away viciously.
“They’re like leeches!” I shout. “They’ll drain us and use our power to fully wake that creature in the pit!”
“But you put such faith in these creatures!” Konrad says. “You said they gave you immense powers.”
“They did,” I say, swatting one that alighted on Henry’s back without his realizing. “But even as they gave, they took away. Elizabeth! Don’t let it land on you!”
I am suddenly aware that everyone is looking at me as though I’m a lunatic-and no doubt I look it, my eyes darting about, lunging to and fro to swat butterflies.
“Victor,” says Elizabeth sadly, “you’re deluded. There was nothing the matter with the body we grew. And you let it die!”
“It tried to drown me!”
“He did his best to save it,” says Henry.
“Make me another!”
The shout comes from Konrad, and when I turn, I know that I have never seen his face so angry. He stalks toward me, fists clenched.
“Make me another body!” he shouts.
“It can’t be done! It would be another monstrosity!”
“You promised me, Victor!”
His words impale me, and I have no reply.
“It’s just like last time,” he rails. “You make me these promises. The Elixir of Life! How it will heal me! How it will keep me from any illness. Then you tell me you can raise me from the dead! Your promises are meaningless, Victor! Meaningless!”
“Konrad, I’ve tried my-”
“No. You tried to make yourself grand and powerful, as usual, and you have ruined everything!”
I don’t realize how close he’s come toward me-until he strikes me. His fist actually touches my body. And though it feels like the graze of a feather, I gasp in shock. How is it he’s able to come so close?
“I want my life back!” Konrad shouts as he batters at me, his blows like little breezes. I wish they hurt more, to match my misery.
“I’d do anything for you,” I say.
“Liar! I half think you drowned me on purpose, so you could woo Elizabeth and take her for yourself.”
“That’s not so!” I protest weakly. But I wonder if all his angry words have the accuracy of arrows.
“You mean to whine at her and worry her like a dog until she takes you!” Konrad says with a cruelty I’ve never known from him.
Analiese puts a restraining hand on him, draws him back. “Konrad, his remorse is obvious. Please stop.”
“Don’t touch him!” Elizabeth yells at her. “We don’t even know who or what you are!”
A sense of madness throbs through the room, and the walls are beginning to pulse with our frenzied emotions.
Konrad shrugs free of Analiese and strikes at me again. “I-want-more- life! You’ve paraded it in front of me, and now I want it! Get me another body!”
Henry steps in front of me, and Konrad recoils, driven back by my friend’s light and heat. Why has mine not done the same?
My brother sinks suddenly into a chair, covering his face. “Victor,” he says, “I’m-”
“Do you all see?” I shout. “My light has faded. These spirits have stolen it from me and given it to that thing in the pit. Can’t you all see that? How else could Konrad have touched me?”
There’s an uncomfortable silence, and for a moment I hope I’ve finally convinced them.
But Elizabeth just shakes her head stubbornly. “If you’re weakened,” she says, “it’s because you’ve abused the spirits and dallied too long in this world.”
“But your light and heat are dimmer too,” says Konrad, looking at her carefully. “Not so much as Victor’s…”
Henry and I both regard her, surprised, for we’ve never been able to see one another’s auras.
“Have you been coming in, without me?” I ask her.
She nods quickly, and I see Konrad’s guilty look.
Konrad stands up and starts seizing weapons from the table.
“What’re you doing?” Henry asks.
“What I should’ve done much earlier,” he says savagely. “I’m going to destroy that thing!”
“Konrad, don’t!” cries Elizabeth. “It’s too dangerous!”
“He’s right,” I say, snatching up a crossbow and a sword. “It must be done.”
“Then I’ll fight with you,” says Henry.
But at that moment the spirit clock in my pocket begins to vibrate and shake with such frightening intensity that I fear the thing will burst apart. “It can’t be,” I mutter, pulling it out. “How can our time be up?”
“Can you slow it?” Konrad asks desperately.
“No… it’s too late. I can’t turn back time.”
He looks at me, desolate, and then his face hardens. “I’ll do it alone.”
“No,” I tell him. “You might need help. The help of the living.”
“I’m sick of listening to it!” he shouts. “Waiting for it to come!”
“It won’t come,” I tell him. “It needs more life to wake. Without us here it can’t wake fully.”
He shakes his head, refusing to meet my gaze. “How can you know that?”
“I won’t leave you here,” I say. “I’ll come back. I’ll solve this somehow.”
He is silent.
“I’ll find a way,” I promise him. “But don’t attack this thing on your own.”
He nods. I don’t want to leave him, not like this, with all hope drained from his face. I want to stay, to make amends, but the urgency to return to my real body makes a coward of me, and I run along with Henry and Elizabeth, her face streaked with tears, back toward my bedroom-and life-while Konrad remains behind once more, in the land of the dead.
CHAPTER 18
When we came back to ourselves, we looked everywhere but at one another. From the corner of my eye I sensed Elizabeth’s anger just by the set of her mouth.
“Konrad’s in no danger right now,” I said, as much to comfort myself as the others. “The pit demon can’t be born without our energy.” I drew a weary breath. “I’ll think of something.”
“Perhaps your spirit friends can help you,” Elizabeth said coldly.
“There are none on me.” Leaving the spirit world, I was most careful to make sure of that.
Elizabeth looked at me. “You’re sure?”
“Will you check me?” I asked Henry.
Elizabeth turned to the wall, and I stripped and let Henry examine my body.
“He’s clear.”
“Even so,” said Elizabeth, “he has some in a flask in his drawer.”
“Just one,” I said. “And here, if you don’t trust me.” I took the key from its new hiding place and handed it to her. “You hold on to this.”
“Thank you, Victor,” she said, and took it.
After checking to be sure the hallway was clear of servants, she left for her own bedchamber. Henry and I were alone.
“Thank you,” I said, “for saying you saw how its face changed.”
Henry exhaled nervously, and I caught a welcome glimpse of my old friend. “I tell you honestly, I don’t know
