Book Five: Chapter 49

“You’re going to kill him?” Beth asked incredulously.

“Certainly, not! I cannot go around harming mortals, it’s poor manners.” He took off his earmuffs and pulled up his hood. “I merely intend to displace his soul for a moment. It won’t cause permanent damage, but he will likely lose consciousness.”

“Be careful,” Lily warned while holding up her arm. “We don’t know what we’re up against.”

“What do you think will happen?” He placed his hand on the knob of the door. “Do you suppose I will arrive to collect myself?”

He stood there, waiting for a reaction. When none came, he chattered his teeth comically, opened the door, and went outside. Death went halfway across the yard before he stopped and stuck the butt of his scythe into the ground. His eyes blazed with light as he waved a hand around, his mouth moving. Beth, watching through the window, could only pick up bits of what he was saying.

Lily had pressed her ear to the glass of the window. Her face was