I knew then that I could only reach one of them in time. I knew then that one of them was going to die.
Just as the woman in my dream had warned me: You can only save one.
Chapter 34
With no time for a rational decision I let instincts take over, and suddenly I was running towards Roberta, shouting and brandishing my sword. As I sprinted across the warehouse floor, the tails of my coat flapping behind me, I tried to justify my decision. Roberta was younger and fitter than the professor, and if I managed to revive her, the two of us might still save him. She had more life ahead of her. The demon might have quite taken the professor's wits away, leaving him as near death as made no difference.
All of these excuses sounded weak, even to me, but I refused to admit to myself that maybe, just maybe, I was choosing to save Roberta because of some ill-fated romantic notions on my part.
I took the last three steps towards the spirits menacing Roberta, my sword raised to strike. In that split second the terrifying tableau was imprinted on my mind. A vibrant cloud of pure energy was coalescing in mid-air between the three spirits, and it was connected to Roberta by a thin, twisting spiral of the same material. On the ground, Roberta was turning her head this way and that, mumbling incoherently as her back arched to an impossible angle. While the first spirit continued to draw this life force from her very body, the other two spirits appeared to be suckling on the cloud of energy, as though trying to consume Roberta's essence.
Well, I would soon put a stop to that!
The forked tip of the sword plunged into the first spirit, and there was a vivid flash as it pierced the filmy, veil of a body. The spirit flew back like a curtain blowing in the wind, distorted and flapping wildly in its desperate attempt to escape. The other two were still feasting, and I turned the sword on them, jabbing and thrusting like an enraged musketeer. Sparks flew from the tip of my weapon, and the ghostly spirits retreated instantly, disgorging long streamers of Roberta's life force. Even as I stood over her body, defending her from the phantasms, she relaxed her spine. Then, to my eternal relief, the coalescing energy cloud began to return to her, seeking its rightful home.
I glanced across at the professor, and to my despair I saw three spirits heading away from him. Even at this distance, I could see they carried his life force with them, the vibrant cloud entirely in their possession with no trace of connection to the professor's inert body. Slowly, they descended into the floor itself, until they disappeared. The professor was gone, then. Lost to us. Only his body remained, lifeless and somehow smaller and more vulnerable than I expected.
I was struck forcibly by his death, but there was no time to grieve. We had been facing nine spirits in total, and the three I had not yet faced were approaching me from behind. Also, the three I'd driven away from Roberta were growing bold, returning inch by inch. I stepped over her and waved the sword at the spirits as they got closer and closer, but even though the forked tip made contact, it no longer had any effect. My heart sinking, I realised Roberta and I would soon join the professor if I did not think up a new defence.
Flash!
Lightning struck the building, infusing the remains of Edgar's machine with power. The thick wooden beams were long gone, but the metal cage, bent and twisted, sparked and crackled with electrical energy. It was maybe twenty feet behind me, and it gave me an idea.
I crouched, taking Roberta's hand firmly in mine, and slowly I dragged her backwards across the wooden floor. The spirits drifted after us as we made for the ruined attractor, all six now having joined forces. Now and then one of them darted forward, and I jabbed wildly with the sword to keep them at bay.
I could now hear the crackling of the ruined machine right behind me, the metal frame still drawing power from some unknown source. Touch it, and I knew Roberta and I would be killed instantly. But that was not my intention.
Judging I was close enough, I turned to examine the charred and twisted remains of the machine. Metal bars protruded from the wreckage, fat electrical sparks arcing between several of them to fill the air with noise. Then I turned to look at the advancing spirits, and to my horror I saw that they had hemmed us in, pinning us against the device. Even now, two of them were preparing to drive their ghostly hands into Roberta's chest, and another was reaching for me. They were so close they overlapped, forming a glowing wall of ghostly bodies.
I looked down at the sword, then over my shoulder, and I knew this was our only chance. Taking the sword carefully by the leather-wrapped grip, I touched the metal pommel against the nearest piece of metalwork. There was a crackle as they made contact, and I almost dropped the thing as I felt a surge of immense power through the grip. The sword glowed as tracers of electricity ran up the blade, and all of a sudden the forked tip of the weapon shone like the midday sun, bathing the gloomy interior of the warehouse with wholesome golden light. This grew brighter and brighter, forcing me to narrow my eyes to mere slits, and then six bolts of lightning shot out from the end. Each took up a phantasm and
