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That compliment only irritated him "Fiction They will think that all the fiction of my many years has slipped into my mind, and that I am crazy Of all the times to be old and ill and weak!"

"I don’t understand," Tara said

He didn’t appear to hear her He was staring into the old stone fireplace where logs burned and flaray pluo to the church," he told her

"I’ll go tomorrow," she said "I promise--"

"Tomorrow may be too late Perhaps today is too late, and yet I haven’t heard of anything terrible happening"

"What terrible thing can happen in an old church crypt?" Tara asked "Are you afraid that there is so of immense value down there and so in danger? Is there so that you really know?"

He stared from the flames into her eyes He shook his head "You wouldn’t understand But you "

"I told you that I would But you know o toet us so, you’ll be fine It’s once you lie down and rest that jet lag gets to you"

"You don’t understand I’ot on the plane I haven’t had a lot of sleep in days"

"Then one randparent, you’re supposed to be concerned about my health and welfare"

"I’o this afternoon and bring me back every possible piece of infor The naht where they are working"

"They may not allow--"

"Good heavens! Flirt your way in"

"Sure you don’t want me to just sell iving her a stern frown "This is not ahis first na the literary community he had known so well in New York "I don’t knohat I’ If I could understand, it would help What exactly do you think is going on that you feel youcalled the Alliance--"

"Yes, the Alliance I am one of the Alliance, and there are notSurely, there are others But perhaps they don’t know as yet There are those I "

"Jacques, what is this Alliance? A group froroup of writers?"

"The Alliancethere isn’t tiroup from the war Now please, we can talk for days on end You must do this for me If you do not, I will have to risk another bout of pneuht about what they et down there"

"If you know so, you should call the police"

"The police would not understand They would have me locked up Please, if you love me at all, Tara, you will help me now I need you" There was a desperation in his tone that made her seriously wonder about his mental state

"The police cannot help," he went on "Not now We are not in danger from any thief or ordinary er, then?"

"Evil, pure evil Tara, I’ you You must do as I ask" She was startled by his words She wanted to open her

Yet, she suddenly could not

A chill had settled over her A chill that seeh her, blood, flesh, and bones

"You will go?" he asked "You will go for o"

CHAPTER 2

The gloo Despite thearound the vault deep in the earth, the corners were cast in shadow, deep and glooels, saints, gargoyles, and grotesques co carefully!" Professor Dubois admonished

Carefully! They could barely see

"Carefully, carefully!" Dubois repeated

The ht But then, to Jean-Luc, Dubois always appeared on the edge of a frenzy, as if his explorations in the crypt orld-shattering and his findings would change the shape of the globe

Down in the ground, in the area of deconsecrated ruins of the old St Michel recently rediscovered foundations, the workmen were tired Jean-Luc Beauvoir stared at the professor with his thick glasses and wild gray hair and bit his lip to keep silent He and the A tirelessly for hours, slowly, slowly digging away the age-old rot around the coffins Professor Dubois was expecting an incredible archaeological find He was certain he was going to unearth not only the dead, but ide recognition, honors and awards, and naturally, the fortune to be made from the book he would write, and the lectures and speeches he would give The professor gave little thought to the fact thatlunatic, or that he had bought his way into the excavation either by bribery or by e donation to the current St Michel Little ical staff Dubois had wanted, and so the professor constantly shouted orders and ridicule at the two-ed to obtain, and forced thean to wane toward evening The Ale stare froold-tinted hazel eyes, but the professor would ain