Cadaver Island (29 page)

“
I’m glad we have oil
supplement tablets. It’s going to rain soon,” Angelique
said.

“
Hopefully we’ll be inside
Thames Keep before the storm arrives,” Dr. Stine
replied.

Persephone stopped walking
and leaned against a rock formation. Her hands covered her ears and
she grimaced. Dr. Stine glanced over his shoulder, noticed her
condition, and rushed to her side. He hugged her and tried to
comfort her. He listened to a voice whisper from the mouth of
Beelzebub’s mask. It said: “She belongs to me.”

“
Let me help you remove it,
Persephone,” Dr. Stine said. His hands reached for the edges of the
golden mask. When he tugged, Persephone exhaled a wail of
agony.

“
It can’t be removed!
It’s…an extension of my body now,” she said.

Dr. Stine felt corruption
rushed into his fingers and hands when he touched the mask. He
cringed when images of snakes and spiders blinded his view of
Persephone. Rage and anger replaced compassion and sympathy. When
he noticed Alexander standing next to Persephone, he felt the urge
to wrap his hands around the boy’s neck and strangle him. Dr. Stine
stepped backward and moved away from Persephone. He exhaled a sigh
of relief when his hallucinations and violent tendencies
faded.

“
We need to find a way to
help her,” Angelique said. She leaned toward Persephone, examined
the mask, and frowned. Razor groveled next to her left ankle and
growled.

“
Maybe someone in the
village can help us,” Alexander said. He pointed toward the
silhouettes of tall buildings, which rose from an alcove near the
northern edge of the sea.

“
He’s right. Maybe they
have a boat we can use. It’s too dangerous for us to swim to
Cadaver Island,” Dr. Stine said. He blinked his eyes while he felt
a cool breeze lift his hair. He examined seashells and seaweed,
which covered the soft, white sand.

Persephone followed the
group from a distance. Her fingernails clawed the sides of her robe
while she listened to Beelzebub’s voice whisper to her from the
gold mask. He tempted her to kill them…to kill them
all
…and
dismember their corpses. He tempted her to steal the boy’s Bible
and tear it to shreds. And he tempted her to pick up Razor and
throw him into the ocean. Persephone resisted the temptation by
touching the crucifix with the fingers of her left hand. She smiled
when she didn’t hear his voice anymore.

Persephone shook her head
and blinked her eyes. She emerged from her daydream and realized
that Dr. Stine and the others were walking toward the pagodas and
gardens of the village. She jogged toward them, paused next to
Alexander, and ogled his Bible.

“
Can I scan through your
Bible, Alexander? I want to search for a specific passage. It won’t
take long,” Persephone said. A grin distorted the olive skin of her
thin face.

Alexander glanced over his
shoulder. He trembled when he noticed the devious expression on
Persephone’s face. When she extended her right hand and tried to
snatch the Bible away from him, Alexander took two steps backward
and clutched the Bible against his chest. He said: “No, I think we
should wait until you get rid of the mask.”

“
Are you trying to say that
I’m not
worthy
of the Lord’s book? Are you trying to say
that I’m an exile because of the mask? I sacrificed myself to save
the rest of you! And now you treat me like a leper? You should be
ashamed of yourself!” Persephone said.

“
Please stop arguing! We
don’t have time for petty quarrels!” Dr. Stine said.

A feminine, high-pitched
voice exhaled the lyrics of an unknown song from the top of a large
boulder, which interrupted a wide stretch of beach. Dr. Stine
ordered everyone to stop walking. Angelique gasped when she noticed
a female siren hovering in the air above the boulder. Her white,
transparent wings flapped while foam-capped waves crashed against
her naked body. On the boulder beneath her, a merman gazed upon the
siren with wonder. His fish tail splashed in the water while his
muscular arms heaved his upper torso onto the smooth surface of the
large rock. The siren lifted her hands into the air, leaned toward
the merman, and positioned her mouth against his left ear. He
shuddered when the siren emitted a harsh wail. The siren grinned
when she realized she’d hypnotized the merman. She said: “The
people of Kamakura are plotting to thwart my plans. I can’t allow
them to wake up from the Blue Sleep. It’s time for you and your
people to trigger the earthquake. They must face the Leviathan’s
wrath!”

Wrinkles creased the
merman’s forehead. His brown, bushy eyebrows arched above his hazel
eyes. He said: “The earthquake will cause a tsunami. It will kill
everyone in Kamakura. You’re asking me to destroy the woman I
love!”

“
Ah, you’re still in love
with Amaya? You can never have her, you fool! Mermen and humans can
never cohabitate! Her people would condemn it!” the siren
said.

“
I refuse to do what you
ask! I would rather die!” the merman said.

The siren touched his face
with her fingers. Her voice produced the lyrics of another song.
The merman’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. Before the
siren could hypnotize him again, Dr. Stine aimed his scepter at the
siren. A bolt of coiled, yellow light surged from the tip of the
scepter and formed a tornado of lightning around the siren’s body.
She exhaled a screech of surprise and focused her attention on Dr.
Stine.

“
You’ll regret interfering
with my plans! Prepare to die, idiots!” the siren said. White
feathers molted from her wings and drifted to the ground. She
soared away from the boulder and flew toward Dr. Stine and the
others. Razor bared his teeth, rocked on his haunches, and
growled.

Dr. Stine hoisted the
scepter into the air with both hands. He glanced at the sky and
watched a bolt of lightning zigzag away from the approaching
thunderheads. A loud crack of thunder caused Dr. Stine’s ears to
ring when the lightning impacted the tip of the scepter. He erupted
into spasms while electricity flowed through his body from head to
toe. The siren screamed when the surge of energy intensified. She
sizzled and roasted while Dr. Stine directed the voltage toward
her. The siren burst into flames, exhaled an eardrum-rupturing
scream, and dropped to the ground. Dr. Stine wobbled on his legs,
stepped toward the boulder, and examined the black, crisp corpse of
the winged woman.

“
You…killed her! You’ve
sinned! Beelzebub is growing stronger!” Persephone said.

“
It was self-defense! I had
no choice!” Dr. Stine said. He dropped the scepter.

“
Where did the merman go?”
Alexander said. He darted into the tide and scanned the blue water
and crashing waves. He glanced over his shoulder and his face went
pale.

“
I think he went to trigger
the earthquake. We need to hurry!” Angelique ran toward the village
of Kamakura. She paused when she noticed a bird in the
sky.

“
Look! It’s Stanley!”
Alexander said. He smiled when the owl swooped through the air and
landed on Dr. Stine’s left shoulder. The owl hooted and blinked his
wide eyes.

Angelique smiled, kissed
the top of the owl’s head, and plucked a piece of paper from his
left talon. She unfolded the message and exhaled a deep sigh. Her
face turned pale and her hands trembled. Angelique, despite the
fact that they needed to hurry, succumbed to her desire to read the
note. She walked quickly while she scanned the message for
important details:

To My Darling,
Angelique:

The jury reached a verdict
this morning. I’m afraid the news isn’t good. I’ve been found
guilty of espionage and witchcraft. Also, Xavier’s guards arrested
my lawyer and he’s been placed in an isolated cell. I’ve been
sentenced to death by guillotine, but I don’t know when I’ll be
executed. I think my lawyer will face the same sentence as me.
Please hurry! I think this will be the last time I can send a
message to you. If you’re near Cadaver Island, don’t let anything
slow you down. It’s a matter of life and death. I love you more
than anything. If we never see each other again, please know that I
cherished every moment I spent with you. Be safe and make
haste!

Forever yours,

Sir Zachary
Plate

Angelique stared at the
message and went into shock. Dr. Stine rushed to her side and
wrapped his arms around her. Angelique buried her face in the
fabric of his robe while he embraced her. Razor whimpered and
licked her ankle to express his concern.

“
What does the note say?
How bad is it?” Dr. Stine asked.

“
Zachary was found guilty
of espionage and witchcraft! He’s been sentenced to death by
guillotine! We need to stop wasting time! We need to get to the
castle and save him!” Angelique said. She stepped away from Dr.
Stine and sprinted toward Kamakura.

Dr. Stine, Alexander, and
Razor followed Angelique while Stanley soared in the air above
them. Persephone strolled behind them at a distance and swatted
large flies away from her mask and her ears. Dr. Stine glanced over
his shoulder and gasped when he noticed the flies. A loud buzzing
noise increased in volume as their numbers increased steadily. When
she touched the crucifix, the flies perished and dropped onto the
beach.

“
I’ll have a nervous
breakdown if I lose Zachary, Dr. Stine. I still haven’t recovered
from my mother’s death,” Angelique said.

Dr. Stine focused his
attention on Angelique. He broke into a sprint and caught up to
her. Together, they strolled toward the tall pagodas and Oriental
gardens of Kamakura. Maple, pine, and conifer trees rose from a sea
of azaleas and bamboo. Tall, stone statues, which depicted
forgotten emperors and mystical dragons, towered above narrow,
wooden bridges, which crossed clear, flowing streams. A trio of
Asian women, dressed in yellow kimonos, strolled across a bridge
and approached them. Dr. Stine, Angelique, and Alexander smiled
when the women bowed to them. When they noticed their solid blue
eyes, they felt uncomfortable. The eyes probed their minds and
penetrated their souls.

The tallest woman, who wore
a golden crown, stepped forward. Her black, silky hair flowed in
the strengthening wind of the approaching thunderstorm. Lightning
flashed and thunder boomed. The woman ignored the storm and said:
“Welcome to Kamakura. We’ve been anticipating your arrival. It’s a
pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Amaya. I’m the ruler of the
village.” When she noticed Persephone, she frowned.

“
Thank you for the warm
welcome. It’s an honor to meet you,” Dr. Stine said.

“
Who is she? And why is she
wearing the cursed mask?” Amaya asked. She pointed at Persephone
and whispered to her followers. They scurried across the bridge and
walked into the door of a nearby pagoda. Moments later, two samurai
emerged from the pagoda and sprinted to where Amaya stood. They
wore body armor and wielded scimitars. Long, black ponytails draped
from their scalps. Amaya relaxed when they flanked her.

“
I’m Persephone, queen of
the elves. I sacrificed myself to save my friends from the wrath of
Beelzebub.” She touched the crucifix and swatted flies away from
her face.

“
Anyone who wears the mask
of Beelzebub is dangerous. I can’t allow her roam the streets of
Kamakura. She is cursed,” Amaya said. The samurai stepped in front
of her.

“
We’re running out of time,
Amaya. We must get to Cadaver Island before Angelique’s battery
pack expires. And her lover, Sir Zachary Plate, will be decapitated
by a guillotine if we don’t reach Thames Keep soon. We need a boat
to reach the island. Could you please loan us a vessel from your
harbor?” Dr. Stine said. He dropped to his knees.

“
I want to help you, but
I’m concerned about the mask. How do you know she won’t turn
against you after you reach Cadaver Island? The temptation of
Beelzebub will place all of you in harm’s way. I think you’ll die
before you reach the castle,” Amaya said.

“
She’s right, Laurent. I’m
a burden right now. Maybe I should be locked in a jail cell and
confined until we can find a way to remove the mask,” Persephone
said.

“
I’m not going to abandon
you, Persephone! I can’t leave you here!” Dr. Stine
said.

“
You don’t have a choice,
Laurent. I want to be imprisoned. Please take me to a jail cell
before the mask…causes me to do something horrible,” Persephone
said. She shuddered when the buzzing of the flies and the whispers
from the mask intensified.

Amaya snapped her fingers
at the samurai. “Lock her up! Do it now!”

Persephone removed the
satchel of potions from her shoulder and offered it to Dr. Stine.
He took the satchel from her and wept while he watched the samurais
flank her on both sides. They grabbed her arms and dragged her
toward a tall building on the north side of the village. Persephone
glanced over her left shoulder and said, “I love you.” Then the
samurai dragged her through a garden, escorted her across a bridge,
and took her inside the building. Dr. Stine shook his head, staring
at the ground.

“
I love her. I’ll do
everything in my power to help her,” Dr. Stine said.