Dervish Grady

Dervish Grady is the uncle of Grubbs Grady, Gret Grady, and Bill-E Spleen. He is also the brother of Cal Grady and the brother in law of Sharon Grady. Dervish has appeared in nine books so far, making him the most recurring human in the series so far.

Appearance
As a young adult, Dervish was shown having a punk personality and appearance. Dervish has had spiky purple hair, a nose ring, and was considered "scrawny" by Kernel and "thin" by Grubbs. When meeting Grubbs, Dervish has lost most of his hair, grown a small beard, and dresses completely in denim, totally contrasting his once punk persona. After being sent to the realm of Demonata along with Bec, Beranabus, Kernel, and Sharmila, Dervish restores his hairline and fashions it once again into the spikes he once had as a teenager. He comments on his absurd style by calling it "good luck", since he walked away alive with his spikes. Overall, Dervish has an unusual appearance over the course of the series.

Personality
Dervish constantly practices chess in case he has a run-in with Lord Loss and became skilled at the game, though whether he was good enough to beat Lord Loss has never been confirmed. Although Dervish was a kind and selfless person, who put other peoples safety before his own, he also had a dark and somewhat twisted sense of humour. When he saw a news broadcast about a serial killer who chopped off his victims heads, he said, "Now there's a man who wants to get ahead in life." His twisted sense of humour was probably developed through his encounters with the Demonata and was perhaps a way of dealing with all the slaughter he'd seen.

Although Grubb's mother never trusted Dervish it turned out that she misjudged him and failed to realise that Dervish was a kind and loyal person. Although Dervish was mysterious until one got to know him, he was willing to risk his life for to his family and friends.

Dervish acted like a father to Grubbs after he was orphaned, filling his deceased brothers shoes as Grubbs' guardian.

Powers and abilities
Dervish was a powerful mage who was able to hold his own against demons in their own universe as well as his own. He even managed to defeat Lord Loss during their battle in the demon universe, a feat that very few others were capable of doing. However during their second encounter, Lord Loss nearly defeated Dervish. In addition to being powerful in battle, Dervish was also capable of opening windows into the demon universe, although he was not able to do it as quickly as Beranabus or Kernel Fleck.

Dervish was described as being "as wiry as a rat" but although he wasn't particularly big, he was much stronger than he looked. He was also a talented Chess player.

Lord Loss (book)
In Lord Loss, Dervish (in his mid 40s) appears at the asylum where Grubbs is being cared for after the sight of Lord Loss killing his family drove him insane. He shows Grubbs pictures of Lord Loss and his current favorite familiars and says he believes him about the demons. He then adopts Grubbs. Later battles for the humanity of Bill-E Spleen, to stop him becoming a werewolf due to the family curse.

Demon Thief
Dervish was first found by Shark, when he was trying to stop a demon coming through a portal. Dervish saw Shark was in trouble, and ran to his aid, using magic to knock out the woman who was trying to open the window. In Demon Thief, he meets Kernel Fleck while trying to stop a man summoning a demon at a punk rock concert. Kernel helps to locate the man, and then saves most of the punks. Dervish then takes part in Beranabus's search for the Kah-Gash. He goes with Kernel into Lord Loss' magical chessboard, and helps fight off demons until Kernel can figure out who the Demon Thief was (himself).

He was told by Beranabus a few years after Demon Thief to guard the cave which appeared in Bec so that no one would it and let the Demonata through into our world.

Slawter (book)
In Slawter, Dervish is haunted by nightmares, and takes a job on a film set advising a director about her demon costumes. He then helps defend the humans after the director unleashes a hoard of demons within the town.

Blood Beast
Dervish appears in Blood Beast. He tries to help Grubbs when he is turning into a werewolf, presumed to have called the Lambs on Grubbs because he can't bare to kill him if he turns.

Demon Apocalypse
In Demon Apocalypse, it turns out that Juni Swan (or Nadia Moore) called the Lambs. Dervish appears at two main sections of Demon Apocalypse. In an alternate time line, only his head is shown, Lord Loss (or one of his familiars) having killed him after thousands of demons flooded through the reopened tunnel in the cave. When Grubbs, Bec, Kernel and Beranabus travel back in time to a few minutes before the tunnel was opened, Dervish helps them to prevent the demonic influx. It is also made clear that it wasn't Dervish who called the Lambs in Blood Beast and that it was actually Juni Swan. Dervish kills Juni believing that she was the key to opening the tunnel. However he is mistaken and sits helplessly as he leaves Grubbs with the task of killing Bill-E when it turns out that he is actually the key. After the battle, in which he takes no further part, Dervish provides Grubbs with some relief and stops him from committing suicide by striking a deal that neither he or Grubbs will give up and will keep fighting. Demon Apocalypse ends with Grubbs leaving Dervish asleep and in the care of Bec.

Death's Shadow
In Death's Shadow, Dervish constantly pesters Bec to tell him of Bill-E's memories (some of which she has gained along with his body). This upsets her greatly, and after encouragement from Meera, she confronts Dervish about the problem. Comforted by Bec's revelation of Bill-E's final thoughts, Dervish acknowledges his poor behaviour, but moments later, the house is attacked by werewolves. Though Bec, Dervish and Meera manage to fight off the beasts, Dervish has a heart attack shortly after the attack ends. He is taken to hospital, where he later saves Bec and several others from a demon attack lead by a reanimated Juni. Under Beranabus' advice, Dervish then joins Bec, Kernel, Sharmilla and the old magician in the Demonata universe, where he learns to use magic to strengthen his heart. Along with Killri Kvocs, they confront Juni and her companions on a cruise ship, but the group find themselves facing an army of zombies when Juni summons Death (AKA The Shadow) from the Demonata universe. Beranabus sacrifices himself to send Death back, but when Kernel disappears along with the window he had been keeping open, the survivors are trapped on the sinking ship. They are forced to sacrifice Sharmilla to breach the barrier holding them on the ship, and Dervish finds himself adrift in a lifeboat with Bec and Kirilli.

Wolf Island (book)
The three are rescued in Wolf Island, but Dervish seems to be on the verge of death at the end of the book.

Dark Calling
He is still alive in Dark Calling, in which he accompanies Grubbs, Killri, Bec, Kernel and Meera into the body of Death. There they speak with Beranabus' soul, and ultimately destroy Death's body, freeing those trapped within. They then find themselves surrounded by an army of demons, and Dervish is almost killed by Juni Swan. He is saved by Meera, who combusts herself to kill Juni. After escaping the demons, Dervish is revealed to be extremely weak, and asks to be taken outside to die.

Hell's Heroes
Grubbs complies in Hell's Heroes , and after a tearful conversation with his uncle, Dervish warns Grubbs not to lose sight of his human side. After dying in the desert, Grubbs digs him a grave.

At the end of Hell's Heroes, when the protagonists use the Kah-Gash to restart the universe, they decide to make small beneficial changes, which included Dervish being given a stronger heart so that he will not die so young.

Wealth
Dervish has a vast amount of money (which Grubbs hoped to inherit). The Gradys amassed it over the years, and he has used it to purchase books on the occult and build a cellar from which to conduct his dealings with things not of this world.

House
His house is in Carcery Vale (In Lord Loss Dervish says the towns name is pronounced Carsherry, but on Darren Shan's official website, he says is actually pronounced Car-se-ree). He bought an old place, and then did it up over the years until it was a mansion. His study is filled with books on the occult, and he has lots of bedrooms. His mansion once belonged to the infamous Lord Sheftree who fed a baby to pirahnahs. Dervish adorns the walls of the mansion with many weapons.

Cellar
The cellar is the most important part of the house. It is a cave built into the rock, with a locked entrance from outside and a hidden entrance from the wine cellar. He uses it when he needs to make deals with demons, such as curing people of the family curse (see above). This is why it is the only place in Carcery Vale that is not protected against demons.

Relationships

 * Cal Grady: His brother. Cal often came to see Dervish, though Sharon (his wife) refused to come. When he came once, he had an affair with a local woman, Emily Spleen. This resulted in the conception of Bill-E Spleen. Later, he battled for his daughter Gret's life against Lord Loss, but was slaughtered. His attitude about Cal's children changes from Demon Thief to Lord Loss as he thought that Cal would live to save his children from the family curse. It was originally Dervish's job to partner up with Cal against Lord Loss in case if any of Cal's children were succumbed to the disease. But because of Sharon's intervention, Cal never called Dervish and he and Sharon fought against Lord Loss. Because of this, Cal had lost his life in the process.


 * Grubitsch Grady: Grubitsch is Cal's son. His mother was Sharon, so he was not the result of an affair. He is a magician in training, and has huge amounts of magic because he is part of a very powerful weapon called the Kah-Gash. He was adopted by Dervish, and lives with him. The name he uses is Grubbs, because he despises his real name.
 * Bill-E Spleen: Bill-E is the son of Cal Grady and Emily Spleen. He never knew who his father was before his mother died, and suspects he is the son of Dervish. He is Grubbs's half brother and best friend. He has a lazy left eye. His real name is Billy, but he wants to change it to Bill-E and introduces himself by that name. Billy is sacrificed by Grubbs in Demon Apocalypse because he reopened "Bec's" tunnel by killing Loch Gossel in the cave. Bec reanimated his corpse and transformed it into her own body to allow her to return to life after being dead for 1600 years.
 * Gretelda Grady: Gretelda is Cal and Sharon's daughter. She was struck by the family curse, and her parents were slaughtered trying to save her. Like Grubbs, she calls herself Gret because her real name is terrible. When Grubbs plays a practical joke involving Rat guts in a towel she first shows some indication that she is struck by the curse. Grubbs saw Artery play with Gretelda like a puppet. It was originally Dervish's job to partner up with Cal if in case one of Cal's children were to succumb to lycanthropy. However, if it weren't for Sharon's intervention, Dervish was not called. Cal and Sharon had died as a result in trying to cure Gretelda.
 * Bec McConn : A young girl who once lived in the 5th century, she has now taken over Bill-E's body to house her unkept spirit. Dervish did not keep a healthy relationship with Bec as he was grief-stricken due to the death of his nephew and only interracted with Bec to learn more about Bill-E's memory. After being inspired by Meera to set things straight, Bec exclaims that Bill-E is dead and that even though she resides in his body, she is an individual being. This causes Dervish to warm up to Bec and care for her as family, even calling her "my girl" while protecting her from Juni Swan.


 * Meera Flame: Meera is a friend of Dervish's, who occasionally comes over. Meera is exceptionally attractive and she constantly flirts with males just to annoy them. She is only friends with Dervish, due to Dervish's reluctance to ever have children, but it is said in Death's Shadow that she used to love Dervish and probably still has feelings. While Dervish was a zombie, she helped take care of Grubbs. Like Dervish, she has magical powers (though slight) and she is also a Disciple. During Dark Calling, she sacrifices herself and takes Juni Swan down with her.


 * Shark: Shark is the person that introduces Dervish to the world of demons. When Dervish, Grubbs, Bill-E and Juni Swan are put to sleep by the demons they have a dream and he's there along with Sharmilla, and they mention Beranabus and Kernel Fleck. Shark gets badly injured in Wolf Island when he used himself as bait to draw off some werewolves from Grubbs and the others.


 * Sharmila Mukherji: Sharmila is an Indian Disciple and the only Asian Disciple shown. She wears a Sari in each appearance she makes. In Demon Thief, she and Beranabus refuse to help name the Thief. She questions and criticises Beranabus in Demon Thief, showing she follows but doesn't always agree with his methods. In Lord Loss Dervish watches a Documentary featuring Sharmilla. At the end of Death's Shadow she sacrifices herself to allow Bec and Dervish to escape.


 * Kernel Fleck: Dervish's friendship with Kernel is very great. Dervish was the first one to offer help to Kernel when he decides to enter in the magical chessboard of Lord Loss to figure out the Demon Thief.


 * Juni Swan: Juni is Dervish's love interest. She appears in Slawter and mentions at the end that she has strong feelings for him. However, she kills one of the leaders of the massacre plot and leaves in the night, leaving a note saying she has to think about it and he shouldn't search for her. In Blood Beast she reappears and continues their relationship, as well helping Dervish in his attempt to cure Grubbs of the curse. She convinces Grubbs to board a plane with her, where it is revealed she is working for Lord Loss. The conclusion of Demon Apocalypse reveals that Juni is actually Nadia Moore from Demon Thief, who had feigned her death and joined Lord Loss. She was killed by Dervish, but was resurrected by Death in Death's Shadow. During Dark Calling, a fatally wounded Meera Flame blows herself up and kills Juni with her. With Death being incapacitated at the time, Juni is now beyond the point of being resurrected again. Dervish actually met her for the first time in Demon Thief as Nadia Moore.