When he heard this Father Figgs lookedat the girls with some confusion, almost asking why they were privy to thisconversation. “I have heard nothing of this. Who are these girls?”
The Professor looked a littleflustered as she said, “N. has authorised it. We are finding spaces. And thesegirls are to join the Choral Society.”
Father Figgs gave the Professor a hardstare, appraising the situation. Eventually he said, “Well if N. authorised...”
He gave the Professor a knowing nodand handed her a torch from a box on the wall and a large brass key from hispocket. Giving the girls another suspicious glare, he turned and walked away.
“What was all that about?” saidOphelia.
“The University is not what it seems.There are certain societies... let's just leave it at that.”
Ophelia wanted to know more, but couldsee from the Professor's pursed lips and furrowed brow that she wasn't going totell.
“But why are we here?” said Lilith.
“This place is consecrated, away fromprying eyes and guarded by our Chaplain, Father Figgs. Each dead Arddhu’sremains is stored in a stone cask because the ceare must be sealed andcontained.”
“Why?”
“When an Arddhu is destroyed youcannot leave the ceare and walk away. It blows in the wind, shifts and reformswhere it can find blood.”
“That sounds impossible.”
“It does. But there have been manystrange stories in the past of dead animals – deer, foxes and the like – whereother scavenging animals have ripped out their guts and the ceare has foundtheir body, used their blood. When they come back they don’t look human at all.They have turned into what is called Animalis Daemonium.”
“Sounds horrible.”
“That is why we need to use a humanvirgin. A virgin’s supposed purity and innocence brings them back as much likeus as possible.”
They went down a narrow corridor totheir right that ended with a heavy wooden door built into the stone wall. TheProfessor unlocked it with Father Figgs’ key. They went through and began todescend a stone spiral staircase. It became quite cold and dark and they had togo very slowly, with the Professor stumbling many times. The torch wasn’t verybright and cast odd shifting shadows on the stone walls.
Halfway down, the Professor stoppedand tried to speak but was so out of breath the girls had to wait.
The professor was starting to feel araging depression build. She’s not given herself enough Vita Dantis. Itwas coming back! She heard the dreaded voice. It was very faint and indistinct.
You’ll pay for stopping me a’comin,foul crone.
“I can’t go on,” she gasped. “You mustgo into the crypt and get him. I need to go back to my rooms immediately.”
The Professor knew she’d made a bigmistake. She’d only got part of her fix and it meant she may soon be lost toOg’s will. She needed to get the rest of it as soon as possible. It was a longjourney back to her rooms and she desperately hoped she wasn’t going to dosomething she’d regret. She could feel the glimmer of animalistic urgesstraining to take hold. The teasing voice, whispering in her mind, terrifiedher more than anything.
“Go down and look for a stone urn onthe far right. You will see his name, Simon Drew. Take it to Saint Pius church.It’s the ruin at the far side of Wych Elm Wood. That’s where the terrible deedmust be done.”
“But Professor, what’s wrong?”
“I will clear it with Father Figgs.Just go now and take the cask to Saint Pius. Do as I ask, quickly now!”
The Professor handed them the torchwith a hunted look on her haggard face. In the gloomy light the girls watchedher turn and begin a slow amble up the stairs, disappearing behind the turn ofthe spiral.
They looked at each other with sometrepidation, confused as to the professor’s strange actions, and continued downthe stairs. They came out into a wide stone cellar with a low ceiling of archessupported by rows of stone columns. It was musty and cold. Lilith swung thetorch and it illuminated things in a very strange way, with long dark shadowscreeping along the walls. The girls began to explore, finding a line of stonesarcophagi filled with worthy inscriptions – dedications to chancellors frommany years ago.
Then the torch illuminated a stoneplinth against the far wall. It was difficult to see but it looked about thirtyfeet long and filled with a line of stone casks. The girls approached for acloser look and noticed small wooden placards fixed to each cask. They leantforward and shone the torch onto one of them. It was dusty and faint but thegirls could see that it said:
God’s Merciful Hand Hath
Vanquished The Blighted Soul Of:
George Fotheringay.
Member of the Barleybrook EthericClub.
Underwood Parish, 1872.
“George Fotheringay. The BarleybrookEtheric Club,” said Ophelia. “That club’s in Rowena’s journal. Lord Percy washosting a ball and his warlock friends from that club were coming.”
“Cool. So that means this Fotheringaychap was a warlock,” said Lilith grinning with excitement.
“Guess so. Where’s Simon Drew?” saidOphelia. “It’s hard to see in this light.”
Lilith swung the torch up in an arcand suddenly let out a small cry. The torch had illuminated a bony beardedface, staring at her from about ten feet above.
“Who the bloody hell’s there?”
Ophelia took the torch and pointed itupwards, revealing a life size statue of Jesus hanging on a cross, gazing atthem plaintively.
“Come on,” said Ophelia with a grin,“Let’s find this Simon Drew bloke and get out of here.”
As the Professor had instructed, theyworked their way along the casks on the right-hand side until they saw one thatsaid:
God’s Merciful Hand Has
Lain to Rest the Soul Of:
Simon Drew.
Professor of Ancient History.
Middenmere Parish, 1962.
Lilith picked up the cask, which wasquite cold and heavy, and clutched it to her chest. “Right, got him,” she said.
Ophelia turned and the torch fell on astructure placed at the centre of the line of casks. There was an elevatedsection of plinth, with a cask contained within a three-sided wooden structurethat looked like a small nativity crib.
“I wonder who that is,” said Ophelia.
“Someone important by the look of it.”
The wooden structure’s walls werefilled with carved images of a writhing four-legged creature that
