9,000 Petals of Insanity

Chapter 35: The Field is Thinned

"'How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?'"

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four

What was to be the final correspondence of Armageddon arrived several days later:

Leig noidhuinn stadfermare questiadsin gunchial giochi. Annuquesto è zutuo scorso rabhadh.  Annuquesto è il scorso criminecoir. Addio.

The message was translated swiftly by Sir Jhabberwocky, and from there it became:

Let us stop these meaningless games. This is your last warning. This is the last crime. Goodbye. 

Galsworthy had very grudgingly called off all the officers guarding the Tenebrae house. The dead chicken had been disposed of, and in silence we awaited for the crime to occur. Of course, the others had no idea that there was currently no one guarding the house (Galsworthy had allowed several officers to drive their squad cars along as a ruse for them to believe that there was quite a few people guarding the house. These cars were obliged to leave after we had entered). The day went by with no significant events occurring.

Dinner flew by swiftly. I shall not remark upon the events of that night; I was much too apprehensive about Armageddon to be conscious of my surroundings. After dinner we retired to our staterooms, and without encouragement we all locked and bolted our doors.

The reader will no doubt be sympathetic when I say that I had a fitful and sleepless night. The events that had transpired over the past few days had been quite unnerving; I was unable to fall asleep. This insomnia stretched on forever, and upon the first sight of sunlight I immediately lifted myself off my bed and headed downstairs for a cup of coffee, which I had not had occasion to drink over the past few days. It appeared that no one else had been able to sleep either; most of them had already congregated in the central hall when I descended the steps. Dusang was smoking his before-breakfast pipe, a habit that he had always practiced. Wearily I confined myself in one of the armchairs and stared at length at my companions. Whereupon Heartbreak-Lollypop rose to her feet and said, "Perhaps I should prepare breakfast?" 

Draughts came upon us and bowed slowly. "If you permit, Miss, you need not trouble yourself. I will prepare breakfast."

As with dinner last night, breakfast was conducted mostly in silence. Concluding my meal I quickly repaired to the central hall, where Æþelræd had been. He must have sensed my desire to protect him, for he laughed rather nervously and said, "I understand your concern, Dr. St Castle, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"With all due respect, sir, I doubt that even you can evade Armageddon's supernatural prowess," said I frankly.

"Perhaps," said Æþelræd. "But maybe it's my time. Everyone has to die, hm?"

I could still, however, detect the uncertainty in his voice. For a while he contemplated his shoes, and then he rose to his feet. "I would like to take a stroll."

I, too, picked myself up. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No, no," said Æþelræd, smiling. "You don't need to trouble yourself. I can take care of myself."

I was about to suggest that he should wait for Galsworthy to awake, but he would hear none of it. He insisted that he could take care of himself. Of course, I did not inform him of the fact that Dusang had specifically ordered Galsworthy to wake up later in the day. I did not understand the detective's intentions, but he informed me that it was for the best.