“We have to find whoever, whatever made them,” Delaney clarified. “And make them break the curse? Is that the only way to opt out of the dawn-day-and-dusk of thedead?”
“There is one other way to end this.” Death’s dark eyesglittered.
This was what he really wanted. This was what he had come to Ordinary for. I braced forit.
“You shall invite me to the Halloween celebration. If the power that brought the gnomes to life has not been found by then, I will bring the unliving to a peacefulend.”
“You’ll turn them back into statues?” Delaneyasked.
“We’re statues?” Abnerdemanded.
“I would indeed,” Deathsaid.
“And you can’t do that right now because?” Iasked.
“The veil between worlds is the thinnest on Halloween. On that day, the power that grants them life will be within my reach toaffect.”
“Also you want an invitation to the party,” Delaneysaid.
“Only as a matter of business, ofcourse.”
Out of all the deaths in all the worlds, this zombie gnome situation was the one that needed Thanatos’s personalattention.
“Bullshit,” Icoughed.
Death gave me a look. He couldn’t fool me. He wanted to party here in Ordinary on the spookiest day of the year, ‘cause he was sort of adorable likethat.
I winked at him. His expression turneddroll.
“You know it’s a costume party,” Iwheedled.
“Oh?” So much feigneddisinterest.
“You’ll have to come incostume.”
“If I must.” Hesniffed.
Yep. He wanted to come to the party and had found a way to work around Ordinary’s rules.Clever.
“You have to give your word that you are not the one who turned the gnomes into zombies and started this mess in the firstplace.”
Delaney gave me the side-eye. That’s right. I knew how tocop.
“I assure you,” Death said, and I felt the weight of truth in his words. The wind stopped blowing, the air got heavier, and it was hard to breathe. “I have nothing to do with the unliving state of these Ordinarygnomes.”
Okaythen.
“Who you callin’ ordinary?” Abnersqueaked.
“You know who did this, don’t you?” Delaneyasked.
“Did what, ReedDaughter?”
“You know who put the curse or whatever this is on thegnomes.”
I didn’t think Death was going to answer. But she crossed her arms over her chest and there was that presence around her. As if every Reed in history were standing with her, behind her, lending their strength. As if all of Ordinary from the mountains to the sea were standing with her staring himdown.
“Perhaps.”
