Dance of Thieves

Death is personified in the narrative as an emaciated specter of a man with bony hands who walks the streets and can be seen by people with a magical gift like Kazi. Death shows up whenever Kazi is close to dying, or whenever there has been a proliferation of death, like in Darkcottage where many Ballengers were massacred. He represents Kazi’s fight to survive throughout her life: He was ever-present on the streets of Venda during the Komizar’s reign because of the terrible conditions. Kazi has a real relationship to Death, and whenever he is near and Kazi can see him, she tells him, "not yet" to hold him off. This direct confrontation with Death gives her the strength to survive.

In the final chapter, death catches the dead Valsprey that carries a message from Jalaine to Jase and Kazi. He brings it back to life whispering the same words Kazi says to him, so readers understand who he is. In the final chapter, he isn’t evil but a helper to Kazi and shows that he isn’t the one causing death. He keeps his promises and collects bodies as a result of the tragedy and poverty in the world, but he isn’t cruel. Sometimes he presents as a form of justice, like when Kazi sees him ready to take the captain: “I saw Death standing behind him, waiting to take him. Maybe not here. Not today” (460). This shows death is always waiting and will get everyone in the end. He is Kazi’s friend because she realizes his place in the world.