Page 67 of The Tenth Muse

“Havetopee!” I stumble-crawl over Donella to get to the bathroom, her laughing following behind me.

After we’ve both washed up, and had a bite to eat, I grab the comb I won and ask Donella to sit at their table.

“Will you tell me a little more about this meeting?”

Donella nods stiffly, but is quiet while I stare at their head trying to figure out how to part their hair around their horns. I think I’ll have to twist the front pieces and start the braids behind the horn bases. And then if a few baby hairs fall out to frame their face, it’ll be okay.

I use the comb to part their hair down the middle and that's when I realize Donella hasn’t spoken yet.

“We won’t need an appointment?” I prompt.

Donella shifts in their seat and clears their throat.

“That’s right.”

They are quiet again while I comb through the left side, untangling with my fingers every time I hit a snag. The side is completely smooth, and I twist the hair in front of their left horn before I divide the hair behind in three sections.

“How many people have to be there to witness?” This time, Donella’s quicker to answer.

“It’s the same thirty-five every time. They get pulled from whatever they’re doing any time the court is in session, but they get extra perks like front row tickets to the games and unlimited cheese so it works out for them.”

“Oh, so cheese is popular here too?”

“Yeah, almost every farm has a least one variety of cheese, but some farmers have rows and rows of various crops that bloom at different times of the year so cheese is always exciting around here.”

Now that it seems like Donella has relaxed a little, I set myself to focusing on making a thick braid and ensuring that all their little ends stay tucked in. I’m almost ready for a hair tie when I realize what they just said.

“Your cheese … Grows?”

“Yeah, in tall stalks, ow.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s got a thin skin that you have to peel back, and then you can eat it right off the plant without cooking it.”

“Sounds like corn in my world.”

“Hmm.” Donella’s quiet again while I start the same process on the right side. I take my time to make sure everything matches up. Pretty soon I tell them I’m ready for them to take a look in the mirror. Donella smiles and puts an arm around me.

“We match.”

“Yeah, is that okay?”

Donella kisses me. “It’s perfect.”

“You dare argue with me, demon?”

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

Three different irritated voices sound off from the one god in front of us. Donella has filed the required paperwork and got us both through security to see him during office hours. Except that he’s too busy bathing and has decided he won’t see us, won’t even reschedule, because the witches’ murders happened to people outside his realm.

I mean, honestly, what more can you expect from someone as pompous as him. I’d be fine to just ask Donella to keep them as magicless bugs and be on my way at this point but she’s not having it. She’s cited every policy and bylaw in the book and he keeps refusing us, getting louder and more brash by the moment in his dismissal. I tug on the back of her shirt every few seconds but she’s not getting the memo. I need some distraction.

What was that counting thing Nneke used to do when she got panic attacks? It was like five things you see, four things you hear, and so on? Well, considering that what I was hearing was three distinct voices coming out of only one god, let's just focus on what I see.

Umm, okay well, we’re in a room to start off with. Which is so weird because there are trees everywhere and clouds on the ceiling but I can see the creases in the sky where the walls meet and yet somehow I feel a breeze.

God magic.

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