Dicing with Death by Beth Chambers Page B

don’t think it’s here.’
    â€˜Interesting.’ Mopsus adjusted his position so that he weighed even more heavily on Max’s legs. Max bit his lip to stop himself from crying out. ‘I’m curious to know on what you are basing your opinion. How hard have you actually tried to find it?’
    Silence stretched between them, before the weight finally lifted from Max’s legs and light flooded the room. Max shouted out as Mopsus’s warty face suddenly appeared nose to nose with his.
    Mopsus clamped a gnarled hand over Max’s mouth and said, ‘So, can I inform Death that you intend to look for the elixir right away? You do remember what’s at stake if you fail to deliver?’
    Max felt as if he’d had a bucket of cold water sloshed over him.
Amy
. As soon as the stinking creature withdrew his hand, Max said, ‘I’ll search the house tonight.’
    â€˜Fantastic.’ Mopsus broke into a grin, and a few maggots made a desperate bid for freedom from between his rotten teeth. ‘Don’t forget to wear your robes. Oh, and tell Liah I’m covering for her in the kitchen.’ Mopsus rubbed his stomach. ‘The food’s never been so good.’
    Before Max could reply Mopsus vanished.
    â€˜Tonight,’ Max spoke aloud. A shiver ran down his spine as he flicked a maggot off his bed.
    He wasn’t ready.
    * * *
    Max waited for the house to be silent before creeping from his room, feeling like an idiot clad in his orange robes. Moonlight illuminated the living room, which he carefully searched. He rifled through the shelves and drawers without finding anything even remotely suspect.
    Quietly he padded along to his dad’s study. Unlike the rest of the house, it was full of furniture and every surface was littered with papers. Shelves lining the walls overflowed with books and files. Max hesitated.
Where do I begin?
He’d be here all night hunting for something he was sure wouldn’t be found. He knelt down and began to search through a pile of cardboard boxes stacked beside the desk.
    As he rifled through paperwork he heard a soft click. He whipped around to look at the door, rapidly trying to think up a reason for being in his dad’s study so late at night.
    No one was there.
    Max crept over to the door, opened it and looked up and down the hallway. No one was there either.
    He slipped back into the study and double-checked that the door was properly shut. Once he had finished searching through the boxes, he moved on to his dad’s desk. Carefully he slid out the middle drawer, and yelled.
    Someone had grabbed his leg.
    He staggered back and fell, hitting the floor with a spine-jarring bump.
    A pair of piercing green eyes met his angry gaze. Liah was crouched in the small alcove under the desk. ‘What are you doing here?’ Max snapped.
    â€˜What you should have been doing since we got here,’ she snapped. ‘Looking for the elixir.’
    â€˜Have you found it?’
    â€˜I’d only just started looking when you came in. I didn’t know it was you so I hid under here…’ She broke off at the sound of voices just outside the door.
    Max felt a fresh wave of panic. ‘Move up,’ he hissed.
    â€˜There’s no room. Find somewhere else!’
    Max shoved her and tried to force his way under the desk.

    â€˜You’ll get us both caught.’ She pinched his arm.
    Max saw the door handle turning. Frantically he looked for somewhere else to hide. Hanging over the glass doors that led on to the veranda were long curtains. As the door swung open, Max shot behind them. He froze, trying not to breathe. His heart hammered against his chest.
    He heard his father speak. ‘The drop off’s at midnight – that only leaves us twenty minutes to get there.’
    â€˜You haven’t left us with a lot of time,’ another male voice replied.
    â€˜I’ve got unexpected houseguests,’