fadings-out.
“The opening here,” said Konrad, “is in the foothills, not far to the northeast of us. Isn’t that where Polidori said the entrance would be?”
I nodded, and for a moment we were silent as our eyes traveled these endless underground byways, awed by the vast hidden maze within our mountains.
“The general direction of the tunnels does seem to work northwest, toward the shores of the lake,” said Elizabeth excitedly.
“Look here,” I cried. “A pool!”
The chamber was clearly marked with wavy lines of blue ink. Crudely drawn among them was a fish.
“We have our map!” said Elizabeth.
“Let’s just hope it truly is a map,” said Konrad, “and not some invented doodling.”
I glanced at Elizabeth, hoping she’d see this remark as a show of cowardice.
“Don’t come if you have misgivings,” I said.
I paged through the scribbled notes in the book that contained the map. “It seems he made a most detailed chronicle of this exploration. It shouldn’t be hard to plot our route.”
“And then we will need to draw up a list of gear we’ll need,” Konrad said.
“I have already begun.” I felt very pleased with myself. I would have to be very vigilant if I wanted to keep control of this quest. From my pocket I drew out a small notebook.
Konrad laughed. “How can you know what we’ll need when we’ve only just discovered our route?”
I smiled. “We’re descending deep beneath the earth to catch a fish. Our gear is obvious. We’ll need lanterns, water, and food to keep our strength up. There will doubtless be holes and crevasses. We’ll need good rope. Mountaineering gear.”
“Mountaineering gear!” exclaimed Henry.
“There may be steep drops,” said Konrad wisely.
“Chalk to mark our route so we can return,” I added.
“Very sensible,” said Elizabeth. “Or a ball of string like Theseus in the Minotaur’s maze?”
“String snaps,” I said.
“Chalk can be wiped away,” countered Konrad.
“You’re assuming there is someone down there,” I said, “who wishes us harm.”
“Victor, don’t joke,” said Elizabeth. “You’ve made me shiver.”
“And me,” said Henry.
“I’m not joking,” I said. “We’ll also need our fishing rods and tackle. And weapons.”
“Weapons?” said Konrad. “To catch a fish?”
“Maybe. But a fish may not be the only thing we encounter in the depths. We were surprised in the Sturmwald, and I won’t be surprised again.”
We shortly bade Konrad good night. Henry went one way to his bedchamber, and Elizabeth and I went the other way. Together we walked silently down the corridor. All day she had virtually ignored me, and I could stand it no longer.
“You haven’t told Konrad about our nighttime tryst,” I whispered.
“That was no tryst,” Elizabeth replied tartly. “That was a deception. And you should be grateful I told him nothing of your shameful behavior. You conducted yourself like a scoundrel, but even so, I don’t want to harm the brotherly love you have for each other.”
I felt a moment’s pang of remorse, but at least now her eyes were on me-her beautiful hazel eyes. I did not understand it, but her angry face and words made me all the more attracted to her.
“And I hope that you say nothing of it either,” she added.
“Of course not,” I said. With a thrill of excitement I realized we had a secret. “Perhaps you didn’t tell him because you enjoyed our kiss,” I said daringly.
Her eyes narrowed. “You took what was not yours, Victor.”
She turned away, but I caught her by the hand. “I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s just-I could not help myself.”
She paused, her back still to me.
“I don’t understand myself anymore,” I said haltingly. “This feeling I have for you…”
When she turned around, her face was kind.
“Victor,” she said, “you must not fall in love with me. I love Konrad.”
“For how long?” I demanded.
“I don’t know,” she said thoughtfully. “Half a year. Maybe longer.”
“Why Konrad and not me?” I blurted, and instantly I felt like a childish fool.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
I muttered, “We’re the same, after all.”
She laughed lightly. “You are not the same.”
“Last night you couldn’t tell one from the other!”
“Your appearance maybe, in complete darkness. But your natures are very different.”
“How so?” I asked, anxious to know how she saw me.
She sighed. “You are rash and headstrong, and arrogant.”
“Not always,” I said, more humbly now. “Surely not.”
Her voice softened a little. “No. Not always. But there is a passion in you that scares me.”
“I thought women craved passion,” I said. “I read it in a novel, I think.”
She walked toward me and took both my hands. “Victor, you will always have my fondest love-”
“As a brother. Yes, I know,” I said scathingly. “I’m not interested in that sort of love.”
“Well, I am,” she said. “And you should be too. It is a precious thing.”
I snorted. “Please don’t insult me.”
She shook her head, looking genuinely pained.
I stormed on. “If I can’t have all your love, I want none of it.”
“I cannot control your will, Victor,” she said, and I saw a flare of her own wildcat fury. “Only you can do that. And I wonder sometimes if you have the discipline to do so!”
“Wait, don’t leave,” I said.
But this time she did not stop, and left me alone in the corridor, the portraits of my ancestors looking down on me severely; all but one.
“What are you smiling at, Happy Hans Frankenstein?” I muttered, and slouched toward my bedchamber.
Measuring this much, and no more. Grinding the ingredients to a fine powder. Finding the hottest part of the flame. Watching the powder liquefy and change color. Watching matter transmute.
The noxious odors sharpened my concentration, and minutes and hours dissolved, so intent was I in my work. Never had I achieved this kind of focus with my schoolwork.
It was also a welcome escape. Down here in my dungeon laboratory beneath the boathouse, I could purge Elizabeth from my thoughts. I’d spent a great deal of the previous two days here, following Eisenstein’s instructions to create the flameless fire. With success so close at hand, I felt a thrill of accomplishment.
I did not hear the footsteps until they were almost at my door. In dismay I whirled. There was nothing I could do to conceal my work. Mixing vessels and bubbling flasks and all kinds of other apparatus covered the table. And I myself, in my shirt with its sleeves rolled back, my brow sooty-I must have looked half-mad.
Konrad walked into view, holding his hand over his nose.
“What on earth is that diabolical smell?”
I exhaled. “Thank goodness. I thought it was Father.”
“You’re lucky he and Mother are still out.”
“Can you smell it in the house?” I asked in alarm.
“No. I only caught a whiff of it from the dock.” He came closer. “So this is where you’ve been disappearing the last few days. What are you up to?”
“Something to help us when we explore the caves.”
I had wanted to surprise everyone, and now that my relief was spent, I felt a twin stab of irritation and disappointment.
“Is this all… urine?” Konrad asked, gazing at several buckets on the floor.
