Entry 21

The moon was painted against a pitch-black canvas, its light creating an emitting halo more ominous than angelic.

The wind ravaged my braided hair, pulling strands from its once neat plait. I brushed them from my eyes and squinted at the silhouettes atop the Chichester Cathedral, a pistol in hand.

I hugged a pinnacle not too far from where the two figures stood, struggling to make out the words that were being exchanged. One of the figures was my partner Shirleigh Holmes, and the other, Jade Moriarty, someone we once knew as a friend, now seemingly a monster. The two of them fought atop the cathedral for what felt like ages. Shirleigh was determined to get through to her without having to bring about harm, which I approved of, but with how violent the fight was becoming, I was worried she might end up hurt instead.

I glanced at the pistol in my hand. It was the same one Shirleigh had given me during the Jack the Ripper case. I had never used a firearm before and Shirleigh had to instruct me on how to use it. She wanted the both of us to go down to a shooting range but we have been so busy as of late, we did not have the opportunity to do so yet.

My hand began to tremble and I convinced myself it was the cold breeze when deep down inside I knew that I was horrendously overcome with nerves. I shook my head in an attempt to calm myself. Now was not the time to grow anxious. Nerves would only hinder my ability to be of assistance. I needed to be alert at all times, to be there for my partner.

When I focused my attention back on the silhouettes, Moriarty lunged at my companion but Shirleigh had her arms outstretched which kept her at a distance. I could hear Shirleigh's voice but again, could not decipher what she was saying over the howling wind. Her hair whipped in the breeze and I could see her eyes glistening underneath the moonlight.

Moriarty's eyes, on the other hand, glowed. They glowed an unnaturally bright red that sent shivers down my spine. I was uncertain of what afflicted her as it did not seem to be something I was familiar with. It did not seem to be something anyone would be familiar with for she resembled a real, living, breathing, vampire. The familiar scent of honey wafted in my direction and I remembered the conversations I had with her. How kind and welcoming she had been. Now, she was almost unrecognisable. Maybe we had become unrecognisable to her as well...

I watched as Shirleigh appeared to grow weak and wished she would signal to me to help her like she said she would during our discussion before we arrived. I checked the pistol in my hand again to ensure the safety was off and took a deep breath.

Turning to face them to line up a shot, I saw Moriarty pull Shirleigh's collar from her neck as she inched closer. Moriarty's mouth opened revealing her cuspids, which were longer than what was considered normal and they gleamed in the moon's glow. I watched as she broke past Shirleigh's defence and my partner let out an indistinguishable groan when the Sussex vampire sank her fangs into her flesh.

Without waiting a second longer, I fired a single shot that grazed Moriarty's right thigh which caused her to release my partner, the both of them collapsing on the cold concrete that was the roof of the cathedral. Moriarty appeared to nearly fall from the building when Shirleigh, with catlike reflexes, reached over and grabbed hold of her arm.

"Shirleigh!" I ran over to my companion, the Autumn breeze sending gooseflesh across my arms as I approached her.

I knelt beside her but she kept her attention focused on the woman who held onto her arm. I observed her chest rise and fall as she breathed heavily. Noticing blood stains on her once crisp, white dress shirt, my eyes followed the stains and lingered on the grievous wound Moriarty left on her neck. Her fair skin was smudged with blood and it was then that I realised I did not know just how violent the struggle was. I began to wonder if I should have acted sooner.

"Shirleigh...?" A voice muttered.

I turned to face Moriarty who I had nearly forgotten about. Her eyes flashed between its usual caramel colour and the bright red it had been just moments ago.

"...You're bleeding..." She reached her hand toward Shirleigh's face and halted just a few inches short when she noticed her hand was also covered in blood. "Oh... So it was me all along, wasn't it? I was the Sussex vampire..."

"You knew?" I wondered.

"Not really..." Moriarty stared off. An expression of discomfort flashed across her face and I recalled the gunshot wound I had caused. Just because it was a graze does not make it any less painful. I removed my scarf and tied it around her thigh to stop the light bleeding as she continued. "...I did have my suspicions though..."

"What do you mean?" Shirleigh asked in a low voice. Her voice was tinged with pain and it hurt to listen to.

"There were times where I would seemingly...wake up...? I would never remember how I got to where I ended up but there was always a foul taste of iron on my tongue until I would...fall back asleep again..."

I watched as Shirleigh's eyebrows knitted together as Moriarty gave her explanation.

"How did this happen?" I asked as my partner remained silent. "Who did this to you?"

It was silent save for the strong wind that came through. Shirleigh adjusted her grip on Moriarty's forearm. I realised she was only able to use her right arm since the left side of her neck was wounded and it was no doubt painful to move her shoulder. I reached out for Morairty's arm and helped pull her back up.

"...Their name..." She started. "...Is Milverton."

"Milverton...?" Shirleigh echoed.

"I'm afraid I don't know their first name, assuming Milverton is their last," Moriarty continued. "They...recruited me when they found out about my mathematical ability. They said I would be a great asset to their 'team'. I did not join them willingly... I was employed by force..."

"What do you mean, 'by force'?" Shirleigh questioned, her hands on Morairty's shoulders.

"...If I didn't join them..." Her voice cracked. "...They said they would...hurt my parents..."

"Coercion..." Shirleigh's jaw tightened.

"So I agreed to work for them and they gave me my first task..."

"Which was...?"

"...To kill you..."

Another lengthy silence fell upon us as we all sat in disbelief.

"To kill Shirleigh?" I exclaimed, shattering the stillness. "But why?"

Moriarty shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know. As you can see, however, I was unable to carry through with the assignment."

"Why not?" Shirleigh asked.

"Because I fell in love with you."

Shirleigh blinked and Moriarty let out a weak laugh.

"Has anyone ever told you that you carry a certain allure about you? I could never tell you how I felt because I knew about your views on love and similar emotions. It did hurt to keep my feelings to myself, but if it meant that I got to visit you more often, I did not mind it."

Moriarty's smile faded as she seemed to recall something.

"I did meet Milverton in person not too long ago," she began. "But it was in a dark room, beneath a restaurant back in London. There was another girl there, the one who had mysteriously vanished. Milverton wanted to discuss my progress but I was too focused on the poor girl in the room. I pleaded for them to set her free but they grew impatient with me."

"Jana..." I whispered. "But why would they ask to meet you in such a specific place? Especially one where a hostage was being held?"

"I'm not sure. I believe she wanted to use the girl as an example of what would happen if I were to disobey her orders..." Moriarty's eyelids lowered.

"Did you see their face?" Shirleigh wondered.

"No... The room had a singular light, one that shone down on that unfortunate girl's body. The surrounding area was pitch black. They spoke from beyond the shadows like an apparition. The voice sounded feminine but I fear that was all I was able to ascertain."

"Did you see anything else in the room?" I asked. "Any movement...or any other lights, perchance?"

Moriarty closed her eyes and her eyebrows drew together. Shirleigh rubbed Morairty's shoulders with her thumbs, her gaze fixed on the horizon in the distance. Her mind was clearly elsewhere when suddenly Moriarty gasped which drew her attention.

"There was another light," she said, her eyes wide. "It was different, it was a sort of glow. And they said something. Milverton, that is. I wasn't able to understand it, I believe it may have been Latin or something similar. There was a sudden bright flash of purple light and... I don't really remember anything after that..."

"That is quite alright, that was extremely helpful," I said. "What do you make of it?"

I turned to my companion whose eyebrows were drawn so close together, that I could nearly feel the creases forming on my own forehead.

"Shirleigh?"

"What?" My partner turned to me and winced in pain.

"I'm so sorry..." Moriarty whispered as she reached her hand out once more, this time placing her hand on Shirleigh's face. Streaks of blood stained her cheek as Moriarty pulled her hand back. "...I hurt you and that's the last thing I ever wanted to do..."

"How do we change you back?" Shirleigh asked, almost in a demanding tone.

Moriarty's eyebrows angled upward giving her a sentimental expression.

"I'm not sure," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But, if I were to be changed back, it would be instantaneous death for me, I'm afraid. I'm sure Miss Watson knows what happens when one ingests as much blood as I have."

"Haemochromatosis..." I mumbled, suddenly nauseous. "It is an excess amount of iron in the body. Humans do not possess the necessary digestive facilities to extract iron from blood when it is consumed. Too much blood can be deadly to a person..."

Moriarty gave Shirleigh an apologetic smile.

"Well!" I started. "At least let me tend to your wound. It isn't fatal and if you allow me to patch you up, we can take you back with us and figure something out!"

She shook her head. "I would only be a danger to you. To the both of you and anyone else around. I could turn back any moment, I can feel it..."

Shirleigh got up to her feet and stared down at Moriarty. I stood next to my partner and felt myself grow dizzy when I caught a glimpse of the ground over the edge. I found myself stumbling and decided it would be best if I crouched as I had before.

I fell to my hands and knees and tightly shut my eyes. My head felt as though it was spinning and I was afraid I would be ill. I felt a hand on my back and opened my eyes to see my partner knelt beside me with the most concerned look I have ever seen her exhibit thus far.

"Are you alright?"

I gave a quick nod. "I'm fine... Look at me. Making you worry and you're the one who is actually wounded."

"This is nothing," she told me. "Nothing ever comes before your well-being."

I stared into her eyes and felt a wave of tranquillity wash over me until I spotted Moriarty standing a few feet away on the ledge.

"It's terrifying, isn't it?" she called out over the wind and Shirleigh turned to face her. "Losing something you love. Or perhaps giving something up is scarier. Loss isn't something one can control, but forfeit is a decision that one has to make."

The way she spoke reminded me of the first time we met. The cryptic sentence she left me with that night. There was something beautiful in her mysterious words. It struck me that her words were actually something that was written in the novel she let me borrow.

I gazed at her. The wind violently tossed her dark green hair and her nightgown, which used to be a bright white, now covered in crimson, danced in the same manner.

"I'm afraid that this is our last conversation together."

"Wait," I said exchanging a glance with Shirleigh. "What do you mean?"

"I'm glad I was able to speak with the both of you one last time..." Her eyes shone and fresh tears glistened in the moon's rays. "Would you...see that my parents and children are okay?"

"Wait...!"

Before I could reach an arm out to keep her tethered to the land of the living, she had already vanished over the edge of the cathedral. I attempted to crawl to approach the ledge but was pulled back from doing so.

I curled up in my companion's lap, my trembling hands covering my mouth at the realisation of everything that just transpired. Her arms wrapped around me and she handled me as if I were made of porcelain, gently caressing my arms with her long fingers.

My stomach turned but the shock instilled in me was too great to allow me to be nauseous. Shirleigh leaned her head over my shoulder and I managed to meet her eyes. Our faces were merely centimetres apart and I could make out each of the contraction furrows in her irises as they closely resembled flowers.

She portrayed a worried countenance and I mustered a nod to reassure her that I was alright. I turned my body to face hers and I buried my face in her bosom as I shed a few tears. She brushed my hair with her hands and muttered some words that I could not quite understand.

"Watson?"

I glanced up at my partner, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Would you want to come with me to the Moriarty residence? I will be paying her mother a visit and..."

Her sentence trailed off but I knew what she wanted to say and I nodded, still too shaken to say anything.

"Are you certain? I can—"

"No," I mumbled. "I want to go with you."

She nodded in understanding and helped me to my feet. Together we descended the cathedral's staircase and made our way to the city of Hastings.