Nature or Nurture Ch. 51-56

They follow Paul to the front door, as Lukas steps out back with Melissa. Standing on the pavement in the dark, they can see the other two pushing two bicycles towards them, and they hand the first one to himself, and the second one to Mina. Then they go back for the second load.

As Victor studies his new bicycle, a feeling of joy takes hold of him, it is so beautiful, made of shiny steel and burnished copper, the saddle and the handles covered in leather. He strokes the leather, and the cold metal, the spoked wheels with the thick black tires.

Paul helps them to sit with their hands on the handlebar and one foot on a pedal. Then he gives them a little push, and off Victor goes, pedalling happily, keeping a sharp eye out for pot holes in the dark around him. Mina is doing well, she keeps up with him easily, and at the end of the street they turn the vehicle and start back. Paul now calls out, 'Push the pedal back to brake a little, and don't forget to put a foot on the floor or you'll fall over.'

Victor does what he says, and as the bicycle slows down, he puts one foot on the ground and comes to a beautiful halt. Mina does the same, she's very athletic of course. Paul comes up to them and makes an excuse.

'I'm sorry, I forgot you never cycled before, you bought them untried. You are both very proficient, to just ride away your first time without demonstration.'

By now, Vincent and Adison have their bicycles, too, and they cycle away and back again. Then Catherine wants to try her own little saddle, and she squeals in delight, it works perfectly, she is sitting on a saddle like theirs, with little supports for her feet and her hands on her father's handlebars. Seen like this she really is a toddler, and a very cute one at that. Victor finds himself thinking that he could come to live with a child of his own, in front of him on his bicycle. The trust she has in her dad, it is so sweet.

Of course they do owe Lukas a report on their altercation with Mrs Poole, so they put away the bicycles and go back in through the back door, into the workshop. They settle their account with Paul, Vincent has taken some extra cash to pay for the extra saddle, but Paul refuses to take it.

'I've sold Lord Douglas a sword, for a much steeper price than yours, I thought he'd not appreciate it otherwise, he's the kind that needs to pay to trust the quality. So the saddle is on us, consider it a commission fee.'

And now, the bicycles are theirs, and they follow Lukas and Paul upstairs to the door of their apartment, where Vincent and Adison find themselves anticipating the looks on their friends' faces at beholding the wonders within.

They are not disappointed, the beautiful Gothic palace does not fail to impress them, and they take their time admiring everything. Melissa and Lukas bring out coffee, tea and chocolates, whilst Paul gives them a tour of the living-room. Then they sit down together, and tell the entire story of their final reckoning with this load of witches. When the others are recovered from their shock at the extent of the damage they took, Melissa asks, 'And did you root out their nest already? There may be others.'

Vincent replies, 'Miss Yves asked that, too, she felt like entering that house and destroying everything that could be used by other wrongdoers. And Adison feared there may be prisoners still stuck somewhere, possible sacrifices.

But we've been hurt so badly, we'd like to take things a little slow for a while.'

Paul, Melissa and Lukas look at one another and Paul expresses what they all think.

'Let's all go. With the three of us, the four of you, and your friend, how many can she bring?'

'Three formidable fighters and herself,' Adison adds up.

'That makes ten, I'd say the risk wouldn't be too high. But we'd need to go soon, or any prisoners will have died of deprivation.'

They agree to propose this to Vanessa, with three accomplished mages present the risk will be minimal, and they settle for next evening just after dark.

'We'll have Catherine fetched for a night with Bertha, it will be safer,' Melissa offers, 'will five suit you?'

Catherine is almost eager, so the deal is made.

'We'll just cycle by Miss Yves, it'll be only a little detour. Tomorrow, one block away, armed to the teeth?'

Vincent is resigned by now, except, 'I wish I still had my old coat.'

'Your coat will be perfectly safe,' Paul observes, 'we'll be there with you.'

And after a little more chat, they cycle towards Sir Malcolm's home, not exactly pleased, but feeling resigned that this is part of the job, and they need to finish it. They lock their bicycles to the front gate, and knock.

Sembene opens and lets them in without consulting anyone, leading them to Sir Malcolm's study. He is pleased to see them, and hears them out with growing satisfaction.

'A whole party, that sounds just fine. Tomorrow afternoon it is, we'll be there, all four of us, armed with whatever is suitable. Until then. Shall I send for my carriage?'

They tell him about the bicycles, and he says, 'These are strange times, I can't wait to see one. Until tomorrow then.'

When Vincent cycles to St James' the next day, he does not feel any apprehension about going to Mrs Poole's house that evening, just elation at taking his bicycle out in daylight, cycling through town, turning heads with his fabulous steel and copper contraption.

It is really fast, just incredible, there are some alleys he avoids because they are too cramped, and some that are too dirty or mushy to cycle through, but all in all he more than halves his travelling time. And when he arrives, of course all his fellow actors stop to admire it as he looks for a safe spot to padlock it. He finds a nice, sturdy fence, a bit out of main sight, that will do very well, and soon he is on his way inside, feeling some regret to leave his bicycle behind.

Before rehearsal starts, his fellows want to know everything about his new transportation, and he is glad to talk about it, he's so pleased. When George hears about it, he observes, 'That sounds like a very expensive piece of equipment, Vincent.'

'It was, but I've considered buying a horse, and eventually this will be a lot cheaper, for it doesn't need much maintenance.'

'As a player of this theatre, you are entitled to a space in the stables, why not stable your valuable bicycle inside? I'd feel very bad if someone was to damage it. Better take it there straight away, I'll send someone to the staff there to let them know.'

Of course Vincent thanks George and rushes off to take his beloved bicycle to safety, it is already attracting quite a lot of spectators, and to have it out of sight is a large advantage. The stable staff are more impressed than insulted to have a iron and copper horse in their domain, and they show Vincent the ideal place to padlock it from now on. Taking the back entrance, he is just in time to start his rehearsal, a mass scene today, very intense because it requires a lot of concentration to remember everyone's position.

Cycling back, he does feel a little reluctant to face yet another danger tonight, but he can also see the sense in bringing this episode to an end, making sure that there are no witches left to continue their persecution of his daughter.

At five, Catherine is picked up by the other George, Sir George Nomes, Bertha's father, the man who took in the young witches. He offers to take her until the next day, Bertha really wants to show Catherine her ponies and Percy, the two headed dog.

Catherine doesn't like to be left in the dark about how her parents are faring, this is dangerous after all, but George promises her that if something happens, Lukas will run over to let her know.

'But what if something happens to him?' Catherine asks fearfully. She doesn't even want to think of something happening to her favourite.

'I'll come and tell you,' Mina says, 'and we'll guard Lukas really well, usually the healers are not put in dangerous situations, you know.'

'And I'm coming too,' George says, 'and a friend of mine, Tristan, wants to come too, and he is a powerful mage, so I don't think there will be much danger, Catherine. Try not to worry, and enjoy yourself with Bertha. We will all look out for one another, and clear out this witches' nest as a group. Will you come with me now? Bertha is waiting.

And I'll see the rest of you tonight.'

They follow her to the carriage and wave her off, the first time Catherine will be out of their sight for a whole night, but that is a lot safer than taking her along, she is so small and vulnerable. Still, it will take some getting used to.

Chapter 53

At the appointed time they all meet a block down from Mrs Poole's ugly house, and shake hands with the one man they don't know yet, Mr Tristan Telling, a large and somewhat heavyset young man, very well-dressed and very friendly, though to Adison he somehow radiates power. Obviously a good man to have beside you in an arcane fight.

Mr Chandler, Sir Malcolm and Miss Yves have more hands to shake, and Sir Malcolm's eyes widen at the sight of George and Mr Telling, from their conversation Adison can deduce the two gentlemen have quite some political influence in town. And they volunteer to engage in a witch-hunt? That is quite remarkable, one would say they'd just as easily send in the watch.

They all set out towards the house, it looks deserted, but of course a whole legion of witches may be hiding in there, something Adison does not expect, but who knows. When they are on the grounds but still outside, they make their plans.

Sir Malcolm's group is formidable in a fight, but they have no experience whatsoever with magic. George and Mr Telling offer to accompany them for some firepower.

Their own friends will be their arcane department, and since Melissa is the best at using sight, apparently she can see through almost anything, the other group will clear the building, and their group will search for hidden rooms that may harbour potential sacrifices.

As Sembene wants to force the door, Paul steps in and uses some tool to pry the lock open, and the first group files in. Miss Yves is enjoying herself hugely, that much is clear, she thrives on danger and excitement, and Mr Chandler is the perfect companion for her, he does not try to protect her or keep her out of harm's way, he accepts her as one of their group, and has no trouble following Mr Telling's lead.

For the tall guy clearly is a born leader, even Sir Malcolm shows no hesitation to defer to him. Adison truly hopes they will find the place deserted, but some part of her would like to see that powerful man in an arcane duel with something big and bad, that would be a show worth watching!

As that party is out of sight, they go in themselves, a lot more slowly, for Melissa is checking every inch of the building carefully. The place is an epitome of bad taste, Paul must be close to having a fit by now, for it is nearly the exact opposite to his exquisite little palace. Everything is oversized, and crudely decorated as if it is a penny dreadful scenery: skulls and bones, torches on the walls, the stereotype of how the working-class audience would picture a witch's castle.

'Is it just me or is this place in very bad taste?' Victor articulates Adison's feelings, 'I cannot remember ever seeing anything so expensive and yet so corny.'

Vincent laughs, and adds his own smart observations.

'Well, I have to admit this makes even Lord Alfred Douglas' mother's place look in good taste, and that is all done up in pastel colours with China ornaments.'

Paul looks indignant more than anything.

'I'm trying very hard to stay focussed on danger, but the way Mrs Poole has managed to throw away her money on cheap looking props from a penny dreadful set is becoming distracting. Is that her first line of defence? Bad taste?'

'Have you ever been in that wax-museum?' Lukas asks them, and without waiting for an answer he adds, 'this reminds me of their evil witches department. You think she got her inspiration there?'

Despite their bantering, they are all vigilant, and Melissa especially. She is looking around, lighting up to sight all the time, and soon they have crossed a seemingly endless hallway and reach the entrances to some smaller rooms to the sides and a large one ahead.

Looking around without lighting up, Melissa eyes the space intently.

'If I compare the size of the building outside to the inside, this hallway is far too long, and it has a subtle curve. I bet it leads all around the house, wasting space to make an impression on...us?

There are a lot of empty blind spaces in the corners of the building, but they are just that, empty spaces with no point of entry. No sign of life, no furniture or doors. It seems the whole ground floor is a curvy hallway leading to these two small rooms and whatever lies ahead.'

Adison remembers Melissa is not just a mage, but an engineer by profession, she must have a real eye for distance and space, and she seems to be right, for before them lies a sizeable room, like the receiving hall of a castle, and to the side are two smaller rooms. They decide to check the smaller rooms first, and they are rather bare, except for the usual theatrical ornaments, torches and skull decorations. The doors are heavy, with intricate locks, and Paul takes a good look at one of them. 'This is good quality, I can unlock it with magic, but not with just a pick like the outside one. Apparently, guests generally do not like her décor enough to stick around by themselves.'

Then the larger hall, it is in even worse taste, with a large hearth and throne-like seats, very uncomfortable and clearly chosen to add to the look. But even that is starting to look familiar, and they no longer comment on it, they just move on and stay alert. There are no signs of life, not even in the walls, and now they have to decide to move upstairs or downstairs.

Apparently, the others have moved downstairs to the cellar, for they can hear muffled voices from there.

'Let's go down as well,' Paul proposes, and they all follow him in single file, for this is a very narrow staircase, obviously meant to be hidden, but discovered by the party before them.

'Let's keep a close eye on the dimensions downstairs, with Mrs Poole's sense of taste her dungeon will really be in the cellar, if she has one. A dungeon, we know she doesn't have taste.'

Paul's scorn drips from his words, but the advice makes sense, she would have her captives down there.

The basement is garish, it is a cavern-like space, with the high wall covered in niches on three sides, higher and lower ones, all filled with grotesque dolls, clearly meant to closely resemble a real person.

The décor is the same as elsewhere, except that there is a pentagram laid in the stone of the floor, and an altar that was clearly still in use when Mrs Poole met her demise.

Adison can hear Mr Telling say with emphasis and great authority, 'Nobody please touch anything in this room. This needs expert dismantling. Lukas, will you please fetch Jakob for us? You're the fastest.'

Lukas agrees and takes off instantly.

There must be something very shocking beside that altar, Adison cannot see because the other group is standing in front of it. As they move aside to avoid touching anything by accident, Adison is shocked to see the current projects, one of the dolls resembling Sir Malcolm, and one spitting image of Catherine. Feeling sick to the stomach, she is glad that Mr Telling warned them not to touch anything, for Vincent looks mad enough to spit nails. In this state, he might thrash the thing, and that could very well hurt Catherine, even after Mrs Poole's death.

Adison takes a firm hold of Vincent's hand, then lays her other hand on his smooth cheek, she knows her touch generally calms him down instantly. And so it does now, he relaxes a little, they're still in the enemy's den after all, and his eyes stop blazing. He lays his head on her shoulder and says, 'You were all so right to want to do this. If I had gotten my way someone could just have continued where she left off.'

'Never mind, Vincent,' Paul says soothingly, 'you don't have to be right all the time. That's what friends are for, to keep a clear view, you've all been through a lot. Besides, we kind of liked the excitement.'

That breaks the tension even more, and they study the room in silence, finding Miss Yves' likeness among the dolls in the lowest inactive row. Mr Chandler lays a calming hand on her shoulder, saying, 'I take it there is an expert on the way?'

Mr Telling acknowledges that.

'There is. Until then I advise all of you to stay clear of everything in this room. Shall we explore the first floor until Jakob arrives?'

Now Melissa speaks up again, she hasn't given much attention to the dolls, but has studied the space around her.

'This room is too small for the size of the building, and anyway, it might extend beneath the walls. I can sense another space in that direction,' and she points to the wall that holds no niches with dolls. 'One would expect a dungeon there and another altar like the one we found in the factory, an altar to raise power by the spilling of human blood.

You told us Mrs Poole used sickly red power, didn't you Adison?'

'She did,' Adison replies, 'her talent wasn't impressive, and the power didn't show until she put it to use. We didn't search her, did we? Maybe we should have, for some talisman or charm.'

Sir Malcolm observes, 'Actually I did, before I dumped the remains of her body in the river, and I found a gruesome charm which I gave to Sembene to destroy.'

The mysterious man is so calm they only realize later how disturbing his message is.

'It was very evil, made of suckling bones and human skin. I used my people's chants to keep it still while I burnt it. It is gone, and the evil is gone with it.'

Melissa is now carefully searching the wall with Paul helping, but she cannot find an entrance. Victor suggests, 'The entrance may be in a different part of the house, maybe we should look elsewhere.'

'I'd like to look for it,' Melissa says, 'can I have some muscle backing me up?'

Vincent and Mina offer to go with her, and Adison and Victor follow their spouses as well. They search the entire ground floor for a door or a lever, until Melissa hisses.

'I found it, I just looked for a corridor instead of a door, and it is right behind this blind wall.'

Paul feels for a release and decides to turn the closest torch, the ultimate cliché but why not try. And of course what seems to be solid rock slides away, a bigger piece than they imagined, and a normal size doorway is revealed.

'Wait, Melissa, Vincent, we do not want this door to inadvertently close behind us,' Paul says, 'let me jam the mechanism so it stays open.'

A few poundings with the butt end of his beautiful sword, and turning the torch back has no further use, the door stays open.

'Good, let's go,' he says. Adison decides she will tell the others where they are going, which takes less than two minutes, after which she enters the doorway herself. The stench is gagging, and she is assaulted by strong feelings of fear and despair. That is not good, and she tries to steel herself against what she will see.

But of course that is no use, there is no way to prevent extreme suffering from having an impact on one's soul, and Adison is soon staggering along beside her husband. She is in a large space filled with bodies, some obviously dead and already starting to decay, some of them still alive but hardly human anymore for fear, hunger and especially thirst. These people need water first of all, and anything else later.

Shutting off her feelings, she finds herself backed by Mina, and together they find a casket of potable water, tantalizingly out of reach of Mrs Poole's victims. Mina cracks it open and finds a cup somewhere, in this filth it doesn't matter that it might not be washed properly, she just fills it and starts with the first person that is still alive.