The next day, Tom and the Spook set out to deal with Mistress Wurmalde and Tibb at Read Hall. They find Magistrate Nowell's body and see that Tibb killed him and drank his blood. But Tibb himself is dying, having been abandoned by Wurmalde; his life was only meant to last nine weeks, and is coming to an end. He tells Tom that Mam gave up her immortality and sentenced herself to serve a mortal man – Tom's father – as penance for her ill deeds as a lamia and that she fashioned Tom as her weapon against the Dark. The Spook kills Tibb.