A Scatter of Stardust Read Online Free PDF Page B

that worries me?” The demon nursed his brow. “Go ahead. Get it over and done with.”
    Nonplussed Chris dropped the wet rag. Threats having failed he tried logic. “Look,” he reminded. “I’m your boss. Whatever I say you have to do. Right?”
    “Wrong.”
    Wearily the demon raised his head, the light seemed to hurt his eyes and he groaned, lifting a claw to shield them. “It was never like this in the old days,” he mourned. “Lantern light or a couple of torches was all they had then and no one ever tried to poison me.”
    “You’ve got a hangover,” said Chris impatiently. “I’ve had lots of them in my time. It’ll pass.”
    “You mean that you’ve lived through this more than once?” The demon was startled. “From choice? How much punishment can a thing like you take?”
    “Keep to the point,” said Chris. “Why was I wrong when I said that whatever I asked you had to do?”
    “No compulsion,” said the demon. “Oh, you can threaten to break the pentagram, sure, but the way I feel now that’s no threat.” He brooded for a moment. “Now that’s another thing which never happened before. The last thing those old-timers wanted was to break the pentagram. Of course, I’d have ripped them open before handing in my chips, the same as I would you, but where’s the profit in that?”
    “None at all,” said Chris swiftly. He hadn’t thought of the natural consequences of loosing the demon. He forced himself to smile. “Let’s not talk about unpleasant things,” he urged. “Let’s keep this friendly.”
    “Let’s,” agreed the demon. “How about letting me go home?”
    “Later.” Chris narrowed his eyes. “You can’t leave until I give the word, can you?” He didn’t need the demon’s sullen nod to verify his suspicions. “Well, there’s your compulsion. Unless you obey me I’ll keep you here until you starve.”
    “That’ll take a long time,” said the demon spitefully. “I’ve a longer life span than you and the field will collapse when you die or when you forget to maintain it.” He settled himself on the carpet “I can wait.”
    He lit another cigar.
    Defeated, Chris glared at his guest. This was getting more complicated than he liked and he had the uneasy feeling that things were getting beyond control. Whether the demon knew anything about the necessity of sleep, Chris didn’t know, but if the field were to collapse if he forgot to remember to maintain it then its effectiveness was limited by his ability to stay awake. Like it or not he had to appeal for guidance.
    “All right,” he said. “So we’ll leave out the question of compulsion. How else do I make you obey me?”
    “You can’t,” said the demon. He grew thoughtful. “Of course, there’s always incentive, you know. Something for something.”
    “A trade?” Chris had expected it; the old legends were full of tales of demon callers who’d outsmarted their guests. He relaxed a little. With his training it shouldn’t be hard to get the better of any deal they might make. “Right, he said. “I’ll make a deal with you. You give me eternal youth coupled with eternal health and...”
    “Take it easy!” The demon began to show interest for the first time. “Let’s be reasonable about this. I can’t give you eternal anything. No one can. I’m limited, you know.”
    “You are?” Chris managed to hide his disappointment. It was logical, he supposed. If the demon had unlimited powers, he wouldn’t have gotten caught in the first place. “A pity. About your limitations, I mean. Well, what can you offer?”
    “Quite a lot.” The demon hunched himself into a more comfortable position. “Women, for example, how about that?” Incredibly he became lecherous. “I can swap you a brew which will make any woman ready to fall into your arms at sight.”
    “You can?” Chris controlled his amusement. “Where is it?”
    “You’ll have to make it up,” said the demon. “It isn’t hard. Just