am I?" Reuben asked calmly. Again, he edged closer and the beast took two steps back. He was close to the paneled wall. "And where were you when the Chrism began to work? Where were you to guide me or advise me, to warn me what I might expect?"
"Long gone," said the beast with the first touch of real impatience. "Your truly fabulous exploits caught up with me halfway around the world. And now you will die for them. Were they worth it? Do tell me. Has this been the pinnacle of your existence so far?"
Reuben said nothing. It was now, he thought, now that he should strike.
But the beast spoke again. "Don,t think it doesn,t rip at my heart," he said, baring his fangs as if in an ugly smile. "Had I chosen you for the Chrism, you would have been magnificent, the finest of Morphenkinder, but I did not choose you. You,re no Morphenkind." It was the German word for "child," the way he said it, pronounced as if it were spelled kint. "You,re odious, loathsome, an offense, that,s what you are!" His voice was angry, but steady. "I would never have chosen you, never even noticed you. Now all the world notices you. Well, this will end now."
Now he,s the one playing for time, Reuben thought. Why? Does he know he can,t win this?
"Who put you to guard this house?" said Reuben.
"One who won,t tolerate what,s happened," he said. "Not here of all places, not here." He sighed. "And you, you contemptible boy, having your way with Marchent, his precious Marchent, and Marchent dead." His eyes quivered and again he bared his teeth and his fangs without a sound.
"Who is he? How is he connected to Marchent?"
"You were the cause of her death," said the creature in a small voice. A low rolling growl escaped him. "I turned my back because of you, not to spy on you and Marchent - you and your antics - and in that interval death came to Marchent! It was all you! Well, you will not remain while I draw breath."
This infuriated Reuben, but he pressed on.
"Felix Nideck? Is that who told you to guard the house?"
The beast tensed, drew up his shoulders, and crooked his arms. Again, that rolling growl came out of him.
"You think these questions advance your case?" the creature snarled. A gnashing contemptuous sound came out of him, fully as eloquent as his words. "I,m done with you!" he roared.
Reuben rushed at him, claws out. He slammed the beast,s head into the dark paneling, and lunged for the beast,s throat.
In snarling outrage, the monster kicked at Reuben and drove frantically against Reuben,s face with his powerful paws. He held off Reuben with an iron strength.
Reuben yanked him forward by the hair of his mane and then hurled him against the stone mantel and the beast let out a strangled roar. He raked at Reuben,s arms with his fierce claws, and then brought up his knee and kicked Reuben again, this time in the lower gut, with tremendous force.
The wind went out of Reuben. He staggered backwards. Everything went dark. He felt the creature clutching his neck, the claws digging deeply into the fur trying to find the toughened flesh, the hot breath on his face.
In a roaring frenzy Reuben broke loose of him, slamming the creature,s inner arms with two monstrous blows from the backs of his paws and shattering the creature,s grip.
Again, Reuben hurled him backwards and his head again struck the wall. Instantly, he recovered and sprang at Reuben, those powerful thighs catapulting him forward, his paws driving Reuben back and down, scrambling, to the floor.
Reuben rose up under him, and with his right arm dealt him one fine blow that stunned him. But he came down over Reuben again, his fangs snapping above Reuben and then sinking into Reuben,s throat.
Reuben felt the pain, felt it infinitely more intensely than he had that night. In a positive fury, his paws thrust the creature up and away. He felt the blood gushing, the heat of it. He was on his feet, and this time he slashed wildly at the creature, kicking the creature as the creature had kicked him, raking the creature,s face with his claws, gashing open the creature,s right eye. The creature bellowed, and thrashed at Reuben, and Reuben lunged again and clamped his teeth down on the side of the creature,s face. He drove his fangs deeper and deeper, his teeth grinding the