delivered an equally hard stroke to the left side of the skull. A gaping hole opened as the skull cracked and split, the eyes immediately became lifeless and his body slumping to the floor.
I turned to my right side where the fourth and final assailant was coming at me, just as strong as the others; morale clearly meant nothing to these men. Holmes being the other side of the room threw the stoker at the man to slow him down, just as I was taking aim with the Marlin. I fired as it struck the man across the head, causing him to shift slightly and avoid my last bullet. The beast was now upon me, throwing me straight to the ground, I held him upwards and away from me with my rifle. He was strong and I could do nothing but keep him at arm’s length.
A familiar metal on metal contact rang out from my left hand side, the sound of my service sword being drawn, Holmes ran across the room with it like a charging cavalryman and in one full horizontal slash took the man’s head clean off. The head flew across the room and blood spurted across the floor to my side, a truly unpleasant site. I pushed the body to my side as Holmes’ hand was offered to assist me up. The bloodied sword still in his right hand, my 1845 pattern infantry officer’s sword, a lovely brass hilted weapon that I had kept in its dress scabbard on the wall since ’80. The thick blood trickled down the etched and blued blade, a tragedy for such a well kept piece, who’s blade read “In Arduis Fidelius” Steadfast in Adversity; it lived up to its promise.
We both stood in shock now that the events had caught up in our minds and looked silently around at the bloodshed which surrounded us in what was, just minutes earlier, a perfectly kept and clean, relaxed and comfortable room. The mangled bodies now lay lifeless from here to the door, blood trickling along the floor. Holmes knelt beside the closest body and inspected it closely. He opened the jacket of the man looking for a purse or anything else which might give some idea of his identity or purpose, but there was nothing. I looked closer at the remains myself, but something struck me as odd, the faces of all were heavily textured and worn, as if they were much older than the bodies that carried them. Holmes knelt down closer to the body of one, scrutinising it. For a number of minutes he looked over the body with intrigue as much as surprise.
“Most peculiar, heavily wrinkled skin on younger bodies, congealed blood around their mouth and jaw, the eyes are glaringly bright and red,” said Holmes.
“What does this mean?” I asked.
“These were Moriarty’s villains,” said Holmes.
Yet no man would fight with that form of unforgiving devotion to his master, nor fight through such pain and injury. I had many times seen the results of the bravest men of the British Army sustain gunshot wounds and few were able to keep up that sort of fight.
“These were no ordinary villains,” I said.
“In my research over the last week I discovered peculiar attentions that Mr. Moriarty was making in to either science or the occult, or rather both. I know that his attentions to Switzerland have been more and more common of late and that must have some significance,” he said.
“What do you expect to discover?” I asked.
“When you have one of the first brains of Europe up against you, and all the powers of darkness at his beck and call, there are infinite possibilities.”
“Hence the impeding journey,” I quickly replied.
“No doubt, I suspected that evidence of the sort, to not only arrest but have Moriarty hanged, would exist in whatever practices he may be partaking in, somewhere in that land.”
“And yet it is a large country to look,” I both thought and said.
“The exact location of Moriarty’s dealings or practices will soon be revealed once he believes I am en route towards them, a simple bluff may be all that is needed to give his final secret away,” Holmes replied in his characteristic and calculating fashion.
“Using us as bait to destroy him?”
“Indeed my dear friend, I am a marked man for as long as this villain lives freely, and clearly the risk to our countryman now extends beyond organised crime. Whatever we just faced was a new kind of enemy, the likes this fine country has never seen. The hour is late and I must have time alone to fully understand and calculate the impending struggle. A war could be on our hands within days, Moriarty already believes us to be dead, and will not know otherwise till the morrow. Let us take this advantage to leave for Switzerland, threatening his very plan at the core while we can,” Holmes replied.
Despite Holmes’ urgency to leave my home, we both now took a short rest, propping a chair back upright from where it had fallen during the fight. Holmes took out another cigarette and offered one to me, I couldn’t say no. It was a strange thing, to relax in one’s own beaten home before the bodies and bloodshed. I should imagine this was the sort of calm in between the storm that the defenders of a besieged castle might feel amidst the many months of hardship, surrounded by the blood and death of your foe within your own demolished walls.
It was in vain that I asked Holmes to remain for the evening, or call for the support of the police, for as he further explained, no more evidence yet existed for Moriarty’s involvement. It was evident to me that he thought he might bring trouble to the roof he was under, and that that was the motive which compelled him to go. With a few hurried words as to our plans for the morrow he rose and came out with me into the garden, clambering over the wall which leads into Mortimer Street, and immediately whistling for a hansom, in which I heard him drive away.
Now left in the peace of the night in the carnage of my own home, I again sat back down, contemplating the day’s events. I had not ever seen my friend in such a worried state, nor ever one where he fired first. As much as Holmes had uncovered already using all is cunning and wit, it was quite evident that there was still plenty that lay in the dark, a worrying fact considering the evening’s events. Holmes may have left in order to make my home safer, but it did not feel so, now having the defence of only one man rather than two, and a broken door to weaken the defences. I walked over to my sideboard and poured myself a tall whiskey in a glass that would be considered uncouth due to its size, I didn’t care. Sitting down with my drink I mulled over the best way to secure the premises to allow me as comfortable and safe a night as possible, for that time was all that mattered; because evidently from the morning on I would not return to this place for some time.
The bodies did not bother me terribly, it was nothing I hadn’t seen many times before, I merely put blankets over them and left them where they were, as there was nothing more I could do in the time I had without causing a major ruckus with my neighbours, who would be far from understanding in the short term. I would likely have many questions to answer to the police on this matter, but something told me the problem would be resolved for me, or I would not ever return to answer them. Next I had to deal with the door, it was buckled on the hinges and would no longer shut. Pushing it as tight as I could I pulled my sturdy coffee table across the room and
placed it in front of the door to give it some support and strength. This would not stop any intruders, but it would at least give me enough warning to be awake and be prepared if necessary. I was now content that the room was as well prepared as was necessary and achievable at such short notice. Walking back over to the gun cabinet which was a mess, casings scattered across its base and out across the floor and my Marlin still on the ground nearby. I reloaded the rifle, as well as my service revolver. For the first time ever, I needed everything my cabinet had to offer. Picking up a canvas roll bag I kept for carrying weapons to the country, I loaded the whole contents of the cabinet, the entirety of my collection. This gun collection was considered excessive by many, but now it felt sadly lacking. I gathered up my officer’s sword and gave it a quick wipe down before loading that also. I was now content that things were as best they could be, sleep was now the vital element needed in preparation for the following days, the events of which were barely conceivable at this time. With all luck, I would go unbothered through the night.