As far as he had been able to tell, it was still unspoiled by bacteria. He had also made the discovery that it contained luciferase enzyme – similar to the enzyme that makes fireflies glow. Each of the basilisk’s eyes, in effect, had been like ten million fireflies, giving off a light that could shock any living cell into total paralysis and death.
‘Grace?’ he said. ‘I know you can’t hear me, but I’m praying for you now. May God bring you back to me.’
His hands were shaking as he parted her lips and poured a little of the optic fluid into her mouth. Then he stoppered the test tube again, and sat back, and held her hand.
Denver poked his head around the door.
‘How’s it going, Pops?’ he asked him. ‘Did you give her the gloop?’
Nathan nodded. ‘All we can do now is wait. I just hope I’ve given her enough, or that I haven’t given her too much. I just hope I haven’t left it too late.’
Denver came into the room and stood beside him.
‘Pops?’ he said.
Nathan looked up at him. ‘What is it?’
‘I don’t know. What happened in Kraków—’
‘I don’t think we need to talk about it yet. It’s going to take some time for it all to sink in. Give it a couple of weeks, then we can go for a beer together and chew it over.’
‘Patti could come too.’
‘Sure. Patti could come too.’
Outside the window, it began to grow dark, and the city began to sparkle. Nathan kept on holding Grace’s hand, but he couldn’t think of any words to say to her. Denver went and sat in the corner and watched TV with the sound turned right down.
Three hours went by. Denver dozed off. His head tilted sideways and he started to breathe deep and slow, and occasionally to mutter. ‘Didn’t want to – you can’t . . .’
Nathan was determined to stay awake, but his eyes began to close. He was almost asleep when he became aware that there was somebody else in the room, apart from himself and Denver and Grace.
He jolted and opened his eyes. Doctor Zauber was standing so close to him that he could have touched him. He was dressed in black, as usual, and he was looking down at him with one black eyebrow raised.
‘You are not the genius I thought you were,’ said Doctor Zauber. ‘How could you have thought that the optical fluid from a dead basilisk could revive your poor sleeping wife?’
‘It worked for me. It worked for Rafał Jasłewicz.’
‘No, Professor, your wife is destined to sleep for ever, in the castle of nightmares, surrounded by thorns which you can never cut your way through. That is your punishment for what you did to me, and my basilisk, and my entire life’s work.’
‘Damn you,’ said Nathan. ‘Damn you and damn you and damn you.’
He was so exhausted and so disappointed that he started to cry, and tears ran down his face. ‘Damn you,’ he repeated. ‘Damn you.’
Doctor Zauber reached out and took hold of his hand. But then he realized that it wasn’t Doctor Zauber at all. Doctor Zauber had been wearing black leather gloves, and this hand was much smaller, and much colder, and it wasn’t wearing a glove at all.
‘Nate?’ said a soft, hoarse voice. ‘Nate? Where am I?’
TWENTY-ONE
A Gift from Poland
Five weeks later, Grace came into his study and said, ‘You’ve had a package from Poland. Save me the stamps, will you? They’re so pretty.’
She handed him a padded envelope with his name scrawled on it in large letters. The sender was Rafał Jasłewicz, from Kraków. He cut it open, and drew out a red leather-bound book. It was very old, with brown-spotted pages. On the title page, in smudgy black letters, it said, Kitab Al-Ahjar, The Book of Stones, by Abu Musa Jābir ibn Hayyān, printed Cairo, 1818.
There was a note inside. It said, simply, ‘In case you are ever tempted to try again.’
TWENTY-TWO
Under the Ruins
Table of Contents
Cover
Recent Titles by Graham Masterton Available from Severn House
Basilisk
Copyright
Chapter One: Noises in the Night
Chapter Two: Natural Disaster
Chapter Three: Feathers Fly
Chapter Four: Post Mortem
Chapter Five: Sack-Dragger
Chapter Six: Death Stare
Chapter Seven: The Black Book
Chapter Eight: The White Face
Chapter Nine: Test of Loyalty
Chapter Ten: Hidden Message
Chapter Twelve: Coma
Chapter Thirteen: Inferno
Chapter Fourteen: Night of the Hunters
Chapter Fifteen: The Voice from the Wall
Chapter Sixteen: Night Flight
Chapter Seventeen: Mistress of the Dark Arts
Chapter Eighteen: The House of Empty People
Chapter Nineteen: Hybrid
Chapter Twenty: Eye for an Eye
Chapter Twenty-One: A Gift from Poland
Chapter Twenty-Two: Under the Ruins