Than, inside the shop, stepped up next to me. “Whatever are you shouting about?”
Okay, three things happened very quickly: I realized I was seeing two Thans even though my brain insisted there was only one god of death and he was standing next to me, smelling of rosemary and jasmine.
“Holy shit, that’s the ghoul,” I breathed.
I ran to the door, my smile not doing nearly enough to convince the ghoul that I just wanted to talk, if the stark terror on its face were anything to go by.
“I see,” Than said, and the chill in those two words could kick off the next ice age.
I reached the door before him and stopped cold. “You, stay.”
We didn’t need to explain how there were suddenly two identical, slightly odd kite sellers in town.
I slithered through the crack in the door and addressed the Than-ghoul as nicely as possible. “Hi there. Could I talk to you?”
Than-ghoul hesitated, glancing off to the right before back at me. I had the wild thought it was looking for its next fleshy victim to bite.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I know you’re new in town. I’m Delaney—” I didn’t even get the rest of my name out before it shot off like a startled ostrich.
“Gods dammit!” I hauled off after it, thankful I’d put on my running shoes this morning, but mentally cussing up a storm.
I thought it would bolt toward the beach, but instead it followed the sidewalk, running all out to the street corner and turning south into a residential neighborhood.
Luckily, there weren’t very many people on the sidewalk. I only had to dodge four and none of them seemed particularly interested in the foot race.
Than, however, was right on my heels, and then he was beside me, his long legs giving him a stride I would die for.
“Don’t,” I said, “hurt it.”
Than didn’t even dignify that with an answer. He just put on speed, passed me, and by the next block was almost in reach of the ghoul.
The ghoul risked a look backward, made a startled sound and jumped a wooden fence into a side yard. Death placed one hand on the top rail and flew gracefully over the top after it.
I was almost there. But before I reached the fence I heard an impact, like someone had thrown bricks into a bag of sand.
A softoofwas followed by a very loud: “Ah-ha! You think you can just run in here and try to jump on my back? I will murder you in the ear!”
“Xtelle,” Than said.
“What? You know I can talk, Old Bones. And that annoying Delaney isn’t even here—Hi, Delaney. I see you’re right on the other side of the fence now.”
Xtelle was in the small side yard mincing back and forth next to a Than-ghoul sprawled and unconscious on the grass. The other Than stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
Chapter Twenty
I hopped the fence.“Keep it down,” I said.
Xtelle did lower her voice slightly. “Did you see that? Did you see that kick? Did you see it? Did you see how amazing it was? Hooves. Why would you want squishy feet with toes when you could have hooves? Hooves bring thehurt.”
Than grunted softly in a way that could have been taken as agreement, then he crouched, one hand extended toward the figure.
“Wait,” I said. “I need to know you’re you.”
Xtelle was still mincing, her little one-two-three, step-step-step thing was going to wear a rut in the yard. Not that I even knew why she was in this yard.
“Of course I’m me,” she scoffed. “There is no one as magnificent as a unicorn—”
“—pony,” I corrected.
