With a wink and a sharp-toothed smile, he turned and left.

I took a moment to compose myself.

Despite having lived for almost five hundred years, surrounded by death, I never once gave it much thought. But having Katon escort me in got me to thinking. In the old days, when God and Lucifer were in their places, death only meant I’d be recalled to Hell. No big deal in the grand scheme of things. I’d spend some time puttering around the Circles before getting back in line to be returned to Earth. Nowadays though, death was the end, even for me. There’d be no recall. No second, fifth, or tenth chance. I felt a cold chill run down my spine at the thought. I didn’t like the feeling.

I derailed my morbid train of thought before it could run off the tracks and entered Abraham’s office. The subtle scent of aged books hit me as I opened the door. I drew it in with a deep breath. I’d always loved the smell, so I took a few seconds to savor it. A devoted collector of the written word, Abraham had more than his fair share of great books. The entire back wall of the large room was covered with shelves of rare books, magical tomes, and various dictionaries and encyclopedias, in a multitude of languages. Even more impressive was they were all hardcover, not a paperback to be seen. Unlike the bookshelves, neatly ordered and pristine, the rest of the office was homey and cluttered. The oversized chairs and couch were upholstered in soft leather, dyed a deep burgundy. They were covered in a mismatched array of small pillows. Abraham’s oak desk was a disaster zone of epic proportions. Its face was buried under a mountain of files and papers, which encircled his computer monitor.

Abraham looked up from his desk and saw me standing at the door. He waved me over with a subdued smile.

While old in human years, Abraham had a vitality about him, which defied his age. His bright green eyes flashed with intelligence through his glasses, his balding scalp just flashed. He gestured for me to sit.