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what I’ve had to do to get them to face me.” Camilla slashed her fist through the air, causing Donal to jerk awkwardly. “Why couldn’t you just believe me dead, Julian? I did that for you, so you could let me go, and now you’re ruining everything. Everyone who went down on the ship, the people upstairs— do you think that had no effect on me? None of that will be worth anything if I don’t face them and get our book back.”
    Kostya went pale and looked despondently at his wife, the wheels of revelation clearly turning in his mind. Tilly found she wasn’t shocked to learn the shipwreck Camilla was supposed to have died in was no accident, and she could tell Kostya wasn’t either, after what he’d seen in the church. Heartbroken, but not shocked.
    She was glad she couldn’t see the torment that must be on Ashford’s face at Camilla’s confession, especially the part about doing it for his benefit. How was he going to deal with that? Tilly had never felt such hatred for anyone as she did for that zombie wielding cow.
    “How do we stop this?” Kostya asked, while the siblings continued to yell at one another, Ashford still fruitlessly trying to make her see reason.
    Kostya swept Tilly behind him and looked for something that might slow Donal more. She felt tears running down her cheeks as she saw Ashford once again turn the gun on his sister.
    “Only Camilla can stop it. Or she has to be stopped.” She took Kostya’s hand and cried harder when she saw understanding dawn at what she couldn’t say outright. “He won’t be able to do it,” she said, nodding at Ashford.
    Donal, dragging his bad leg behind him, was close enough she could smell his fetid skin. Time was making him more decayed, and even Camilla’s magic couldn’t seem to stop it anymore. Tilly retched as Kostya tossed a chair in its path and pulled her out of its clutches. Ashford shouted for them to run.
    Kostya positioned her behind the spiral staircase and squeezed her hand. “You won’t be able to get home,” he said, looking at her with eyes full of sadness.
    Her heart wrenched but it wasn’t for herself. If they survived, Kostya would never be okay after this, nor would Ashford easily recover. The creature mowed over the fallen chair in its eagerness to tear them limb from limb, and all her muscles strained to flee back up the stairs. Before she could raise her foot, Donal stopped and stiffly turned away from them to face Ashford. It was within an arm’s length of being able to grab him from behind, and Ashford was too intent on furiously pleading with his sister to realize he was in danger. Seeing how close she was to possibly losing him freed her of any doubts.
    “Do it,” she said, gripping the stair rail to keep from falling.
    Kostya leaped around the creature and with nearly blinding haste, snapped the gun away from Ashford. The creature let out a bloodcurdling roar and wrapped its waxy hands around Ashford’s throat. Camilla laughed maniacally, her own hands making crushing motions in the air.
    Tilly screamed at the same time Kostya fired the gun, her terrified wail reverberating with the blast, until she was left with only the faintly thrumming ringing of the shot in her ears.
    The creature lay in an ungainly heap at Ashford’s feet. She raced to his side and took his arm, pulling her toward him, but he stood wooden and cold. Camilla was dead, sprawled out flat after she was shot, and Kostya still held his arm outstretched, pointing the gun at nothing.
    “You had to,” she said, voice strangled with tears. She pulled Ashford toward her again, fearful at his lack of response. “He had to,” she repeated.
    Memories were trying to find their way out of the deepest recesses of her mind, flapping their dark wings like trapped birds desperate to get free. She was just as desperate to keep them where they belonged. Later, she promised them. She just couldn’t right now, and struggled to know what to do next.
    Not looking