The two girls swung repeatedly at eachother, their movements quite slow because of the weight of the weapons.Ophelia's head wound was streaming with blood that ran into her eye. Shestaggered back towards the fireplace and Lilith rushed forward with her swordheld out. As she did so she tripped on a footstool and fell forward. Around thefire was a low iron railing which was topped at each corner with a short spike.Lilith fell on to one of the spikes. It pierced her chest and went straightthrough her. The hall echoed with a long guttural scream and a loud clatter asLilith dropped her sword. Her pale creamy skin quickly turned a dark shade ofgrey then flaked and broke up. Within moments she’d crumbed into nothing but apile of ceare. Her white diaphanous night dress was draped across the railing.
Ophelia dropped her sword and began tocry. “Lilith! Oh Lilith! I didn’t mean it! I just wanted you to see sense.”
Bill put his arm around her shoulder.“I’m sorry...”
“She was my friend. She's gone.”
“Sorry Ophelia, really. But we've gotto keep moving. Lord Percy may come here at any moment.”
Ophelia took a few moments to pullherself together, but then she took a deep breath and nodded. The three of themwent out through the archway and into the West Passage. Bill was determined to getto his laboratory as quickly as possible.
*
Backin the Great Hall a dead mouse lay in the corner of the fireplace. It hadrecently been killed by one of the wild cats that occasionally stalked theManor. Its guts were spilled and a trickle of blood was seeping along thehearth. The dusty remains of Lilith made contact with the blood and within afew moments a small lump of sinewy tissue had formed. It twitched convulsively,grew in size until transformed into a knotted mass of flesh and sinew. Strange littletentacles groped outwards, surrounding the mouse and pulled it towards theremnants of ceare. The lump of flesh grew larger. It sprouted four buds thatquickly grew into rudimentary arms and legs. Another lump became a thick neckwith an unusually shaped head – elongated around the jaw line. Pale white skinappeared spontaneously over the entire body and sprouted a thin covering ofpale brown fur. Then there was a snake-like tail, a pair of pointed ears on theside of the long head and a set of twitching whiskers.
The creature opened its eyes, whichwere clear and yellow, and darted furtive looks around the room. It skitteredup onto its padded feet and stood erect, around four feet tall, squat andmuscular. Lilith’s mind was at first confused but then she heard a teasingvoice that reminded her of what she was doing.
You're a-going to behead thattraitorous vixen. See to it my lovely mouse-girl!
She pulled back her jaws and revealedtwo pairs of long razor sharp yellow teeth. The creature reached down andpicked up the sword, with a hand that was almost human. It stepped fromout of the fireplace and sniffed the air, hunting its quarry.
*
Bill,Ophelia and Arthur went into the laboratory. Bill closely examined theequipment: test tubes, brass microscope, Bunsen burners and glass phials. Itall seemed so familiar now his memory was back. In the corner was what they’dcome for, his Cabinet of Rebirth, the Scrinium Regenerationis – seven feet tall and covered in polished brass. Billopened the door and looked inside, studying the tangle of brass pipes.
“So this is it?” said Ophelia. “I haveto go in there?”
“That’s right,” said Bill, busilychecking that all parts were in order, that the gas feeder pipe was connected,and that FeederJar One and Feeder Jar Two were plumbed in as they should be.
“Arthur,” said Bill,“can you go into that refrigeration device and fill the jar marked ‘Feeder JarOne’ with one gallon of blood. But please be very exact in yourmeasurements.” Bill wanted to consult his journal but remembered he’d left itin Inspector Ferret’s police car.
Arthur opened a tallfridge. It was lined with dozens of plastic sachets filled with blood. He begantaking them out and squeezing them into the jar via a hole in its neck.
Bill was busy taking glassjars filled with powders and liquids out of a tall wooden cabinet. He weighedand measured them carefully, then poured the contents into a large stone mixingbowl. The mixture gave off such a powerful smell Bill eyes watered from thefumes.
“Got to get the sulphurand arsenic mixture exactly right,” he said to himself.
When Bill was happy withthe mixture he poured it carefully into Feeder Jar Two.
“Are you absolutely sureyou want to do this?” he said to Ophelia.
“Are you sure it’s goingto work?” she replied.
Bill looked a littlehesitant. “I’m pretty sure I know what I did wrong. But this is science at itscutting edge, for 1872 anyway, so I have it say it contains some element ofrisk.”
Ophelia took a deepbreath and said, “I’m ready.” She gave Bill a brave smile but deep down shefelt very troubled. Not only was she terrified at the prospect of getting intoBill’s strange contraption but she was also sensing Lilith’s rapidlyapproaching presence. She knew this to be nonsense, Lilith was ceare. But Arddhusenses were never wrong...
“I’m afraid you’ll haveto take your clothes off. The chemicals in the cloth can contaminate.”
Ophelia lookedsurprised. “Well if I’m stripping off you boys had better turn around.”
Bill and Arthur turnedtheir backs. Ophelia tookoff her many silver rings, bangles and necklaces, then removed her long blackdress and underwear and made her way over to the cabinet.
Lilith had crept unseen into thelaboratory and was hiding behind a table. Her bright yellow eyes were watchingeverything with keen interest. She wondered what the big metal box was for andwhy a naked Ophelia was climbing inside.
“I’m ready,” said Ophelia in atremulous voice as she closed the door.
Bill felt a huge amountof trepidation as he turned the heavy brass taps just below the feeder jars.Blood and chemicals began running down pipes and into the cabinet. He turned atap on the gas pipe and heard the hissing of gas. Then – after waiting a coupleof seconds to racking his brain, making sure
