Iron Rain Pt. 06

Of the six other men two were Whatelys, a Gillman, an Armitage and two Hyde-Whites. After a little small talk we headed into City Hall when I saw a man so ancient and thin I mistook him for a mummy stuck on a chair to keep the children in line. He sat in a high backed wooden chair that must have been a family heirloom because of the beauty of the piece. The man himself was wearing a white cotton shirt and jeans as faded as the paint we had seen earlier today. There were wisps of white hair poking sporadically from his barren skull but it was his eyes that drew you in. Blue, his eyes were a blue so deep it reminded me of the ocean and they carried a depth of experience that must have been deeply profound. His skin was the color of parchment and so heavily lined you could chart his long life in each and every crevice. The ancient's expression was childlike and hinted at contentment as deep as the sea. I stopped and dropped down and set a hand on his knee and smiled at him.

"It has been a very fine pleasure to meet you sir," I said and it was Douglas Armitage who leaned down and spoke to me.

"That is my great grandfather Professor Henry Armitage formerly of Miskatonic University."

"Well I am thinking, if time permits, of going to that prestigious place of learning Professor," I said to the old man.

His smile brightened and he began to reach out and place his hand upon mine when he looked down and saw the ring, William's ring and he lurched back and began to moan as if in pain. I moved out of the way and let Douglas take care of his grand sire and followed the Mayor and the others inside feeling deeply disturbed. I let Petra and Kat take up positions on either side of me desperately in need of their comforting presence at the moment.

"I am sorry Henry reacted the way he did when we have time perhaps I can explain that away Nick," the Mayor said his features showing a concern that never quite reached his dark cold eyes. "Now to business, James if you will..."

We sat and listened as the various members of the city council pitched the range of positive aspects of the town and the generous tax incentives if we decided to build the plant here in dear old Dunwich. After a two hour presentation it was time for us to visit the site picked out for the plant. It was land that belonged to the Mayor's family and with a little clearing away of an old farm house and a few out buildings it was the perfect locale.

The Mayor stood and everyone followed suit and he led the way outside and motioned and I heard the mechanical purr as the Rolls Royce pulled up. I recognized the iconic hood ornament and grill but the make and model of the vehicle escaped me. Its gorgeous gunmetal gray exterior was only matched by its pristine condition.

"It's gorgeous," I said as the Mayor opened the door and Petra, Kat and I sat in the back as the Mayor took shotgun in the front seat. "I am not an antique car expert but she is a beauty."

"She as you so aptly described her is a 1934 Rolls Royce Phantom II a gift from a mutual friend of ours," the Mayor said smiling genuinely now.

"Um, beg your pardon Mayor..."

"Please call me Mike and our mutual friend I speak of is deceased a great many years now."

"Then I am more confused by your explanation Mike," I said the dread creeping back into my gut.

"This fine automobile was a gift from William Bell... senior."

"I never met Will's dad but I heard a great many stories."

"Sadly I never had the good fortune to meet his son before his untimely demise," Mike said as the vehicle made its way out of the town proper and onto a gravel road leading up and away from the square. "What was he like William's son?"

"In a word brilliant if it wasn't for Will, this financial enterprise never would have gotten off the ground." I said hoping he didn't sense the deception.

Were these the sorts of people William had been hiding from? Had I unintentionally fallen into their hands and jeopardized everything? I knew this fear this trepidation it was just like before a sparring match and if I proceeded cautiously and with confidence I would win out here as I had in the dojo. I must be observant and let them reveal their weakness so I can take advantage of it.

"You are deep in thought," it was Kat's voice and her hand on my thigh that brought me back to reality.

"Sorry, I was remembering a sparring match with Will and how he stomped me soundly. It was the one and only time that ever happened. Strange I should be remembering that." I said quietly.

"Sparring Nick you are a pugilist?" the Mayor asked.

"Of a sort, there was a fencing class in school," I began. "And it helped to take the excessive energies of our youth and focus it into something positive. Sheesh I sound just like Sensei."

"Wisdom grows where wise men tread," the Mayor said as the car abruptly came to a halt. "Well here we are, this property belonged to a relative of mine Wilbur Whately back in the '20s and it came into my grandfather's hands after his untimely passing."

"I am sorry to hear that," Petra offered her condolences.

"No it's quite alright he was killed during a robbery gone wrong," the Mayor said. "He brought shame to the family so there is really no sense of loss at his death."

We stepped out and viewed the remnants of the house and the few outbuildings. The house itself looked as if a bomb had gone off from within sending debris in an obscured but noticeable circular pattern. Even after ninety years the place gave off a queer vibe. I wasn't the only one to notice this, despite it being a warm summer day both Kat and Petra hugged themselves for warmth. The barn and shed seemed to have only suffered from the ravages of years of neglect alone. I approached the ruins of the house by myself as the other hung back and felt the hair on the back of my neck raise and shivered despite myself.

"No disrespect Mike," I said turning to face the assembled group, "but this place buries my 'weird-shit-o-meter'. Are there any other properties we can look at perhaps something in town itself?"

"Of course Nick, we have plenty of places to view this was just the most inexpensive."

With that we left that sorrowful spot and not a one of us gave it a single backward glance.

"Weird-Shit-O-Meter, really Nick," Petra said smiling now.

"I was just being honest," I said.

"If a little tactless," Kat added.

"I do prefer someone I do business with to be open and honest Mrs. Shaw," the Mayor said addressing Petra who did not follow up with 'just call me Petra' and at that I felt she sensed and agreed with my discomfort of the man.

"How many properties are there to look at today Mayor," Petra asked her game face on.

"Five more and all of them in town," he said grinning. "Three are former businesses and two are warehouses that could easily be converted over to your use."

"Let's go see one of these warehouses then, I am getting a bit hungry and hope we can conclude business before too long," she said very unprofessional.

The smile never left the Mayor's face but it did leave his dark reptilian eyes. I didn't miss the clue at her behavior and knew we were done here and I didn't blame her in the least. We could find other properties closer to Arkham that would suit our purposes much better. To that end I summoned Surfer and had him do just that. Before he left I queried him on the search for the company that made the energy drink and he simply shrugged. That didn't bode well and I made a mental note that the next time I spoke with William to ask him about it.

"Well here we are I think this property will do nicely," the Mayor said as he got out and actually opened the door for Petra and gestured for them to follow the driver inside. As I got out he stopped me by gently but firmly touching my shoulder. "We need to talk... alone."

"I am all ears Mike what is bothering you," I said.

"May I see your ring?" he asked and I raised my hand so he could get a better look at it.

The dark gray metal gleamed in the summer sun and the crest easily seen by the Mayor's inquisitive gaze. He extended an index finger and lightly touched the top of the ring where the crest lay.

"Only one way to be sure," the older man muttered.

Using the nail of his finger he pushed on the top of the crest and it moved! Then the Mayor flipped the hinged panel and the other crest, the hidden seal was revealed. There were three swords forming a triangle and at the center of it all an unblinking eye. I heard him gasp over my own inhale of breath at the shock of this revelation. What did this mean? Did William know about the ring's secret? When he gave it to me was he aware of his father's legacy?

"What does it mean," I muttered barely above a whisper.

"My dear young man it means that I have discovered the Hidden Master," he said with great pride. "Your secret is safe with me and will die with me. I Michael James Whately do hereby and forever swear my fealty to the Hidden Master!"

"I don't understand," I said as he flipped the seal back to the familiar and comforting Fleur De Lis and the seven stars surrounding it. "What does this all mean?"

"Later Sir, as far as the town goes we can take care of ourselves but if you don't mind I would like to gift you with something the Old Master left in my keeping."

"Um, sure I suppose so," I said very confused indeed.

"Please follow me and I can explain a bit as we walk back to City Hall."

"That would be nice."

"Have you ever heard of the Hermetic Order of the Silver Twilight," he asked.

"Yeah my father mentioned it once or twice but just in passing," I told him trying and failing to recall those conversations.

"Your father is a member is good standing to the Order," the Mayor said as we walked. "He has reached the rank of lesser master no small feat."

"He has always been very determined and as he likes to say narrow of purpose and clear of sight."

"Exactly," the Mayor exclaimed. "Think back to the other design the three swords represent the cutting edge... the narrow purpose and the All Seeing Eye is the clarity of sight."

"Okay I can wrap my head around that," I said pondering the imagery. "Three swords... three aspects of purpose... body, mind and spirit?"

"Brilliant! Your martial training must have been extensive I am guessing," he said.

"Sensei taught a well rounded philosophy of war craft, mental control and a strong spiritual aspect to all things."

"Then the Order and what you have already been taught are very similar paths indeed. The Order teaches the path of the righteous man and the bringing of order to chaos."

"And this hidden master of yours, how does he fit into all of this?"

"There are three Masters that lead the Order. The Grand Master is the physical embodiment of the three. The Hidden Master is the mental aspect as you put it so well. Finally there is the most mysterious and beloved of the leaders the Eternal Master who founded the Order millennia ago."

"You don't believe that the same man who founded the order is still alive today?"

"No, of course not but his bloodline has survived since the time of the placing of the first stone."

"I take it no one knows who the Eternal Master is?"

"No but his heir is among the ruling council and wears the ring of the Eternal Master."

"How can you be so sure it's really him?"

"Blood does not lie," the Mayor said smiling again. "Genetic testing has proven the unbroken chain of Masters since the beginning."

"Say again, you have blood samples from the very first Eternal Master?"

"We do indeed and science does not lie."

"Whoa, talk about dedication to tradition," I muttered.

"Indeed, and it is my honor to tutor you in your duties and knowledge as Hidden Master Sir." This was spoken with eyes downcast in reverence.

"Wait, I never agreed to take on that kind of responsibility!"

"True but what would your father want you to do, he has been a member since he was younger than you and fought his way up the ranks. Would you not want to honor his sacrifice and his diligence to the Order? Think of how proud he would be of you."

"But he won't ever know will he? I mean it's the Hidden Master for a reason?"

"Be humble Nick Shaw and take on this mantle for his sake and that of your heirs."

"I will give you an answer before I leave here but to be honest after visiting the first site I am not too keen of stepping foot in your quiet little town ever again."

"Perfectly understandable Sir, something terrible happened there and it left its mark on the land. The fact that you sensed it so keenly is why I revealed myself and the secret of the ring to you."

"Really, so my weird-shit-o-meter served its purpose once again." I said smiling.

"Crudely but aptly put, ah we are here. I must tell you that your predecessor was fond of Rolls Royce's," he said approaching what could only be a car under a tarp. "I present to you the prize of his collection and it has been my highest honor to keep and maintain it until your arrival today." With that he tugged the tarp away revealing a gorgeous convertible from a bygone age. "It is a 1924 Silver Ghost and now it belongs to you."

"I don't know what to say?"

"Say you will keep it and love it as much as I have."

"Better still..." I began and heard Petra gasp behind me.

"It's beautiful!" she moaned.

"What do you think," I said, "early birthday gift for dad?"

"Your father will absolutely adore her," Petra said and Kat was actually crying.

"A generous gift Nick," the Mayor said.

"To the man who gave me everything it is a drop in the bucket. Mike can you show me how to drive it so we can all take a ride around town?"

"It would be my pleasure to drive the old girl one last time."

The girls sat in back while I sat in the passenger seat which happened to be on the left hand side and watched intently as the Mayor started her up and put her through her paces. I kept thinking of how surprised dad was going to be when he found this in the garage. We passed the diner and the three of us called out to the Mayor to stop.

"You want to eat at the... diner?" he asked a little shocked.

"Oh yes, we heard it has some of the best home cooking to be had in town," Petra said smiling.

"I had my chef ready to prepare a meal in your honor but if this is where you wish to dine, who am I to say no," he responded.

"Care to join us Mike," I asked.

"Another time perhaps I will have the old girl prepped and shipped for you and if you desire a driving lesson just give me a call." he said and I took it to mean my education about the Order.

"I might just do that Mike, now let's eat, dinner is on me."

We stepped into the diner and it was what one would expect with the local people sitting in their booths or at their favorite table and at the very back was Jeb aka Stomper and gone was the raven and in its place a stunning redhead dressed in clingy black.

"Down boy," Petra leaned in and whispered, "that woman could eat you alive and spit out your bones."

"Kat said the same thing about you," I whispered back.

"Hmm well then try not to break her," she said giving her approval.

Kat on the other hand was not so pleased to see another ginger in the room.

"She probably dyes it to get that color," Kat said under her breath.

"Only one way to find out for sure," I said with a smile.

Stomper and his lady friend stood up and he did introductions all around.

"This is Nick, Petra and Kat, everyone this is my good friend Morrigan."

Once the greetings were exchanged we all sat down and Morrigan managed to seat me between her and Kat. This was going to be interesting. Morrigan like Kat was a redhead but her hair was so dark it was like autumn leaves and where the light hit it the highlights were like living flame. Her eyes were a green you read about in stories. She was of obvious Irish ancestry with the oval face and long delicate nose above full kissable lips. Her eyes were shaped so that when she smiled, which she did often, her entire face simply lit up.

"Jeb tells me that you are thinking about opening a factory here in town," Morrigan asked.

"I am checking out a few potential sites," I replied taking in her scent and it was intoxicating.

"I can tell you the way things are that you would help a lot of people," she said smiling.

"I don't have the final decision I have partners but I will definitely put in a good word for Dunwich."

"Well if you do build here and you need a personal assistant I will put in my resume," Morrigan said looking at her menu now. "I fix a mean pot of coffee," is what the world heard but I swore she said..."I suck a mean cock."

"So what are you hungry for," Jeb asked everyone.

As we mentioned what we were thinking about getting the waitress showed up with a tray of drinks and began to hand them out. Petra began to protest that no one had ordered but when the glass of white zinfandel was placed before her she went silent. There was a dark beer for Kat, a Mountain Dew for me, and sparkling water for Morrigan, and a stein of beer for Jeb.

"How the hell..." I began to ask.

"Linda, our waitress, has a knack for drinks..." Jeb began as Linda returned with a second tray but this one was loaded with food and again she got everyone's orders correct without a word passing between us and her.

"Let me guess a knack for food too?" I asked.

"Yeah, her mother had the sight and passed it onto her poor thing." Morrigan explained.

"So it's not telepathy but precognition," Petra chimed in.

"Exactly," Jeb replied.

"I wonder what she sees in my future," I asked.

"Some things are better not known Nick Shaw," Morrigan said with a profundity that left me hungry for silence and a hush fell over the table as we began to eat.

There were only the sounds of utensils clinking and breathing for long drawn out minutes. It was Kat of all people who broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Jeb where's that pretty raven of yours?" she asked her face frowning.

"She's around," Jeb said. "Still upset about her nipping at you?"

"A little," Kat said looking down at her food.

"Don't feel bad that mean spirited thing nearly took out my eye once," Morrigan said grimly.

"Really, I guess I don't feel too bad about a nip then."

"She liked Nick well enough," Petra chimed in.

"What's not to like about Nick?" Morrigan said almost purring.

One step forward two steps back I thought at her last comment. But I knew that what the girls felt about her meant nothing at all to Morrigan. She had a wild almost primal quality to her and if given the chance I'd fuck her until dawn.

"You know Jeb you still owe me a story about the meteorite I bought," I said and he smiled.

"That I do, well the funny thing is that the stone I sold you isn't the one that fell in my backyard at all. It is a rock I picked up on my travels."

Morrigan lifted her head and locked eyes with Jeb and he nodded slowly and she smiled like the cat that ate the canary.

"Still sounds like an interesting story after you tell it I will go out and hit the ATM for your cash." I said eager to hear the tale.

"Fair enough, let me see when was it? I believe it was the summer of '82 and I had made a particularly good first half of the year so I decided to treat myself to a month overseas, in particular Ireland. So I packed up my camping gear and enough clothes for the trip and off I went getting a ride with Rick Dearborn. He had a pickup truck and made runs to Boston all the time. It was a shabby old thing with blue paint that could have been confused for white any day. Anyways he drove me to Boston and I took a flight to Dublin and had an unremarkable flight unless you count the thunderstorm we ran into halfway over the Atlantic. About downed the plane it did, we hit a downdraft that damn near lifted me out of my seat. We reached Shannon airport for a short layover before continuing onto Dublin. Once in Dublin I found a little hostel to store my gear for the night and headed for Temple Bar. It's a neighborhood you might say with a pub on every corner. So I found a seat at the bar and who should be there but my dear old friend Shamus. He had more hair back then it was still white but more of it. Well Shamus and I got reacquainted after oh I don't know twenty years or so. Pint followed pint of that finest of beers, Guinness, and soon it was dark and the crowd began to pour in there was singing and dancing and of course drinking. About midnight or so I was going to head over to the hostel to lie down when dear old Shamus would have none of that steered me upstairs to a spare bedroom. I awoke the next day to find my things at the foot of the bed and the smell of bacon and eggs wafting up from below. I showered; changed, and headed down for the meal unsure of the hour wouldn't you know. After a fine course of eggs, bacon, potatoes and the best damn fried green tomatoes you ever had we sat over coffee catching up some more. I mean it had been thirty years after all. So he says to me 'where ya heading this time old man' and I says to him to the Hill; that being the Hill of Tara, where in the olden days the high king's were crowned on the royal hill. So he asks how I am going to get from Dublin to Tara and I just smiled and stuck out my thumb. Shamus shook his head and I knows he wants to give this old fart a lift and that would be grand we had more catching up to do. So he calls up one of his boys to watch the pub while we take a ride to the County of Meath wherein lies the hills. So he fired up the old Studebaker and off we went. It's not a terribly long drive and the view is quite nice. So Shamus dropped me off at the bed and breakfast next to the hill complex and the old church that guards them. I got a bed for the night and stowed my things before crossing the road and heading up the steep incline to the churchyard. The church itself is a tiny thing that could hold no more than a hundred people at the very most. Its bleak gray exterior and narrow structure reminded me of some Christian greyhound at rest watching over the pagan site. I walked past the church and entered the hill complex around an hour before dark. It's not much to look at being honest but the feel of the place is like nothing I can easily describe. It is like the calm before the storm I suppose. I walked amidst the hills and it was by chance that I spied something near the Lia Fàil, what the Irish call the Stone of Destiny. It was said to cry out three times when a true king of Ireland touched it. Well laying on the ground pretty as you please was the stone I sold you earlier today. I know not how it got there but I am willing to pay you twice what you agreed to pay me."