Chapter 1 Summary

Brother Odd attempts to find peace in the monastery of St. Bartholomew's. Odd has a unique gift. He sees dead people, those who are unable to cross over entirely, are drawn to him hoping that he can fix what holds them here. After a tragic affair in his hometown, Odd retreats to the monastery. He sees something that looks like half man/half wolf, gliding without rippling the grass. Only Mother Superior (Sister Angela), Abbot Bernard, and Brother Salvatore (Brother Knuckles) are aware of his gift to see the dead. Hoping that he can help one of their own, Brother Constantine, who had been found hanged a year earlier, Odd is given a universal key. The appearance of a bodach tells Odd that something bad is coming.

He trails the bodach to St. Bartholomew's School behind the Monastery. It and two others gather...