CHAPTER 213

"What do you want me to do?" Beth asked.

"Point your dick at that windmill motherfucker!"

Beth held up the dick of Osiris like a wand, but nothing happened. She wondered if she should cast a spell out of it when Cerberus appeared from the mists. All three heads roared and sent hellfire into Mehkhkahrel, scorching his already blackened wings and diverting its attention. Over by the house, Murray was staggering to his feet, his clothing similarly scorched.

"Shit!" Beth stuck the "wand" in her pocket and looked around. The sword was nearby, but she wouldn't be able to reach the angel with it. What was she supposed to do?

"No!" Death's sudden cry shocked her, and she turned to see that he was staring directly at Mike, one bony hand outstretched toward the Caretaker. "Please, stop! He's my friend! HE'S MY FRIEND!"

Beth picked up the sword and ran to the Grim Reaper's aid. She knew that nobody could lift War's sword, but Famine's scales had fared poorly against the sharp edge of her blade. Was her blade sharp enough to break apart War's weapon?

She swung the sword hard, driving it deep into War's blade and showering the ground with sparks. The first swing didn't do the trick, but it sank in a few inches. She hacked away at War's weapon, less than a foot over Death's torso. The tip of her sword snapped off, but she kept hitting, sweat pouring down her face and into her eyes.

Asterion appeared, hefting his battleaxe. Seeing what she was up to, he struck the blade from the other side. His axe cracked, so he grabbed onto the hilt of the blade and pulled sideways in an attempt to widen the gap.

"C'MON!" Beth screamed as she used what was left of her magic sword to sever the base of War's blade. Lily and Suly helped Asterion, pulling the sword sideways to make a notch for Beth to focus her efforts on. An eerie light formed over the surface of War's weapon that seemed to weaken in intensity every time she struck a blow.

Screaming in rage, she swung one more time. A blast of light knocked her onto her butt and the others away as War's blade toppled to the ground and sent a cloud of dust into the air.

Death rose from the ground, the blade snapping open on his scythe as fury manifested in his eyes. He swung his blade, emitting a black wave of force that severed several of Mehkhkahrel's wings. The angel fell from the sky, landing hard on the ground while its eyes all looked around in panic.

Cerberus pounced on the angel, all three heads ripping flesh free and filling the air with scorched angel feathers.

"Can that thing even die?" Beth asked.

"All things die," Death replied, then turned his attention to Murray. "Especially you."

Murray's eyes went wide in shock, but he turned his attention toward Mike. Mike was on the ground, his free hand clutching his chest as if in agony. Murray grinned and closed his eyes.

"Stop him!" Beth cried. "He's trying to possess Mike!"

Murray let out a cry of agony and clutched at his face.

"Didn't expect to meet that many people inside my head, did you, asshole?" Mike stood, tears in his eyes. The ferocity there was terrifying to behold as he walked over, his magic gathering behind him. "That beating they gave you was just the beginning. Where I am weak, they are strong. Where you are alone, we are many."

Mike's magic unfolded behind him like a pair of wings, and Murray stared in wonderment. The shimmering wings burst into tiny motes of light, revealing the looming specter of Death himself with fire in his eyes and grim determination on his jaw.

Death dashed past Mike and stabbed his bony fingers into Murray's eyes, causing him to scream. Light emerged from Murray's open mouth as Death stretched a diaphanous substance out of Murray, then ripped it free. Murray collapsed on the ground without a mark on his body as the filmy substance took form.

It was a woman with golden skin and a crown on her head. She stumbled around, staring at her translucent hands in disbelief.

"No," she whispered, then looked at the others. Her face distorted, revealing Murray's twisted features beneath the surface as his soul fought to break free. Sickly clouds of light swirled around her as she regained her composure and pointed a gnarled finger at Mike. "NO!"

When she raised her hands, dark clouds formed at their feet. Beth watched in awe as the spell fizzled, due to the thorned, bony whip that had encircled Nesferisfet and now pinned her arms in place.

"Hurts, doesn' it?" Suly yanked Nesferisfet off her feet, causing her to fall to the ground. "Sorry I lost my head fer a bit. I'm ready to contribute now."

Beth smiled. "You contributed plenty," she told him, then planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Are the others inside?" Mike asked with a raspy voice, his features pale. It looked like he had run a marathon, his cheeks sunken in. "Nobody died?"

"Yeah, we're all here. Except..." Beth turned her attention out into the fog. It took her a few minutes of looking, but she found Opal's core where Lily had thrown it. The vial vibrated lightly in her hands as if saying hello, and she sighed in relief. "Now we're all here."

Mike nodded, then sank to the ground. "That's great news," he told her, then looked up at the house. "Hey, the roof is intact. Not bad for your second time house sitting."

"Kids got rowdy," she replied, then sat down next to him. "Threw an unexpected party. You okay?"

"Nope." He pulled a pair of dogtags out of his shirt and gazed at them in awe. "But I will be."

"I hate to interrupt your circle jerk," Lily interjected, her face stuck in a frown. "But how the hell are we getting the house home?"