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demons now facing each other. The massive equine demon towered over the small horned creature, which resembled something out of a Brian Froud picture book. But the demon-boy’s eyes were bright, like green flames, and he stood his ground. The roughly five-foot height differential between them didn’t seem to faze him at all.
    “I’m here to collect you,” the equine demon said. “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.”
    “You’re here to kill me, not collect me,” the boy replied.
    “You will come with me, one way or another.”
    “I’ll die first.”
    The equine demon flexed its right hand. Blood sprayed out of its open palm, but instead of spattering the walls, it paused in midair, bubbling, turning to a mist like high-velocity spatter. It trembled for a second, a helix of dark fluid, dotted by particles of bone and mysterious limpid matter. Then it shimmered into the form of a long black whip.
    It cracked the whip once, and curls of amber flame moved along its length. With all of the stainless steel in the autopsy suite, the reflections were dazzling.
    “You’ll die no matter what,” it replied, holding the whip loosely. “But I can make it quick or make it last. That much is up to you.”
    “First you have to catch me.”
    The boy sprang backward. He leapt onto the counter, his movements so quick and precise that he didn’t even disturb a single instrument. He perched there for a second, bare feet pressed against the steel. His toenails were long and black.
    The equine demon cracked its whip again, and this time the black rope stretched like a tendon, smashing into the counter. But the boy had already moved, and now he was balanced on the nearest autopsy table, where he’d been lying cold and inert only a few moments ago.
    I noticed Dr. Rashid for the first time. He had taken his surgical mask and gloves off and was simply staring at the equine demon. I couldn’t tell if he was about to scream, faint, or both. But he didn’t move. He just stood there, absolutely fixed.
    For a few seconds, nobody moved. Steam curled from the spot on the counter where the demon’s whip had touched.
    Now would have been a great time for Selena to arrive with backup. But the hallway remained silent. Nobody was bursting through the door.
    Lucian took a step forward. “The boy is under our protection.”
    The equine demon turned slowly to regard him. “Return to Trinovantum, changeling. There’s nothing for you here but the longest death, and you’re too young to seek that.”
    “Well, I’ve already died once, and it wasn’t so bad.”
    The demon chuckled. “You’re funny. I enjoy funny things. They always amuse me when they expire.”
    “That’s great. Were you planning to talk about that all night, or are you actually going to do something?”
    I judged the distance between Lucian and the equine demon. About ten feet. I realized what he was doing. If he could get the creature to advance a bit, there’d be enough space for Derrick to throw the time bomb. It was dicey, though. If the demon moved too quickly, then the bomb would hit Lucian as well.
    I looked at Derrick. He was reaching into his jacket slowly. He’d already anticipated Lucian’s plan. But the equine demon stayed exactly where it was.
    “How would you like it, then, necromancer?” It smiled. Its teeth were needle-sharp and made of metal. “I could do it from here. Or we could get closer. Dance a little before I split you down the middle and set fire to your entrails.”
    “Are you trying to frighten me or gross me out? Because you’re doing both.”
    While Lucian was talking, the demon-boy had managed to inch forward slowly. The equine demon turned in his direction, about to say something. But before he could speak, the boy opened his mouth wide and spit out a jet of foaming green liquid.
    The spray coated the larger demon’s face, sizzling on contact. It screamed and clawed at its eyes. The liquid kept foaming, and I watched