He closed his eyes. "It means the Enshi can destroy your soul. If it does that, you're done. You won't pass on and you won't ever come back. You're gone."

I tried to keep my racing heart calm. "I won't come back?"

He gave a single shal ow nod. "That's got to be why Bastian wants it so badly."

My mouth dried instantly. I would be gone? That would mean I'd never be reincarnated again. I'd never go to Heaven. I'd never see Wil or Nathaniel or my mom and nana again. There was no way I could al ow myself to just end like that. There was too much at stake, too much left for me to do, for me to just die and be gone. I didn't want to end.

"Then we need to kil this thing before it wakes up," I said breathlessly.

"We don't know how," Wil urged. "I don't want to do anything that might make it wake up."

"Can't we just nuke it?" I asked. "Not like popcorn in a microwave, I mean like a bomb." I spread my hands wide and made a pathetic exploding sound. "A big one. You two seem like resourceful guys. I'm sure you could get one."

Nathaniel shook his head. "I don't have access to nuclear weapons, unfortunately."

"Oh, idea!" I chirped. "What if we chained it up good and tight and dropped it off in the middle of the ocean? Al that pressure would crush the box, wouldn't it?"

Nathaniel shrugged and blinked. "That's actual y not a bad idea And I don't believe any non-magical force could resurrect the Enshi."

"Where would we get a boat to do this?" Wil asked.

"I can try to arrange that," Nathaniel said. "Now El ie, there's something I need you to do. You can feel what's inside, right?"

I nodded, not sure I liked where this was heading.

"Lauren can feel it too. She is a clairsentient, meaning she's able to know things by touching objects and would be able to tel if there's a connection between you and the Enshi."

I looked at her and she nodded. "What good wil that do?"

"I need to know what you're feeling," she said, "not just what I sense from the sarcophagus." Lauren stepped toward me and took my hand. She pul ed me toward the box and motioned for me to lay my fingers on the lid. I jerked back, afraid.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to touch it," I said, looking anxiously at Wil . His expression was calm but serious.

"Touching is okay," Lauren assured me. "I need to ignite a reaction, and whatever is inside likes you . . . a lot. So please, just touch it. It won't bite, I promise."

Her smile didn't help me feel better. Tentatively, I brushed the lid with my fingers and felt the instant response. The voice in my head grew louder for a moment, and I could have sworn I heard it gasp on contact. Electricity pumped through the stone into my skin, and I wanted to pul away, but Lauren grabbed my hand and held it stil .

"What are you doing?" I asked when she didn't let me go.

"I--"

I shut up when I saw Lauren's face. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes had rol ed into the back of her head until only bright white orbs were visible. At that moment I tried to yank away, but her grip was as strong as a reaper's. Power leaked from the sarcophagus, oozed from it, and the energy crawled up my fingers through my arm and into Lauren. Her body jerked once and she released me. She staggered back, and I jumped away.

"What was that?" I demanded, putting a hand to my chest to quiet my racing heartbeat. Wil protectively pul ed me close to him and took my hand to make sure I was unharmed. Lauren backed away, resting against a bent steel column, breathing heavily. Her eyes had returned to normal, but I could tel she was petrified. "This is bad," she whispered. Wil stepped forward and let my hand go. "How bad?

What did you feel?"

"The Enshi," Lauren breathed. "I could hear it screaming in there, fil ing my head with these horrid shrieks. The Preliator's presence is driving it mad. Just that little touch sent it in a frenzy."

"A good frenzy?" I asked, hoping that it was perhaps afraid of me.

"No," she said, shaking her head slowly. "That wasn't fear. It wants you. It needs you. It's screaming your name, and its power is huge--like a black void, a bottomless pit of death and despair. It's so dark in there, so dark and hungry. Nathaniel, I've never felt anything like this. You have to destroy it. You can't let the Enshi wake. You can't let Bastian get ahold of it."

My body shook with fear. Lauren's terror was plain to al of us. I could feel the Enshi in there, but not the way Lauren did.

"Do you know what we're dealing with?" Wil asked, his voice dark.

"It's old," she said, her eyes frozen on the sarcophagus.

"Older than Bastian, older than the Preliator, older than the sarcophagus it's trapped in. It's so old, it just feels empty. Like a black hole."

"Is it a real soul reaper?" I asked. "Is that true? Can it destroy my soul?"

"That's possible," she said. "Don't touch it anymore. I think El ie's presence might be enough to wake it if she were around the sarcophagus for too long. Perhaps even a touch in the wrong place might do it."

Confusion spread over me. "But I thought you said touching was harmless?"

Her eyes snapped to mine, her voice sharp and cold.

"Don't touch it."

I nodded. No way was I going to argue with her.