“We have searched the whole area buthe is nowhere to be found.”
“Can’t you ring the police?”
Doctor van Devlin chuckled. “InspectorFerret is Chief of Police. I don’t think you understand how the Apostles workWilliam.”
“There was also a dog,” said Bill, “abig vicious dog. It had yellow eyes.”
“Yes, yes we know of Mordred’s braverescue,” said the Professor, leaning forward and staring into Bill’s face. “Letme explain so you can understand. Lord Percy was resurrected with a veryspecial kind of blood. When an Arddhu is brought back with this type of bloodhe loses all sense of himself as the human being he once was. He is possessedby Satan, or the force these pagans call Arddhu Og. The blood lust is hisentire existence. He is the hand of the devil, down here on Earth. This form ofresurrection is the worst possible manifestation of possession. He becomes whatwe call an Iamia Daemonium – an unbelievably dangerous thing. Nothingcan save him except death. Vita Dantis become less and less effectiveuntil it is poison in his veins.”
“But how could this happen?” said avery confused Bill. “He was brought back with my blood.”
“Yes, he was.”
Bill still didn’t understand. “What’sso special about my blood?”
The Professor stared at Bill for a fewseconds, deep in thought.
“Sorry William but I cannot tell youthis. I believe it will be too great a shock.”
ChapterNine - Lilith’s Curse
Be careful what you wish for.
It may just come true.
– Old saying.
Lilithmoaned softly. She’d been woken up by something warm and rough rubbing againsther cheek. The air was filled with a rancid smell. She opened her eyes and sawsomething so terrifying it made her heart convulse. She tried to scream but nosound escaped her lips. In the dim light, she could see the massive head of ashaggy beast looming over her, the fur around its fang lined jaws matted withdried blood.
The dog licked her face again. It feltwet and sticky. She was about to pull back the sheets and make a run for it,but the gut-wrenching terror suddenly evaporated. She became very calm. All shecould think about was her overwhelming love for Lord Percy – and his pet. Shebrought her arms out from under the sheets and put them around the creature’slarge furry neck.
“Claude! My darling Claude!”
She sat up and switched on her bedsidelight. “What time it is?”
It was almost three o’clock in themorning.
Claude jumped off the bed and trottedover to the door, scratching it with his huge paw. He turned his head, lookedat Lilith with cold black eyes and whimpered slightly. She felt compelled to doexactly what the dog wanted, to let Claude out and follow him, so she got outof bed and opened the door. Claude rotted out into the corridor and waited.
Lilith stopped in the doorway. She waswearing a long white nightdress and wondered for a moment about gettingdressed. But thoughts of anything other than following Claude were somehowdriven brutally from her mind and she walked forward as if in a daze, withouteven closing the door behind her.
They went out through the mainentrance. The sky was cloudless and star studded, with the elegant spires ofConatus College silvery-grey in the moonlight. Nobody was about and it was veryquiet.
She followed Claude down a paththrough shadowy stone buildings, passed the College and went through an irongate that led to the chapel grounds. Claude turned down a path that followedrailings away from the main road, curving behind the chapel. The beast seemedto know exactly where it was going.
Lilith was shivering and her bare feetwere sore and spotted with blood because of the sharp stones scattered alongthe path. She’d snagged and ripped the bottom of her nightdress on a rose bush.But discomfort didn’t concern her. All that mattered was following Claude. Sheknew instinctively that if anyone tried to take her away from Percy’s belovedpet, then she’d fight them with a ferocity she’d never known.
They followed the curve of a highstone wall and went through an open archway that led into a courtyard lined onthree sides with Victorian terraces. The dog stopped and sat. Lilith watchedhim carefully. He was whimpering, turning his head from side to side, andlooking at each of the front doors. Then he trotted slowly to the left, stoppedbeside one of the doors and waited.
Lilith followed, her feet now bleedingprofusely from the sharp stone chips. She felt very happy and excited –trembling with nervous anticipation at the thought of seeing Lord Percy again –but was also more terrified than she had ever been in her life. Part of herdesperately wanted to run away – to escape this nightmare, but she also feltimmense devotion to her beloved Percy and longed for him to command her. Shewould do anything he asked.
The oppressive silence was broken bythe sound of a bolt being drawn back. The door slowly opened. Claude shot pastand went inside. The tall, shadowy form of an elegant figure loomed in thedoorway. She closed her eyes and waited, yearning to be consumed. The figuremoved slowly forward and stretched out its arms. Slender white fingers wereabout to grab her exposed shoulders.
There was a sudden rumbling sound. Acar drove through the archway and into the courtyard. It turned to park a fewdoors away and its headlights were just about to illuminate Lilith and Lord Percy,but he swept her up and pulled her inside at tremendous speed. The door slammedshut.
Inside the dark hallway Lilith pantedfor breath, swooned and moaned softly. She felt like she was about to faint.
“Rest,” said Lord Percy and Lilith’sbreathing instantly returned to normal.
She blinked and looked round, confusedas to where she was. The vice-like grip of control that had held her mind wasgone. She saw the looming form of Lord Percy standing close beside her andseemed a little surprised that he was there. At first she was terrified, but asshe gazed up into his kind eyes she relaxed, even smiled at him coyly.
“I was scared I’d never see youagain,” she said.
Percy Bowed slightly. “Please come in,dear lady.”
They went through into a cosy, candlelit room with an oak beamed ceiling and horse brasses on the walls.
