“But the book—won’t it give the necromancer more strength?”
Daniel lifted one shoulder. “We’re going to hold off on handing it over as long as we can, but the Dead have all the power right now.”
I screwed my eyes shut and turned away. “Let me help, Daniel.”
“No.” He pressed his palms to his eyes. “Not after... not after the last time.”
“This time I’ll listen,” I pleaded. “I’ll do exactly what you tell me. I learned my lesson.”
He gripped the sides of my face and stared at me, his jaw set. “That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s your safety that bothers me.”
“The Devil take my safety!” I jerked away from him. “Tell me what to do!”
He eyed me for several breaths. Then he slowly nodded. “All right... I’ll send you to do my job—to retrieve the hidden book— but I can’t come with you. My first priority is to make pulse bombs—now. D’you know where George Washington’s camp trunk is?”
“Th-that’s in the Government Building.”
“Right, and the book is hidden in that trunk in the Government Building. So, you take that”—he pointed to a baseball bat leaning next to the lab door—“and go get the book. Then you take it to Joseph at Agricultural Hall.”
I pushed back my shoulders. “Yes.”
“And you run, Eleanor, d’you understand? Run as fast as you can until you reach the Government Building. And if you see a corpse, beat the hell out of its knees and then keep on running. If there are too many Dead for you to get through, then you come straight back to me. None of your stupid bravery, got it?”
“Yes.”
He reached across the table and plucked up the brass goggles. “Take these, and wear them any time you’re indoors.”
“Why?” Icy fear clutched at me. “Is the spirit here?”
“Could be. This is its kind of party, don’t you think? And if it can still jump between worlds, well... you need these to see it when it hides in the spirit realm.” He shoved the lenses into my hands. “We’ve been trying to learn all we can about that spirit, but we haven’t found a damn thing. For whatever reason, it hasn’t made any more appearances since Thursday. I reckon it’s waiting for the perfect moment.”
“The perfect moment for what?”
“For getting that grimoire.” He pointed to the goggles. “Put ’em on. Get to the book. And go to Joseph.”
I nodded and slipped on the goggles. “Thanks.” Then, before my mind and my fears could stop me, I raced from the lab.
I crept through Machinery Hall, clutching the baseball bat. The goggles were heavy on my nose and shrouded the exhibits in murky darkness. When I had entered, I had been too rushed, too desperate to notice that everything in the hall was different. No people spoke, no engines whirred.
During a normal day one’s footsteps went unheard, but now the high-ceilinged hall echoed with each click of my heels. The exhibits, the machines, and the looming Corliss engine were no longer feats of man’s ingenuity but places for the Dead to hide.
At last I reached the north exit with no sign of the spirit. Zooming into the hot sun, I shoved the goggles into my pocket and let my eyes adjust. A scan of the Exhibition grounds showed chaos.
Black smoke billowed, and flames flew at the firemen. The burning state buildings. And far in the distance, Agricultural Hall reached to the sky like a cathedral. Its gothic spires and stained glass windows were just visible above the trees and buildings before it.
I could see a long line of figures, and though these beings were too distant to clearly discern, I knew they were the Dead. With my skirts in one hand and the bat in the other, I kicked up my feet and ran toward the main road.
I reached the ice-water fountain in the middle of Belmont Avenue, and dashed around its white pavilion before skidding to a stop. There it was: an endless row of putrid corpses strung down an intersecting avenue. The smell of decay burst into my nostrils.
Like Daniel had said, the bodies simply stood. They were unmoving sentinels covered in buzzing, hungry flies. I marched onward and searched for a gap between them. There was none, so I chose the closest, most decrepit body in the wall as my target. I hefted the bat high and darted forward.
It was like a trigger went off once I got close. The corpses nearest me convulsed to life. Their decomposed limbs lifted, and they lurched at me.
I filled my lungs with air and focused on my target—a skinless skeleton held together by gristle. I swung back, and with a full-forced exhale, I let the bat fly for the skeleton’s knees.