Who the hell had they been, and what had they been up to? He started searching through the books with the others for information! Something had to be there and he searched what the books were mainly about and what they were interested in, and soon found out that the books never belonged to them and belonged to later owners of the castle, and the earliest had only a few books that were virtually meaningless to him and gave little.
He was sure that if the map of the castle found in the ring on the person in the tomb proved the person had been with the original people and William Randall, and that if there was information about them, it might be there after all.
There was something about hunting for hidden things that he did not like and that frustrated him! There were far too many things that suggested where things could be and that could anywhere. The mind could almost turn anything into what looked like a clue just by staring at things for long enough, if the person wanted something badly enough! They could be following false clues all the time and make major mistakes there until they left if they were not careful! He was sure, if they had not already been doing it, that they would start doing it as soon as they checked the main places and clues at the castle, with there being no real ways of finding it left.
Here they were searching books for the answer to something that could be anything, and not even exist. The amount of things that the mind could conjure up and associate with it was vast. He doubted if the treasure seekers that he had seen in movies, who had chased after clues, could have answered the clues that they had been given. Why had he never heard of anyone chasing after treasure like it? As far as he was now concerned the people who had found things had been looking for them in ships with people who had found records of there having been treasure, and which had been aboard vessels that had sunk in specific regions that they could trace – and with them not solving strange riddles to them! People found them with knowledge and traced them with technology, and spent a long time doing it, and in most cases never found anything or virtually nothing!
Yet even though they had in the last castle solved the riddles and traced the treasure! And he tried to recall his line of thought when he had found it, and the way the people at the last castle had been that had helped him discover it.
He believed people that came across treasure were incredibly lucky, in the right place at the right time.
He had never proven that people had actually followed clues ever found anything, even though that was what he intended to do, and he thought what he had done at the last castle was more like solving an ancient mystery! People endlessly chased after treasures that never existed – or with fake or unsolvable clues.
Many people had found things while looking for other things though and he could not recall hearing of any of them finding what they had been looking for when it came to major finds like the Holy Grail.
Yet a long time ago things might have been different, and if people did find them he was sure that most people would have no real reasons to report finding anything! Why would they want to? Why tell that people had actually gone about hiding treasure, leaving maps and riddles?
Would real treasure maps be incomprehensible to anyone else? Surely people would try to stop someone else getting their hands on it? Why would they write down obvious places and names that other people would know of and allow them to find it? They could easily use codes and words that other people would not be able to understand, and miss out and muddle things up making sure other people would not be able to establish things – hiding if numbers were co-ordinates or paces. They could give false clues that could easily remind them of the real ones!
The main problem was that there were no real clues or evidence of the treasure existing and that made it incomprehensible to everyone! Yet somewhere there might be another map or mention of it! They might also be able to discover the treasure itself if they searched all the key places people would put it? The archeologists and scientists had very advanced equipment that could be used.
Yet he was unsure if they could cover the whole castle!
Bryson had also been starting to believe that someone knew something that at least proved its existence! He kept sensing it and, though he had not proven a thing, he was sure that it would not take long before they found out about it!
Chapter 9
The Tomb
Bryson wondered how they were going to remove the tomb, as he made his way there from having something to eat. The tomb was made of solid heavy stone and he wondered if they could get enough of the men around it to lift it through the floor.
When he arrived there he was surprised at how far they had gone to do it, and knew right away it was Mitchell’s idea!
The floorboards of the majority of the room around the entrance were piled in the corner and the entrance had been increased in size to a size far greater than the tomb, surely to allow people to carry it up planks of wood, which were sloped down to the tomb to allow it to be pulled upwards.
By what they said Bryson realized that they had attempted to lift it and had been unable to get it and the men up the planks and through the entrance.
Now they were wrapping chains around the tomb and were putting metal poles across the planks of wood, going up through the entrance.
When they had finished preparing everything he watched them push and roll the tomb up the planks of wood over the poles while the others in the room helped pull the tomb up with the chains.
When it was finally up they lay about resting, and Bryson managed to get a proper look at it in the lighted room and tried to see what he had missed, but he never saw anything as the tomb itself was far too dirty and covered in debris.
What interested him most was what they intended to do with it as he could not realize why they were so desperate to get it out, as they had clearly examined it in the chamber with everything that they had, including all the scientists and archaeologists.
He started examining the tomb to see how valuable it might be, but he could not image it could worth much, unless it had historic value that he never knew about, and he wondered if they knew something there that he never and that the stuff had value somewhere. For some reason he could not imagine them being there if there was nothing with definite value there, even the treasure could be there, and he wondered if collectors might value it as being valuable for some reason that he never knew and he thought of phoning the guy he knew who was having him take photos of things to value there.
After taking a few photos of it from a few angles he sent the photos and a message to his friend, and soon received an acknowledgment of the receipt of them. He watched the others to see what their reactions would be but they just ignored him.
Archeologists arrived and got to work cleaning the tomb, and washing all the dirt from it, and Bryson wondered if they intended to make the castle famous and worth something and he wondered what would happen then – and what would happen if it remained haunted and people visited the place from all over the world.
Bryson realized that they were not properly searching the castle now! Yet even though they had agreed to concentrate in the right places and stay together out of danger it might be a mistake as they surely would start giving up after long enough! He was sure that they were best searching it as quickly as possible and covering as much ground as they could without putting themselves in too much danger, and he wished to discover all the key places and search there.
Therefore he started trying to realize where the key places were and wondered how he could safely wander about the rooms and corridors looking! Perhaps it would help solve some of the mysteries there that had accumulated over a long time and since they had arrived.
For a long time he had wanted to investigate somewhere like the last castle as he had missed it greatly and he could not believe he actually had another to investigate. He had always wanted to search the other castle when he had been younger! He had been unable to do it for years as the servants there had kept him in the lounge, on his only visit the
re, and had persuaded him not to go anywhere else, and he had been unable to visit there again when he had been older as his uncle had not allowed him back.
He felt that he had the freedom to roam this castle and he wanted to take full advantage of it when he could, without getting into any danger, but he was far more interested in finding everything he could about the tomb before doing anything else.
The others spent a long time tediously cleaning the tomb rock and he joined in and examined the writing on it again in case he had missed something, but never found anything. It was just ancient writing that was usually found on tombs and had nothing of interest or was to do with anything else.
Yet one of the archeologists washing and cleaning the end of the tomb uncovered some writing there, which had been covered over with dirt, and Bryson went there first to see what was there, but just before he got there the archeologist announced to his surprise, “It’s the identity of the person in the tomb ... His name is William Randall!”
Bryson was staggered and did not know whether to believe it, but the other archeologists there confirmed that they were positive that it was and Bryson wondered what it meant as he had definitely seen the remains and tomb of his ancestor William Randall at the last castle.
Bryson had a hard time even remembering William Randall in detail, and what his skeleton had looked like, and started realizing that he could not properly prove the skeleton in the tomb was him or was not him! How could they prove anything? The lack of evidence annoyed him greatly and he could not prove anything and was like a blind man trying to recognize someone from someone that had not spoken, or had identified himself properly, or had any information about his identity revealed and met someone who never said anything that was being identified as the person! He remembered little about William Randall! Yet he had known what he had been like in places, but that was only basic stuff about him and other people like him at the time. If only they could find something that could give them something worthwhile about him and the people at the castles!
He tried to remember the accounts that they had put together to find the second castle and he tried to recall something about it. He could not remember much about it – yet he could recall that William Randall had been identified as being at the second castle and had been the person who had the second castle built, and he thought that he would have stayed there as well.
It was as though someone were deliberately trying to muddle the facts up and confuse them! It made him shiver thinking of it and what the consequences were and he would now have to accept that the other skeleton at the other castle was someone else. Yet what the hell difference did it make?
He examined the skeleton in the tomb wondering if it really was his ancestor and what difference it would make.
He wondered why they had buried him there under the floor of the castle? Why would someone bury him there? Was there someone after him, or the person there?
Mitchell marched over seeing his slight distress and examined him and seemed interested in something.
“Wasn’t William Randall mentioned as being at the last castle?” he enquired, trying to get some information from him.
“Yes!” he replied firmly and annoyed. “I saw his tomb there though! He was my ancestor that built the castles ...”
Most of the people turned and stared, surprised that it was his ancestor that they were examining.
“Incredible!” Mitchell answered. “That’s right! I remember Sir Richard Randall was your uncle ... And Robert Randall the current owner ... It must be strange being in such a place and meeting one of your ancestors here?”
Bryson finished examining the skeleton and realized that it actually looked the same as the last skeleton!
“Perhaps they could have both skeletons examined to see if they are genetically linked to you?” Mitchell announced. “That should prove what one is authentic and what one is not!”
“That’s a good idea!” he replied, surprised that he had not thought of it.
“I can have it done for you ...?” One of the archeologists firmly replied, examining Bryson’s features and comparing them with the skeleton, with surprise. “I’ve another friend over there ... Near the other castle who can get something from the other skeleton ...”
Bryson was astonished and realized that they had come up with the answer and he agreed firmly and thanked him, and Mitchell for coming up with such a great idea, and he wondered what the outcome of it would be.
Chapter 10
The Second Death
Bryson studied the crumpled up remains of the body of the scientist, who he had worked with many times, trying to realize what had happened. His body was completely drained of water and of something else that he could not recognize.
He had just arrived there, at the remote region of the castle, with Mitchell and his men, and met with Merton and some scientists and police that had been there.
One of the other scientists who had been with the dead scientist earlier had gone out searching for him when he had not arrived to meet him.
For some reason everyone there took it that he had not been killed by the killer and by something else! By something so hideous, evil, and unearthly that they could not even imagine what! He tried to ignore how hideous it was, trying to look upon it as an artist would observe a crazy exhibit, but it was no use! Something was now out to get them! The things in the wood, if they were not the culprits, looked like nothing compared to it, and they now looked as if they had been playing with them and only scaring them away from their territory.
The complexion of the body showed it was drained of blood and showed the deadliness of the place, and their chances of survival had vastly decreased and danger could now exist there in the castle and during the day now and they never knew what they were up against and how to survive against it. They were becoming defenseless and they could not do anything about it!
Bryson was confused more than he could ever recall and he had difficulty discovering what was occurring because now he could not even imagine solving what had happened!
Strange thoughts of him leaving the cold confines of the place and that region gave him shivers of ecstatic pleasure. Yet the pleasure he could have if they solved all the riddles there would be far greater! He could return home or go on holiday to some hot place next to a desert and celebrate – after returning to reality – not on the brink of catastrophe – and he could return to solving normal everyday problems with the effortlessness that he had done for most of his life.
He attempted to work out the exact time that it could have occurred and where the room it was in was located, and wondered why the scientist had been there working alone anyway? At least it might show that the thing would not touch them in groups and in the inhabited regions of the castle.
He could not get why no sounds seemed to be heard from there, and why the death had not been heard? Some loud sounds outside could be heard miles away. Yet all the castle large stones could block even the loudest sounds!
Merton still seemed slightly shocked at it! He had seen him working with the scientist on many occasions!
They all stood about the body while the police examined things about the body. The scientist even looked as though he had tried to crawl over the floor before his death! But he was sure that it only looked that way and that he had been killed swiftly. But by what? And what had the thing done to him?
Bryson and virtually all of the rest of them, accept the police, gasped when some more of the police arrived and one of them asked, “Who would want to kill him?”
Everyone there shrugged and nobody seemed to be able to reply and Bryson did not know how they were going to explain the castle and the situation there if they had to! The police there refused to believe anything extraordinary could occur there.
Merton seemed to mutter, not being able to stay silent any longer, breaking the deep silence, but then was silenced by definitely not wanting to put his foot in it.
“What worries me more than
anything,” Bryson muttered to Merton, with confusion, “is they don’t seem to have any clues!”
“They’ll find something!” Merton quickly replied.
“What kind of thing does that? It even looks like a vampire has drained him of blood!”
“That’s ridiculous! We should not have started entering the castle’s desolate regions on our own!”
“What do you reckon could do that then?”
“You’ve a point and I don’t have enough facts to say anything! It may be entirely new to us? They are best treating it as a normal killing until more facts appear.”
“You’re correct,” he muttered back, glaring through a window at the wood outside with interest, wondering how the police would handle the truth.
“How did his killer know that he would be here?” Bryson spoke louder, for the police to hear, startled by the thought that whatever it was could be watching them, perhaps now hidden away in the distant shadows.
“Perhaps that killer was lurking about and encountered the scientist on his own out here, and confronted him ... We’ll have to stay in groups and only enter these regions when we need to.”
The police at the body seemed to realize the body was drained of something more and discussed having it checked further to discover what had happened to it.
“Why kill him? Do you think something has been removed from the body?”
“I do not know that! The body will have to be checked thoroughly.”
One of the policemen started using a phone to communicate information about the situation to someone, and eventually started talking louder to someone else who had him examine the body for him, and the police vigorously checked the body looking for a wound and they checked bruised areas trying to see it and finally seemed to give up disappointed, and the person on the phone seemed to react strangely to it and had them check the body again at other places.
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