Sherlock Holmes Case of the Risen: Sherlock Holmes, #1

By Michael John Light

Stonehenge.

The legendary site of Merlin's magic.

But what if something else was sleeping there?

Something that was not magical.

Something diabolical and deadly!

What if it woke up?

Could we stop it?

Could even Holmes...stop it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Pirillo
• Release date: Sep 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386068990

Book preview

Broken Skies

Twenty Years Ago

The skies were boiling with trouble, brewing anything but the romance he was hoping for. But wonder of wonders, she actually grasped his hand and warmly squeezed it.

My God! Terror warmed her heart, he thought to himself.

Several large bolts of lightning ripped through the overhead clouds, showering them with brilliant stabs of light and making the huge stones seem to dance as their shadows flickered.

Time to go back! She insisted.

But we just got here! He argued. Let's go inside. Everyone says it feels so...different to do that.

I seriously doubt it will make one bit of difference. She snapped at him, her peevishness rising to the surface like a venomous snake once more.

From of the clouding skies, a huge bolt of lightning struck the monolith that was just a few yards from them.

A pungent smell like burning oil scented the air about them and then the monolith that was struck began to make a humming sound.

They both froze. What was going on?

Hear that? Arabelle asked.

Be hard not to, William replied His eyes snapped to the next stone whose top began to glow, giving off a soft shade of red.

Look! He pointed.

She saw it. Gasped. Over there too!

They watched in awe and growing fear as the pungent smell in the air grew stronger, ripe and fetid, like food that had gone bad. Each one of the monolithic stones began to glow at their tops.

What's happening? Arabelle asked, backing against William. The first time she had touched him like that in what seemed like ages now. It was sad that it took a small fright to bring back some degree of intimacy once more. He was about to sigh when every single monolith lit up like a roman candle, their tops bursting forth with a brilliant red light high into the sky.

Look at that, will you. William cried out, not only stunned by the aerial display, but now getting more than a bit fearful. But he didn't let it show. He liked having Arabelle need him like now; even if only for a few moments.

Their relationship was so mercurial these days and any hint of the old Arabelle that came back kept him invested in her. He didn’t want what they had to wither and die. He loved her too much, despite all the stabs and gaping wounds that were being made from her frustration at times.

This can't be good. Arabelle stammered.

At that moment he couldn't have agreed more. He fell back alongside her, both of them withdrawing as the awesome, fear inducing display continued, growing more and more intense. It was like watching a bomb about to go off he thought.

But it didn't. It wasn't a bomb. It was something more frightening.

Look, look, look, look! He stammered, pointing to the clouds overhead. They had turned blood red and were boiling and swirling like masses of black charcoal suddenly lit with fire, and burning into life as they churned about each other.

It was a fire in the heavens.

Dear God! He gasped.

She fell back against him again. William!

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Neither of them could move. It was as if something had clasped their ankles and was anchoring them to their spots.

The skies opened up and a massive fist of red lightning struck the same monolith again. But this time the monolith was not struck alone. The lightning pounded the ancient monoliths again and again, relentlessly, causing the couple to fling themselves to the ground in terror.

William looked up, his eyes filled with both fear and awe. Maybe King Arthur is being raised by Merlin from his grave to rule our lands again.

She didn’t reply. He could hear her teeth chattering in terror.

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble from the violence of the down pouring. They had to fling arms across their faces to protect their eyes from the intensity of the lightning strikes.

The hair on their bodies began to rise up into the air.  Monolith after monolith was struck until all were smoking, their tops glowing red-hot.

A final series of lightning blasts struck and it was so intense it threw them from their feet. Then nothing. Just