Lilah snaps a mirror shut. “Our contact is ready to meet us.”

  It seems I’m not the only one with an otherworldly cell phone. I idly wonder what this contact is like. This feels a bit like working with an informant, or like I’m going another layer deep undercover. When I arrest the Demon Lord, I’ll make sure to tip the authorities off to the Thieves’ Guild’s whereabouts, too.

  At least, that’s what I tell myself. For all we’ve been arguing, I’m not sure I have the stomach to watch Lilah and her friends get arrested.

  And also, which authorities? Who could possibly be above a Demon Lord? Would it be the King, who we’ve just tried to steal from? That wouldn’t go over well if he ever found out who was really behind the heist. I’m sure I’ll figure it out somehow

  I’m not just giving in to peer pressure with this whole Thieves’ Guild thing, okay? Izumi and Mamoru know more about this world than I do. If they think it’s the right decision, it has to have some merits. I’m willing to reserve judgment for a little while longer.

  “Hey, Chiba.” Lilah’s voice snaps me out of my daydreams of undercover operations.

  “The Demon Lord called me that. Just call me Hiyori.”

  We’re not friends, but we could be. I still don’t really understand her, and honestly, I’m not sure I like her. Then again, it’s not like Izumi and I are all that close to Mamoru, either. Friendships take time. At least, that’s how I think they work

  “Hiyori.” She tries it out. “No bullshit, okay? Were you really looking for me — for Lilah Murphy and not Lilah Windwood?”

  “Why would I lie to you?”

  “It’s what people do.” She shrugs.
  
  “I started working at The Flowering Tea Emporium right after you and the other girls went missing. I did it on purpose. I said I was going to arrest the person responsible for kidnapping you, and I wasn’t lying. What’s so hard to believe about that?

  “It takes a special kind of stupid to get yourself kidnapped.” Lilah shakes her head. “But, hey. Maybe you are special. You won our attention, after all.”

  “I was just doing my job.

  “Adventuring? Or being a glorified barista?

   “Police work!” I protest

  She laughs and puts a hand on my shoulder. For a second, I almost expect to fall asleep again. “You’re an idiot, but you’re not so bad.

  When we round up Izumi and Mamoru, the two of them are arguing about something and Hibiscus is sitting on his head like it’s her comfortable plush bed.

  “Hibiscus!” I hiss.

  She scurries down to his shoulder and then makes the leap to the floor.

  “Nice lizard,” Lilah remarks. “Weird that we didn’t notice it before, though.”

  “Nice dragon,” I correct her.

  “Uh huh. And how does a normie like you even know what a dragon looks like?”

  “You all keep calling me that. What the hell does it mean?” I sigh. “It’s a long story, so just trust me.”

  “As far as I can throw you.”

  “Aren’t we on the same side now?”

  “Yeah. That doesn’t mean I trust you yet. First a magic mirror, then a dragon? Assuming it’s not just a lizard, of course. How did you convince it to travel with you?”

  “She.” I feel a little silly sticking up for her like that. "And we didn't convince her of anything. She just... followed us. That's all."

  “Sure.”

  Once Hibiscus is comfortably hidden among our packs again, it’s time to move out. We’re meeting at The Dog’s Paw, a dingy tavern in the sketchy part of town. Lilah encourages us to keep a quick pace, and we still almost run afoul of some ne’er-do-wells.

  A man stumbles out the door and into our group as we make our way inside. Music blares from an old piano. I feel like I've seen places like this in old movies. It reminds me of an old west saloon.

  “Hey,” Lilah says, tapping a mysterious figure on the shoulder with bold abandon.

  My heart sinks all the way to my fantasy-world boots. Her contact’s voice cuts into me like a knife. When I make it back home, even if I live to be a hundred, I’ll never forget what it sounds like.

  “Lavender?” I blurt out.

  The demon smiles, revealing their fangs. Lilah jumps back, knocking into a chair behind her and rattling it against a table. A drunk grumbles but keeps his nose in his drink.

  “Who were you expecting?” they ask.

  “Someone human,” I hiss.

  “Hiyori, you know—” Lilah’s eyes go wide. “Wait. You’re one of his.”

  "You have a keen eye, my lady,” Lavender admits. “I am one of His Majesty’s finest, and I am also your liaison to the Thieves’ Guild of Cha.”

  “If you-know-who is in charge, why does he need to have a spy in the Thieves’ Guild?”

  “Please, I’m not a spy.” The demon shakes their head. “I’m simply a butler.”

  “Please,” Lilah repeats.

  “And one can’t be a spy for their own side, after all.”

  “I’m sorry?"

  “My lord is the true leader of the Theives’ Guild.”

  I clench my fists and choke back an angry retort. I’m sure I could get away with swearing and shouting in a rowdy place like this, but I’m honestly too furious to form words.

  “You played us! I can’t believe it!” Lilah exclaims.

  “A little louder," Mamoru whispers. "I don't think they heard you at the bar yet."

  "What's hard to believe? My lord needs to know everything that goes on in his kingdom, so it's only logical to take command of those who deal in knowledge and secrets," Lavender says. "We had a close relationship with the old leader, and she left control of the organization to us before she passed away."

  “Legal inheritance, huh? I don’t buy it.” I frown.

  “It was a verbal agreement.”

  “And we’re supposed to take you at your word, too?”

  “Demons don’t lie, Lady Hiyori.”

  “No, they just drink tea.”

  “Precisely.”

  Silence settles between us. A waitress sings off-key with the piano music as we stare each other down.

  “In any case, what we’re seeking is also a drink. The nobles from Canephora are planning to serve their kingdom’s specialty, and that’s what my lord wants to seize from them. We’ll still be expecting you there tomorrow night,” Lavender says. “If you want your full membership.

  Lilah’s freckled face turns red with anger. “You won’t be able to keep us away.”