“No.”
“We’ll keep a low profile. You have to admit it is a genius idea. Who would expect a unicorn—”
“You’re a demon, not a unicorn, and you can’t be a unicorn while she’s in town.”
“—abeautiful unicorn—”
“Pony.”
She sighed loudly. “Fine. A beautiful pony. Who would expect a magnificent pony and muscular black bull to be spies? It’s the perfect disguise within a disguise within a disguise.” She frowned and muttered, counting backward. “Within a disguise.”
“No spying. Do not follow Ryder. Do not follow Vivian. Do not spy. At all.”
“Oh, thank the Grim! We’re moving on to revenge already. Would you like to hire a hitman? I know several good hitmen.”
Avnas rolled his hoof and somehow made it sound like he was cracking his knuckles.
“No hitmen, or hitdemons, or hitbulls. No revenge. Give me your word, Xtelle,” I said. “You will not spy on Ryder or Vivian, together or apart, and you will not touch, harm, speak, or engage with either of them.”
She blinked a couple times. “You are getting better at defining a promise,” she said grudgingly.
“Thank you. No deflection. Promise.”
“I give you my promise.”
“You too, Avnas.”
“You have my word.”
“Good. Now, do you also know there’s a ghoul in town?”
They both straightened, then looked at each other, then looked back at me. Yeah, that wasn’t suspicious. Crow said a royal demon was involved. Xtelle was the ex-queen. Avnas the king’s brother.
“How would you know there’s a ghoul in town?” Xtelle asked.
“Hogan can tell.”
“Really. The half Jinn. That’s unexpected. Ghouls and Jinn aren’t often found in each other’s company.”
“What else do you know about ghouls?”
“I know they’re very nice people who don’t get all judgey about demons hiring hitmen.”
“Do you know any ghouls personally?”
“Of course,” she said. “They are…friends?” she threw a look at Avnas who tipped his horns, considering that.
“Neighbors,” he provided.
“Yes. A better term. Ghouls are neighbors to demonkind. We wave across the rivers of blood, share our torture recipes, but it’s not like we go to every beheading and flay-cation together.”
“Can you find the ghoul?”
They both shook their heads.
“I thought you were neighborly: beheadings, blood rivers, whatever a flay-cation is.”
“Just because we’re demons doesn’t mean we know every ghoul,” Xtelle griped. “Ghouls can hide from anyone, including demons. Since we haven’t seen it, I can only assume it doesn’t want to be found. You won’t find it until it is ready to show itself.”
