City of Fear

Chapter 15

A/N - Well, we said we'd see you in 2018, and we didn't lie.

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John caught up with his limping friend, who was leading the group of men up the stairs. The chains that he had slung over his shoulder clinked with each step he took. "Sherlock?"

"John," Sherlock stated as if that concluded the matter.

John raised his eyebrows. "Well? This master plan you apparently came up with? Were you planning on sharing it with us, or. . . And what are those for?"

"These are the chains we're going to use to bind her."

"So that's part of the plan?"

"That is the plan."

John's eyebrows remained lifted, and he leaned in a bit. "That's it?"

"Well, besides killing the fomorroh."

"So your plan is to do exactly what Arthur said."

"What? Now you want me to defy the direct orders of the king?"

"No, I want you to tell us how we're going to follow the direct orders of the king."

"Oh, well, in that case, I was thinking we just. . . tie her up." Sherlock furrowed his brow. "We outnumber her, don't we? We have you, me, Garman, Gwaine, Merlin-" he held up the five fingers on his left hand, "-against, let's see. . . Marian." He held up his forefinger on his right hand and pretended to weigh the odds against each other.

John frowned. "I'm sorry, who? Is this the same Marian who shoved you in a well?"

"Marie!" John heard Gwaine pipe up from the back. "You know, the bartender. I wonder if she misses me yet."

John huffed. "Misses you? Since when was everyone on first-name basis with the shapeshifter?"

"For me?" Sherlock paused, and the group gathered around him in the corridor. "Must be two years by now."

"Two what?"

"The adultery case Mycroft sent me to investigate in Ishbayern. The adultress turned out to be a woman named Helena, whose sister's name was-"

"Marian," John realized aloud.

"Quiet. But yes, and when Marian trapped me in the well, she implied that her sister was dead. I-"

"And you think she blames you for that?"

Sherlock's nostrils flared for a split second but he responded coolly. "She must."

John plodded along for a few moments. "It adds up. When we visited the tavern, Marian said she'd been visiting her sister the night Edgar was killed, but then later she said Gwaine had shown up at the tavern the same night and had been there ever since."

Sherlock chuckled. "That was the alibi of the woman who thought she could outsmart me?"

"Indeed." John suppressed a smirk. "By the way, your boot's unbuckled."

"Nice try," Sherlock responded without missing a beat.

"Worth a shot."

John felt a push from behind and Garman maneuvered himself between the two and fell into step with Sherlock. John slowed a bit and followed behind them, now next to Merlin.

"You said we're just going to tie her up, didn't you?" Garman was asking.

"Yes, that's the plan," Sherlock said bluntly.