The Kid stopped in his tracks and scowled at me.
“You mean you agreed to help without knowing what you were volunteering for? Then how did you know we set him up for it?”
Even though Skeeve’s proved himself many times over to be a fast learner, there are still times when he can be dense to the point of being exasperating.
“What was Quigley doing when we first met him?”
“He was a demon hunter. Why?”
“And what’s he doing now?”
“Last thing we heard, he was holding down a job as Court Magician for Ta-hoe.”
“Now what do you suppose prompted him to take up magik for a living instead of sword-swinging?”
“Oh.”
He looked a bit crestfallen for a few moments but rallied back gamely.
“I still think you should have found out what the problem was. Once we’re in there, there’s no telling how long it’s going to take, and I can’t be away from the office too long. I’m really busy these days.”
“Well, then,” I smiled, “we should probably be hooking up with him ASAP instead of standing here in the street arguing.”
The Kid rolled his eyes melodramatically and set off marching down the road again.
Skeeve has changed a lot in the years I’ve worked with him. When we first met, he was a kid. Now, he’s a young man . . . even though I still tend to think of him as “the Kid.” Old habits die hard. He’s grown from a gangly boy into a youth who has to shave . . . even though it’s only necessary occasionally, so he tends to forget until Bunny reminds him. Even more astonishing is how much he’s gained in confidence and poise to a point where he’s acquired a certain amount of style. All in all, it’s been interesting watching my young charge develop over the last few years. I just wish I felt better about the directions he’s been developing in.