“Stupid girls! He has you in Amor Lepore.”
“I love him!” said Ophelia.
“He’s mine!” said Lilith.
“Come with me,” said the Professor toLord Percy, ignoring the girls. “Soon you will need to rest and I know of alittle cottage.”
“Thank you for your kindness madam,but I will away to Brimstone Manor on Beauty. I must save Rowena from theApostles.”
“Rowena! I have her journal,” saidOphelia.
“She’s not taking him away,”said Lilith vehemently.
“Don’t be silly,” said Ophelia. “She’slong dead.”
“Do not say such things about dearsweet Rowena!” exclaimed Lord Percy. “I did all I could to rid her of theCurse, the good Doctor worked vigilantly on a cure, but alas to no avail. Ineed to be away to save her from the Apostles.”
The girls began talking at once,pleading with Percy to stay with them.
“It will be dawn in a few hours,”said the Professor, holding up her hand to silence the girls. “You have hadonly a little Vita Dantis. You must be exhausted.”
“I am indeed, but I must get to theManor forthwith. Rowena is in the gravest of danger.”
“I’m afraid you won’t find a very warmwelcome at Brimstone Manor. There are people there who will harm-”
“But I am squire! What is thistrickery?”
“I’m sorry, but I must tell you somevery bad news, about everyone and everything you know. Come with me and Ipromise I will explain everything.”
“What is this trickery?”
The Professor held out a bony hand andtouched Lord Percy on the arm. “I must tell you now that Rowena is long dead.The events you describe happened a very long time ago. You have been asleep fora hundred years.”
“What is this nonsense you speak of!”exclaimed Percy, indignant but beginning to doubt his own words.
“Come with me and I promise I will doeverything in my power to help you.”
The Professor made her way out of thechurch, hobbling slowly on her stick. Lord Percy followed closely behind withthe girls either side, linking an arm each.
They made their way across thechurchyard and fumbled in the darkness along the stony path that led to the carpark behind a line of trees. When the Professor opened the door to her orangecamper van Lord Percy looked surprised.
“But have you not observed dear lady?Some vagabond has stolen your horse. I will bring back Beauty and she can takeus.”
The Professor got in the van, startedthe engine and pushed open the passenger door.
“Get in,” she said.
“It growls like a pack of hounds! Whatis this contraption?”
“A horseless carriage. Get in!”
Lord Percy moved to get in the van butthe girls pulled on his arms and moaned.
“He’s ours!” said Lilith.
“Release them,” said the Professor.“They are a couple of innocent girls and have to get back to Halls. I need totell you about your wife.”
Lord Percy sighed. “Ah yes, my wife,dear sweet Rowena,” he mumbled sadly.
The girls released their grip andstood back with dazed, dejected looks. Lord Percy got in the van and slammedthe door shut. As the van moved off Lilith ran after it and began banging onthe window. As she trotted along she looked through the glass at Lord Percy,who returned her gaze.
“Will I never see you again? Percy! Ilove you! Tell me what to do!”
As the van sped up and began to pullaway Lord Percy looked deep into Lilith’s eyes for one last time. She heard avoice whisper in her mind.
“You will be the one to unleash Og.”
“But how?” said Lilith. “How my love!”
“Follow Claude,” it said.
ChapterSeven - Obsession
For wounds of all kinds, both deep and faire:
Take the liver of a pig or boar, still warm,
mix it down in a pestle with some rosemary,
push into the wound a goode amount.
Thy patient’s ailment will be gone by morning.
– Extract from The Pagan Apothecary
– By Doctor Edmund Sykes, OccultPhysician, 1790.
Thevan sped off, leaving the girls in the silent darkness of the car park. Nowthat Lord Percy was no longer there, their obsession immediately started tofade. They began to feel tired and deflated and realised they were shivering inthe cold.
“I’m confused,” said Lilith to Opheliaas she came trudging back from her long chase.
“Yeah, me too. Lord Percy was nice,wasn’t he?”
“I am so exhausted,” saidLilith stifling a yawn. “Why did I go running after that stupid van? I’mfilthy! Let’s get back.”
“Hang on, I just need to do onething,” said Ophelia. She hurried over to the church and came back a minutelater clutching the black book they’d used in the ceremony. “We can’t forgetthis. The Almanac Regenerationis is very rare, very illegal and I’mkeeping it.”
“We’re keeping it. Witches needspell books.”
“What I need is my bed at the moment.”
The girls set off through Wych ElmWood, following the stony, uneven path back to college. It was very hard goingin heels and they found themselves stumbling over roots and pot holes. Dawn wasapproaching so the sky was beginning to lighten but the big old trees werestill looming and in sinister shadow. It was very cold.
When they’d stumbled most of the wayand could see the lights of the city up ahead they heard a terrible sound fromdeep within the woods. It made them stop in their tracks and clutch onto eachother. It was a long plaintive howl, drifting through the air from some hiddenplace not too far away.
“What the hell was that?” saidOphelia, desperately searching the shadows with wide eyes.
“Let’s get out of here. The soonerwe’re back the better.”
The girls started moving, but thenheard another long howl, this time much closer, followed by heavy panting andthe rustle of leaves. The trees that surrounded them were thick and shadowswere dark so they couldn’t see anything. Their hearts were racing as they triedto walk faster, tottering on their heels.
Then they saw it. A huge shaggy beastcame racing out of the shadows, bounding up the path towards them. The girlsfroze in terror. It slowed as it got closer and the girls could see, to theirhorror, a mass of dried blood around its large gaping jaws.
“It’s that horrid thing we saw in thechurch!” exclaimed Ophelia. “Look at all that blood! It must have torn poorBill to pieces.”
She shrank back when it gazed
