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than you'd like to admit? He is an intriguing one, isn't he? So old and yet, in so many ways, such a child, a
sweet, confused, beguiling child. How much of a child is he?" Another chuckle. "I'm sure you've
wondered that as well."
"Are you trying to lead me into temptation?" I said. "Or just annoy the piss out of me?"
Kristof glanced over at me. "Has he gotten to the sex part yet, or is he still working up to it?"
I sputtered a laugh.
Trsiel strode over, eyes going wide. "What's going "
"Dantalian is attempting private negotiations with Eve," Kristof said, stifling a yawn. "Private negotiations
of a private nature, I'm sure."
Trsiel's cheeks reddened. "That's not he can't "
"Oh, he could, but he won't. And before you take offense, Dantalian, that's no reflection on you. Many
have tried. None succeed. Eve doesn't whore herself for any cause."
"This is going nowhere," Trsiel said. "Asking for sex& ? If he can't come up with something better than
that "
"There is something better than that?" Dantalian said. "My dear boy, your innocence is showing. Surely
you "
"Ignore him," I said. "This isn't about sex. It's about causing trouble. Sex is just a tool for achieving it. If I
were a man, he'd ask me to go out and lop off a few heads in his name. Same destination. Different
path."
"Would you prefer lopping off heads?" Dantalian murmured. "I hadn't considered that, but, yes, now that
you mention it, I see how my request could be considered quite inappropriate for a woman of your
nature. Lopping off heads would be more your style, so perhaps "
"No lopping heads. No giving head. I'm not doing anything that would get you off& in any way."
A moment of silence. "Well, that limits things, doesn't it?"
"Eve& " Trsiel said.
When I looked at him, he jerked his head toward the door. I glanced at Kristof. He discreetly lifted a
finger, telling me to wait.
"Those are her terms," Kristof said. "She will do nothing to cause chaos. If that is unacceptable, then I'm
afraid our negotiations are "
"She will visit me," Dantalian said.
I cast a frown in the direction of his voice.
"I have but a few years left on my sentence. She will visit me for a half-day each month until it ends."
"If this is heading back to the sex thing " I began.
"It's not. I ask only for a visit."
Trsiel wheeled as Dantalian's voice glided past. "So you can spit poison in her ear? Try to turn her to
your "
"Evil ways?" Dantalian laughed. "Such melodrama. You do like your stories, don't you, Trsiel? The
virtuous angel warrior and the nefarious demon battling for the soul of the innocent. Yet she's not so
innocent. And you're not so angelic. Perhaps I'm not so demonic. But that spoils a good story, doesn't
it?"
"He's not going to woo me over to the dark side, Trsiel," I said. "No more than you can bring me over to
the light. I like it right where I am." I glanced back in Dantalian's direction. "Once a year."
"Every two months."
"Only an hour, then. An hour every two months or a half-day every six."
"A half-day every six, then."
I looked at Kristof. He nodded and I waved for him to begin the binding ceremony that would tie us both
to our sides of the bargain.
Chapter 35
"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW FIRST?" DANTALIAN asked. "Where the amulet is? Or
where your Nix thinks it is?"
"Back up," Trsiel said. "This amulet. If by some chance she gets it, will it work?"
"Of course it will work. I designed "
"I meant will it work for her?"
"For anyone with demon blood."
"And if she fails to get it, is there any other way she can achieve her goal and take on human form? Some
rite or mystical object she can use? When she first made the leap, she used a witch spell "
I interjected, "Which will no longer work or she'd have used it long ago. Likely a side effect of her now
being a ghost."
"Yes," Dantalian said. "As a ghost, she is restricted to ghost methods of possession. Without the amulet,
she could only use full spiritual possession, through a necromancer."
I nodded. "Which any necromancer who's powerful enough to perform is also smart enough not to
perform. So she's stuck with the amulet. Good. Well, then we should go after the amulet& " I hesitated.
"No, the Nix is our primary target. If we get her, we don't need to worry about her getting the amulet or
finding some other way to dimension-jump. We'll get her, and then& " I steeled myself, knowing what I
needed to say, but having to force the words out. "And then Trsiel can retrieve the amulet and put it away
for safekeeping. I we don't need it."
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