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Instead of answering ain"

When he opened his door, I was a total Looky Lou, but he didn’t invite , Eves "Can I corieved air, he turned and walked in Taking that as a "sure," I followed, shutting the door in Cyclops’s face

Death sat behind his oversize desk, which was covered eathered scrolls From the looks of it, before I’d interrupted he’d been deep in the study ofsolass

Like Jack, Death drank spirits Unlike Jack, he shot vodka

Without a word to me, Death rolled up the scrolls When he didn’t offerHe had talls of bookshelves that stretched froer over a line of spines, noting the age of the books All collector’s editions, no doubt Most of the titles were in foreign languages, what looked like Greek and Latin, so on one wall Behind his desk, a bank of Gothic s arched high--the ones I’d seen hi out of

On either side of the s stood display cabinets filled with unusual objects Four kingly scepters lay on one shelf The sa about the room screamed wealth and taste Yet all his possessions were ns of life The crowns had once been worn The swords had once been wielded Those dusty books had once been unread, untapped, filled with mystery

Was this the existence Death wanted? The sanctuary he craved? I pictured hi his lifeless collections As on the riverbank, I felt a confusing pang of pity "So you collect swords and books andcrowns?"

"Ahts?" The room was lit with candles "How can you read like this?"

As if his reply had been dragged froht If you must know, it makes the words morealive"

"Death wants the words to be alive? Cats and dogs living together, huh?" Yet his comment made me look at his room anew Maybe he didn’t prefer this cold, solitary existence Maybe he was trapped like this

Maybe Death wished he could dream in color

His eyes narrowed "What do you want?"

"To talk" Before he could kick me out, I sat in one of the plush chairs in front of his desk I was playing with fire, irritating this ht to my neck Some femme fatale

Even he frowned at my actions "As I’ve told you, I will not touch you like that You’ve nothing to fear from me on that score"

"But on another score, I’et this out of the way: is tonight the night you killbolder, I said, "So what are those scrolls about?"

"Chronicles froame," he said "Details aboutcertain players"

"Anything you want to share?" At his annoyed expression, I said, "You have all the advantages over the rest of us, don’t you? A fortress, supplies, insight into the game, and hand-picked allies who don’t seem to care that you’ll kill the

He still hadn’t kickedto another? "So what does vodka taste like? I’ve never had it" At his disbelieving look, I reminded him, "I’m sixteen I hail from a land of bourbon and beer"

As if he couldn’t help hilass froht vodka

I stared at the clear liquid he set down in front of ht? When I raisedwith his own shot hoas meant to be enjoyed Botto hi at the burn

"Well?" He poured again

Throat on fire, I said, "Don’t kno I lived without it I’ll bet you’ve got bottles and bottles of this stuff--in your bunker beneath the manor"

Stony stare

Undeterred, I asked, "How did you knohen the Flash would be?"

He sank into his leather chair once an to fade, and I started to hear the Arcana calls Those events usually happen just prior to the catastrophe"

"There’s truly one in each game?"

"They’re are all card-the volcano was for the E that card’s powers The Emperor could create mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes, his character as hard and unyielding as the Empress was supposed to be soft and lush

"A shame that you can’t remember your faers had blaht to? In as innocent a tone as I could e, I asked, "Has there been a catastrophe to honor that card, the other one who’s immune to my poison?" I’d tried so hard to reave uess--now it’s the Sun’s turn?"

He nodded "These events have a way of pulling Arcana together and keeping us from the notice of hu boy if bodies are writhing all around one’s feet"

"The field of battle" Just as Matthew had told edies weren’t apocalyptic Why was this one?"

With raised brows, he glanced at asped, winced at the refill

"I believe soed world--the planet, not the card--couldn’t take the sunlight The gods one"

"So we’re chaht? Like you were tapped by a death deity?" A curt nod The idea made me shiver "And what aboutliteral?"

"The gods go by countless names What they’re called is uniifted to you"

"Your Touch-of-Death gift doesn’t seem very fair Is it only in your hands, or is all of your skin deadly?"

Skewering aze, he enunciated the words: "Every last inch of me"

I couldn’t tell if his words held innuendo--or a threat Moving on "What’s your call? How come I never hear it?"