The Demon and the City

you choose, demon. You who have less allegiance to it than any human." It grinned, beginning to dissolve and coil into the air.
    Zhu Irzh stepped hastily back and as he did so, he woke up. He was once more confined in the cell. His head beat like a giant, unnatural drum and his mouth tasted of ancient socks. He had been given answers, but were they even real, or simply the product of a monumental hangover? Well, Zhu Irzh thought grimly, there was only one way to find out.
    The cell was dim and translucent, almost ghostly. He raised a hand, and summoned his strength in order to cast a spell. He was by no means sure that he would succeed, but he was damned if he was going to be confined here indefinitely. He'd had enough of being at the mercy of involuntary whims; it was time to take control. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the plexiglass wall and released the spell. The spells that had warded him gave way and then the wall itself shattered, soundless and slow. The demon stepped through. Time slowed in the spell's wake. There was a man at Zhu Irzh's shoulder, his mouth opening and closing in underwater languor, and as the black muzzle of the gun came up the demon swatted the man casually aside and strode through into the hallway. Voices whispered through the air. He could detect the familiar iron smell of blood, and it pulled him toward it, faster and faster until he was running down the corridor. Shadows streamed past him. Two carved double doors stood before him; he flicked them open and stepped through. Abruptly, the voices stopped.
     
    As the demon stepped through the door, the guns came up to greet him. Time glided to its normal speed as the spell faded. Zhu Irzh did not raise his hands but stood watching the security detail as they looked nervously to their employer for guidance. Jhai Tserai was standing behind by a desk, mouth open. It was the first time, the demon thought, that he had seen her genuinely surprised. An interesting combination of expressions crossed her face: momentary fear, supplanted by confusion, and, unless he was greatly mistaken, a trace of guilt.
    "How did you get out?" Jhai said.
    Zhu Irzh shrugged. "I walked through the window."
    "The—? Oh, the plexiglass. You're not supposed to be able to break that," she said. She bit her lip in consternation. She suddenly looked about ten years old. "We'll have to get that mended," she added.
    "In time for the next incumbent?" the demon suggested blandly.
    "I'm not going to waste a perfectly good cell," Jhai told him, then glanced at the ring of guns as if for the first time. "Oh, put those away," she told the security detail impatiently. "You won't need those."
    A brave gesture, Zhu Irzh thought, inviting trust, but he saw that her right hand remained below the level of the desk. Jhai was looking at him curiously. "I gather you had an—episode—of some kind?" She was giving him a chance to explain himself, which was, Zhu Irzh supposed, more than he deserved. He paused for a moment, considering. He could tell Jhai the truth: that it had been involuntary, atypical, inexplicable. But it sounded like a weak excuse, and perhaps it would not hurt for her to see him as a little dangerous. At the moment, she had him at a distinct disadvantage. He was a demon, after all, and Jhai was nothing more than a human girl. Time to regain some ground, Zhu Irzh thought.
    "I'm afraid I lost my temper," he said coolly. "I really must apologize. Inexcusable, but my kind are often like that. How is the unfortunate Mr Roche?"
    "He'll live. He's not badly hurt. But I want your assurance that it won't happen again." She gave him a stern look, like a schoolteacher faced with a recalcitrant child. It was not how Zhu Irzh had expected to be treated. Jhai blinked innocently under his stare. He thought: What have you been up to, Jhai Tserai? What are you planning to do? If what the beast had told him was true  . . . Everything seemed to lead back to Jhai and Paugeng. Zhu Irzh walked across the room, and as if the guards were not even there, he put a gentle hand to her cheek. She stared up at him, wide-eyed. The demon smiled.
    "Only if you come and see me," he murmured. "To talk things through." And after a moment, Jhai nodded.
    "I'll ask Ei to take you home."
    Colonel Ei was clearly unhappy with this state of affairs. With her gun drawn, she accompanied Zhu Irzh to a vehicle waiting in a compound behind the building, keeping a narrow gaze upon him all the way. He could