The Alchemist's Key (18 page)

‘Things look pretty much under control here.’ Hugh opened his door, preparing to make a dash for the administration building. ‘But we’d best find the Contessa and Hannah, just in case.’

Louisa nodded in accord, climbing out into the rain to join Hugh in his sprint for cover.

‘Hey!’ Tace objected to their sudden departure, scurrying out of the car with Rex right behind her. She brushed the water and wet hair from her face to make sure she didn’t lose sight of Hugh and Louisa. They were about twenty metres ahead, scaling the final set of stairs that led to the building’s entrance, when they unexpectedly vanished.

‘Huh?’ Tace couldn’t believe it, racing to the spot to find no trace of them.

Rex sidetracked onto the lawn thinking that they might have rounded the building. ‘Hey, Tace —’ he called as he turned to her and disappeared.

As fast as she hurried to find Rex, her effort proved fruitless. ‘What the hell is going on?’ she cried in frustration, being soaked to the skin by the heavy rainfall. ‘Rex!’ Tace stumbled around in the darkness in a desperate attempt to find her cameraman, but no answer was forthcoming.

Dipping and dodging the exploding bulbs of the overhead lighting, Hannah found her way to the basement. Here she found the fuse box ablaze with blue waves of electricity, and the two maintenance men scratching their heads over what to do about it.

‘In all my forty years as an electrician, I’ve never seen or even heard of anything like this,’ the senior maintenance man told her. ‘I was going to call the electricity station and have them shut us down, but the phones —’

‘I know,’ Hannah intervened, ‘there’s too much interference.’

‘Perhaps it has something to do with the storm?’ the younger electrician suggested.

‘Could be,’ his senior nodded.

‘Well, what am I to tell the Contessa?’ Hannah quizzed impatiently. ‘She’s in the middle of a very important meeting.’

‘I wish I could suggest something, Miss Martin, but we can’t get close enough to the fuse box to do anything about it. And even if we could, chances are this overload will have melted all the circuits anyway. If that happens, the problem is solved, although we’re going to have a hell of a lot of repairs to do around the campus.’

‘Terrific.’ Hannah knew the Contessa was not going to like that scenario. ‘Well, let us know if there’s any change.’

‘Will do,’ the maintenance man assured her. ‘And, Miss Martin …’ He called her back from the stairs to give her a candle.

‘Thanks.’ She forced a smile. ‘I’m going to need it.’

The corridors of the administration building were deserted by this time, and Hannah wondered if the Contessa had already fled the building with the investors. ‘Don’t be a chicken,’ she quietly encouraged herself. She proceeded onward, just in case the Contessa was still awaiting her report.

As she scaled the staircase that led to the offices, Hannah felt a wave, thicker than air, pass over her. The occurrence was chilling to the senses and unlike any draft Hannah had ever felt.

Light was suddenly restored to the building and, breathing a sigh of relief, she made greater haste up the stairs.

But how can that be?
Hannah considered, for she had witnessed all the bulbs self-destruct on her way down the staircase earlier. She raised her eyes to discover the candelabras fixed to the wall. These had three candles each that lit the stairway with a dim golden glow. A string of eerie sounds and distant cries stopped Hannah’s ascent altogether, for it sounded as if hell itself was up ahead.

The sudden dispersal of the rain prompted Hugh and Louisa to cease their sprint. That’s when they
noticed their destination’s ominous change in appearance.

The building before them was dark and foreboding. A huge iron fence with sharp spikes lining the top surrounded the large dwelling on all sides. As they were already inside the grounds, Hugh and Louisa didn’t have the problem of getting past the gatehouse guard — not that they were sure they’d want to, given a choice. The building had bars over many of the windows, and unearthly moans and groans echoed from within.

‘Is it a prison?’ Louisa questioned in a timid manner, gripping Hugh’s arm with both her hands.

‘I don’t think so,’ Hugh observed, trying not to sound as apprehensive about their new situation as he felt. ‘It looks more like a private institution. In the eighteenth century such places were established to house the insane and other undesirables of the upper class.’

‘What happened?’ Rex stumbled over to join the pair, his eyes fixed on the haunting structure ahead.

‘Where’s Tace?’ Hugh wondered aloud.

‘I have no idea.’ Rex glanced behind him, only just realising his partner was missing. ‘Where are we seems a more pertinent question?’

‘Beats the hell out of me,’ Hugh informed in all honesty, wondering why on earth only they had
been transported to wherever it was they were. ‘Did you see us vanish?’

‘Yes,’ Rex replied simply.

‘And you just followed us in?’ Hugh gathered, wondering why Tace, with all her effrontery, had not.

‘Well, no,’ Rex recalled. ‘Actually, I sidetracked a little, thinking you might have circled round the building. Why?’

‘Off this way?’ Hugh motioned to his left, which was the direction the occurrence would’ve been moving if it were heading away from Ashby.

‘Yes. Why? What is going on?’

‘Did you feel something like a ripple of matter wash over you on your way here?’ Hugh quizzed Rex further.

‘I felt that, too,’ Louisa interjected, before looking to Rex to see if he had.

‘Yes,’ he confirmed, both baffled and intrigued. What had he stumbled into?

‘And Tace didn’t follow you?’ Hugh found this point most curious indeed.

‘I think she tried,’ Rex explained, ‘but I really don’t know.’

‘What are you getting at?’ Louisa encouraged Hugh to voice his theory.

‘Well, obviously these portholes are mobile.
That would explain the different points of entry and exit. But it would seem that they are concentrated and directional. Otherwise, we should have a whole car park full of people off to our right, and Tace would have been able to follow Rex through after us.’

‘Maybe she just got scared,’ Louisa posed.

‘Tace, scared …
never
.’ Rex could offer a view on that scenario, although the rest of Hugh’s babble was a bit of a mystery.

‘But Tace would have been thrust here like the rest of us if the wave was widespread.’ Hugh stressed the point. ‘Whether she was scared has no bearing on the matter.’

‘So you think that something is channelling the phenomenon?’ Louisa concluded. ‘But what? The power-lines?’

‘I don’t know.’ Hugh shook his head. It was a bit hard to hypothesize, given their current circumstances.

‘What phenomenon?’ Rex demanded an answer. ‘I mean, obviously we’ve travelled without moving, but to where?’

‘When, is more the question,’ replied Hugh, as the front gates opened, and a horse-drawn coach entered and proceeded up the carriageway. ‘Into the bushes,’ he encouraged.

W
hen the carriage stopped at the gatehouse, Wade and the young constable concealed themselves underneath it. Once it had passed through the gates into the asylum, they lowered themselves onto the carriageway and then rolled off and over into the cover of the bushes that lined the drive.

‘Well, look at that,’ whispered the young policeman, who could hardly believe his own eyes — the school, barring one big dwelling, had vanished, and the structure that remained was vastly different to the one he’d come to know. ‘I thought old farmer Brackstone was losing it when he reported, on numerous occasions, that his whole farm had vanished. But now … I do confess I believe him.’

‘Is that the report you were on your way to check out?’ Wade enquired.

‘It was.’

‘And where is farmer Brackstone’s place?’ Wade knew the answer before he’d asked the question.

‘Just to the other side of your manor, as a matter of fact.’

As Wade contemplated the information, the young constable became restless.

‘So what’s the plan, Your Excellency?’

‘The name is Wade.’ He held out his hand to the policeman, who shook it.

‘Phil,’ he informed Wade. ‘Phil Stewart.’

‘Well, Phil, I don’t fancy our chances of waltzing in the front door unnoticed, so perhaps we’d best check around the back for a way in.’

‘Are you sure your girlfriend and the Contessa are in there?’ Phil double-checked their reasons for doing this.

‘No,’ Wade confessed, ‘but I’m not leaving until I make sure. You can wait here if you like.’

‘Hardly,’ he scoffed. ‘It’s my job to protect the locals … even the drug addicts.’

Wade ignored the dig, happy not to have to proceed alone. ‘Good-oh.’ He motioned Phil to follow him and, squatting low, they headed through the gardens towards the back of the asylum.

‘Well, I’ll be buggered,’ mumbled Rex, as he witnessed the eighteenth century madam climb out of the carriage and enter the building.

‘Yes. Well,’ Hugh raised both eyebrows, ‘at least we have a better idea of
when
we are placed.’

‘So how do you expect we’re going to get in there?’ Louisa squirmed around in her squatting position, as her legs had begun to stiffen.

Hugh shrugged. ‘In all of the other episodes we’ve experienced, nobody we encountered seemed to think us out of place. So let’s try our luck at the front desk.’

‘Are you nuts?’ Rex rose to stop Hugh’s advance.

‘Nuts enough,’ replied Hugh. ‘How about you?’

‘If you’re game,’ Rex decided, motioning for Hugh to lead the way.

Upon entering the foyer of the asylum, they found no one in attendance at the front desk.

‘The lady that entered before us must have the night clerk detained,’ Louisa supposed.

‘I’m not complaining.’ Hugh headed down the corridor towards the staircase to the next level. ‘Is this the way to the administration offices?’

‘It was,’ Louisa confirmed, gripping hold of Hugh’s hand to ascend the stairs.

The hallway that had once led to the Contessa’s offices was now lined with solid timber doors, and each had a small barred window inset at eye level.

What is this place?
Hannah wondered, too scared to voice her query out loud.

She dared a look in through one of the peepholes, to see an old regal-looking gentleman who was not of her time. He sat in the middle of the sparsely-furnished room taking swipes at himself as if several people were touching him and he was madly trying to brush away their prying hands.

‘Schizophrenia maybe,’ she supposed in a whisper, as the history of the structure in which she stood suddenly came to mind.

Hannah had thought it rather creepy when she’d first learned that the main college building had once been a private institution for the insane. Yet this knowledge now served to give her a fair idea of what was transpiring here.

Slowly she proceeded down the hallway, braving a brief glance into each of the locked rooms. All manner of what people might consider undesirable types were contained therein. Some of the committed were deformed, whilst others were raving lunatics; some wept and moaned in pain, and others just huddled in corners or were strapped to their beds.

Why do I get the distinct feeling that Wade’s machine has got something to do with this?
Still, she couldn’t imagine how Ashby’s strange time phenomenon could have spread this far.
Wade’s computers!
Hannah recalled how he could dial in and connect with the school’s system.

Normally, her first reaction would have been to be furious with Wade, for she’d warned him repeatedly not to mess with the archaic construction in his backyard. But her heart sank in her chest as fears arose for his well-being. What if he’d been injured in all this, or worse!

Suddenly Wade’s imperfections didn’t matter any more. He was a gentle lover with a heart of gold. What did she care if he had a few bad habits or irresponsible tendencies? It was love, she realised, not just some relationship that she could cast aside and hope to be over in a few days, or even months. And how could she have abandoned Wade just like that, when he’d needed her support most? Perhaps if she’d stayed to aid him, this situation would never have arisen.
Perhaps I am the one who is irresponsible and childish?
she conceded finally.

‘Hannah?’

She heard her name uttered in desperation, and so turned from the cell she was viewing to seek the source.

‘Over here.’

A hand extended from between one of the tiny barred sections of a door that was on the other side of the hallway up ahead.

Who here would know my name?
Hannah crept cautiously forward to investigate.
Oh my Lord!
She rushed to the aid of the occupant, having recognised the Contessa.

‘Dear God, Hannah. Am I dreaming? Is that really you?’

‘Yes, Contessa.’ She grabbed her mentor’s hand to reassure her.

The Contessa breathed a sigh of relief upon feeling the touch of an ally. ‘Please, you must get us out of here.’ The Contessa moved aside briefly, so that Hannah could see all the investors who were trapped with her. There was also an old woman huddled in a corner, holding her rosary beads before her as she mumbled prayers incessantly.

Hannah looked down to find a large metal padlock on the door. ‘I’ll have to find the key.’

‘The warden holds the keys,’ a gruff old voice advised from the cell next door. This undesirable was of the chronically intoxicated variety. His family had obviously committed him, along with a full supply of booze, in the hope that he would
slowly but surely drink himself to death — and by the look of him, he was doing a fine job of it too.

‘And where might this warden be found?’ Hannah enquired politely.

The old drunkard smiled to display a great lack of teeth and bleeding gums. He urged Hannah closer in order to whisper. ‘He’s in a room downstairs.’ He nearly suffocated her with his breath, pointing to the end of the hall. ‘You’ll find stairs down that way.’

‘Yes, I know the layout.’ Hannah forced a smile to her face as she backed up a few paces.

‘He’s a big fella, our warden.’ He looked Hannah up and down with a gleeful look in his eye. ‘And he’ll rather fancy you, I’ll warrant.’

Hannah didn’t much like the way the old man’s eyes were undressing her; thus she fled down the hallway to escape his gloating stare.

‘Tell him the Duke sent you now, ya hear!’ he yelled after her, breaking into a devilish laugh which served to incite the other occupants into a great ruckus.

Hannah reached the end of the hall and slowed down to descend the narrow, dimly-lit staircase. She looked to the ground to ensure she didn’t miss a stair and trip on the way down. Because of this and all the noise from the floor above, she didn’t
notice the huge warden ascending until he was nearly on top of her.

‘Well, what have we here?’

Hannah did a quick about-face, her heart pounding in her throat, to race back up the stairs, but the huge hulk of a man grabbed hold of her foot and she fell and hit her head on the timber lip of one of the stairs. The sudden collision with the ground also winded her, and in her daze she heard the warden utter: ‘Run from me, will you?’ He flipped her onto her back, and proceeded to unbutton his trousers. ‘Well, we’d best teach you a lesson.’ He reached down to pry her legs apart, when he suddenly found himself being choked by his own collar.

‘I don’t think so.’ Wade heaved the huge man backwards, sending him tumbling down the stairs.

The warden recovered quickly from the fall and, enraged by the interruption, moved to retaliate. He was so focused on Wade, he failed to notice a second man behind him.

When Phil spotted the antique pistol stuck through the warden’s belt, at the back, he quickly retrieved it. ‘What have we here, then?’

As the warden felt the cold barrel of pistol press hard against his temple, it persuaded him to refrain from movement.

‘Unless you want your brains to become a permanent part of the decor, you’d best calm yourself, big fella,’ Phil advised.

‘Hannah.’ Wade helped her to a seated position. ‘Are you alright?’

Hannah threw her arms around his neck and, relieved beyond belief to see him, burst into tears.

‘It’s okay.’ Wade gave her a squeeze of reassurance. ‘I’m sorry I put you through all this, but —’

‘No, I’m sorry,’ Hannah cut in. ‘I’ve been such a bitch. I should have supported you. I love you, you know … no matter what happens. I was just being selfish.’

‘No, I was the one being selfish,’ he corrected. ‘The thought of all that responsibility scared me shitless. You were right, I was just looking for a way out.’

‘Excuse I,’ Phil interrupted. ‘I hate to break up this heart-warming scene, but shouldn’t we be doing something about getting out of here?’

‘The Contessa!’ Hannah gasped, remembering her mentor’s predicament. ‘She’s trapped in a cell upstairs with all the investors … we have to get them out. He has the key.’ She motioned to Phil’s captive.

‘Come on, big guy,’ Phil got him to his feet. ‘You heard the lady. Let’s go.’

Hugh, Rex and Louisa had found their way to the Contessa’s cell. She was in the middle of informing them of Hannah’s mission, when her assistant reappeared with Wade, the policeman, and the huge warden.

‘We’ve been worried sick.’ Hugh was well pleased to see his friend. ‘Where the hell have you been?’

‘Here, there and who knows where,’ replied Wade, lightheartedly. ‘I’ll tell you all about it, once we get everyone out of here.’ He unlocked the heavy padlock and swung the door open for the Contessa and her associates to exit.

‘My hero.’ The Contessa kissed his cheek upon her release, and turned to usher the investors out the door.

‘What is going on?’ one of them demanded to know on his way past.

‘There’s a time and a place,’ Wade advised, ‘and this is not it.’ He urged the stately gentleman to keep moving.

‘What are we going to do with our friend here?’ Phil quizzed, motioning to the large warden.

Wade considered their options for a second, before looking to Hugh. ‘Get these people out of the building,’ he instructed and Hugh complied at once, leading the way. ‘Hannah, my love,’ he
looked at her, ‘your stockings, if you please.’ He clicked his fingers to encourage her to hurry.

Phil guided the warden into the cell, whereby they gagged and tied him to the old woman’s chair. The poor old dear couldn’t pray fast enough as she witnessed the proceedings around her. She huddled against the farthest wall ignoring the warden’s muffled pleas to be released as Wade shut and bolted the door on his way out.

Downstairs Hugh was startled to find that the night clerk, a man equal in size to the warden, had returned to his post.

‘Where do you lot think you’re going then?’ The huge figure of a man stepped into their path.

‘Allow me,’ Rex advised Hugh, and he moved past Hugh to confront the clerk. ‘Why, I think we’d be heading straight out that door.’ He let loose with a punch that sent his opponent reeling backwards.

The clerk wasn’t down for long. Once he was back on his feet, he launched himself at Rex and they proceeded to fight their way down the lower corridor.

‘Go!’ Hugh urged everyone to make a break for the door, but he stayed where he was hoping he’d be able to aid Rex.

The cameraman was doing just fine on his own, however, and with one final punch, he finished the scuffle by knocking his opponent out cold.

Wade, Phil and Hannah arrived at the bottom of the main staircase just in time to witness the victory.

‘One of your journalistic skills?’ Wade questioned.

Rex winked up at the Baron. ‘You bet … it’s saved my camera from being destroyed on many occasions.’

‘In that case,’ Hugh interjected, ‘I’m sure the Baron here could see his way clear to reimbursing you for your most recent loss of equipment.’

‘Why? What happened to it?’ Wade assisted Rex back to his feet.

‘Your machine ate it,’ Rex informed.

‘What?’ Hannah was annoyed to learn of this. ‘The machine’s digestive system didn’t come in the form of pulsing blue light waves, perchance?’

Rex confirmed this with a nod. ‘Turned my camera into smoking, gooey muck in a matter of minutes.’

Hannah’s accusing eyes turned back to Wade. ‘Sounds much like what was afflicting the school’s fuse boxes, right before I found myself in this mad house.’

Wade’s brow wrinkled into a pitiful frown. ‘You love me no matter what, remember? Honey?’ He pleaded for her understanding as she folded her arms and glared at him.

‘Are they implying that you have something to do with this weird episode?’ Phil stepped into the middle of the dispute.

‘Ladies.’ Hugh called for everyone’s attention. ‘If you could all kindly take this argument outside, it would be greatly appreciated.’

Wade was more than happy to drop the subject and make for the door. The rest of their party were hot on the Baron’s heels, firing questions and accusations at him as they went.

When Andrew entered the long gallery to find Frances beating Grace in an attempt to defile her, the pain of his own injuries was overcome by his rage. He came up behind the Baron, and grabbing him by the collar, wrenched him away from his girlfriend.