“And what happened to this Simondude?” said Arthur.
“Next day he was taking a group ofstudents to an archaeological dig. He set off in the college van with his studygroup, but didn’t even get out the college grounds before crashing into a tree.The students in the back were unharmed but told everyone that Simon’s skin wassmoking, his skin was blistering, he was screaming. They said he jumped out thevan and ran away across the college grounds. The rumour was he was taken awayby Professor Nox. And that’s the strangest part of all. Simon simply vanished.I search, asked around, did everything I could to find him but with no luck. Ifound out about Professor Nox’s history, about his involvement with a secretsociety called the Apostles. I vowed to get in with them, join them and findout about Simon. So I graduated, worked hard and eventually came back as aprofessor. After years of careful persuasion and lies they allowed me to join,never knowing I was cursed...”
The Professor lifted the sleeve of herblack tunic and showed them a tiny writhing salamander tattooed on her forearm.
“It was then I found out aboutBrimstone Manor and what they do there. That’s where Simon was taken. I don’twhat to imagine what they did to him but he ended up as a cask of ceare in thecellar of Conatus Chapel.”
“If only you’d have told us thisearlier!” exclaimed Ophelia. “We didn’t know Simon Drew meant so much to you.We wouldn’t have taken Percy.”
“Stupid girls! You ruined my plan atthe final stage. I’ll never see Simon again.”
The Professor glared at Ophelia, whoshrank back in her chair.
A huge burly man in a cheap tan suitcame into the room. He looked very menacing. His black shirt was partlyunbuttoned, revealing a hairy chest and a medallion. He gave Ophelia, Arthurand Bill a suspicious glare then turned to the Professor.
“What are these kids doing here?” hesaid in a gruff voice.
“New clients, ready to buy.” TheProfessor had lost her usual gruff tone and sounded surprisingly timid.
“I see,” said the man after a moment’sdeliberation. “He’ll see you now. Follow me.”
They followed the huge hulking man outof the room.
Sitting alone at a table close to thealcove was the woman who’d followed them. She had listened very carefully toeverything the Professor had said. Despite the stiflingly warm atmosphere shestill wore her hat and wispy scarf.
The Professor and the studentsfollowed the man through the bustle of the crowd and over to a smoky wooden barin the corner. The barman handed the man a glass of milky green absinthe. Hetook a slow sip then made his way over to a door in a side wall with the word‘PRIVATE’ stencilled on it in smudged red lettering. He unlocked the door witha long brass key.
“You know where to go,” he mumbled tothe Professor, ambling back to the bar.
The Professor opened the door and theywent through into a close corridor lined with tatty wallpaper. They passed acouple of doors and stopped at a spiral staircase in an alcove.
“He’s up there,” said the Professor.“Are you ready?”
Everyone nodded but looked veryfrightened.
Bill was very apprehensive. He didn’tlike this place or anyone in it. He felt trapped and vulnerable. They were deepinside the monsters’ lair, and for all he knew the Professor could be takingthem to the chief monster! He told himself he was here to save Lilith, butanother part of him remembered how she’d stabbed him in the gut...
He looked at Arthur and said in aquiet voice, “You okay?”
“I’m a Dark Pagan hunter ready forbattle,” replied Arthur with a very hesitant grin. He fumbled inside his denimjacket and pulled out an envelope opener.
“What’s that?”
“Protection.”
They climbed the creaky stairs andonto a circular, wood panelled landing with a stained-glass skylight high inthe conical roof. They could no longer hear the music and chatter downstairs.
The Professor struggled getting up thestairs and was panting desperately for breath. Her pale scalp, clearly visiblethrough her fine hair, was drenched in beads of sweat. The others wondered ifshe was about to collapse.
Ophelia touched her arm.
The Professor scowled. “I’m fine girl,don’t fuss.” She raised her stick and rapped on a nearby door.
The door opened and a large man with afat stubbly face looked out at them with cold beady eyes. He was dressed in asimilar style to the man downstairs: grubby tan suit, partially unbuttonedpurple shirt.
“It’s Jareth,” he said to someone,“and the new clients.”
“Excellent. Show them in, MisterClover,” said a soft sinister voice from inside the room.
Mister Clover stepped aside and heldhis thick arm out to invite them in. The Professor hobbled slowly forward intothe room. The others didn’t move. Bill, Arthur and Ophelia exchanged dubiouslooks. It was easily the most dangerous situation they'd ever been in.
“Come in or get lost!” snapped Clover,glaring at them.
“Calm down my man, we’re cool,” saidArthur in a tremulous voice, bravely stepping through the door.
The other two reluctantly followed.
Clover closed the door behind them andstood in front of it, arms folded, blocking their escape.
The room was surprisingly large andwell stocked with furniture. There was a pool table to their right, where twoother burly men in tan suits were playing. To their left was a bar stocked withspirits and there were leather bound chairs and a card table.
A chubby middle-aged man sat in frontof them behind a desk. He was severely balding but his greying ginger hair wasshoulder length and wiry and he had a large bushy moustache. He wore a blackshirt, partially unbuttoned and a very ostentatious gold medallion. He lookedlike a fat, well satisfied orangutan.
“And what do we have here?” said theman. “A school outing?”
“Who are you?” blurted Arthur.
“My name is Vince Velvet and I wouldwatch your mouth boy.” His fat face split into a creepy leer, revealing a rowof wide yellow teeth. There was a large book opened on the desk and he wasrunning a chubby hand full of gold rings down the page. “Jareth... Jareth. Ah,here we are. It says here you came here only a few days ago. I do hope you arenot selling it on. That would not be nice... for
