“She is in the observatory, we must hurry,” he tells him, wrenching open the door of the main lift and beckoning him in. “Come on, man, there is no time to lose.” As the elevator whirs its way upward Bram tries to explain what has happened, though he finds it hard to believe his own words as he hears them spoken aloud. He reminds himself that none of it will seem so fantastical to Louis, for Louis is, after all, a witch, like Lilith. When they get to the door of the observatory, he pauses. “I must warn you, Harcourt, it is … shocking … to see her like this.”

Louis nods curtly, and the two go inside.

Lilith is just as Bram left her, lying on the chaise longue, looking heartbreakingly serene and beautiful. Bram hears Louis gasp at the sight of her, his hand flying to his mouth. Bram stands beside him. “She … she told me the Great Secret,” he says.

“You?” Louis is incredulous. “But…”

“There was no one else. She knew she was dying. She was frantic at the thought she would take the knowledge with her to her grave.”

“She could have told me afterward, though I can’t expect you to understand that. She could have come to me as a spirit and told me.”

“For pity’s sake, I don’t know why she told me. Perhaps she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to come back … that you wouldn’t be able to reach her. I don’t know, I don’t know! All I do know is that she trusted me to tell you, and I will, but you must promise me one thing first.”

“How can you stand there and strike bargains? How can you think about making gains for yourself when Lilith lies here…” He cannot bring himself to name her state.

“I want nothing for myself,” Bram says. “I want you to use the Elixir. Use it on Lilith.”

“What!?”

“You can save her. You are a senior witch. You know the spells, she told me all the senior witches learn them. I have the Elixir.” He thrusts the box into Louis’s hands.

“But such a thing is forbidden. And anyway, to attempt such a thing alone would be folly of the highest order.”

“For pity’s sake, Harcourt, think of Lilith.”

“You don’t understand. I’ve never … what you ask is beyond anything I have ever done. It is far from simple, and success is far from certain.”