Dance of Death (10 page)

“The answer is yes, Justin,” she answered, her heart singing. “I will marry you.”

The rest of the day passed in a happy blur.

Deborah and Marcus were overjoyed at the news of Madeline's engagement. Deborah began planning a party to make the announcement right away. Justin insisted it be held at his house.

Justin rushed around, making special arrangements for them to be married in just a few days' time.

“There's no reason to wait,” Deborah told Madeline gaily as they climbed the stairs at bedtime.

“We want you to become Mrs. Justin Fear as soon as possible. Oh, I'm so happy,” Deborah went on, giving Madeline a hug as they stood outside her bedroom. “This is just like a fairy tale. You go to bed now and get plenty of beauty sleep. Sweet dreams, my dear.”

Madeline felt exhausted by the time she crawled into bed. But so happy.

Who could have guessed I would be engaged to Justin in just two days? she thought. But I'm sure I'm not going too fast. Sure we belong together.

Madeline fell asleep with a smile on her face.

♦ ♦ ♦

Madeline awoke several hours later, her heart pounding.

What is it? What woke me?

She sat up in bed and stared into the darkness, her ears straining for the slightest sound.

Step … drag …

Step … drag …

Step …

It's the old woman Cousin Deborah calls Auntie! She's coming down the hall. Down the hall toward my room.

Quickly, Madeline threw the covers back and scrambled out of bed. She was determined not to let Auntie catch her off guard again.

Cousin Deborah might think she's harmless, but I'm not so sure I agree.

She picked up a heavy brass candlestick and crept toward her bedroom door.

Step … drag …

Step … drag …

Step …

Madeline listened as Auntie came closer and closer. She heard the old woman's heavy breathing just outside the door.

With quivering fingers, Madeline reached for the doorknob. She flung the door open. Auntie stood before her in the hall.

“Marry Justin Fear,” Auntie whispered, “and you will surely die!”

Chapter

17

“W
hat nonsense! How dare you say something so cruel?” Madeline exclaimed.

Auntie scuttled past Madeline into the bedroom. She closed the door behind them.

“Shhhh,” Auntie warned, raising a finger dramatically to her lips. “Not so loud. Nobody must hear us. Nobody must know.”

“Know what?” Madeline asked.

“That I came to see you. That I told you the truth.”

“I already know the truth about Justin, Auntie. He loves me and he wants to marry me.”

“Noooo,” Auntie moaned. She paced around Madeline's room. Her candle cast weird shadows on the walls.

“That way lies danger. If you marry Justin, you will
die. You must listen to me,” she urged. She sounded close to tears. “You must believe me, child.”

It's probably better for me to let her tell her story, Madeline realized. If I don't, she'll never calm down. She'll wake up the whole house. I don't want to have to explain her presence in my room to Cousin Deborah and Cousin Marcus.

“All right, Auntie,” she agreed. She placed her candle on the dressing table. “I'll listen. I promise.”

Madeline gently led Auntie to a chair by the bed. She felt so frail.

“Oh, you're a good girl, aren't you?” Auntie crooned as she sat down.

“Too good for the horrible fate that awaits you. Too good for Justin Fear,” she moaned, shaking her head. “I've got to try to save you. I couldn't save the others. Oh, my Tobias! I failed. I failed.”

She is mad, Madeline thought. Completely mad.

Auntie shuddered, rocking from side to side. “The Fears have always been evil,” she whispered. “Evil upon evil for time out of mind. But there is one name that causes even other Fears to hide their heads in terror.

“That name is Justin Fear.”

“But he's so kind,” Madeline protested. “The first time I saw him, I thought he was an angel.”

“A fallen angel,” Auntie insisted. “Do not allow his appearance to mislead you. Justin always was incredibly handsome, even when he was young.”

“When he was young?” Madeline echoed. “Auntie, you're not making any sense. Justin
is
young.”

“Oh, no, my dear,” Auntie answered, shaking her head. “The handsome young face you see is nothing
more than illusion built on evil. Justin Fear is as old as I am. Even older. Why, he's nearly a hundred years old.”

“A hundred years old!” Madeline exclaimed. She felt like laughing, but didn't want to hurt the old woman's feelings. “But he doesn't look any older than twenty, Auntie. How is that possible?” she asked.

“Evil can make almost anything possible,” Auntie insisted. “In Justin's case, he traveled the world, studying strange and ancient rituals until he found the one he wanted. The one that would keep him handsome and young forever.”

Auntie sat up straight and gripped Madeline's hand. She stared into Madeline's eyes with a burning gaze. “Justin Fear is a soul-stealer.”

Soul-stealer? What on earth did she mean? Madeline felt suddenly dizzy. The whole story grew more and more bizarre.

“That's simply not possible,” Madeline snapped. She pulled her hand from Auntie's grasp. “How can you steal someone's soul?”

“By using the dark arts,” Auntie replied. “And by twisting love. Justin is still young and handsome because he married four beautiful young women who loved him with all their hearts. But he repaid their devotion by taking their lives and stealing their youth and beauty all for himself.”

Madeline felt chills course through her body at Auntie's words. She didn't want to believe the rambling old woman. Yet deep in her heart, she felt the words ring true.

“They were just seventeen when he married them,” Auntie continued. “Not one of them lived to see her
eighteenth birthday. Their bones are buried deep beneath the roses in his garden. Isn't that right, my Tobias?”

Madeline remembered Justin's beautiful rose garden. She remembered how he kissed her there for the very first time.

She remembered the strange feeling there. The suffocating perfume of the flowers. The looming presence of the huge bushes, their thick thorns and heavy flowers.

Had Justin kissed her as they stood on the very ground where the bones of his previous wives were buried?

“No,” Madeline whispered. “I don't believe you. No!”

“He wants to do the same to you!” Auntie insisted, rising to her feet. “He wants your beauty. He wants your soul. And there's only one way to save yourself. Only one way for you to escape his evil trap.”

“I won't hear you,” Madeline argued back. “I won't listen.”

She put her hands over her ears. But Auntie's words penetrated the barrier.

“You must scar yourself,” she whispered in an eerie voice. “You must destroy your own beauty so you will be of no use to him. Or, if you are very brave, you can end the evil now and forever.”

“How?” Madeline whispered in spite of herself. “How do I do it?”

“Injure the soul-stealer instead of yourself,” Auntie instructed. “Wound him so that his blood flows freely.”

PART SIX

Tobias

Chapter

18

Shadowbrook, New York, 1793

J
ustin's voice went on and on. Whispering temptation upon temptation to Tobias. Promising him horrible things.

Things that were impossible to imagine. Things that could only be purchased one way.

With the blood of an innocent victim.

Honoria.

I can live forever, if I drink Honoria's blood.

“Think of it, Tobias,” Justin whispered. “We can live forever. Everyone around us will grow old and weak. But we will always be young and strong.

“Honoria's blood can give us that, Tobias. It will make it possible for us to cheat death. It's what we worked our whole lives for. Isn't that what you want?”

Tobias's head spun. He felt confused and disoriented, as if he were drunk.

Justin is right, he thought. We worked for years to uncover the secret of eternal life. And now I'm going to pass it up. I'm going to throw it all away. But I can't remember why.

Tobias could feel his grip on the scalpel start to weaken.

“That's right, Tobias,” Justin instructed in the same soothing tone. “Now put the scalpel down.”

Tobias's fingers loosened around the scalpel. It slipped to the floor.

“Tobias,” Honoria moaned behind him. “Oh, my Tobias, don't betray me.”

The sound of her voice snapped Tobias back to reality. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Justin nearly tricked me into destroying the woman I love, he realized. He is like an evil magician casting a spell.

“It won't work, Justin,” Tobias panted.

“You will be sorry, Tobias,” Justin replied in a low, tense voice. “You were my friend once. Your work was very helpful to me. But now I don't need you anymore. I'm going to teach you a lesson, Tobias. The last one you'll ever learn.

“I'm going to teach you how powerless you are to stop me. I'm going to drain Honoria's blood and you are going to watch. You're going to watch me become more powerful than any creature you have ever dreamed of.

“And then, Tobias, you are going to die.”

“No!” Tobias cried, springing forward. He lowered his head and rammed it into Justin's stomach. Justin fell back with a grunt. He tripped over a chair and sprawled onto the carpet. Tobias tumbled down on top of him.

Justin's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. He lost consciousness, Tobias thought. Now is my chance to finish things, once and for all.

He grabbed the scalpel from the carpet and raised it over Justin's chest. But he couldn't plunge it into Justin's chest. Something held him back.

This was Justin. The one who always helped him. The only friend Tobias ever had.

I can't kill Justin. I can't, he thought a little wildly.

Don't think of him as Justin, Tobias told himself. This isn't Justin. Not the man who was my best friend.

This is someone else. Someone consumed with evil. Someone who wants to do unnatural things. He'll destroy me and Honoria, if I let him.

Justin, forgive me!

Tobias closed his eyes and plunged the scalpel down.

Justin's arm swept up to block it.

Tobias's eyes flew open. The scalpel fell harmlessly to Justin's chest.

“I told you, Tobias,” Justin murmured, his blue eyes on fire with triumph. “I told you I was stronger than you.” Justin snatched up the scalpel and slashed the blade at Tobias.

Tobias flung himself sideways onto the carpet. Justin scrambled after him.

Over and over the two young men tumbled. Justin slashing, Tobias trying to avoid the blade.