The Infernal Aether (First Draft)

Chapter 2 - Unwanted Visitors

After another drink from my hip flask the stranger was ready to move on. We followed the Serpentine back toward the South East and then exited the park at Hyde Park Corner, heading toward -- of all places -- the highly exclusive neighbourhood of Belgrave Square.

Maxwell remained keen to accompany the man. I fancied that this was more from scientific curiosity than any real concern as to his welfare and I found myself an unwilling passenger in all of this. I had contemplated leaving them to their fool's errand but I could not quite find the will to abandon my brother to the company of this individual, especially given that I still had no clue as to the man's motives. Maxwell may have been older than me but I was only too aware that he would often allow his curiosity to override any sense of self-preservation. Many has been the time that I have observed him sleepwalk his way into trouble, unaware or uncaring of the risks to his person, all in pursuit of his theories and inventions.

We walked, having agreed -- them, not me -- that hiring a Hackney Carriage would have been an unnecessary expense on such a pleasant evening. As we walked away from the Park the light from the gas lamps cast a stark, otherworldly glow over the misty streets. Our only companions were our own shadows and footsteps, the local residents choosing -- rather sensibly -- to remain indoors rather than join us out in the cold. While these surroundings were not dissimilar to where I grew up, this was a far cry from the East End, my more recent home; a part of the city which never really seemed to come to rest. Costermongers shouting their wares, householders joking or arguing in the streets, drunkards spilling out from taverns: these were the scenes I was used to. By contrast, the silence of these more exclusive streets felt stifling and oppressive.

After a few moments we were shocked out of our contemplations by our new acquaintance suddenly blurting out: "N'yotsu!"

We stopped and looked at him, wondering if he had taken leave of what was left of his senses. "Pardon?" asked Maxwell.

"It is a word which keeps going round and round my head," the man said. "I am pretty sure that it is my name. N'yotsu...Yes, I am positive. That is my name."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "It's just...N'yotsu sounds somewhat Oriental. You don't have the look of one of those people."

"I am sure," said N'yotsu.

"Very well," I said, unconvinced. We started walking again. "So if you're recalling your name, presumably some other details are starting to come back to you?"

N'yotsu shook his head. "I am afraid not. It really is rather frustrating."

"And yet you know of the exact address that this 'creature' intends to attack?"

N'yotsu shrugged and then pointed to a doorway just ahead of us, a blue door at the top of a short flight of steps. The railings to the front of the house were topped with spikes which brought to my mind those which used to hold the heads of traitors along London Bridge in less civilised times. The house's windows were shuttered closed, with cracks of light through the woodwork being the only indications of occupancy.

"This is the place," N'yotsu said, mounting the steps.

Maxwell followed him but I hung back. "Are you sure?" I asked. The place looked far too opulent for us to impose ourselves upon. I had visions of us being cast back onto the street by an imperious butler or aggrieved nobleman.

"I am positive," said N'yotsu, taking hold of the doorknocker and banging it firmly, a noise which echoed up and down the street. 'Here come interlopers' I fancied the sound said. 'They don't belong here...'.

The door opened and the imperious butler of my fears peered down at us. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Every fibre of my being screamed at me to turn and run, the situation and the man's bearing transporting me back to my schooldays and the many brushes with authority which had rarely ended well for me.

N'yotsu, on the other hand, seemed to have no such fears. "My name is N'yotsu. I wish to speak with the owner of this house."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but he will want to speak with me. Tell him I am here to help him with the troubles he is having with his daughter."

The butler frowned, but did not dismiss us. "Wait here," he said, closing the door.

I was beginning to wonder whether N'yotsu really did know more than he was letting on. "Daughter?" I asked.

"Yes," N'yotsu said. "I don't know why, but-"

He was cut short by the door opening once more, this time revealing a balding man in his late forties. By his style of dress I surmised that he worked in a bank in the City, his suit suggesting a long day at the office only recently ended.

"Franklin tells me you have come about my daughter," he said. "But I do not recognise you as one of the physicians we have been using. Who are you?"

"My name is N'yotsu, and these are two acquaintances of mine: Maxwell and Augustus Potts. We are not physicians, but we are here to help your daughter."

The man eyed us suspiciously; not unreasonably, given the circumstances. "I don't much care for gossip-mongers, Mister N'yotsu."

"It's just N'yotsu," corrected our acquaintance.

"Whatever your name is," said the man. "You will appreciate that I do not care for three strange men turning up unannounced at my house and enquiring after my infant daughter. You should be aware that my butler is an ex-army man and we have guns in this house."

This was more than enough for me but not, apparently, for N'yotsu. "Your daughter is in grave danger," he said. "You have been experiencing some strange phenomena of a spiritual nature over the past few weeks, all of which centre around the girl. You are worried that she is insane. I assure you that she is not, but if you do not let me help her then you will all be in serious trouble."

"How do you know all of this?" The man had visibly paled during N'yotsu's speech.

"You need to trust me," was all that N'yotsu would say.

After a few moments of staring at us, the man stepped aside and invited us in.

***This is the first draft - the final, edited version is now available on Amazon - http://amzn.com/B00QO5K8VQ; and the follow-up novella "A Christmas Aether" can be got for FREE at http://peteroxleyauthor.com/readers-group-landing-page/***