The graveyard.

The tombstones here were so old and faded hardly one name in three could be read. The girl--for William saw now she was a girl, perhaps only 18--put a finger to her lips to indicate silence and then raised her lantern higher, leading him into the fog-wrapped graveyard. William hesitated, and then chided himself; he had nothing to fear from some old bones and a slip of a girl out passed her bedtime. Still, the cemetery was an eerie place when the fog transformed the tilted old stones into black and featureless silhouettes. The girl led him into one mausoleum in particular, where the gate had long since rusted away, and she hung her lantern from a hook in the ceiling. The smell of grave mold tickled William's nostrils. Turning to him she said, "You have business with Frankenstein."

"How do you know?"

"You asked questions too freely in town. Word spreads fast. I know why you're here, and I also know about this." She touched his wrist, where a five-sided scar lay hidden in his sleeve. "The mark of the werewolf."

William's hackles went up and he had to bite back the urge to kill her on the spot. Even now he bared his teeth and growled.

"You'll find nothing in doctor's lair except ****, but I can get you what you're here for."

"And who the hell are you anyway?"

"My name is Ilonka. I'm Romni. The doctor's curse falls heavily on us; we've lived in fear of his monsters and experiments for years. With your help we'll be rid of him once and for all. And in exchange, I'll give you this."

From a loose stone she retrieved something wrapped in an oily rag, which she revealed to be a crystal phial filled with milky fluid. William's eyes lit up; the tanna leaf potion! He thrust out a paw. "Give it to me." Seeing her ****, he thrust his hand further. "I have to know if it's real." She handed the bottle to him and he unstopped it, inhaling. A rich smell, like ambergris, wafted out. Just like the Countess said, there was no faking the real thing. He looked at the girl, feeling doubtful. "Where did you get it?"

"Years ago my father dared to steal from Frankenstein's lab. The doctor's **** cost him his life, but Frankenstein never recovered what he lost. Now it can be yours."

"What do you want for it?"

She stood up straighter. "A child."

William scoffed.

"You have the curse of the werewolf. Any baby gotten by you will have it to."

"Exactly the problem."

"I'll raise him to be our champion and protector. We need never fear the doctor's monster again."

William turned his back to her. "You don't know what you're asking."

"That's my price," Ilonka said. "Do we have a deal? Or don't we?"

William's mind raced. If she wanted to bring this on herself, who was he to stop her? Then again, why should he do anything she says at all? After all, he already had what he came for...