Chapter 21:

Tear me apart and boil my bones

I'll not rest 'til she's lost her throne

My aim is true, my message is clear

It's curtains for you, Elizabeth my dear

"If I found The Right Words To Say" Snow Patrol

A week passed at Agnes' cottage. For the most part it was an uneventful week. Elizabeth helped Agnes with various chores around the house. They went into town a couple of times for various reasons and for the most part Elizabeth tried to stay out of the girl's way. And it rained constantly.

Elizabeth hadn't seen Death since the picnic, nor had she seen any sign of the auditors or Jerimoth (They, however, saw quite a lot of her), or, for that matter the Death of Rats and the raven. She was partially relieved about the latter. She spent most of the time drawing or playing cards and had to admit that it was sort of dull. This wasn't to say that she prefered the alternative.

It was reaching dusk and the rain had finally stopped in Lancre...which was a rare thing according to Agnes. Elizabeth was outside the girl's cottage sitting on a fallen tree. She was sketching a part of the forest without any real conviction. The young witch was collecting herbs from her garden for a remedy being made for chronic headaches. It was going to a woman in Mad Stoat with seven kids. Agnes had said that it wasn't the actual remedy that did the trick, so much as the mandatory resting period after taking it. Apparently it worked perfectly.

She extended her arm and closed one eye carefully, turning her piece of graphite vertically and horizontally a couple of times before returning to her drawing.

"Why do artists do that?" Said a voice from behind her. Elizabeth blinked and turned. Susan was standing a few feet away and crossing her arms. Elizabeth wondered vaguely if Susan knew that she shared some of her Grandfather's habits, such as sneaking up behind someone soundlessly and speaking without concerning over their nerves.

"Oh…hello Susan." She said, staggered. "It's for measurement."

"Oh, really, I always thought artists did it to look important." Susan said as she took a few steps forward. She was dressed in a severe gray dress. The neck came all the way up to her chin and the skirt went down to her ankles. It was as dull as any piece of clothing could be, and yet, somehow, it didn't manage to abate Susan's façade. "Has my grandfather been any trouble?"

"No…things have been better." Elizabeth responded. "How does squinting at things make someone look important?" Susan shrugged, as she looked at Elizabeth's drawing. It wasn't bad. But if someone were to be shown this drawing and then the painting of her grandfather they would never have guessed it was from the same person. This was merely…above average. It was nothing particularly astounding. Whereas, that painting had been brilliant. Susan wondered vaguely why this was.

"I haven't seen him since he asked me to check on you. Things have been…normal have they? And I ask this in the full knowledge that my grandfather is involved. I mean aside from him." Elizabeth smiled a little.

"I know about the auditors now, you don't have to be vague about it. Other then them, a dead man tried to kill me…but I'm not to sure what qualifies as normal anymore."

"A dead man?"

"They hired him, I think."

"That probably doesn't count as normal. Do you know why the aditors are after you?"

"Yes." She said. "He told me.."

"Granddad got me involved the last time they tried something like this."

"What did they do?" Elizabeth asked, while setting her pencil down.

"They tried to stop time. They got…well...a boy…to make a clock that ticked with the universe. But no one can do that so the clock would get stuck and time would stop." Susan had blushed slightly before the pause when she'd said boy. Three streaks appeared on her cheek as if she'd been struck and she glanced away for a moment. Elizabeth wasn't good at anything to do with relationships, but staying with Mrs. Ogg had already left a lasting impression, as well as an ability to recognize embarrassment. Especially the sort that it was best not to pursue upon. In any case, Susan continued hurriedly to avoid questions.

"And then of course, there was the incident with the Hogfather."

"Hogfather?" Elizabeth said, looking slightly puzzled.

"You know about him I imagine?" Susan said with her brow raised.

"Yes. I got the whole talk when I was seven about him and the tooth fairy and the Soul Cake Duck…"

"…And Death?"

"Well no…not too many parents sit their children down to tell them there's no Death…but I get your point." Elizabeth said with slight fascination.

"Right…he exists. The auditors tried to get rid of him to do away with human belief."

"Really? How can you kill a mythological figure?" Elizabeth asked, while, in the privacy of her own mind, she went through all of the make believe characters she'd ever been told of. She wasn't sure that, at her age, she could start believing in things like the tooth fairy again.

"Lack of belief. Granddad doesn't have to worry about it because it's very hard to stop believing in Death." Susan said. "In any case, I had to chase down the assassin they hired to do the job, while he played at Hogfather. He told me not to get involved but when Death comes down the chimney it's hard to go back to bed and pretend nothing's happened." Elizabeth was staring at her.

"Sorry…he was what?" Elizabeth asked with her eyebrows raised.

"He said that someone had to keep it going…" Susan said with a sigh. "I was pretty upset about that."

"Gods…did it work?" Elizabeth asked, while trying to imagine Death doing the Hogfather's job. She found her imagination shut down out of protection.

"Well…he was wearing a false beard…and had a cushion stuffed up his shirt…and Albert makes a horribly unconvincing elf…but…I suppose he wasn't as bad as you'd think he would be." Susan said after a moment of thought. "Disregarding the jolly laugh."

"I should think it would be a disaster."

"Well, he means well…but…if you haven't already noticed he does get a bit…carried away with ideas." Elizabeth nodded…then, after a moment she smiled. "And if you haven't then you will. I suppose asking you to marry him what one of those things. He thought he ought to because that's what people do and now he hasn't the slightest idea what to do next."

"I've noticed." She said. "The other day he took me on a picnic." Susan rolled her eyes.

"Do you know anyone who actually does that? Aside from soppy people, who are playing at romance? He doesn't understand why things like that don't work."

"No." Elizabeth said, still smiling. "He doesn't." Susan eyed Elizabeth, and then looked away with some embarrassment. After a few moments of silence she cleared her throat.

"Anyways…I should go." Susan said finally, while feeling slightly awkward. She wasn't used to people who wore a look of warmth while thinking of her grandfather. "Er…I suppose I'll check on you again in a week or so." Elizabeth nodded, while snapping out of whatever thoughts had been occupying her mind.

"Don't bother if you're busy. He's got that bird and the rat checking on me as it is, and the witches…and he's been around a lot more lately…I'm sure he wouldn't mind. "

"…Right…well…we'll see." Susan said.

XXX

Later that evening or perhaps, very early the next morning, Sunashine was sitting on a damp hill ouside of Agnes' cottage. The rain over the last week had made the forest a miserable stopping place. Jerimoth had found something to cover the poison. The vat was currently sitting several feet from the auditor, who was trying to ignore it.

Sunshine found it was hard to be attentive when it was raining. It really put a damper on everything. It was still somewhat chilly, but at least it wasn't quite as wet.

He sighed and leaned against a tree and wondered about mortality. It was beginning to occur to him that when this was all over he probably wouldn't be allowed to remain. It would be the most sensible decision for the auditors to make. Somehow this didn't seem a good enough reason anymore. It was funny. It used to be. Now other things aside from sense seemed to matter.

It was a little after midnight and the cottage was dark. Jerimoth had gone off a while ago…Sunshine couldn't remember what he'd said he'd be doing. The man had asked him to remain and watch. He wasn't sure what he was watching for…perhaps anything. Death's wife had gone to sleep hours ago, as did the young witch.

"Looks like it'll start raining again tomorrow. Clouds building up." Sunshine jumped slightly as Jerimoth came up behind him. "Probably wont get another clear day for a week or two. If we're going to do this soon, it had better be tonight."

"Tonight!?" Sunshine asked, a little squeakily. He had wanted it to happen soon only...now...seemed rather too soon. "Does it matter if it's raining?"

"Yeah." Jerimoth said as he sat down. "We're burning the sedative. The rain'll wash it out."

"What happened to waiting for the perfect moment?"

"Well, I don't want to wait for it while she's back with that old witch. I think this is the perfect moment…didn't say it'd be significant. It's not raining, she's with the most inexperienced hag and all of the poison and stuff is ready. No time like the present. We'll use the sleeping stuff on the old witch. I don't want to use it on her. I want her to be completely unconcious."

"Will it work on the witch?"

"Should. We'll get Mrs. Death out of the cottage before we try anything…and this time we'll watch out for witches...and brooms…I don't need another hole in my back. I'm dead but I'd prefer to remain mostly whole."

Sunshine, who had other things on his mind, turned away and watched a firefly as it landed on a nearby tree. Once he would have thought of it as an insignificant nothing, not even worth acknowledging. Now he wondered what it was like...being so small and surrounded by darkness.

"Jerimoth?" He asked after a while.

Jerimoth grunted in response.

"What's it like, dying?" The zombie seemed to give this due consideration as he eyed the quiet house.

"Well it aint like going to sleep. That's just what people say to make themselves feel better." He said finally. Sunshine nodded, though, he did not know what people said. "'S very uncomfortable. Totally confusing…course, I was half unconscious and hallucinating at the time. Then suddenly at the very end everything's clear…and then there's just nothing." Sunshine, unlike most mortals knew what nothing was…it was both a reassuring and terrifying thought.

"How'd you die?" He asked to avoid further thought on that subject. The Zombie smiled without humor.

"Deadly Nightshade. Take it from me, she's in for some hell. You know, there's a story that says that some mythological mad women took the stuff before they ripped people to shreds…They were the god of wine's followers, or something. Then there's another rumor that witches take it to have sex with demons…demons always come in there somewhere with witches…shows you how stupid people are. Your basic witch only uses a demon if she wants a question answered...I heard once one witch called on one every time she couldn't find her glasses."

"What?" Sunshine asked, unable to follow on that stream of dialogue. Auditor's cared nothing for stories or rumors, only reality, so he wasn't really sure what Jerimoth was talking about. The man went on in any case.

"Stories make things sound so interesting…and romantic. In real life if you take belladonna your skin just gets really hot and dry and your thirsty and you can hear…I mean actually hear your heartbeat. Then it's like being delirious…like having fits."

"How did you get poisoned?" Sunshine asked, while moving a little away from the suddenly menacing vat.

"I ate about thirty berries with this bitch. We had delusions of eternity…you know…because of stories…really we were trying to…I dunno get back at our families. It was stupid. Ha! Eternity is right. Eternally dead wasn't really what I had in mind. But that's what stories and desire does to you…its stops you from thinking clear."

"Did she die?" Sunshine asked, fascinated despite himself.

"No…she lost her nerve and ran back into town. They were able to give her something to evacuate her stomach."

"Oh." Sunshine expected that there was something else there to say…but whatever it was it was a human thing and he didn't understand it.

"It was her idea too. I went along with it. I always did. I couldn't say no to her." Jerimoth was staring off into the distance as if looking at a different time. Finally his eyes cleared and he sighed. "No one really knows what they want. Desire, that's what humanity is all about. Desire and then death. And everyone gets fucked in the end."

"Yes…you humans do seem to want a lot. I always thought it was sloppy thinking…but I believe it's built in…like breathing."

"It's both." Jerimoth said. "I've spent my death seein it. Desire at it's simplest form. You know sometimes…right before my clients pay…you can see the understanding in their eyes when they realize that their giving up more then their getting. Course some of em are mad to the end." Sunshine didn't say anything. There was no emotion in Jerimoth's voice. He spoke about people like they were a particularly interesting form of rock to be studied and taken apart. Well…really he spoke about them the way auditors did…but perhaps with a more knowledge base understanding.

Or perhaps not.

There was a long silence, and then Jerimoth spoke again and it was broken.

"We'll need to find some dry wood."

"Very well." Sunshine said. Suddenly stuff like the rain didn't seem so bad, or the chill in the air. It was amazing…death was just the expiration of meaningless rubbish, an end of chemicals and matter…and yet…at the same time it also was like the end of the world…Suddenly…Sunshine wanted to be able to feel the rain and the cold and the dry heat for a lot longer.

XXX

Elizabeth slept, unaware of what the rest of the night would bring.

In her dreams Elizabeth stood on the edge of her canyon and looked over at the earthy colors, encompassed by the many shadows. The crevice looked much deeper then it would have in real life.

It must be some sort of universal law. Elizabeth thought. Deep things always look deeper when your dreaming.

She drew nearer to the edge and looked into the darkness. It had a sucking quality that made her eyeballs itch.

Her shirt, oversized, as usual, flapped around her in the wind. She was cold, but in an odd way. It seemed a warm enough night and the wind was the sort that generally sapped one of the moisture on their lips and tongue. It was more like being cold on the inside, in an infuriating way that could not be avoiding.

Elizabeth looked up at the stars and noticed that they were strange. They weren't the constellations of the Disc. They were alien and the horizon was filled with a bizarre spectrum of colors. In the distance something seemed to erupt. Elizabeth watched all of this solemnly. It would have been beautiful if it weren't so cold.

She felt weight on her shoulder and a brief chill. She turned and looked up into Death's dark cowl as he placed his arm across her shoulders carefully. She drew a little nearer to look up into his hood.

"Where are we?" She asked. Beneath her feet she could swear that she felt sand in between her toes, which was odd, since the only thing near her canyon as far as she knew was overgrown grass and weeds.

YOU ARE ONLY PARTLY HERE. YOUR MIND HAS TAKEN YOU TO A PLACE THAT YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH.

"This is a dream." Elizabeth said. "Right?" Elizabeth asked while looking around. It didn't feel like a dream. That is, the canyon was appropriately deep and it was unsettling, but it also felt too real. It almost felt more real then reality did.

YES. IN A WAY, IT IS A DREAM.

"But in a way it isn't. Why are we here?"

I AM HERE BECAUSE YOU ARE HERE. BUT WHY ARE YOU HERE?

"I don't know...I don't know where here is...I..." I'm going to die. The thought came to her with surprising lucidity and she shivered. It was an empty and cold revelation and all by itself in the confines of her mind.

I CANNOT READ YOUR THOUGHTS ELIZABETH. NOT EVEN HERE. He said, and now he seemed slightly anxious.

"Where is here? What is this place?" Elizabeth asked.

IT IS THE DESERT. THE PLACE WHERE PEOPLE GO WHEN THEY END, BEFORE THEY ARRIVE IN THEIR PERSONAL ETERNITY. He sighed and removed Elizabeth's hourglass from his robe. He took his arm from around her shoulders as he did. Elizabeth watched as he undid the chain from his clavicle and for a moment she saw the spidery writing across the brass surface.

"You keep that with you?" She asked, slightly amazed.

YES. She watched him as he stared at it, looking slightly lost.

"Why?" Elizabeth felt a little breathless.

YOU ARE MY WIFE.

"But...I mean...really?"

I FEEL BETTER IF IT IS NEAR.

"Oh..." She looked away with some embarassment.

"This place is awfully bleak..." She said, changing the subject as she looked at the suddenly huge dark and expansive landscape.

THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED.

"Why? Why does it have to be?"

IT WAS DERIVED BY THE MINDS OF MORTALS.

"Figures. When can I leave...when can I wake up?" She said as she watched the horizon solemnly.

THAT IS UP TO YOU.

She allowed the darkness to close in. As she did, she watched the lanscape fade and with it, the glow of Death's eyes and the hissing of the sound of her hourglass. She would forget all about the dream within seconds of waking, but by then, she'd have other stuff to think about anyways.

XXX

Okay, apologies for several reasons. One for how long it took. Writer's block. One for how short the chapter is and one for stopping it here. I didn't want to go onto the next chapter yet because I felt I needed one more filler chapter to wrap up a few things before the end. My guess is that there will be either two or three more chapters after this. Probably three, but if there is the last one wont be very long

Karola: By all means, translate it and share it with you brother. I wish him safety and the best of luck.

Jack Hawksmoor: Lol, I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the compliments.

Lady Tourniquet: Hmmm…no…no I don't. I'd loose a reader if you died. Having said that I imagine I've lengthened your suffering with this chapter. Sorry about that. Thanks for the compliments.

VenG: ) I'm glad you enjoying the story up to this point and thank you.

LoverDoll: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I'm hopeless with all foreign languages. I don't have the patience I think.

Tiamat42: I know your review was for the first chapter and I have no clue where you are in the story, but I suppose you'll read this when you read it. I don't think nyone would be immediately fine with marrying Death. Thank you very much for your compliments. I always hope to be IC. I'm not sure if this story is as coherent as the first one, but I hop you enjoy it anyways.