Simon Hawke - Hellfire Rebellion

“And how did they respond?” said Hewitt.

“Need you ask’?” Lucas replied. “They threatened me. We had words and I told them to get out. It almost came to blows, but they left, warning me that I would soon have cause to reconsider. I feared there would be trouble, so that night I slept inside my shop. My partner, Finn. and Andrew slept upstairs. Sometime past midnight, I was awakened by my windows being shuttered. Finn and Andrew heard the noise and they ran down to help me, but there were just too many of them. They covered their faces, or blackened them with soot so that they could not be recognized, but I knew they were the same men who had threatened me earlier that day. We tried to fight them, but it was no use. Andrew had his nose bloodied and his head cut, Finn was knocked down, senseless, and I was seized and held with my arms pinned behind my back, forced to watch as they ransacked our wares and destroyed our shop. We lost everything.”

“Damn the bastards!” Hewitt said.

“Aye, damn them, indeed.” said Finn, following Priest’s lead. “What they didn’t break, they stole. What they didn’t steal, they threw out into the street and burned. We hoped to make up some of our losses by selling the goods we had stored in the warehouse, but seeing the damage done to our shop, our customers stayed away. They were afraid to be seen buying goods from traitors! We were forced to sell what we had left in storage to other merchants, who had agreed to join the boycott and planned to keep the goods in storage until the boycott ended. We could not afford to do that, so we were forced to sell our goods in storage at a loss and leave New York.”

“Shameful.” Hewitt said. “Shameful, indeed.”

“Things are not much better in the other colonies,” said Lucas. “There are even more radicals in Rhode Island than in New York, but at least here in Boston, you seem to have men with the courage to stand up to them.”

“I’d like to shake their hands, whoever they may be,” said Andre.

“I only wish that I’d been there to help them” said Delaney.

“Perhaps, next time, you can.” said Hewitt. He leaned toward them and lowered his voice. Have you heard of the headless horseman’?”

Lucas frowned, “The headless horseman?”

“There are those who say he is a ghost.” said Hewitt. “He rides at night, on a black stallion. He appears out of nowhere, strikes out at the Sons of Liberty, and then disappears again without a trace.”

“What sort of joke is this?” asked Finn.

“The four men found hanging in the Common this morning did not think it was a joke.” said Hewitt.

“Who is this horseman?” Andre asked.

“No one knows,” said Hewitt. “But word has it that he leads a band of men known as the Hellfire Club, loyal subjects of King George, who are not afraid to do what must be done to bring law and order hack to Boston. And word has it that there is room among that hand of men for those with the courage to join them.”

“Where can these men be found?” asked Lucas.

“I have heard.” said Hewitt, “that there is a certain country chapel where they meet. In fact, I have been curious to go myself to their next meeting. Perhaps you would like to come along?”

They exchanged glances.

“Yes,” said Lucas, with a smile “Yes, I think we’d like that very much. indeed.”

They took two rooms upstairs at the inn, one for Lucas and one for Finn and Andre, since Andre was posing as his “ward.” The bed was barely large enough for Delaney alone, so no one thought it was unusual when they asked to have a cot brought in for “young Andrew.”

“One of us should go and tell Hunter what’s going on.” said Andre.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” said Lucas “I can clock on over there and be back in-”

“No. I don’t think that would be such a good idea.” Andre said. “I was thinking maybe I should walk over there alone.”

Lucas frowned. “Why?”

“For all we know, Adams is still having us watched,” she said. “If that’s the case, then one of us should be seen going over to Hunter’s. That way, we’ll appear to be doing exactly what we said we’d do.”

“She’s got a point.” Delaney said, nodding. “Besides,” said Andre, “I’d like to find out if they’re still keeping tabs on us. We’ve got no idea what to expect from this scenario. If I spot anyone following me, I don’t want to have to wonder if it’s someone Adams sent or somebody else. I can flush a tail much better on my own than with you two along and it would look less conspicuous, if only one of us left to meet with Hunter. We need to convince Adams that we know what we’re doing and that we can be trusted, otherwise we’re liable to be tripping over Sons of liberty everywhere we go.”

“Okay.” said Lucas. “I guess you’re right. But be careful. The streets of Boston aren’t safe after dark these days.

She grinned at him. “I learned how to take care of myself long before I met you. Lucas.” she said. “But I appreciate the thought. See you guys in a while.”

She picked up her coat and hat and left the room. Delaney went over to the window and pulled the curtain back slightly so he could look out into the street below. A few moments later, he saw Andre come out into the street. He continued to watch. Several seconds later, someone came out after her and quickly crossed the street, keeping to the shadows, heading in the same direction.

“She was right.” Delaney said. “Adams still has somebody watching us.”

“Was it Revere?” Lucas said, joining him at the window.

“I couldn’t tell for sure.” Delaney said, letting the curtain fall back into position and turning around. “Could’ve been someone else, I-”

He suddenly threw himself to one side, hit the floor and rolled, coming up to a kneeling position with his pistol cocked and ready.

“Well, that was certainly amusing,” Dr. Darkness said. “What will you do for your next trick?”

“He had appeared sitting in the wooden chair across the room, with his legs crossed casually and a heavy blackthorn walking stick held across his lap. He was dressed in dark brown tweeds and a long, brown Inverness wool coat, which he wore unbuttoned. He wore a heavy gold watch chain in his tweed vest and a paisley silk ascot loosely tied around his neck. A brown fedora was tilted rakishly low over his right eye. They could see the back of the chair right through him. He seemed to flicker like a ghost on a television screen, parts of his body appearing solid one moment and transparent the next, the result of his atomic structure having been permanently tachyonized, making him “the man who was faster than light.”

Delaney exhaled heavily and lowered the hammer on the gun. “Christ, Doc. I wish to hell you wouldn’t do that!”

“What did you expect me to do, Delaney, come to the door and knock?” said Darkness. “Somehow I don’t think you’d enjoy explaining to the locals what a ghost was doing knocking on your door in the middle of the night.”

Delaney got up and put away the pistol.

“I always did rather enjoy Boston,” Darkness said, pushing his hat back on his head, “but not during this particular time period. Another hundred years or so and it will be a worthwhile place to spend a weekend.” He reached inside his coat and produced a bottle of wine. “I took the liberty of bringing this up from the wine cellar.” he said. “Not exactly your California red. but I suppose it will do if you’re not terribly particular.

He tossed the bottle to Delaney. Finn caught it one-handed and went over to the sideboard, where they had a decanter and some glasses.

“Come to check up on the old prototype, eh. Dec.” said Lucas. wryly.