The jibe hit the mark. Milo could see Devon’s eyes darkening for a moment before he caught himself.
“It’s sad what a sore loser you are, Abber. Admit it, your research is a dead end. Not worth the paper it’s written on. While trying to save the world’s coral reefs is a worthy endeavor.”
Milo sighed. “And if you would take it seriously and truly work toward that goal, I would even cheer you on. Though since everybody on campus knows you’re just aiming for a paid holiday someplace warm, forgive me that my enthusiasm is easily tampered.”
“Well, the offer still stands. I can take you with me.”
“And why would you do that?” Milo was truly curious.
Devon seemed to be taken aback for a moment, as if he’d never imagined Milo would even consider his offer. He wouldn’t, but to satisfy his curiosity regarding the matter, he was willing to fake it until Devon showed his true colors.
“Because even though you’ve been quite horrible, I’m able to be the bigger man and let you have a glimpse of what research can be like when the funding is there.”
“In other words, you want to gloat. I’m sorry, but first of all, coral reefs are not my area of expertise, neither are they yours, just saying, and second, the question about my funding isn’t decided yet.”
“What do you mean, not decided?” Devon outright ignored the comment about areas of expertise, probably because he couldn’t think of a witty comeback to this very true statement.
“I mean it just as I said. I received an email from SBW where they told me I was still in the running to get the funding as long as I did a test to see if I’m a good fit. And as you know, I’m rather apt at passing tests.”
It warmed Milo’s heart to see the smug self-satisfaction drain from Devon’s face like poop being flushed in the toilet.
“That can’t be! Cheating isn’t allowed!” He sounded desperate.
“First of all, I did not cheat. The help I received was within the permitted parameters.” Milo didn’t know that for sure but what he did know, from the bottom of his heart, was that Quirion would never endanger his success neither recklessly nor deliberately nor knowingly. “Second, what does it matter to you? You have your funding, why can’t you let me have mine?”
“Because he’s a small-minded, sniveling caricature of a scientist who has to bring greater minds down in order to make himself look taller. Isn’t that right, Mr. Merrybone?” Quirion’s voice was all smooth, predatory ire. Milo saw him stepping out of the shadows at the back of his lab and was glad he hadn’t poppedthrough a rip directly in front of Devon. That would have been inconvenient to say the least. Not to mention hard to explain.
As it was, Devon was stumbling backward, staring at Quirion with a slack jaw. “W-where did you come from?”
Quirion shrugged. “The back door, where else?”
Devon’s gaze flickered to the back of Milo’s lab, to the second door that was usually locked and only there for safety reasons. It looked very closed, what with the two crates standing in front of it. Milo could see Devon’s mind running a mile a minute and then he got that glazed-over look people showed when the glamour protecting demons from detection did its work. Quirion hadobviouslycome through that door, because that was what doors werefor,and since Devon was standing right in front of the other one, Quirion couldn’t have come through there, now could he?
Devon shook his head like a cat that had gotten wet. “Of course. Stupid of me to not see it,” he murmured, then turned and left. Another perk of the glamour. It made people leave, slightly dazed, wondering what they’d been doing in the first place. In Devon’s case, it was such a huge improvement in manners, Milo was tempted to ask Quirion if the glamour could be used on him indefinitely. After the door had closed behind Devon, Quirion took Milo’s arm. “We need to go.”
“Uh, where and why?” Several years of working for Quirion had taught Milo to just go with the flow. When his demon said they had to go, they would go, no matter what other, maybe urgent business Milo might have. It couldn’t bethaturgent, because Quirion was there and needed him, usually to rescue precious books from undeserving owners. What he could ask were place and reason. These were like to-go questions while anything else was just stalling, leading to a grumpy demon and endless bickering.
“To my library. To make you fit for that damn test so that Beverly and Rasputin can shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.” Quirion was already opening a rift and Milo hurried to lock the lab door, shut his laptop and PC down, and cast one glance around to make sure nothing was too untidy before he stepped under Quirion’s arm.
“I’m sure you’re going to explain to me in more detail once we’re there.”
“Of course.”
They came through in Quirion’s study and the first thing Milo saw was Mildred shuffling slick in the moat with her gigantic hindlegs.
“Are you sure she’s okay, Qui?”
The demon stepped behind Milo, his huge figure dwarfing him, enveloping him in a cocoon of safety, warmth and strength.Stop thinking that! Next thing you throw yourself into his arms. Not what you should be doing right now. Or ever.
His inner voice was such a party pooper.
“I’m reasonably sure she’s fine. Granted, she’s never shown this kind of behavior before, but she’s not wounded, her skin color hasn’t changed, she doesn’t appear to be ill.”
“Behavioral changes can be a sign for something terrible, as you well know. Just think of those ants when they get infected by the fungus. That’sThe Last of Usright there in the world of arthropods.”
Quirion’s hands landed on Milo’s shoulders, kneading softly. It was an unconscious gesture, as Milo well knew, none that had any meaning. His stupid body enjoyed it nevertheless, and his even stupider heart soared even though there was no reason. “You are right in that behavioral changes can indicate internal problems with an organism, but your comparison with that dreadfully inaccurate series has a few flaws. Firstly, all the fungus in the ant does is force it to climb as high as possible soit can burst free and release its spores to find the next victim. No active chasing of non-infected potential hosts. Second, I’ve never seen ants with firearms before. And third, there’s no immunity from that fungus as far as science knows.”
And that was the thing with Quirion. Two of his arguments were absolutely valid while one could be seen as a joke—ants with firearms, perhapsfireants? That would be hilarious, at least for scientists. And Quirion was a scientist. He was also a demon who regularly hopped across all possible and some impossible dimensions and he had seen it all. As far as Milo knew, ants with firearms were a possibility, somewhere.
