Free Petrified by Graham Masterton Page B

water-spitters?’ Nathan replied. ‘Yes, of course I do. That’s the German word for gargoyles.’
    â€˜But how much do you really know about them? The gargoyles?’
    â€˜Not a whole lot, I guess. I know that there was a whole plague of them in Europe in the early part of the fourteenth century. They slaughtered sheep and cattle mainly, but they also killed quite a few people, didn’t they? Especially little children.’
    â€˜Aha! They killed more than “quite a few”, Professor. It was many hundreds of people, probably thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, all across the Netherlands and Germany and Poland and as far east as Russia.’
    â€˜I didn’t know that. I’ve never seen anything about it in any of my textbooks.’
    â€˜That is because nobody would openly say the name of the Wasserspeier out loud, for fear that the gargoyles would hear them, and come after them seeking retribution. Gargoyles were said to have unnaturally sensitive hearing. Nobody would even dare to write the name down for fear that they would pick up the scratching of the word Wasserspeier with a pen – not that many people could write in those days, only monks. It took my father many years to find out how many thousands of people they massacred, the Wasserspeier . But – as you probably do know – they disappeared from the face of the earth quite suddenly. In less than a year, almost all of the gargoyles were gone.’
    Nathan finished his beer and slowly crushed the can in his fist. ‘That was round about thirteen fifty-something, wasn’t it, from what I read? Nobody knows why they disappeared – not for sure, anyhow.’
    â€˜There are many conflicting explanations,’ Theodor Zauber agreed. ‘But most religious historians agree that they were finally purged by a select band of priests known as the Bruderschaft der Reinheit – the Brotherhood of Purity.’
    â€˜Really? Who were they?’
    â€˜They were all experienced exorcists, of different nationalities, twenty-one of them in all. They were dispatched by the Vatican to travel from country to country, hunting down the Wasserspeier one by one and sending the demons who possessed them back to hell.’
    â€˜Great idea, a posse of exorcists,’ said Nathan. ‘Personally I prefer Doctor Jacob Lenz’s theory. He thinks the Wasserspeier died out because they contracted a highly-infectious strain of diphtheria which was not particularly harmful to humans but which was fatal to gargoyles. Pretty much like the Martians in The War of the Worlds .’
    â€˜Yes, I am aware of Doctor Lenz’s theory.’
    Nathan was getting up from his chair to fetch himself another can of pale ale. ‘You don’t sound very convinced.’
    â€˜Doctor Lenz is highly regarded and his theory is very plausible. In fact it is much more plausible than what really happened. But what really happened was an extraordinary combination of science and religion and some thaumaturgy, too – what your man in the street would call black magic.’
    â€˜Go on.’
    â€˜I don’t know if I should. And if you knew what this was leading to, maybe you shouldn’t ask me to.’
    Grace came in from the kitchen. ‘Everything OK, darling? Would you like another beer?’
    â€˜I was just about to get myself one.’
    â€˜That’s OK, I’ll do it. Mr Zauber? Would you care for a drink? How about something to eat? I could make you a sandwich. I have cheese, or baloney.’
    â€˜I think a glass of water please. But, no, no sandwich, danke sehr . I have to observe strictly my special diet.’
    Theodor Zauber waited until Grace had left the room and then he said, ‘My father discovered that the Brotherhood of Purity included more than exorcists. It was led by Bishop Bodzanta from Kraków, who was a fierce opponent of all kinds of corruption and debauchery,