11
Smog swirled as Stella and Alice stepped onto a slate walkway. Stella still wasn’t used to travelling via the little girl’s reality-bending tunnels. She shivered at the nightmarish visions Alice left behind as she strode into the cold afternoon air.
‘You took your time,’ said Grim. ‘Freezing my toes off up here!’
The demon sat atop the sloping roof of a dormer window, his grubby feet hanging in open air, skin cracked and grey. She had to admit, he did a pretty good impression of a gargoyle. Few humans would have noticed him.
‘Just get on with it, Grim. I’m in no mood for chatter.’
The demon raised an eyebrow and turned to the cityscape. ‘Friendly as ever.’
‘I am, to those I consider friends.’
He made a mock show of being offended. ‘And a Merry Christmas to you too. Conscience giv
