“We must go quickly and get theChorals,” said Professor Nox.
Father Figg's eyes lit up withevangelic zeal. “We must get the ether! A net!”
“We shall need more than one net,Father – remember our poor friend the Bishop of Middenmere. And maybe everyoneelse in the room if we are not quick enough.”
*
Billand Arthur pulled Professor Jareth gently to her feet. Her skin was the colourof sour milk and she was shaking. Right across her forehead was a nasty lookinggash full of dark congealed blood.
“Are you okay?” said Arthur, whothought she looked like a frail old lady who’d been viciously mugged.
“Don’t fuss boy!” snapped theProfessor. “We must save Ophelia. Get her onto the bed, quickly now.”
Ophelia was still lying on the floorunconscious. Bill put his arms under her, lifted her up and placed her gentlyon the bed. Arthur found the Hex Box and put it back on the bedside table. TheProfessor switched it on and it began to hum gently.
“Saints be praised. It’s stillworking,” said the Professor as she grabbed the plastic tube and examined itcarefully. The clear liquid was still inside. “Roll up her sleeve.”
Bill pulled the velvety material halfway up her arm. The Professor lent forward and, with an effort to control hershaking hands, pushed the needle deep into a vein.
As Bill held Ophelia’s hand he saw hereyes flicker and open. At first she was confused and frightened but thennoticed the needle in her arm and understood what was going on. She lookedstraight at Bill and he returned her gaze. He could see her pretty young face,her soft and vulnerable eyes and a full mouth that was slightly open. But hecould also see a mass of spidery red veins, dark pointed teeth and gimletyellow eyes – fiercely intense and utterly alien. Bill was quaking under herterrible gaze but he smiled and forced himself not to turn away.
“Oh Bill,” she moaned, “I feelstrange. I can hear a voice. I’m scared. Please help me!”
*
Eightstudents from the Choral Society – including Frank – backed Lilith into acorner. She glared at them with wild eyes, baring her teeth like a rabid dog.All the students, except Frank, were absolutely terrified. They’d seen thedevastation this girl had wreaked on the dining room, how the guests had lookedbattered and beaten as they were led away to safety. They’d pledged allegianceto the Apostles, vowed to protect the university from the scourge of theDevil’s Bane. But this was the first time they’d actually met one of them andcapturing it was proving to be a very difficult job.
Frank unfurled the net and gave oneend to a huge rugby playing student called Dave. They held it up and chargedtowards Lilith, throwing the net over her. She lashed out furiously but herthrashing only seemed to get her more tangled up. She fell to the floor and letout a terrible, high pitched screech. The students looked at each other andgrinned. They’d done it. Their first piece of action!
Professor Nox was holding a cloth fullof ether over the mouth of a bespectacled, middle-aged man – the Bishop ofMiddenmere – muffling his appeals to God for mercy. After a few seconds, theBishop stopped struggling.
Professor Nox released the Bishop,placing him carefully onto the floor, and went to join Father Figgs, who wasstanding behind the students watching Lilith struggle in the net.
“My word!” said Professor Nox. “Thisis the worst case I’ve ever seen.”
“There doesn’t seem to be anysemblance of human control left.”
“I’m afraid she is lost to us. I willdose the ether.”
Professor Nox tipped up a brown bottleand emptied some of its contents onto the cloth, then stepped forward. BeforeLilith knew what was happening, he had the cloth clamped tightly over her noseand mouth. Within a couple of seconds, she’d stopped struggling. Professor Noxreleased his hand slowly, checking that she was unconscious. The studentsgathered round, gazing with curious fascination at Lilith – like big gamehunters who’d shot an elephant.
Professor Nox put his arm aroundFrank’s shoulder and led him away from the other students. When they were outof earshot the Professor said in a quiet voice, “The girl creature mustdisappear, and so must our poor friend the Bishop of Middenmere. They will be takento Brimstone Manor. The girl will be questioned as to the whereabouts of LordPercy, and then ... she must be destroyed.”
Frank gulped but said nothing.
“We’ve dallied too long, been toosoft. We shall gather our forces and stamp out this plague of IamiaDaemonium before it spreads far and wide. I have a job for you, Frank. Goand find the boy, and do not worry about using force. He is to have his firsttreatment.”
“Yes Professor,” said Frank withrelish.
*
ProfessorJulia Jareth was finding it difficult to walk. Her spine ached and theslightest movement of arthritic fingers caused agonising pain. She desperatelyneeded a fix of Vita Dantis, so went into her bedroom, took the secondHex Box out of the other black bag and placed it on the bedside cabinet. Handstrembling almost uncontrollably, she opened the small ebony box, took out oneof the phials and poured the clear liquid into the bowl on the top of themachine. Attaching the needle to the end of the plastic tube, she lay down onher bed, rolled up her jacket sleeve and stuck the needle into her forearm.
She sighed deeply and closed her eyes.Guilty feelings rose up. In a desperate bid to bring back her beloved Simonshe’d ruined the lives of two young girls. Ophelia had taken Vita Dantis,so would at least be spared the horror of Og's whispered commands, but wasdestined to live her life in an increasingly debilitated manner, sufferingarthritis, back pain, depression, to grow old before her time. Lilith was gonebefore she could be helped. God only knows the fate of that poor child.
Her mind turned to Lord Percy, holedup in one of the Courtyard Cottages. How stupid of her to believe that havingtaken Vita Dantis
