Once Will had returned from the reaper world (with a fully functioning reaper jacket) he easily found the brothers once again. They were all sitting in a tavern admiring their new gifts at a table. Will watched them silently.
Antioch had taken a knife and was whittling his wand into something more decorate. Ignotus was waving his own wand over his jacket, making it appear more as a cloak.
Cadmus, however, was having difficulty. "Damn," He said, staring at the rock Will had given him, "I should have asked him how to use this stupid thing." He lifted it up to eye level and stared into it intently. "You, pebble, give me back Sarah."
Antioch rolled his eyes at his brother. "You're taking that damn thing seriously? Just get rid of it." He knocked the pebble out of his brother's hand and onto the floor.
Cadmus dived after the stone, attracting the looks of several other patrons. He enclosed both hands around the small stone as though his life depended on it and came back to their table. "How can you say you don't take it seriously? You've been oggling that damn thing since you got it."
"What, this?" He said, raising his new wand, "I don't even know if it works yet. For all I know, it's just a branch, I haven't tried it out yet." He motioned with his knife to Cadmus' stone. "That there, though, that will not work. You gotta face it, Cad, there's no bringing back the dead."
Cadmus glared at his brother, but he didn't seem to want to let go of the stone long enough to punch him.
"Why haven't you tried it out yet?" Ignotus asked Antioch.
Antioch shrugged. "Haven't finished making it look pretty. If it is a powerful wand, I'm not going to let it look like it just came off a tree."
Ignotus continued waving his wand over the jacket, which was looking less and less like a jacket by the second. Cadmus continued staring at the stone as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
"Ah, there, see? Isn't that nice?" Antioch held up the wand. It was certainly ornate, exactly the kind of thing Antioch liked. He never did anything halfway, and always needed the grandest of possessions. "Now, let's see if it works!" He pointed it at his glass and gave the wand a swish and flick. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The glass responded so quickly it seemed to hover before Antioch had finished the charm. Cadmus looked amazed, and even Ignotus seemed fairly interested. Antioch smiled as if his most desperate wish had come true.
"Perfect." He said, "Just in time, too."
"In time for what?" Ignotus asked, but as soon as he did, he didn't need an answer. Just at that moment, a tall, bearded wizard walked into the tavern. All three brothers recognized him as Leoamros Urthadar, a fairly powerful wizard, who had beaten Antioch in several duels. Their quarrel began so long ago, neither of them remembered what it was about. Antioch hated him with a passion, but Leoamros had long stopped caring about his old rival.
"Antioch, think about this for a second—" Ignotus urged him.
"Oh, lay off, Iggy." Cadmus said, as he returned his attention to his stone, "If he wants to get himself killed, let him."
"Oh, no." Antioch said, "He's not going to win this time. I'm going to kill him."
"Antioch," Ignotus said, rushing his speech as Leoamros came closer, "you barely managed to get away with your life last time, you might not be so lucky again."
"You sound like mother." Antioch said. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He stood up and blocked Leoamros' path to the bar.
"Excuse me, I came here for a drink." Leoamros said lazily.
"Sorry, I'm not one for fulfilling last requests." Antioch said, his eyes burning.
Leaoamros raised his eyebrow and sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped." With one hand he thrust his wand to curse Antioch out of his way.
Antioch barely had to flick his finger before the wand spun into action. Leoamros' curse was blocked into a nearby table. The glass that was on it exploded into shards of glass and firewhiskey.
Leoamros scowled, but Antioch's smile widened.
Suddenly, the two wizards were flinging curses and spells at each other faster than anyone had ever seen. Many patrons ducked under their tables or ran out the door. The owner cowered in a corner, mumbling "please, good sirs, won't you take this outside?"
"Hi, Will." Will's first reaction was to make sure his invisibility had not failed him again, but then he noticed that Grell Sutcliff had approached him. "I would have thought you would have been off the clock by now."
Will looked his coworker for a moment before answering. He knew he should have been used to Grell's eccentric dress, but why did he feel it necessary to grow his hair out? It was now shoulder length. Will shook his head and returned his attention to the duel. "I'm just doing some follow up. What're you here for?"
"Leoamros Urthadar. He's scheduled to die in a few seconds."
"I wouldn't be too sure, Grell. They're wizar—"
With a flash of green light, Leoamros was knocked to the ground.
"Oooh! Here I go!" Grell said as he lifted his death scythe and tore into Leoamros' chest.
For the rest of the tavern that could not hear Grell's reaping, there was dead silence. Those few that remained looked on Antioch with a mixture of amazement, adoration, and fear.
Antioch raised his wand into the air. "Look at this wand and fear," He announced, "For I have received it from Death himself! While I am in possession of this, I cannot be defeated! I will conquer all!"
There was a round of applause from those in the tavern. Cadmus, stuffing his stone in his pocket, got up to pat his brother on the back. There was an immediate desire among almost all the patrons of the shop to buy Anitoch a drink in celebration, and one young man, practically a boy, ran out of the tavern to spread the news to the village.
Only four men did not join in with the festivities. The first two were Grell and Will. Grell, having finished his reaping, looked between Antioch's wand, which he was still holding in the air, and Will. "William," Grell said, amused, "what have you been up to?"
Will showed no signs of embarrassment. "Like I said, I'm simply following up on a reaping mission. Nothing I have done is against regulations." This was true. Regulations were rather open-ended when it came to wizards.
Grell giggled. "Oh, Will, I always knew you liked to stretch the rules to their limit, but don't you think you're on pretty thin ice, here?"
Will raised an eyebrow at his coworker. "I can handle myself, Mr. Sutcliff. However, I would appreciate it if you kept quiet about this for the time being."
Grell gave his Cheshire grin. "Whatever you say, darling. Tah tah!" and he skipped out the door.
Will returned his attention to the brothers. Cadmus and Antioch were still at the bar, as people cheered Antioch on to do more spells with his fantastic new wand. Ignotus, however, had not left his table. He was watching a man who, Will now realized, had not moved an inch, even during the duel. He was hidden in a black cloak, but his attention was entirely focused on Antioch and the wand in his hand.
The man gave a grin, which gave both Ignotus and Will a very disturbed feeling.
"And hish wand, shnapped in two…" Antioch sang into the night. "Whish wash shad…" Cadmus and Ignotus were holding up their brother on either side of him, trying to lead his stumbling down the street on a straight-ish path.
"How far did he say?" Ignotus asked as his brother began drooling on his shoulder. The bartender had given them directions to the nearest inn, The Dragon's Den, but he made it seem as if it were a lot closer than it actually was.
"Should be just around this corner." Cadmus said, trying to keep Antioch from kicking him.
"Hey, hey where're we going?" Antioch said, finally lifting his head from his drunken stupor.
"We," Cadmus emphasized the word to indicate himself and Ignotus, "are going home. "You are in no fit state to travel, so we're dumping you in the nearest bed and leaving without you."
"I am too in a travel shtate to fit!" Antioch said.
"I dunno, Cad," Ignotus said, ignoring Antioch, "Do you really think we should leave him so vulnerable?"
"Hey! Watsch who you're callin' vulnabable!" Antioch switched his weight so he was falling more on Cadmus, "I've got thish now," He lifted the wand in his hand, "I'm invinshable!"
"He'll be fine." Cadmus said, rolling his eyes.
"I see you finally believe that man was Death," Ignotus said.
"Wah?" Antioch looked at him incredulously, or as incredulously as one could after so many glasses of firewhiskey, "Oh, I wash jusht goin' along with the idea he wash death for the reshpect, you know? People like the idea of a wand made by death more than a wand made by someone I jusht met on a bridge." He seemed to think that idea was very funny, because he began giggling again.
They turned the corner and saw the inn up ahead. They checked in quickly, handed over some galleons to the innkeeper, and dragged Antioch up to his room.
Antioch fell asleep as soon as he hit pillow. His brothers shook their heads at him and headed out.
Will watched them leave. So, the three were splitting up, that would make it more difficult to follow. As a spur of the moment decision, he stayed with Antioch, thinking that with his arrogance, he'd be most likely to meet his untimely end.
Will did not have to wait long. Less than five minutes after the others left, the man from the tavern opened the door.
Will squinted at him. He smiled down at the unconscious man for a moment before pulling a knife from his robes.
With a murderous look in his eye, he slit open the sleeping man's throat. Antioch woke with a start, alive long enough to look into the eyes of his killer. "I don't believe we've been acquainted," he grabbed the wand from Antioch's hand, "but I'll be taking this."
Without another word, the man walked out, leaving Antioch to bleed.
Will leaped into action and reaped the man's soul. Even he hadn't wanted the brother to meet such a dark end.
He turned to the door as he finished the reaping. "One down," he said, "Two to go."