The Demon and the City

happen. My sponsors are protecting me."
    Zhu Irzh's eyebrows rose. "You've made a bargain with someone in Hell and you trust them?"
    "If I go down, I'll make sure they go with me. They won't risk that. And also, remember that my ancestry might be Hellkind of a sort, but it's not from the Chinese afterlife. I have somewhere to bail out to if I have to. So what do you say? Are you with me?"
    "I'll think about it," Zhu Irzh said. Jhai nodded.
    "All right."
    The car slowed at the entrance to the harbor.
    "I'll walk from here," the demon said. He gave Jhai a sidelong smile. She hid her disappointment well.
    "When am I going to see you again?"
    "Tomorrow," Zhu Irzh said firmly. "I need some time to think." Leaning over, he kissed Jhai hard, and was out of the car before she had time to respond. He did not look back, but he smiled again as he heard the car pull away. Well, he had wanted to know what she was up to, and now he did. High stakes indeed. And a great deal of power for someone brave enough, or foolish enough, to grasp the nettle. Zhu Irzh had already become involved in a political battle in Hell, and he wasn't keen to court another one. Besides, he could see that Jhai was making a classic mistake: even in spite of her ancestry, because of her Earthly power, she was tacitly assuming that Hell had little influence over her, as long as she was not actually there. Zhu Irzh knew better. The first slip, and Jhai's masters would make a sacrificial lamb of her.
    Zhu Irzh blinked up into the glowing darkness, and wondered what exactly he was going to do about this. Telling the human authorities did not seem to be an option: he believed Jhai when she spoke of her control over the city council. She could make life difficult for him, demon though he was. Nor was he inclined to sell her out; if the plan worked, then there would undoubtedly be something in it for most of Hellkind, and some dark part of Zhu Irzh's demonic consciousness reveled in the idea of the chaos to come. So, he thought, ambling down the wharf, this was one situation that he would simply wait out.
    Achieving such neutrality might be easier said than done, given that Jhai had already drawn him a certain distance into her schemes, but Zhu Irzh was confident of the degree of power that sexual authority conferred upon him. The demon rarely underestimated women; Jhai, however, owed him a debt, and he intended to capitalize upon it as much as he possibly could.
    He stepped carefully over the pontoons, and halted as he came within reach of the houseboat's ladder. There was a light in the main room, showing through the shutters. The badger had no need of illumination, and Zhu Irzh had left the boat in daylight . . . His sword whispered through the darkness. Lightly, the demon grasped the ladder and slid up it onto the deck. The door to the main room was ajar. Zhu Irzh listened, but heard nothing. Sword drawn, he kicked open the door and plunged in.
    "Glad to see you're on the ball," someone said mildly. Zhu Irzh gaped. Detective Inspector Chen was sitting in the armchair, nursing a cup of tea.
    "But—you're in Hawaii!"
    "Not anymore. Sergeant Ma called me yesterday. He expressed some concern as to your welfare. I thought I'd cut the vacation short and come home."
    "What about Inari?"
    "She's enjoying herself with Lao and his wife. She sends her regards." Chen regarded the demon owlishly. "Could you put that away?"
    "Sorry." Slowly, Zhu Irzh sheathed the sword.
    "Want some tea?"
    "No. Yes. Thank you."
    In silence, Chen poured him a cup and handed it over. The demon sank heavily into the nearest chair.
    "Want to give me your version of what's been happening?" Chen smiled helpfully.
    Zhu Irzh reminded himself that he was Hellkind. He was over two hundred years old. He was stronger than almost any mortal man and he had the powers of Hell at his back. So why had he not felt so uncomfortable since being called to his grandfather's study at the age of ten, to explain how he had managed to break each and every window in the Irzh family mansion? Taking a deep breath, he gave Chen a swift, highly edited summary of recent events. He recounted the attack on the dowser Paravang Roche, pleading ignorance of its cause, and told Chen that he had spent the afternoon with Jhai, examining her premises. Nothing was actually untrue, but there were significant omissions.
    "That was concise," Chen said when he'd finished. It was impossible to tell whether he believed the story or