Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin

“Aahz…. I still don’t….”

I stopped. He had ceased his ranting and was looking at me. I shrank back reflexively before I recognized the snarl as his smile. I liked it better when he was raving.

“I’m sorry, Skeeve,” he purred. “I guess I haven’t been very clear.”

I was growing more uneasy by the minute. I wasn’t used to having people, much less demons, being nice to me.

“Um…. That’s okay. I was just wondering….”

“You see, the situation is this. Garkin and I have been .. . playing little jokes on each other for some time now. It started one time when we were drinking and he stiffed me with the bill. Well, the next time I summoned him, I brought him in over a lake and he had to do his demon act armpit deep in water. He got even by … well, I won’t bore you with details, but we’ve gotten in the habit of putting each other in awkward or embarrassing situations. It’s really very childish, but quite harmless. But this time. . . .” Aahz’s eyes started to narrow, “But this time the old frog-kisser’s gone too… I mean, it seems to have gotten a little out of hand. Don’t you agree?”

He bared his fangs at me again in a smile. I wanted very badly to agree with him, but I didn’t have the foggiest idea what he was talking about.

“You still haven’t told me what’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong is that stinking slime-monger took away my powers!” he roared, forgetting his composure. “I’m blocked! I can’t do a flaming thing unless he removes his stupid prankish spell and he can’t ’cause he’s dead! Now do you understand me, fly-bait?”