Midnight

"I say time’s running out. Actual y it’s already the Last Midnight day – it’s nearly one thirty in the morning,"Meredith said. "We have less than twenty-four hours. We should either get out of Fel ‘s Church or do something to arrange a confrontation."

"A confrontation? Without Elena or Damon or Stefan?"Matt said. "We’l be murdered. Don’t forget Sheriff Mossberg."

"He didn’t have this."Meredith tossed the fighting stave into the air, caught it neatly, and put it at her side.

Matt shook his head. "Shinichi wil Stillkil you. Or some little kid wil , with the semi-automatic from Daddy’s closet."

"We have to do something."

Matt thought. His head was pounding. Final y he said, head lowered, "When I got the herbs I got Misao’s star bal , too."

"You’re kidding. Shinichi still didn’t find it?"

"No. And maybe we could do something with it."

Matt looked at Meredith, who looked at Mrs. Flowers. Mrs.

Flowers said, "What about pouring out the liquid in different places in Fel ‘s Church? Just a drop here and a drop there?

We could ask the Power in it to protect the town. Maybe it would listen."

Meredith said, "That was the exact reason we wanted to get Shinichi’s and Misao’s star bal s in the first place. The star bal s control their owners, according to legend."

Matt said, "It may be old-ways thinking, but I agree."

Meredith said, "Then let’s do it right now."

While the other two waited, Matt got Misao’s star bal . It had a very, very little liquid on the bottom.

"After the Last Midnight she plans to fil it to the top with the energy of the new lives that get taken,"Meredith said.

"Well, she’s not going to get a chance to do that,"Matt said flatly. "When we’re done we’l destroy the container."

"But we probably should hurry,"Meredith added. "Let’s get some weapons together: something silver, something long and heavy, like a fire iron. Shinichi’s little zombies are not going to be happy – and who knows who’s on his side?"

Chapter 31

Elena woke up feeling stiff and cramped. But that wasn’t surprising. Three other people seemed to be on top of her.

Elena? Can you hear me?

Stefan?

Yes! You’re awake?

I’m all cramped…and hot.

A different voice interrupted. Just give us a moment and you won’t be cramped anymore. Elena felt Damon move away. Bonnie rol ed into his place.

But Stefan clung to her for a moment. Elena, I’m sorry. I never even realized what condition you were in. Thank God for Damon. Can you forgive me?

Despite the heat, Elena cuddled closer to him. If you can forgive me for putting the whole party in danger. I did that, didn’t I?

I don’t know. I don’t care. All I know is that I love you.

It was several minutes before Bonnie woke up. Then she said feebly, "Hey! Whachoo doin’in my bed?"

"Getting out of it,"Elena said, and tried to rol over and get up.

The world was wobbly. She was wobbly – and bruised. But Stefan was never more than a few inches away, holding her, righting her when she started to fal . He helped her get dressed without making her feel like a baby. He examined her backpack, which fortunately hadn’t gone into the water, and then he took out anything heavy inside. He put the heavy things in his own pack.

Elena felt much better after being given some food, and after seeing the thurgs – both of them – eating too; either stretching their great double trunks up to break off pieces of wood from the barren trees, or scooping away snow to find dry grass underneath. They clearly were not going to die after al .

Elena knew everyone was watching her to gauge whether or not she was up to any more that day. She hurried to finish drinking the tea heated over a dung fire, trying to conceal the fact that her hands shook. After forcing some jerky down, she said in her most cheerful voice, "So what next?"

How do you feel? Stefan asked her.

"Little sore, but I’l be fine. I guess everyone expects me to have pneumonia, but I don’t even have any cough."

Damon, after one heavy-lidded glance at Stefan, took both her hands and stared at her. She couldn’t – she didn’t dare –

meet his eyes, so she focused on Stefan, who was looking at her comfortingly.

At last Damon dropped Elena’s hands abruptly. "I went in as far as I could. You should know how far that is,"he added to Stefan. "She’s sound, her nose is wet, and her coat is shiny."

Stefan looked as if he were going to smack him one, but Elena took his hand soothingly. "I’m healthy,"she said. "So that’s two votes for me going on to save Fel ‘s Church."

"I’ve always believed in you,"Stefan said. "If you think you can go on, you can go on."

Bonnie sniffled. "Just don’t take any more chances, okay?"she said. "You scared me."

"I’m real y sorry,"Elena said gently, feeling the void of Meredith’s absence. Meredith would be a great help to both of them now. "So, shal we continue? And where are we heading? I’m al turned around."

Damon stood. "I think we just keep in a straight line. The path is narrow after this – and who knows what the next trial is?"

The path was narrow – and misty. Just as before, it started in filmy veils and ended up blinding them. Elena let Stefan, with his catlike reflexes, go first, and she held on to his pack.

Behind her, Bonnie clung like a burr. Just when Elena thought she was going to scream if she had to keep traveling through the white blanket any farther, it cleared.

They were near the top of some mountain.

Elena took off after Bonnie, who had hurried ahead at the sight of transparent air. She was just fast enough to grab on to Bonnie’s pack and pul her backward as she reached the place where the land stopped.