iating prices of solutions and tinctures always te out the worst in people. Often, it resulted in the raving lunatics who were my ers pressing the muzzle of a gun against my head.

  Case in point: Lord Batholemew Alvoneas Montague V, whose revolver trembled only inches away from my forehead. His watery grey eyes were steel in their focus, and his thick bck mustache vibrated in rage as the muzzle of his pistol shook inches in front of my face.

  My expression frozen, I waited for his lordship to speak. An errant word from me could provoke him int the gun. Both my hands were already above the table, shaking a little bit. My tail twitched, and I forced it still as well. Reag uhe table for a on would result in that bullet as well.

  We had been sitting in a private booth in the Hell’s Own tavern, a pce where my kind was expected. Lord Montague’s kind did not publicly visit here. Lord Montague himself preferred not to e here at all, was what I’d gathered from our little chat. The idea of being in a pce as seedy as this seemed almost as painful as dealing with an Infernal from his tone preg the gun.

  And that was just the nobles who chose to pay the fees to be brought through the tunnels ected to the celr instead of walking in through the back door.

  The private rooms were soundproofed and hidden from the eyes of the public. Thus, they made for an excellent pce for the rid famous to rub elbows with those whose services they may need but who publicly they could not be seen with. Such as a rather dashing young alchemist with a somewhat sketchy reputation and an evident touch of the Infernal in her ary bearing the name Fara Merotien.

  Of course that same privacy made them the perfect pmit a murder. Could a gunshot be heard from in here? Not something I wao test.

  Finally, his lordship spoke.

  “You ot seriously expect me to even sider what you said,” he snarled.

  I sipped some water, the only drink I’d brought into the booth. The surface of the water shook as I tried to force my hand still. I could not betray that my instincts screamed to bite into his lordship’s hand before he could pull the trigger.

  “You don’t agree with my price, mi’lord?” I asked.

  “Agree with?” His pistol moved forward, the tip now pressing into my crimson skiween my horns. He practically roared his sentence. “I e here asking for help saving my son’s life, and you set a price that high? Lower it, you shameless creature!”

  I set my drink down oable, eyes fixed on his. Tone casual as much as I could force it, I replied.

  “While I am open to iations, Lord Montague, I don’t particurly enjoy it with a pistol pressed against my head. Furthermore, what will you do if you pull the trigger? I did n the elixir with me, and besides, vioting the rules of this establishment is likely to nd you in a world of trouble. It will take time to find my body, but how long 'til they find it? How much bribe money will that be to the owo cover up my death? And do you think you find a better pri the city? Mayhap the empire but that’s a long distao travel. Again, please lower your pistol.”

  A sed passed by, then two, and theip of the pistol left my skin.

  I resisted the urge to let out a breath. There was o let Lord Montague know how ed I had actually been.

  His shoulders slumped and his expression fell as he sat back down across from me. We were now at eye level once again. My curre was much shorter than his lordship’s for now. ing my neck back to look him in the eyes had begun to feel painful.

  Not as painful as being shot would have been, of course.

  I could, ceivably, survive a gunshot to the head. The odds were about the same as surviving being stabbed two dozen times. The ces were not good I’d live past the first ten minutes, and even then, it would be likely to leave damage that would take weeks to heal. But the threat was gone.

  For now at least. The gun still remained in his hand, which trembled as little as my own had just moments ago.

  Since he didn’t seem ied in speaki, I filled the silence. “I do have shame, my lord, just not over this. You want an elixir for a particurly rare poison, and you want delivery in utmost secrecy. I guarah and am charging what I sider a fair price for it. Do you know how rare this elixir’s ingredients are? They are rare enough that me already possessing a dose is a rather fortunate ce for you.”

  I doubted he was that favored by the deities. The elixir he wanted was issioned by another noble several weeks back. Word would have traveled in those circles, which is why he approached me.

  Best not to mention this poison tee the mind even if cured. Not badly, but cases of ged personalities after fighting it off did happen often enough.

  Rese and resignation colored his lordship’s face, joining an ever-present disgust that had been in his expression since he sat down. “There’s no sario in which you’ll iate the price down?”

  “I am willing to iate it down, although I will note I’m already not charging high above what this e. And threatenih a gun will make me less ined to iate.”

  I was lying about the price. I was charging about four times what it had cost. But he had the moo buy it easily, and sidering he lived in the Gilded Quarter while I was scraping by in the bowels of the Infernal Quarter, I didn’t feel much sympathy.

  “You charged Lady Kasrin a quarter that price for the same mixture a month ago, you greedy little fork-tongued snake,” he said in a resigned voice. “The only reason I didn’t blow your brains out, is that even if I did how long till you end up with whatever succubus spawned you down in the hells, doing the same work alongside her?”

  My saber rested in my coat, as well as pistols and poisoned daggers and fsks. I could have any of them in my hand in a sed, and with this little worm’s head opened up. I’d use his brain to coct a poison to ram down his spawn’s throat myse-

  Calm yourself Malvia, I told myself. He wasn’t a threat.

  I resisted the urge to flick said forked to at him while I stuffed the rest of my rage far down. I couldn’t let the jab le me. If I felt irritation at everyone who sndered my heritage or my mother, I’d barely be able to take a step outside without my skin itg.

  “You don’t mean that, your lordship. You’re frustrated, which is uandable, but from my point of view I am only charging a fair price. Also, my mother was a fine young woman of the mortal realms, and wherever her soul resides, I am assured mine will not join it,” I said. “I will let the digs at my heritage pass without raising the price further. I’ll even try not to be insulted at suder. But let’s leave our respective families out of this matter?”

  Partially a lie, implying my mother was not alive still. My mother was alive, well, and as far removed from tonight’s activities as I could make her. 1143 West Endings was as far from this quarter as you could get in terms of css.

  “Snder?” His lordship’s face was losing the signs nation. Unfortunately it was gaining the signs of anger instead as some fire returo his voice. That and the ever-present disgust.

  “Snder. I am desded of the hells, but it’s no reason to cast aspersions on me. As for your increased price, Lady Karsin may have mentioned her moary payments, but I doubt she informed you of additional payments she made in things other than gold itself.”

  If anything, the disgusted look on his faly got worse.

  “I had no idea Lady Karsin had such proclivities.”

  This one had a filthy mind, apparently. “Not of that nature. Something else. Would you please put the pistol away?”

  “Once you start talking sense on the price,” he insisted.

  “If you’ll let me draw mine as well,” I said. “I’d prefer no ons oable at all, but if you insist on holding onto it, well I might as well have something to secure my own safety. It only seems fair.”

  He sidered the pistol, gave me a suspicious look. I gave him my best smile in response. h showing, of course. Universally, most people didn’t like people with fangs grinning at them.

  He eventually put the pistol away, then quietly said “I might have stepped out of line. I sincerely hope that it hasn’t given you the wrong impression of me.”

  That sounded more sihan anything else he’d said so far. “Not at all, mi’lord,” I said with a small grin. “If I refused to deal with any t who threatened me with physical violence, I would not have as many. I’ve just learned not to take it personally.”

  He sighed, sidering the ceiling for a moment. “I offer you a quarter of your asking price. What did Lady Karsin offer to you?”

  “Alchemical ingredients, equipment, and a few other odds and ends of moary value worth the differeween your two prices.”

  He seemed lost in thought for a moment before life came back to his eyes. “I’m not really in the alchemical trade, although I might have something just as useful. Respectability. I have a fourth son, Gregory, who is hale, polite, and a bachelor of some repute. I could arrange you two to court for a time. He’s very good at impressing the dies, and depending on adjustments on your part, there may even be a ce of a formal e.”

  I forced a smile. The Lord Montague, besides being insed over my increased demands for payment, seemed to have his mind mainly focused on sex. I didn’t particurly care for him keeping his mind there, especially in terms of iations.

  The dating and potential marriage proposal was even more ing. This Gregory must not rank among his father’s favorites if Lord Montague eaihe idea of him being seen in public with me. Altogether a different attitude than the eldest he was visiting me i to treat. And I had no doubts what the ‘adjustments’ he might be thinking of would be.

  I’d already gohrough enough of those simply to look more presentable to human eyes, and those were both expeo maintain and temporary. I knew what kind he’d ask for and the dire they’d take.

  And that was all ign the fact I didn’t particurly want to go out with someone forced to go with me. It would be uo end well, but was Lord Montague insinuating this was the only way I could have a date with a pure-blood human?

  He’d already done enough to make my gut swirl. It was time to get him focused.

  “I would have to dee that offer respectfully. I would always accept a favor instead,” I said. “Would that be acceptable?”

  I suspected it would not be. The brief paling of face before he reposed himself firmed that suspi.

  Figured. One so eager to believe the worst of my heritage would buy into all the rumors of what we did with such things as favors. He probably thought I’d make a tonic out of his iine or rope him into summoning a demon into the city.

  It was tempting. There wouldn’t be a magical hold like he probably imagined, but I’d lear a young age how much of a motivator fear could be. I was not very good at unlearning it.

  He reposed himself, thinking. “Not a favor. I could reend you to others for simir situations? I know people far beyond the reach of Lady Karsin who are also ied in an alchemist with access to materials most ’t get and who also knows to keep their mouth shut.”

  I frowned. “I prefer payment in material goods, Mi’lord. Much less ambiguity and lower ces of one or both parties feeling cheated. Exposure is…I am trusting your word on that. I have my limits on how much I trust people, especially after what you’ve said and done so far. My ination is firmly no.”

  Exposure would not be much of an additional payment. Anyone much higher than Lord Montague in the ranks of nobility probably already had alchemists they either knew or retained for that purpose. I was lucky that Lord Montague had a son who oisoned, and that his lordship wanted no oo know he had almost died.

  And I wanted, no, o break into this rung of society. Despite my earlier thought, his idea might be more worthwhile than my gut rea had thought. Exposure ayment for fools, but if it was the limit of his resources, it might be all I could get. I couldn’t say that out loud, of course. Pressuring him on this price might get something additional for my ats. If I simply pyed aggressively with the iations-

  My thoughts were broken by the sound .

  To my shod mild disgust, while I’d been mulling over that in my head, Lord Montague had started weeping. Not the kind employed oage either, full-on sniffling and near-bawling.

  “Please. I know I said unkind things, but he’s my first son. I ’t let him die. I just don’t have the cash on hand to pay your asking price. Most of my funds are tied up, they take time to make liquid.”

  He seemed genuinely upset and desperate, or he was well-practiced enough to hide the insiy of his attempt to tug on my heartstrings.

  I hadn’t had my ability to feel emotions repced yet, as some actually did, but even so, it wasn’t a particurly moving se. The man in front of me made more in a day than I did most years. My ret fortune in ts didn’t mean I was willing to be charitable with them yet. And the argument that he didn’t have that much money on hand stank of someone who simply didn’t want to pay.

  I was running the risk of alienating him entirely. Lady Karsin’s reach alone wouldn’t be enough. Her and Lord Montague together would be a good stepping stone. I wanted repeat ers. Preferably ones less willing to call me slurs.

  At a bare minimum, this would still pay for six months' worth of expenses for me.

  “Fine. A quarter of what I suggested, in addition to your reendation of my services.” I proffered my hand. “I’d also like an advance of two hundred gold sns.”

  He eyed my hand with a mixture of revulsion, fear, and hope. Eventually, he shook it.

  As soon as he let go, I retrieved a trio of vials from my coat. Each tained purple liquid, a mixture of Frost Tips and the blood of Liondogs I’d found in the Underground.

  “Take these. They’ll halt any degeion your heir may be suffering and give him some strength back. One eaight as the sus, at most an hour after he’s eaten. He should be able to speak normally and regain trol of his body. That does not mean he should be doing anything physically strenuous. He should stay in bed, and don’t let him vince you otherwise. If his dition worsens while on this, send for me immediately.”

  Lord Montague frowned, pig up one of the bottles. The only sign of his weeping was a slight puffiness around his eyes. “You ’t give me the cure right away?”

  “If he’s as you described, I need him strong enough to survive the cure. Angel’s Sorrow isn’t a on poison, nor is it easy to cure. The cure’s not a pleasant mixture, and if he’s too far in the poison’s grip, the war between it and the elixir will kill him. Don’t feed him anything too rich. Pin foods, three times a day. Chi, fish, or lizard for protein. Plenty of greens. Also water. It’s going to ght through at first, but his retention should improve as these take effeo alcohol or any of those exotic drinks they’ve been marketing around.”

  He grimaced, uneasily looking at the preparations “He’s had issues keeping his food down. That’s why I he cure so desperately, he hasen in three days.”

  “That might actually help, depending on how the poison got to him. If it’s in his food, it might have lowered the overall dosage. That’ll help some. Have someone you trust prepare his meals. Keep it to small meals, bnd foods. Crackers, potatoes, toast with no butter. And keep him well-guarded. It’s a very rare poison your son’s been given. And a sed case so soon after Lady Karsin’s.”

  Lord Montague’s face shifted, aion draining off of it. “We are both aware. And we are withholding that information from you. You are being hired for one purpose, and frankly only because you know to keep your mouth shut.”

  I smiled peaceably. “Hardly an issue. Just an observation. You should keep yuard up, though. This elixir isn’t easy to obtain the ingredients for. I have three doses left, then it’s either to another alchemist or hope that adventurers bring back more samples. One sed.”

  Holy, it was lucky that I did have these elixirs. I’d hardly expected a drake to die or for their corpse to be so puarded. Whoever had been in charge of funeral preparations for the Honorable Millit Ferguseous Valit robably getting a shing. Or possibly gettien. Some draic bloodliill lived iuries past.

  Not that I cared too much. It barely scratched my sce to extract her brain and carve it up. I’d done much worse in my time.

  I looked through my bag, looking for the packet I’d put in here. It alaid to appear generous. I pulled it out, a small bag with perhaps three teaspoons of a dried grey powder.

  “sider this free of charge, your lordship. It’ll react to the poison. Just sprinkle a little in to test food and water. It should be safe for your son’s ption.”

  Lord Montague frowned, eyeing the packet suspiciously. “Should be?”

  “Unless he has divine blood in his veins, he should be.”

  He sat back, expression ptive. “My great-grandfather cimed in the past we were desded from an angel, but no one could ever prove it.”

  “That far back would be too diluted for an effect to occur. I’ll have the elixir ready at an address I will provide you in three days. Send someoh a message marked by your seal, with the full payment as well.”

  “Is the seal necessary?”

  “It is.” He was thinking of the risk of dealing with me being traced ba. I was thinking of my first year of this when a t had sent someoo collect their order, then ter cimed I had given it to a stranger and refused to pay me. Sihen, I only handed off goods to people who could prove they worked for my ers.

  Lord Montague grabbed the vials and packet, withdrawing a small box from within his coat. He secured them in the box.

  He didn’t seem entirely happy as he locked the box shut. “If he worsens before this preparation you’ve given me is plete….”

  “Then send someoo my address,” I said. “We risk the cure if there is no time left. If he is unresponsive for more thaeen hours, send for me. Until then, he should be fine.”

  That assuaged him a little, but his gaze focused on mine, suspicious gathering in his expression. “I am risking more than just my heir’s life dealing with you, Infernal. If you are either trig me or pying with me, I will make you pay. It won’t matter what hole you crawl in, my servants will drag you out and make you beg for a bullet over the tortures I’ll infli you. You are sure these will make him better?”

  I smiled. “Not to worry, my lord. I guarahat they will work wonders, or my name is not Fara.”

  It wasn’t, of course, but if I’d said my real name, I was quite sure Lord Montague would put a bullet between my eyes.