Death - 2000

Then the girl took the book out of Mort’s hand, held it at arm’s length while her gaze remained fixed woodenly on his, and let it go.

Mort watched her lips move and then realized that he, too, was counting under his breath.

Three, four—

There was a dull thump, a muffled cry, and silence.

“Do you think you’ve killed him?” said Mort, after a while.

“What, here! Anyway, I didn’t notice any better ideas coming from you.”

“No, but—he is an old man, after all.”

“No, he’s not,” said Ysabell sharply, starting down the ladder.

“Two thousand years?”

“Not a day over sixty-seven.”

“The books said—”

“I told you, time doesn’t apply here. Not real time. Don’t you listen, boy?”

***

Mort p135-136