Dicing with Death (8 page)

As he hurried along the dark passageway, he almost caught up with the small group of shadowy figures ahead, before realising that he had no idea how he'd make them release Liah. They stopped suddenly and Max froze, pressing himself against the wall, hoping the moonlight wouldn't pick him out. A key turned in a lock and two figures moved away, their footsteps growing faint.

Liah! She must be behind that door. Having learned from his zombie experience, Max assessed the situation coolly. Luckily for him, they'd left the key in the lock.
Another door thwarted
, thought Max.

Liah was pacing the room, her hands tied behind her back, her mouth covered in tape. ‘Mmmmh, mumphh,' she muttered.

Max reached out and yanked off the tape.

‘Ouch!' she complained. ‘Watch it.' She turned around so he could untie her hands.

‘Thanks,' he said awkwardly. ‘For covering for me.' He waited for her sarcastic response and was surprised when all she did was shrug.

‘Come on,' Liah said. ‘We've got to get that elixir.'

They hurried along the passage and a short way along they stopped and gripped each other. One of the flagstones on the floor was moving all on its own. Slowly it slid back revealing a cavity below.

‘How did that happen?' Liah hissed, her fingers tightening on Max's arm.

Max pointed to a small lever on the opposite wall. ‘I bet that's what opened it. Chill, Liah. The place for ghosts is in the Underworld, not here.' Ignoring the voice in his head that questioned just who had pressed the lever, he edged forward. He peered into the opening and saw a narrow flight of stone steps leading to a dimly lit passage. ‘Come on. Follow me.'

He dropped through the hole and took the steps two at a time. Before he reached the bottom his feet slid out from underneath him. ‘Oomph!' He bumped down the remaining steps and collided with something at the bottom.

‘Are you alright?' Liah reached down and pulled him up. Suddenly her grip went slack and Max bumped back down again.

‘Wha–' Max looked up indignantly.

Liah stared past him to the foot of the stairs. Her face was even paler than usual. She looked as if she had seen a ghost.

Max followed her stare to where a young man wearing decidedly old-fashioned clothes was straightening up. He held in his hands a modern baseball cap – a familiar-looking baseball cap. ‘Hey, that's mine!' Max said. ‘How did you get that?' He was positive he'd left it in Death's kitchen.

There was something seriously weird going on with the guy's appearance. He shimmered and flickered like a hologram as he went to put the baseball cap back on his head.

Max shot forward. ‘Oh no you don't!' He snatched it away before the person could vanish. ‘How long have you had this?'

The young man ignored him. He was looking at Liah.

‘Who are you?' Max felt as if the ground could swallow him up right now and neither of them would notice. ‘What's going on?'

‘It's Tom,' Liah finally whispered. ‘He's Tom.'

The young man's expression flickered into a smile. ‘Hello, Liah,' he said. ‘Have you missed me?'

Max disliked Tom on the spot. Maybe it was because of the way Tom was blanking him, although it could have had something to do with the way Tom towered over him. It could also have something to do with the way that Liah was gazing at Tom as if he were some kind of god. It
definitely
had something to do with the fact that Tom had stolen Max's hat.

Max snapped his fingers in front of Liah's face. ‘Earth to Liah! Weren't you the one telling me we had to get the elixir? Something about the universe imploding?'

Liah ignored him. ‘You're a ghost,' she said hoarsely. ‘When did you…'

‘Die?' Tom said cheerfully. ‘Two years after you disappeared. What happened? One moment I'm heading towards a bright light after duelling in your honour, the next I'm seeing you disappear with a giant walking, talking skeleton and I'm fine!'

‘You only lived for two more years after I left?' Liah gasped. ‘That's all?'

Tom shrugged. ‘Oh, you know, all those nineteenth-century duels could play havoc with a fellow's health.'

‘Right, I'll just leave the two of you to your cosy chat and I'll try to find the elixir on my own.'
Max thrust the cap into his pocket and pushed past Tom.

‘Whoa, not so fast,' Tom said. ‘We'll come with you.'

Max narrowed his eyes. Why would Tom want to help? And just what was he doing here anyway? He added suspicion to dislike. ‘Aren't you supposed to ask, “What elixir?” I don't suppose you know anything about a recent spate of falling objects or magically self-opening and -closing doors?'

Tom grinned and held out his hand to Liah. ‘Come on!'

Liah reached out but her hand passed straight through his. ‘I can't touch you,' she sighed. ‘Only the assistant's robes give the wearer the power to touch the dead. How is it that you're here, Tom? Have you been with us ever since we left the Underworld?'

In Max's opinion, Tom suddenly looked shifty – like he'd been caught with his fingers in the till.

‘Do you mind if we walk and talk?' Max said pointedly. He didn't know how far ahead his father was with the elixir.
I have to get it. If I don't, Death will sack me and then it will be all over for Amy. And I'll end up like Tom
. He strode along the passageway, aware of Tom and Liah trailing behind.

‘There are rumours all over the Underworld that the elixir can give back life. Is it true?' Tom asked.

‘Yes,' Liah told him. ‘We have to get it back before it's used again.'

Tom was silent for a moment and then said, ‘The Grim Reaper wouldn't miss a drop or two would he?'

Max waited for Liah to shoot Tom down in flames.

‘I guess one or two drops wouldn't do any harm,' she said slowly.

Max spun around. ‘What? Only a couple of days ago you were talking about the end of the world happening if we didn't get the elixir back.'

Liah glared at him. ‘I've given more than a lifetime of service to Death, and all the while Tom's been dead. The least he can do is give us back our time together.'

Behind Liah's back Tom grinned and raised an eyebrow.

Before Max could punch him, a gunshot rang out, echoing down the passage. Max turned around and raced towards the sound.
Please let Dad be okay!

Up ahead was a narrow spiral stairway set into a wall. Max hurried up the twisting flight feeling giddy and breathless. Liah and Tom followed close behind, although only Liah's footsteps could be heard clattering against the stone steps.

Light flooded out from a room at the top of the staircase. Max would have dashed in but felt a tug on the back of his robes. ‘Don't be an idiot, you can't just burst in there,' Liah hissed.

‘Okay, okay, you can let me go now,' Max panted, realising Liah had just saved him from making
a stupid mistake. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cap. Putting it on he stepped into the room.

It appeared to be some kind of laboratory. It didn't have bubbling test tubes but everything was either metallic or tiled. Crowded around a stainless steel table were his father, Ralf and another man.

Max's hand flew up to cover his mouth as he realised what they were staring at. Lying on its side was a mongrel dog, its long shaggy coat sticky with blood. It wasn't moving.

Max watched his dad take a tiny glass bottle out of the silver casket. He very gently unscrewed the stopper and carefully placed a drop on to the dog's wound.

All eyes fixed on the dog.

The silence was broken by a whimper.

It works
, Max thought.
The elixir really does work
. The dog lifted its head and feebly wagged its tail.
How did my dad get hold of it?

Ralf pushed a gun back in to his jacket pocket. ‘Is that evidence enough, Mr Hoffman?' he asked.

The balding man looked up and smiled slowly. ‘Call me Larry.'

Overhead an ominous rumble sounded. Every eye swivelled up to the ceiling.

‘What was that?' Greg frowned.

Max knew exactly what it was. It was thunder – the kind of thunderclap you read about when the gods have been angered.

‘Let's wrap this thing up,' Larry said briskly.

‘Have you got the money?' Ralf asked.

Larry gave a short dry laugh. ‘You think I would just hand over a hundred million euros without seeing with my own eyes that this stuff actually works?'

‘You'll make that amount a hundred times over once you've found out how to replicate the elixir,' Greg pointed out.

Ralf's expression darkened. ‘I think you've been wasting our time…'

‘Relax,' Larry interrupted. ‘The money's here, but it's in a safe. There's a million in cash and the
rest will be made by electronic transfer.' He jerked his head at a door at the opposite end of the room. ‘This way.'

A hundred million euros!
Max was having a hard time getting his head around such a huge sum of money.

Ralph followed Larry through into the adjoining room, shutting the door firmly behind them.

‘Max, you've got to stop them,' Liah hissed.

Max was already untying his belt. What were the words Death had spoken to make the belt turn into a weapon? ‘How's your haggis?' he attempted.

Nothing happened.

‘Cage your maggots,' he tried again.

‘Oh for goodness sake, it's
Age quod agis
,' Liah snapped.

Greg looked their way, his eyes wide with surprise.

‘
Age quod agis
,' Max gabbled, imagining the first weapon that came to mind. The rope turned into a long length of braided leather.
What, so I'm Indiana Jones now?
He stepped forwards. ‘Give me that,' he said to his father. His voice came out as a squeak, nothing like the butt-kicking tone he'd been going for.

Greg's mouth opened in terror. Max suddenly realised that he and the bullwhip were still invisible.

He pulled off his hat and watched Greg's terror turn to shock.

‘Give me the elixir, Dad.' Max twitched the whip warningly.

‘Max…' His dad looked nervously at the closed door behind him. ‘I have no idea how you got here or what's going on but you need to get out of here, now. This is none of your business.'

Max wondered how he could possibly get his dad to part with the elixir. What could be worth more than a hundred million euros? Suddenly he knew. ‘It's Amy,' he said. ‘I need the elixir to save her.'

Greg looked confused. ‘Is she sick? Your mum didn't mention – '

‘She'll die without the elixir,' Max burst out. ‘I have to have it, Dad.'

‘I'm sorry, Max,' Greg held out his hands in apology. ‘When I've got the money I'll give you some of it to help her. But you have to understand, bad things happen in life. What makes you a man is learning to deal with them.'

He's really ready to let Amy die so he can get his stinking, lousy money
, Max realised. Never had he
felt such rage – not even on the day when his dad had walked out on them. Realisation hit him like a freight train.
David would have turned down the money in an instant if it meant saving me
.

Gritting his teeth, Max leapt forwards and snatched the elixir.

‘Thank you, Max.' Liah plucked the tiny bottle out of his hand.

‘W-w-w-hat's going on?' Max's dad whispered, looking from Max, to Liah, to Tom. ‘Is that a … that can't be a … is that a ghost?'

Max spun around. ‘You've got to be joking,' he shouted at Liah, then to his father he added, ‘Of course it's a ghost!'

‘Boo,' interjected Tom, grinning.

Max's father suddenly looked extremely pale. ‘I don't feel well,' he muttered, and slumped to the floor in a faint.

‘Dad!' cried Max.

‘Leave him,' said Liah. ‘We've got to get out of here.'

‘I'm not leaving him.' Max tried to lift his dad from under the arms. ‘Help me!'

‘OK,' hissed Liah, grabbing one of Greg's legs with her free hand, ‘but keep the noise down or they'll hear you.'

‘You can't really think the two of you are going to be together again?' Max muttered as they painstakingly dragged his father towards the stairs.

Tom nodded. ‘Of course. Liah's the love of my life. Once I've had the elixir we'll be together forever.'

‘Until you die,' Max pointed out. ‘And considering it's Death you're cheating, I wouldn't count on being left alone to live happily ever after.'

Liah glanced uncertainly from Max to Tom.

‘Just one or two drops, Liah,' encouraged Tom, ‘that's all I need, and then it will be like the old days.'

‘Not quite,' Max said, wondering how they were going to get his dad down the stairs. ‘For a start, nobody's allowed to fight duels anymore.'