“Of course I made it,” Xtelle scoffed. “Do you think I would trust anyone else to create a weapon that my life might depend upon?”
Distrusting everyone must be exhausting. No wonder she wanted to live in Ordinary.
“Okay,” I said. “If anyone other than a demon touches the ring, it will harm them?”
“Yes, and no,” Bathin said, just as Xtelle said, “Yes!”
She glared at Bathin. “Don’t you dare tell the truth.”
He chuckled. “I am so enjoying this. At first, I didn’t want you here. But now? Moments like this. A true pleasure.”
She hissed at him in what I assumed was Demon and he only laughed more. “As if you could, you Old Scratch.”
“Scratch! Scratch? I’ll show you…”
“Nope.” I took two steps so I was between them, facing Xtelle. “I know you don’t want to give up the ring. I understand. No, don’t look at me like that, I do. But this is a god-level weapon. Anything that powerful has to be secured while inside Ordinary. So either you send it out of Ordinary, back to where it came from, or we secure it while it’s here.
“This isn’t because you aren’t the rightful owner. This is the rule, the law built into Ordinary all those years ago when the town was made by the gods. No god-level weapon is allowed to remain in Ordinary in the hands of its owner. Understood? That level of destruction is too great a risk for everyone inside Ordinary. Even the gods have to put down their god power to be here.”
I didn’t go into the rest of it. Didn’t really think she would understand that, when the gods vacationed here, they were vulnerable in a way they were nowhere else in the universes. They were mortal—or as close as they could be. They could be killed. Even with very human, non-god weapons.
If the gods had been allowed to keep their god weapons while in Ordinary, more than one brawl between the deities over the years would have ended in deaths.
The gods had known that when they created the place. They’d all agreed to the weapon rules.
“The ring isn’t a god weapon,” I said. “But you told me how powerful it is, and I believe you. So we need to keep it safe. If I can’t touch it, and you won’t allow it to be locked away, then you have two options.
“One, take it out of Ordinary, back to where it came from.”
She seemed to pale a little, though it was hard to tell under all that pink hair.
“Or give it to someone who can touch it, but whom the weapon will not work for. That means another demon.”
She opened her mouth.
“Not Avnas,” I said. “He hasn’t been in Ordinary long enough for me to trust him with that responsibility.”
“But my son has?” She trilled a little laugh. “Oh, Delaney, how foolish are you? I left this with my other son.”
Bathin grunted. “Goap?”
“He obviously couldn’t hold on to it, and he’s a demon. Bathin will do no better.”
I spread my hands. “Those are your choices.”
I expected arguing, tears, threats. Instead she hopped down off the bed and stomped over to Bathin. “Take the stupid ring.” She held out her hoof, the ring blazing red, orange, blue. “When you lose it, don’t come crying to me.”
Bathin calmly plucked the ring out of her hoof. No hesitation. I had to give it to the guy. He was awfully confident his mother wasn’t lying about the ring harming him. But then, he’d known her for centuries and could probably spot her lies from miles away.
The moment his fingers touched the ring, the moment it was lifted from her hoof, the flames extinguished and the ring turned into a flat silver band, scuffed and hammered.
It looked like a cheap ring that had been left in the middle of the freeway for a couple years.
“What do you want me to do with it?” he asked me.
“Keep it safe. Keep it away from people. It disintegrates.…”
“Not while I’m wearing it.”
