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over to him and took up his hand. 'Or else you wouldn't have come back.'

Valcours drew her into a long, probing kiss, running his free hand across her breasts. He cradled her head against his chest. 'Ah, well,' he said. 'The joys of life are worth a spell of mindlessness and corruption. Don't you agree, Mr Harrison?'

Donnell sat up against the wall, his head lowered. 'What have you got in mind, Otille?'

Valcours answered him. 'There's a world of possibility to explore, Mr Harrison. But as far as you're concerned we'll keep you around until I learn about the veve, and as for your beautiful lady...' Before Jocundra could react, he prodded her breast with the tip of his cane. 'I believe a fate worse than death would be in order.' He laughed, a flighty laugh that tinkled higher and higher, traveling near the verge of hysteria. Tears of mirth streamed from his eyes, and he waved his hand, a foppish gesture that should have been accomplished by a lace handkerchief, signaling his helplessness at the humor of the situation.

'You had your chance,' said Otille bitterly to Donnell. 'I wanted you to help me.'

'Help you rule the universe, like with the evil fairy there?' Donnell said. 'I thought you wanted to be cured, Otille. How could I help you with that? But you don't want a cure. You want zombies and horrors and icky delights. And now' - he cast a disparaging glance at Valcours - 'now your wish has come true.'

'Be still!' said Valcours with a hiss of fury. He raised his cane to strike Donnell, and Jocundra recoiled, bumped against Simpkins, and jumped away from him. In his rage, Valcours possessed a melevolence previously muffled by his effete manner.

'You know, Ezawa,' said Donnell, 'you're in big trouble with all this. Maybe even bigger than you could expect. What if this fruit really is Valcours, what if you've really worked a miracle?'

'What if?' Valcours was once again the dandy, complaining of a gross indignity. 'I'm the very soul of the man! Like the resin left in an opium pipe, the soul leaves its scrapings in the flesh. The essence, the pure narcotic of existence! Whether my dispersed shade had misted up anew, summoned forth by modern alchemies, or whether all is illusory, these are questions for philosophers, and have no moment for men of action.' He giggled, delighting in the flavor of his speech.

'See,' said Donnell to Ezawa. 'It's going to blow up in your face. Fay Wray and the Mummy here will meet the Wolf man, have a group hallucination, and then comes the shitstorm. He's her puppet, and she's out of her fucking mind. Do you honestly believe they can keep it together?'

'Simpkins!' shouted Otille. 'Get them out of here!

Before Simpkins could cross the room, Valcours launched a feeble attack on Donnell, attempting to batter his legs with the cane. But Donnell rolled aside, pulled himself up by the desk and snatched the cane from Valcours. He spun Valcours around, levered the cane under his jaw and started to choke him.

'This bastard's weaker than I am,' he said. 'I bet I could crush his windpipe pretty damn quick.'

Simpkins held his distance, looking to Otille for instruction; but she was again in thrall of the listlessness which had governed her during most of the encounter. Spit bubbled between Valcours' lips and he thrashed in Donnell's grasp.

'Look at her, Ezawa,' said Donnell; he increased pressure on Valcours' throat until his eyes bulged and he hung limp, prying ineffectively at the cane. 'Don't you see what they're hamming up between them? This is her big chance to make it in the Theater of the Real, to go public with her secret third act. A gala of obscenity. Otille and Valcours. Lord and Lady Monster together for the first time. Help us! Help yourself.'

'I can't.' Ezawa had risen and moved around to the side of the deck. 'She'd ruin me.'

'You're already ruined,' said Donnell. 'And it'll be worse if you let it go on. She's so far gone it won't stop until you're scraping dead virgins off the streets of New Orleans. This women thinks evil's a nifty comic book and she's the villainous queen. Maybe she is! Whatever, she's going to do evil, and the word's going to get around. Help us! I'll finish this one, and we'll all jump Simpkins.'

Ezawa's face worked, but his shoulders slumped. 'No,' he said.

'No, huh?' Donnell let Valcours sag to the floor. 'Another time,' he