Only the Thunder Knows_East End Girls (11 page)

Chapter

16

Although Billy
Burke admitted to taking part in many murders—even he hadn’t been sure of the
exact number—he had only died on the gallows officially charged with killing
three. His hanging at the Libberton Wynd Lawn Market had drawn the biggest
crowd ever to witness a single execution in Scottish history. And in what many
agreed was a perfectly ironic twist of fate, as the law of the land dictated,
his deceased body was immediately turned over to the local surgeons for
anatomical study and dissection.

For
better or worse, Billy’s suffering was over.

William
Hare wasn’t about to get off quite so easily.

Not
that he’d likely have gone even if he’d been allowed; William wasn’t in
attendance to witness his friend’s death.  He was still locked in his cell at the
prison; technically a free man after completing his duties as King’s informant,
but unfortunately for him, his life still in grave danger. While it was true
the crown had legally forgiven him with a full pardon, the vengeful citizens of
Edinburgh were a different story altogether and had no intention of letting the
murdering Irishman off the hook for what he’d done.

Vigilante
mobs lined the street day and night outside the prison, waiting for their
chance to get their hands on Hare, so for his safety he was kept incarcerated
for an extra week until some of the heat began to die down. William was finally
released at one o’clock in the morning through a seldom used side entranceway.
He was still worried about the mobs spotting him, but his fear of a crowd of
angry men was nothing compared to what he felt when he saw the four-wheeled
Hackney cab waiting for him at the first crossroad.  

And
the familiar, long-legged beauty standing beside it.

“Move
your arse,” Magenta Da Vine said. “Get in before you’re spotted.”

William
did as he was told, nodding to Big Josh, the huge smiling man who was steering
the horses, and soon the cab dashed off into the quiet night, its wheels making
far more racket on the cobblestones than he would have liked. In truth, he
would have preferred to just walk, and had secretly hoped he might have had
time to sneak home, pack a bag, and disappear out of the city before anyone
knew he’d been released. He should have known he’d never be that lucky. He had
a debt owing, and come Hell or high water the actress
intended on
making him pay.

“Evening,
Mr. Hare,” Da Vine said. “I trust you’re pleased to see me and looking forward
to completing our little arrangement, yes?”

“Certainly,
ma’am. Be glad to have a’ this over and done with, if you don’t mind me saying
so.”

“Couldn’t
agree more. Where we headed?”

Despite
the chill of the February night, William was starting to sweat. He’d played
this moment over and over in his head this past week, and no matter how he
thought things through he couldn’t come up with a scenario that would guarantee
his long-term survival. They were alone for now, sure, but once the actress had
her hands on the Carpenter’s Cup, what would stop her from having her
baldheaded goon driving the cab get rid of the only living witness?

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 Templar’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.

“Joseph,
the Arimathean merchant, had used the carpenter’s cup to collect the blood of
Christ, that was well known, but what was not so well known was the fact the
Arimathean also collected the blood of Escariot after his suicide, using the same
golden cup to capture precious drops of the traitor’s life juices. This tainted
the Grail, spoiling its glorious goodness with evil incarnate. Good and evil
together as one.

“This
cup was eventually passed into the hands of Jacques de Morlay, preceptor of the
Knights Templar, who was sworn to guard it. Since that day, the battle has
raged between good and evil, each side knowing if they possessed the Grail they
could harness the divine power within. In the hands of the church, or a pure
soul like that of a Templar, the righteous power of the Lord shines through, putting
an end to disease and suffering and making miracles possible. In the hands of
someone whose heart is cold and black and filled with the Devil, the tainted
side of the Grail can bring destruction and chaos and maybe even open up the
gates of Hell itself.”