Bill could see a halo of shimmeringlight around Lord Percy’s head, thick curled horns, and intensely strange eyes.The beast was so close to Bill he felt panting breath on his face. It smeltputrid. He could see a dark row of sharp pointed yellow teeth behind blacklips. He felt like prey in a trap about to be consumed.
Yet at the same time he could also seea kindly human face, with a concerned look. It was a face he recognised! Billwas shocked. This was the first face he’d seen that he actually knew. Was hismemory starting to come back? Why would he remember this strange creature?
“Is it you, my friend?” said LordPercy. “By my word, how very young you look without your whiskers. I will freeyou at once.”
“Percy wait!” said Lilith. “I don’tthink you want to do that. He’s the virgin we needed.”
Lord Percy pulled with strong arms andsnapped the ropes. Bill rolled off the altar and onto the floor. He curled upinto a ball and clutched his bleeding stomach, moaning.
“He is a great man of letters, aFellow of the Royal Society.”
“He’s definitely not,” said Ophelia.“He’s a student.”
The effort of untying the ropes hadleft Lord Percy exhausted. He supported himself by leaning on the altar. Thenlooked up and became very grave.
“The voice!” he said. “The devil’s ownaccused voice! It’s coming back.”
He turned to Bill. “Go, sir, and fetchsome of your Vita Dantis. I need it forthwith.”
Bill stood up with a great deal ofdifficulty and staggered a few steps towards the door.
“Go quickly man, before the lustsconsume me,” exclaimed Lord Percy.
Bill turned and gazed at the creature.He couldn’t help but gasp. The beast’s ears had grown long and pointed, hisnose was more like a goat’s and his skin was white alabaster with a spider’sweb of red veins. His very presence seemed to fill the air with menace. Billignored the searing pain in his stomach, turned and ran.
Outside the church, he staggeredaround in the darkness, gasping and clutching his bleeding stomach. His headwas spinning and he felt like it wouldn’t be long until he fell downunconscious. He kept thinking about the girls, trapped in there with that thing.He wanted to go back and tell them to run, but he was too scared. He couldn’tunderstand why they looked so unconcerned.
Bill ambled forward and tripped over apair of legs, sticking out from behind a bush. He sat up with a groan and foundArthur lying flat on his back, rubbing his head and moaning.
“Some goon grabbed me, hit me,” saidArthur also sitting up and rubbing his head.
“Come on,” said Bill. “We’ve got toget out of here.”
Arthur noticed the deep gash acrossBill’s bare stomach. His white shirt was covered in blood.
“Look at you mate! We need to get youto a hospital.”
Bill stood up and wobbled on his feet.He grabbed Arthur and tried to pull him up. “One of those beast things I keeptelling you about is in there with the girls. It’s horrible.”
“What?”
“We’ve got to get out of here – now!”
Arthur got to his feet and the boysset off through the dark woods, supporting each other as they stumbled over treeroots and stones. Bill was starting to feel very faint – the thrusting branchesand glowing moon seemed distant and dreamlike.
“I don’t think that was a very goodparty,” said Arthur.
*
Lilithwas very worried. Bill had left with a big wound across his stomach and wasprobably going to the police. This meant she was going to get into a lot oftrouble. She wondered what her brother had done to Arthur. Stoop didn’t knowhis own strength and had hurt people in the past. Her parents would neverforgive her if they found out. She went over to Stoop.
“Hey,” she said in a loud voice, “whatdid you do with the other one?”
Stoop gave her an uncomprehendinglook.
“The one you grabbed. Is he okay?”
“Thump on head, Sis,” said Stoop,grimacing and miming a blow with his massive fist.
Lilith turned to Ophelia. “We can’tlet the boy go. He’s going to give us away.”
“That's not what I'm worried about,”said Ophelia. “He might bleed to death.”
“Sod that! We need to stop him!” saidLilith.
Stoop had a very concentrated expressionon his face. He was listening to Lilith very closely and suddenly had an idea.He clenched his fists and shook them hard. “Pound the boy on the head!” he saidwith glee, then turned and ran out of the church.
“Stoop!” said Lilith.
“Tell him to come back,” said Ophelia.
“I should, really I should. He's notallowed out on his own. He's caused a lot of trouble in the past. But thenagain, he might just solve our problem.”
“What's he going to do?”
“Who knows? And unfortunately, hedoesn't know when to stop.”
“But...” Ophelia didn't know what tosay. She was starting the think that maybe Lilith really was a evilwitch.
Lord Percy was pacing up and down,cupping his dimpled chin in his hand, deep in thought. He looked a littleflushed and was breathing heavily.
“The fog of recollection begins toclear... Ah yes! I was in my study, sitting in my easy chair by the fire. Beechand Mary, helped by some other trusted servants, had just administered my doseof his Vita Dantis...”
Lord Percy turned and waved his handwith a dramatic flourish.
“Five of the Apostles came into theroom, five of my most loyal and trusted friends, all good and brave men, who’dslain many a foul creature. They each wore the gravest of expressions and saidthere had been a meeting without my knowledge that very night. The Apostles haddecided they couldn’t have a leader who was Arddhu, an abomination against God,even if I filled my veins with foul liquid, they did not trust it. They did nottrust my Arddhu wife.”
“What did they do?” said Lilith.
“I watched as they blasted a shotguninto my chest!”
“That’s awful,” said Lilith,resisting the urge to stroke his wavy black hair.
“The Apostles have vanquished me andnow want dear Rowena gone. How I am betrayed at all quarters! That boy is notwho I thought he was – he has the mark upon his arm – the Salamander – so is asworn and loyal member of the
