Dance of Death by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page B

under the power of the soul—
    The soul what? Tobias thought. This just doesn’t make any sense. It’s more like a magic ritual than a medical procedure.
    He opened a dictionary that had arrived just that morning. One that contained many of the ancient words in the papers. Tobias ran his fingers through the dusty old pages until he found the word he wanted.
    He stared at it, his heart hammering.
    Thief.
    The word meant thief.
    No! Tobias thought. This can’t be right. If the word was thief, then the sentence in the papers read:
    After the blood transfer, the soul of the innocent begins to fall under the power of the soul-thief.
    Soul-thief, Tobias thought. Soul-stealer.
    The more pure and more beautiful the innocent, the papers continued, the more beautiful the soul-stealer will become. The soul-stealer will gain twenty years of life, for each innocent life he takes. Then, another must be taken for the soul-stealer to live on.
    Another, Tobias thought. Another innocent victim. A cycle of evil that went on and on.
    The way to live forever was not to stimulate the circulation of the blood. It was to drink it. To drink the innocent blood of others. To feed off them. To steal their very souls.
    Tobias swept the papers and the dictionary off his desk. They fell to the floor with a crash.
    Evil, Tobias thought. Unspeakable evil.
    And it was just what Justin wanted.
    Whose blood will he drink? Tobias thought. Who will be Justin’s first victim?
    The memory of Justin licking the blood from Honoria’s handkerchief sprang into his mind.
    No! Tobias thought. Not my Honoria!
    Tobias glanced around the laboratory for a weapon. He scooped up one of his sharpest scalpels. Then he raced down the passage to Justin’s house.
    After the blood transfer, the soul of the innocent begins to fall under the power of the soul-stealer.
    The words repeated themselves again and again in Tobias’s mind.
    I’ll find a way to stop you, Justin! Tobias vowed.
    If he didn’t, he’d lose his reason to go on living.
    Honoria.
    Justin’s first innocent victim is going to be Honoria!

Chapter
    12

    T obias dashed through the passage toward Justin’s home.
    It’s so dark, he thought. Dark and airless. Justin could be hiding in this tunnel. Waiting for me …
    He felt himself stumble, and he grabbed at the wall for balance. Then he raced on, gasping for breath.
    Nothing is going to stop me from reaching Justin. I’ve got to protect Honoria.
    A door loomed up before him. Tobias skidded to a halt.
    Was Justin on the other side, waiting for him? Tobias pressed his ear against the door.
    He didn’t hear a sound. The Fear house stood silent and still.
    What if it’s all over? What if I figured everything out too late?
    What if Honoria died thinking I didn’t care about her?
    Creeeaak!
    Tobias eased the door open and peeked out. Justin’s passage ended in his bedroom, just as Tobias’s did.
    The room appeared empty. Tobias didn’t waste any more time. He dashed to the bedroom door, opened it slowly and stepped into the hall.
    Tick. Tock.
    Tick. Tock.
    Tick. Tock.
    The only sound Tobias could hear was Justin’s tall clock in the hallway. Silently, he crept along the upstairs hall. He glided down the stairs, his heart pounding.
    I must be ready, he thought, tightening his hold on the scalpel. Justin could discover me at any time.
    Don’t let me be too late, Tobias prayed. He heard a sound from the drawing room and started in that direction. Let Honoria be safe.
    When he reached the room, a figure in white stood staring out the window. The full moon bathed the slim figure in an eerie, silvery light.
    Tobias forgot the need for silence. “Honoria!” he cried out.
    Breathless, he watched as Honoria slowly turned toward him. Her face looked ghostly pale in the moonlight. Her skin appeared almost translucent. Velvety purple shadows ringed her large eyes. Her once rosy lips were