A Book of Dust and Breath

Chapter Thirty Nine

Max opened his eyes. Daniel sat on the floor next to him, the two of them were alone in the house. The silence of the tomb clung to the old building. Tears wetted his friend's face.

"They got Delwyn. The second I heard... I came as fast as I could, mate."

Max pushed himself up into a sitting position. A thin river of blood flowed, slow and sticky, from the bedroom, following the path of the old warped boards.

He struggled to draw a breath. "Where are they? he rasped through his damaged throat.

"That woman is the single bravest human I have ever seen."

"Where are they?" he asked again.

"She followed him, mate."

"Into death."

"Into Sheol."

Spots flashed behind Max's eyes once more. "We have to go after them."

"The girls are there already. There's nothing you can do."

Max grabbed him by the front of the shirt and shook him. "Don't tell me there's nothing I can do. I'll not have my wife and son damned to Hell while I sit here on earth punching a clock for Harriet!"

Daniel's voice remained soft and calm. Angelic. "You have a duty to do, mate. You're here, in the physical. They're gone from this place."

"I don't have to be in the physical. I have a choice."

"Don't do this, Max. It's not your time. You have a duty. There is already an imbalance and the breeches that form when--"

"My duty is exactly what I'm going to do," Max growled. "My duty as a husband and a father."

Daniel made no move to stop him. He watched through tears as Max stepped carefully over the blood and bent down next to his wife's body. She still clutched the gun in her now-cold hand. It took him a bit of effort to pry it away.

He hadn't imagined how hard it would be to actually lift the weapon to his head. He had died a thousand deaths, but not one of them had been intentional. The bravery of his wife astounded him. That she could do this horrific thing so quickly, without hesitation, to save her son, was a testament to her extraordinary strength. His eyes sought out his friend.

"See you on the other side," Daniel whispered.

The pain was astonishing, but only for an instant.

The freedom of being pure spirit replaced it. Without a glance at the broken flesh on the floor he strode out of the room. The angel walked next to him in full glory, his immense wings stretching out behind him.

With each step, earth melted away a bit more until they found themselves walking through a long dark hall lit by torches.

A door at the end of the hall opened and Azrael stepped into the hall. "Welcome home, son."