Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin

“Did I wake you up, Aahz?” I asked apologetically. “With the nightmare, I mean.”

“Naw. I was still up. Just making a few last-minute preparations for tomorrow.”

“Oh,” I said drowsily.

“Say, uh, kid?”

“Yes, Aahz?”

“We probably won’t have much time to talk tomorrow when Quigley’s awake, so while we’ve got a few minutes alone I want to say however it goes tomorrow … well… it’s been nice working with you, kid.”

“Gee, Aahz….” I said starting to sit up.

A rough hand interrupted me and pushed me back down.

“Sleep!” Aahz commanded, but there was a gentle note lurking in his gruff tone.

Chapter Twenty-Three:

“Since prehistoric man, no battle has ever gone as planned.”

-D. GRAEME

WE crouched in a grove of small trees on a knoll overlooking the inn, studying our target. The inn was as Quigley had described it, an isolated two-story building with an attached stable squatting by a road overgrown with weeds. If Isstvan was relying on transients to support his business, he was in trouble, except we knew he was doing no such thing. He was mustering his strength to take over the dimensions, and the isolated inn was a perfect base for him to work from.

“Are you sure there are no wards?” Aahz whispered.

He addressed his question to Tanda. She in turn shot me a glance. I gave a small nod of my head.

“Positive,” she whispered back.

It was all part of our plan. As far as Quigley was concerned, Tanda was the only one of our group that had any supernatural powers.

“Good,” said the demon hunter. “Demon powers make me uneasy. The less we have to deal with, the better I like it.”