratcher on which I sat and it was only then I realized that I was sitting
next tae that handsome man from my dream.
He looked up at me
with a stoatin’ smile and said, “Hewwo.”
Diary of Jan Milna, unpublished
1st of September, 1832
We
searched through the castle crypts as quickly as we could. It was clear that there had been a prisoner there
recently but we could find no sign of what had happened to Leonardo. As the sound of the oncoming guards reached
our ears, we beat a hasty retreat out of the postern gate. I noticed there was much blood on the floor
here but thought nothing of it.
There
was much confusion out on the streets and I saw no sign of Mercurio or his
daughter. I had faith that the wizard
had taken Elizabeth to a place of safety.
We hurried back to our own place of safety, the Café Mirski.
We
were a glum group as we sat guzzling our brfnish. We had come so close to success only to be
deprived of our goal.
My
mood was not improved by Nikolina who was cheerfully telling everyone, "My
husband killed a vampire tonight! Cut his head clean off with one blow!"
As if
that was anything special. Topicz killed
two just by tossing a party cracker at them.
As the
night wore into morning the café became more crowded rather than less. There was great consternation among all the
new arrivals. Then one of the new arrivals told us that the National Guard had
invaded the University, arresting all the faculty and students of the College
of Thaumaturgy they could lay their hands on.
They were claiming Topicz's toy was an attempt to assassinate the
Regent.
It was
then that Topicz staggered to his feet. "No, this must not stand! They forbid us practice what they do
secretly. They steal the dead of the
people. Then they murder the
people. Now they trample the ancient rights
of the University. This cannot
stand!"
We all
looked at him in surprise. Topicz was,
like most Leutonians, taciturn and long-suffering. But he had been pushed too far it
seemed. Being a large man, he had a
powerful voice that echoed through the café.
Soon everyone was cheering and shouting at his words. Then the singing began, old songs of the
first Revolution.
Topicz
continued, "Let us go now and throw those devils off of our
University!"
"Wait," I cried, "The National Guard is well-armed. We need more weapons, more guns. The police have guns in the barracks just across the square. Let us go and get them there. If they will not give them to us, we will take them!"
Then
Sufflay produced two kegs of powder, "Do you think this might persuade
them?"
I said
I would go to Inspektor Smelchak and ask him to help. In case he refused, I sent some of the men to
place the kegs near the back of the barracks.
I
marched directly up to the front door of the barracks. Bobo Drko was there with a couple of
gendarmes.
"Bobo,
I must speak with the Inspektor."
When
he hesitated and asked why I looked so serious, I said, "The Revolution
has come! We have need of the weapons in this barracks. You were part of the Revolution in years gone
by, help us now!"
"Certainly,
my nephew," he said and struck me a hard blow with his closed fist upon my
nose. I fell back. The ever-present Nikolina was there to catch
me. As my head cleared, I asked why he had
struck me.
"Remember,
suffering in defense of the Faith is the highest virtue. I just gave you my blessing; now let's go
talk to the Inspektor."
The
Case of the Resurrection Men in The
Natural Philosophy of Crime by Anton Smelchak
I was
well satisfied with Dippel's confession. I still intended to catch Krotomanic
and the other resurrection men in the act. That would provide final piece of incontrovertible
proof of the crimes against which even the Regent could not stand.
That
was when Milna appeared. He was highly
agitated and demanded I turn over any weapons in the barracks to his band of
rebels. When I asked why, he told me of
the violation of the University. I
argued that I was in the process of an investigation that would bring down the
Regent and thus right any wrongs now being committed. He would have none of
this and said the law was being violated and that as a policeman, I was honor
bound to try and stop it.
Before
I could respond, I heard a loud, rhythmic banging coming from the floor
above. Fearing some type of problem,
perhaps an attack, I assured Milna I would send officers to investigate the
situation at the University. I then
rushed to the store room.
Letter from Lady Euphemia Dalhousie to Miss
Elspeth Dalhousie, 28 August 1832
Afore
I could ask who he was, Sarah threw a couple of throws over us and hustled us
from the wagon and into the police station.
We hurried up to a store room where a young boy with a huge ring of keys
let us in. Sarah told us to stay there until she could fetch us our clothes and
she then she would find us a safer refuge.
I sat
shyly, not knowing what to say. Finally,
I asked, "So it was nae a dream, then, we actually did …
"Oh
yes!"
"I
should be angry with you for taking advantage of me so-"
"What
do you mean, taking advantage, you stawted it by kissing me."
"Well,
I was nae in my right mind. Why should I
nae think I was dreaming when a stranger come upon me not wearing any…"
"The
gypsies took my unifowm, they said it was too wecognizable."
"Oh."
"You
awe vewy pwetty, I was just …wooking. I
would nevew have done anything if you hadn't stawted kissing…"
"Aye,
I know, I started on kissing you."
There
was a bit of a silence, very awkward.
"The
gypsy giww went to get ouw cwothes."
"Aye,
I know. It may take a wee bit. She has to go to my hotel to get new clothes,
my gown was ruined. Vampire
attack."
"Oo.
I'm sowwy… My fathew was a vampiwe for a bit…he got bettew."
"Weaww-
really?"
More
silence.
"It
vewy bowing just sitting hewe."
"Aye,
that it is."
So…shaww
we do it again?"
"Oh,
aye!"
Now we
had just completed our intimacy when there was a knock on the door. We just had
time to wrap our linens about us when in came the Inspektor himself, saying,”Lady
Dalhousie, I have splendid news, your husband is alive.”
“You’we
mawwied!”
He
drew up short when he saw us together and his eyes widened when he recognized
my companion.
"Count
Leonardo?"
I
suppose I kint who he was afore, after all he spoke with that speech impediment that I had been told was the inheritance of all the Radziwills. Still, it was a wee surprise to hear it
said out loud.
Now I
do not mention all this to flaunt my infidelity in your face nor do I claim, as
I would be fully justified by Jamie's own infidelities, that what is good for
the goose is good for the gander. Nae,
in the brief time I had known Leonardo, known in a way a spinster like yerself
could nae understand, I had more joy than in all the years I was married to
your beloved brother, my worthless husband.
My heart is forever pledged to my Leonardo. So kin that I can nae be as a
wife to Jamie thocht he still be alive. And this is all more the case considering
the state in which we found him…
The Case of the
Resurrection Men in The Natural Philosophy of Crime by Anton
Smelchak
Thus I
found myself in the situation where I was close to solving the case that would
either bring down the government or send me to the gallows, I had angry
students on my doorstep about to blow up my barracks, and I had just found the
most wanted man in the kingdom, hiding in my store room in considerable
intimacy with the wife of the supposed victim of the crime that started all of
it.
I
stammered my respects to the Count when I heard a tumult outside.
There
was Milna, mounted on the roof of the pissoir in the middle of the square
offering a harangue to the ever growing crowd in the square. To my astonishment, he said that the police
were going to throw the National Guard out of the University and bring the
Regent to justice.
"We
will help the police retake our University.
Then, we find Count Leonardo and make him safe. Since we do not know where he is, we must
make the whole city safe for him."
Suddenly,
out of the barracks door came Leonardo, resplendid in his blue and red uniform,
"Did someone say caww my name?"
The
crowd exploded with cheers. They lifted
him up onto the pissoir roof where he joined in the rousing chorus of the
forbidden "Leopold's March."
Lady
Dalhousie stood gazing at him with obvious admiration. "At least this time, he remembered tae
put on his trousers."
As I
stood there contemplating my likely fate, the runner I had sent to the Minister
returned with word that he had been arrested.
The Regent had missed Dippel after all and so discovered the
arrest. I would certainly be next. But what I found more of an outrage was that
the Regent was abusing his power to arrest a man for doing his duty.
I
assembled the men of the barracks and said to them, "Men, it appears we
are caught in the middle of a revolution.
We can run and hide or we can act as the true defenders of justice we
swore to be."
They
looked at each other confusedly.
Finally, Loncar asked, "Are you talking to us?"
"Yes."
"You
mean you want us to be the defenders of justice? Us?"
"Yes! What is the only protection that the poor and
the weak have against tyranny but the law, fairly and impartially administered. No king, no regent can stand against
that! You are ordinary men. In some cases, less than ordinary men. But if
we stand together in defense of the law, we will be more than men, tonight we
will be the law, tonight we will be justice! Will you follow me?"
I
swear for a moment I thought they were going to laugh. But then, looking
sheepishly at each other, they began standing taller, shifting into ranks and
coming to attention. Finally, Loncar
said, "No one ever thought we could be of any good. God help us, Inspektor. We will follow you!"
Diary of Jan Milna, unpublished
1st of September, 1832
The
crowd cheered even louder when Smelchak and his men joined us.
Cheering
would not win the city alone and I said so to Count Leonardo. We still needed
weapons and I asked for the police to open their arsenal. Smelchak took me
aside and handed me a card.
It
belonged to a Commander Fogge, military attaché at the British Consulate. He said he met the man at the ball and
inquire about our service to Lady Dalhousie.
“He
seemed more attuned to our affairs than usual…The English are worried about the
Russians increasing their influence in this part of the world. Perhaps he would be willing to help?”
I set
off at once. Nikolina came with of
course. This time however she was quite
useful, helping me avoid the National Guard patrols. We soon arrived at the British Consulate,
just off Zagloba Prospekt. I showed them
the card and was admitted at once.
Commander
Fogge was a bright, urbane man with the casualness that is associated with
someone who is use to wielding power.
I
explained to him that the Revolution had started, the police had joined us, and
Leopold was on the march. I said that
with his country’s help, we would drive the Russians out and bring freedom to
this nation.
“Well,
frankly, Mr. Milna, we are having a spot of trouble at home with …your sort of
people. However, His Majesty’s
Government is always interested in promoting freedom, especially freedom of
trade. Certainly, we are not
particularly happy with what the Russians are up to.”
“Then
you will help?”
“Not
directly, of course. Not yet in any
event. However, I will give you the name
of a man who will take you to small warehouse not far from here. There you will several hundred firearms and a
large quantity of powder. Wagons will be
provided of course.”
He
could see surprise on my face.
“Mr
Milna, I knew someone such as yourself would be coming along. I never leave such things to chance. After all, Lord Dalhousie was not the only
one in the business of smuggling.”
The Case of the
Resurrection Men in The Natural Philosophy of Crime by Anton
Smelchak
I sent
word to the other police barracks that the Minister had been arrested illegally
and that I would be acting Minister of Police.
There was an attempt underway to overthrow our constitution and all
police were ordered to remain in their barracks and obey no orders that did not
come from me.
I did
not send the message to Bersa. He was
the senior Inspektor in the force and therefore the Minister’s successor. A toady such as he would certainly back the
Regent. Fortunately, he was an
incompetent idiot and most of the other district inspectors knew this. That was why they looked to me.
We
marched toward the University, my police wagon driven by Bogacz in the lead,
Count Leonardo, the Bobo and I perched on the roof, the rest of my gendarmes
following close behind. We were followed
by a multitude that grew with each residence we passed.
Two
companies very nervous National Guardsmen were drawn up at the entrance to the
University grounds. I halted the
procession and called out to them that they were acting illegally and must
leave the University or else all face justice.
They
prepared to fire on us.
Bob
Drko then spoke up, telling them that the Regent had sold his soul to the devil
and practiced black magic. If they
didn’t quit, they would face the fires of hell as his accomplices. He waxed quite poetic about the torments that
awaited them in that case. It definitely
Then a
train of wagons began pressing its way through the crowd. Milna and Nikolina were standing atop the
first, handing out muskets to the crowd.
Soon hundreds of guns were pointed at the National Guardsmen.
A
sergeant broke from the ranks of Guardsmen, “The hell with Leobald, what’s he
ever done for us!” The sergeant pointed
at Lady Dalhousie, of all people. “You
see that pretty lady? We met she came
into the country. She was the first toff
that treated me and Petro here like humans.
If that is the type of people with Leonardo, then I am with Leonardo. And
with Leopold!”
At
this the Guardsmen broke ranks and joined with the crowd. A couple of officers who tried to stop the
mutiny were struck down instantly.
We now
truly had a revolution.
Narishkin
Narishkin
The Tsar had told him to be guided by the Countess in all thing. He would do so. He hated the senseless cruelty of the woman, but she was the only one here who had any sense of things. He had been told that matters in Ruritania were coming to a crisis but he never expected it to unfold so swiftly.
At least they had returned to the Royal Castle. It had been unseemly to have run off at the first whiff of trouble but the Regent was not the steadiest of men. They were meeting in a small sitting room near the King's bedchambers. Only the Regent was there with a few of his worthless generals, Narishkin, the Countess, and the Queen. The King had gone to bed, thankfully; the last thing they needed was that doddering old fool. The Regent was bad enough.
"How soon can your twoops be hewe?" the Regent asked.
"Word should reach them by morning. A day's hard marching, two at the most and they will be here. The Austrian Brigade should be here soon but they will be slow. I have already seen that they are not ...enthusiastic with their role here."
"But the city is going up in fwames NOW!" The panic was creeping back into the Regent's voice."
Narishkin agreed, "There are reports of mobs looting mansions in the Bogatney district and the Belvedere Gardens. Barricades are being erected in the Svenkta Methodi. Little Leutonia is in open revolt. There are reports that the police have joined the mob."
"That scum, bah," scoffed one of Leobald's drill field generals.
"Yes, they are scum but no worse than the National Guard and without the National Guard, we have a few guard units and my cavalry."
The Countess finally spoke, "Enough! We will withdraw from the city tonight."
"But we can't abandon the capitaw without a fight!" whined the Regent.
"There won't be a fight here," said the Countess. "The whole city is rising. Leopold will be here by dawn. I have seen it. There is a place a short distance from here where we can make our stand, gather our army. We shall lure Leopold into a trap and destroy him."
That was good enough for Narishkin, "I shall give the necessary orders." As an afterthought, he turned to the Queen who had been silent all this time. "If that meets with your approval, Your Highness?"
"Yes it does. I shall wake the King." She was fuming with anger when she turned to the Regent, "You have brought us to this, you fool. Once we are out of this, you shall pay dearly, Leobald!"
The Case of the Resurrection Men in The Natural Philosophy of Crime by Anton Smelchak
The hour was close to two now and I had not lost my desire to capture the grave robbers at Saint Wanda’s graveyard. I now had many other concerns but I still intended to bring them in and complete my case. Perhaps it was the realization that, one way or another, promotion or execution, this was likely to be my last case as an investigator, I want to be in at the finish.
With
Leonardo and Voynich sorting things out at the University, I felt safe in
leaving the scene. I told the Count that
I would return shortly with the final evidence against the Regent and also
information regarding Lady Dalhousie’s husband.
“If
you find him awive, you may not want to mention what Wady Effie and I …uh…”
“I
shall be the soul of discretion, Your Highness.”
“Oh
goodie!”
I
gathered about a dozen of my gendarmes and National Guardsmen and we
set off for the graveyard. The Bobo was
with us, of course, along with Lady Dalhousie and the gypsy girl, Milna and his
ubiquitous bride, and Topicz.
Saint
Wanda’s was the largest graveyard in the city, catering mostly to the large
Leutonian population of the Old Town District. We arrived at the
graveyard about a quarter past two and surrounded the place.
Much
to my chagrin, the graveyard was empty.
It appeared that we had been spotted or they received some type of
warning. There were clear signs of very recent activity, however, with several
of the graves newly opened and a few coffins dragged out.
Fortunately,
Dippel had revealed that they had been taking bodies from the place
periodically for weeks. To aid them,
they had installed a tunnel from one of the mausoleums down into a nearby sewer
line. This was the reason for the
placement of their first laboratory in such a strange location. A brief search of the mausoleums revealed
the tunnel which had been left open in the robbers’ hasty departure.
Leaving
a strong guard at the entrance, we descended into the noisome atmosphere of the
city sewers. These were far larger than
I had expected and the channel provided a veritable underground river. Dippel’s electric galvanic vines ran along
the walls and roof, sparking occasionally to give us momentary illumination as
if by lightening. There was a stone walkway along each side of the channel but
it was narrow and we could pass two-by-two only with some difficulty.
The
rushing water coupled with the periodic crack of the galvanics made hearing
difficult but one could make out occasional odd and disturbingly unnatural
sounds emanating from down the passage.
We advanced towards those sounds.
As we
advanced, I could make out large bodies moving in the water. These seemed like some sort of over-sized sea
creatures. Occasionally, the movement of
a particularly large specimen splashed water onto the walkway. The water was too filthy and the light too
dim to gain more than the briefest glimpse of these things.
Suddenly,
there were shouts and then shots at the rear of our column. Harsh gutteral roars and high-pitched
squeals followed. Before I could run
back, Gendarme Drago reported that several ghouls had attacked the rear of our
column. The Guardsmen panicked and two
were slain but the policemen rallied and destroyed the things, throwing them
into the water where awful, tentacle beasts consumed their foul flesh.
We
took up our advance again, more quietly this time, moving one-by-one with our
lanterns hooded. As we turned a corner, we
saw that a large room opening off to the right of the passage, light spilling
out from it. We could hear voices now,
distinctly human, calling upon each other to speed their departure. Lady Dalhousie looked startled. “One of those
is Jamie, my husband, but he sounds mighty queer,” she whispered.
Then I
saw ahead of us a group of those ghoulish creatures advancing towards us along
both sides of the channel. Swallowing my disgust at the unnatural sight, I signaled to
the party to press themselves along the wall, be silent, and let the things pass.
As I
suspected, they were witless things and were not able to easily discern
us. There were five of them on each side
of the channel. When the five on our
side had come up with us, I gave a signal and we all pushed against them. They fell clumsily into water of the sewer. I saw indeed that large tentacles engulfed
them and drew them down into now roiling water.
The
five on the other side of the channel had now turned. The Bobo began crying out in a loud voice,
summoning them to come and get him. The
five mindless creatures grew enraged and charged directly toward us, falling
into the channel. They too were consumed.
Topicz
now ran ahead. He saw four large armed
men who were coming to investigate the noise.
Topicz still possessed one of the devices that he had constructed for Mercurio. This
he threw at the feet of the four men and there was a popping sound and small
flash. The men were engulfed in a block
of amber. Their faces showed the
distress of a sudden loss of air.
Before
we could advance to support Topicz, a huge figure loomed out of the darkness
and charged towards us. It was fully
eight feet tall and covering with a huge musculature. Its face, barely human in aspect, was
contorted with an insane rage. It
charged directly at me and I thought I would surely fall under its attack.
A
great blast sounded and echoed through the dark passage. A heavy ball struck the creature directly in
the chest. Amazingly, it did not seem to
pierce the creature’s breast but the force of shot knocked it backward into the
water of the channel. I glanced back and saw Lady Dalhousie, her just-fired
elephant rifle in her hands. I offered
my thanks.
“Dinnae
thank me, laddie, thank my Fiona,” she said, patting the rifle.
When I
turned back I saw that the things in the water were consuming this ghoul as
well. Then, one of the tentacle
monstrosities wrapped a limb around a grating in the walkway, seeming to be
in the act of pulling itself up onto our level.
I ran
past it, firing one of my coach guns at the tentacle. The shot hit and the creature let go of its
hold. Then an electric bolt crackled
down from the galvanic vine, striking the creature and driving it back beneath
the waters.
There
was one man left in the room. He was
trying to advance up a ladder to the surface.
The Bobo grabbed his collar and threw him to the floor. It was Geli von Elphburg.
He
smiled up ingratiatingly at me and called out, “Don’t shoot, Inspektor. I surrender.”
I
looked about but could not see anyone else.
As I turned Elphberg over to my men, a strangely mechanical voice called out,
“Effie gel, is that you?”
Lady
Dalhousie who had likewise been trying to find her husband, looked about her
and said, “Jamie, is that you? Where are
you?”
“Why
right here, gel. Sitting in the garden
by the oak tree.”
That
was when realized that the voice was coming from a small grated box attached to
a large, strangely wrought device in the corner of the room. At the top of the device was a large glass
jar. With great horror I saw that
contained within it was a human brain.
With a
shaking hand I pointed this out to the others.
Lady Dalhousie whispered breathlessly to me, “Is that him?” I nodded.
“Och, Jamie, you look a mite worse now than when I last saw ye.”
“Aye
gel, I was in a terrible fall. I cannae
see. I’ve been recuperatin’ in Dippel’s
garden here for weeks. He hopes my eyesight
will return someday.”
The
voice seemed slurred as if from drink. I
noticed that there were several wires and tubes leading into the glass jar,
some attached to the organ within. One of
these seemed to be carrying an amber-colored liquor directly into the
brain. Dear lord, I thought, an
appreciated of alcohol is one thing but to imbibe it in his state is a
testament to Lord Dalhousie’s dedication to drink.
“Jamie,
what have you been up tae here?”
“Ah
gel, I was trying to retrieve my fortunes.
I was here looking into that mink business about which I wrote when I met Dr. Dippel. He told me of his work, bringing dead paupers
back to life. I came up with the idea of shipping them home as cheap labor. Think
of it, gel! They’re already dead so you
dinnae have to pay them! Every mill
owner in Britain’ll want them as workers.
Dippel was breeding them big too so they could be used as navvies, and
coal miners. Och the possibilities were
endless.
“Then
I had a twinge of my conscience. It
dinnae seem right to be stealing all these bodies. I wondered where they all came from. I began to wonder if there might be some foul
play involved. So I told Dippel I wanted
out of the deal and that he should stop or I would go to the British counsel
and the local police and tell them all.
That’s
when I had my fall. I was leaving that
contraption of von Elphberg and fell down asudden. Took a long while to come to my senses but
Dippel’s been taking care of me ever since.
He said I broke my neck but he made sure I could make a clean
recovery although it will take a long time to fully heal. I owe the man my life. Oh, wait, I have to shoo the bunnies. Shoo,
shoo, bunny!”
As the
brain spoke these words, we saw one of the galvanic discharges arc down, striking a tentacled creature that raised its form out of the water. It retreated.
The
Bobo said, “His brain is controlling the electric vines. They keep the
demons under control. That is why
they’ve done this to him, so he will eternally act as a check on the qlippoth
that have escaped into our world because of their experiments. This is magic of the blackest kind!”
“Eternally?”
I asked.
“If
this device works properly, jar sealed tightly, normal decay would be prevented, the brain could last
a very long time.”
“How
long?”
Bobo
shrugged, “Until the whiskey runs out.”
Confession of Franz Dippel, Doctor of
Medicine, Surgeon, and Hairdresser
… Lord
Dalhousie is very much alive, in a sense.
He grew too squeamish about our plans.
At the
same time, we were being troubled by the by-product of our experiments. My
theory is that these were simply the microscopic creatures that dwell unseen
all around us but now grown to size as a result of our processes. They began to infest the area around our laboratory and
proved quite dangerous, more so than many of our wilder specimens.
Fortunately,
I discovered that electrical shock applied to the creatures kept them subdued. That was why we installed the galvanic system
in the sewers. Unfortunately, the system
needed constant control and the creatures needed constant watching. There was an experiment in my father's
notebook detailing the transference of a brain into an automaton. He successfully did this with a cow that ran
a well, thinking all the time that it was producing milk. The same principle was applied here but
because of the complexity, I determined that a human brain was needed. Originally, I thought a reanimated brain would
work but the poor functioning of the revived brain worked against this option.
Another
reason we decided to deal with him in this manner was the ruby. The Countess was a aware that his wife
possessed an artifact that would, she insisted, help our goal on increasing
production of reanimates. She offered
him a fortune but he refused saying it was wife's and it was obvious that his
fear of his wife outweighed his greed.
We needed to lure his wife here and obtain the ruby from her.
All
these points combined to lead us to using him as the engine, if you will, of
our mechanism in the sewers. He was simply knocked unconscious and I removed
his brain from his body. Of course I
believed that he would be more cooperative if he was unaware of his true
condition. I became quite adept at
stimulating parts of his brain to make him believe he was enjoying a country
garden. Of course the whiskey helped.
Query: What would happen if this system shut down and the brain removed.
I
suppose the organisms in the sewer water would soon over run most of the city…
The Case of the
Resurrection Men in The Natural Philosophy of Crime by Anton
Smelchak
By the
time we returned to the barracks, there was euphoria in the streets. Word had
come that the whole city had risen, the mansions of the Twelve Families were
being sacked and that the King and his Court, including the Regent were fleeing
from the city. Word had come that
Leopold's army was approaching, having marched the sixty miles from Hcentzov in
two days.
Since
his exile in '15, Leopold had led his army of volunteers on a hundred fields of
battle throughout the world, from the Aegean to the Caucasus, from the Andes to the Amazon, from the South China
Sea to Himalayas. Most recently, he had
fought with the Greeks in their war of independence. After the victory at Petra, he grew concerned
about Russian intentions in the area.
Thus when they went to war against the Turks, Leopold was willing to consider
the cautious offer of the Ottomans for his service. However, the Turks were defeated before the
details could be finalized and the Russians demanded as part of the peace that
Leopold's army be disbanded and he returned.
He refused of course and the Turks had little stomach to force him. He had thus been settled at the border town
of Iskanderanople for nearly a year, anticipating the trouble that now gave
rise to his return.
As
dawn came to the city, his army marched in, the Regent have long since
fled. His regulars were few in number
but well seasoned and dedicated, containing not only Ruritanians but Poles and
Greeks and Russian Decembrists, Frenchmen, Venezuelans and Mexicans, even a few Armenians and a Chinese. Any who wished to strike a blow
for liberty. His ranks were swelled by
volunteers who had fled over the border to join him. Much to our surprise there was a regiment
made up of the former Leutonian miners of Grebnach, eager to combat the evil
they had witnessed firsthand. They were distinguished
by the traditional Leutonian beret of pinkish crimson, the famous Ruritania
Rasberry.
Leonardo
arranged an audience for us. The old
Prince was over seventy but still energetic but easily distracted by shiny
objects. I did my best to explain our
efforts and how the Regent had aligned himself with a vampire.
"Weawwy? I don't cawe fow vampiwes, not good on the
digestion. I awmost became one
once. Sandowius cuwed me. How I wish he was hewe. He was vewy smawt. You awe vewy smawt too. What say we make you Ministew of Powice
pewmanentwy?
Leonardo
next introduced Milna, saying how he was the first leader of the uprising and
former officer of Polish cavalry.
"Excewwent. And a Powe as weww. We have many of youw countwymen in ouw cavawwy. What
say we make you a Cowonew in ouw cavawwy."
"May I give you my blessing, Highness?" asked Bobo Drko, drawing back his fist.
"Thank you, no, Bobo. I wost thwee teeth at my wast bwessing. I have been towd of youw howy devotion. What say we talk to Pwesbytew and have you made an Awch-bobo?"
Topicz
spoke up, "Your Highness, I am the one who first rallied the people to
your cause."
"Good
fow you."
Then Leonardo
introduced Lady Dalhousie as his "giww."
"Weawwy? She's quite the wookew. Ah youth!
How I miss my deaw Webecca. She
was the best waundwess a man evew had."
"Highness,
we must decide our next steps," this was from General Strakencz, the Chief
of Staff.
"Of
couwse, Stwakencz, whewe have my bwothews gone?"
"To
the southeast, along the road to Apollograd, heading for the Trans-Ister steppe. Leobald has supporters among the Kozaki
there, he will seek reinforcements from them."
"Then
we shaww puwsue immediatewy.
"Highness,
that is impossible, the men are exhausted, they have forced marched over sixty
miles in the last two days."
"No,
we will west a few houws only. We wiww
have bweakfast and a bowew movement and then we mawch! We must bustwe, Stwakencz, we must
bustwe! We awe hunting vampiwes!"
Sandorius
They
were a troop of the Russian heavy cavalry that garrisoned Strelzov. They appeared travel-worn and tired. They dismounted but it appeared only for a
brief rest, after a few moments, they
left, moving along the road to the southeast.
From the second floor of the mine office, he could see dust clouds along
the skyline to the north, heading toward him.
Troops on the march, the Royal Army was concentrating, most likely to
move against Leopold. They weren't
marching toward the capital. That meant
something had gone wrong for them there.
Perhaps the city had fallen.
The
sound of pounding hoof beats disturbed his thoughts. A courier was rushing down the main
road. With a flick of Sandorius' hand,
the rider was knocked from his horse by an invisible bolt. Sandorius quickly bound the young man and put
him in one of the cabins. Then he
searched the courier's dispatch bag.
There were orders in it to various commanders, telling them to
concentrate at the old castle on Lake Czud.
Of
course! The tumulus of the old god. He
knew it well. A place of power. That was
where the Countess would make her stand, draw her enemies in and then spring some
hell she had in store for them.
Sandorius
changed into the courier's uniform, then used a glamour to change his appearance
to that of a non-descript young man, an aide de camp who flitted about a camp
or battlefield with few questions asked.
Before
he left, he summoned up a tiny elemental of air, "Fly to Fisztics and to
Tsura. Tell them I am hiding with the
Royal Army by the shores of Lake Czud."
He let it fly off and set off after the departed cavalry
The
camp of the Royal Army was already large by the time Sandorius reached in the
late afternoon. Both the Russian and Austrian occupying brigades were there
with cavalry and artillery supports.
Several regiments of the Royal Army had arrived, including the famed Cuirassiers
and the heavy artillery. Several bands of fierce Kozaki stood guard at the
castle.
It had
been his castle at one time. A manor
house, really rising up from an island in the lake. He had chosen it because it was close to the
tumulus, a holy burial mound built by the ancient Kurgans, the legendary people
who dwelt in these lands when the mountains were young. He thought he could use the power of the
place to aid his magic. The power here
was too strong and unpredictable. He had
left it then, never imagining that she would find it.
They
had erected a large tower on the hill and atop it was a strange device. This was a focus. She would draw the power of the elements into
a single spot. But to what end? Likely to raise her army of undead
giants. But how, he was not familiar
with its operation. He could not get
close to it because of troops of Kozakis guarding it.
He
decided to rest before plotting his next course of action. He had not had a full night's sleep in a week
and his power to work magic was completely drained. He had the time for once. Leopold had just captured the city that
day. The old man would need time to sort
the city out and rest his troops.
Sandorius had at least two or three days until armies clashed.
He
found a tree near the castle bridge and fell soundly asleep under it.
He was
awaken around four that morning. A large carriage had arrived. It carried the Countess. She was greeted by the Regent and Narishkin,
the Russian Ambassador, now in his role of commander of the occupying army.
"Why
aren't your men on the line?" She called harshly to them. Despite their
rank and medals, it was clear that the two would take orders from her.
"The
men need rest, many have marched a long way to this concentration."
"Fools,
Leopold's cavalry is right behind us. We
were nearly captured. His whole army is
a few hours away. Get your men into
line, Leopold will be here by dawn!"
The
pair rushed away, a cloud of aides scattering to get the army moving into
place.
Sandorius
stayed and watched her. She ordered some
of the Kozaki guards to unload a large crate from the carriage. They
carried it into the castle. A man
dressed as a Kozaki officer came from the castle and greeted her. Sandorius
knew the man was a vampire.
"Is
all in readiness?" she asked.
"Yes,
Countess. But how shall we accomplish
the ritual without the ruby?"
"We
have another key, do not worry."
"May
I ask what that is, Countess?"
He saw
her white teeth smile in the darkness, "The magic of the fey. We have a key to doors of Hy Brasil itself."
Sandorius
knew then. She had found Elizabeth.
