cruel.â
âOh, Iâm not,â she said, seemingly irked at the imputation. âDemons and imps and that lot may go in for the petty sadism, but we devils have more refined tastes.â
âDo you indeed?â
âWe do indeed, yes. To be exact, Iâm hungry. I can last a long time on a small snack, but a girl likes to have a bit of an indulgent blow out now and then.â
âYou intend to ⦠eat them?â
âNot exactly ,â she replied, and smiled winsomely.
âI cannot promise that there will be opportunities for killingâ¦â
âAwwwâ¦â
â But  ⦠there is a good likelihood of souls for the devouring, if thatâs what your intent truly is?â
âGood enough,â said Zarenyia. âIâll trust you. You have an honest face.â
âOh, splendid,â said Cabal. âI feel so very validated now.â
âSuper!â said the devil, impervious to irony. âNow if youâd let me out of this circleâ¦?â
âNot so fast, madam. I shall need your word and bond before that happens.â He produced a notebook and fountain pen from his inside breast pocket, selected a fresh page, and proceeded to write.
Zarenyia wrinkled her nose. âYouâre not writing up a contract, are you? Oh, how boring. Canât I just say Iâll help you, I wonât harm you, I wonât look for any of those boring loopholes demons are so obsessive about, and we can just trot along and have an adventure?â
Cabalâs pen paused. He slowly looked up at the devil from beneath the brim of his hat.
âGuideâs honour,â she added, raising two fingers together in a benediction of sorts.
âYou will forgive me, but one should use a long spoon when one sups with a devil.â He returned his attention to his writing.
The spider devil considered this for a moment, her brow furrowed. âWhy?â
The pen paused again. âWhy what?â
âWhy would you use a long spoon when supping with a devil?â
âItâs a metaphor. It simply means one should be cautious.â
âI know itâs a metaphor, darling. Iâm not a complete nincompoop. I donât understand it, though. Why are you feeding the devil?â
Cabal could see he wasnât going to get much peace to write the document and wished he had prepared one earlier. âIâm not feeding the devil, Iâm ⦠oh. I hadnât thought of that before.â
âDo your metaphorical elbows not work very well, or something? I just donât see how a long spoon keeps you away from whichever devil you happen to be supping with.â
âI think ⦠perhaps, the idea is that both the devil and the subject are supping from the same pot?â
â The same pot ?â said Zarenyia in great astonishment. âWould you sup from the same pot as a devil? Really?â
âNo,â admitted Cabal, âI wouldnât.â
âI donât think a long spoonâs going to help.â
Cabal frowned, then ripped the page from his notebook before tearing it up. âGuideâs honour?â he asked, carelessly letting the fragments fall.
Zarenyia raised her index and middle fingers together in the salute of the International Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, a worthy organisation that would doubtless be collectively horrified by its use by such an entity in such a situation. âGuideâs honour,â she said solemnly. âDib, dib, dib.â
Not without misgivings, Cabal walked to the edge of the circle and scrubbed out part of the perimeter with his foot. âI presume now is when you leap out, call me a foolish mortal, and kill me?â
Zarenyia glared at him. âI dibbed ,â she said in outraged tones.
âMy apologies, madam,â said Cabal. âYou did indeed dib.â He gestured to the tunnel mouth. âShall we