We headed for the herb shop afterwards.

  While Vin seemed a little disappointed that Starna and I were following him and his date back to her place, I had a feeling that there was more to his ability to find the date than mere chance. I’d traded some of my blood to the Vampire almost a month ago for an open favor and recently, we’d agreed to hunt a Nether Cat on the Camadt continent in exchange for her son to bring a small army to Hepool and wait there for our return.

  There were plenty of warnings about getting in too deep with Vampires and while I was uneasy about how close we were getting, right now we needed allies and the most powerful ones we had were on the other side of the world.

  The shop smelled like roses, though I didn’t see any. The earthy smell of the soil that she grew her plants in. There was a sweetness to the shop that made it feel like a trap, but that was probably just recognizing how dangerous the situation could become more than any actual danger. If Pera Glynot wanted to harm me, she’d already had plenty of opportunities.

  “Stay inside the flowers.” The old woman motioned at the ring of pink lilies near the center of the shop. “Sagequill dampens the Camadt’s magic disruption, which will let me keep a barrier up so we can talk.”

  My brother eyed me, but compiled without creating a fuss. There weren’t any chairs, so he sat down on the dirty floor. Starna winced as he wiped his dirty hands on the suit.

  My ears popped, letting me know the barrier was in place. I turned to our smiling host. “Is this about the deal with your son?”

  “His hobbies are his own business.” The Vampire shrugged as she moved behind the counter and began filling a pot with water. “Tea?”

  I sighed. “I’d rather not. It’s been a long day and I still have a problem waiting for me back at the embassy before I can go to bed.” I looked over at my date, who was busy looking at the pink flowers around my brother. Vin was bored and it wasn’t going to be long before he started looking for a way to entertain himself.

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  “Straight to business.” Pera put a tripod burner on the counter and lit it, then put the pot on top of it. She stepped through the curtain behind the counter into the back of the shop. “I’ll be right out after I change into something more comfortable.”

  I shook my head, but there was no point in rushing her. She was operating on her own timetable, I just hoped that whatever she wanted wouldn’t take long.

  I touched one of the pink petals, then looked at Starna. “I wonder if these could be powdered…”

  “It won’t work.” The beautiful Elf shook her head. “The power comes from the plant itself. The Centaurs tried planting fields of them to counter the Camadt’s magic dampening, but the Camadt burned the fields.” She picked up one of the pots and rotated it to look at the flowers better. “It’s too easy to neutralize, so it’s only useful when the Camadt are wanting to be hospitable.”

  Vin grinned. “I’m always hospitable.” He plucked off one of the petals and popped it in his mouth. “BLEH!!!” His face contorted as he spit it out. “Tastes like soap!”

  “You shouldn’t put everything in your mouth.” Pera clicked her tongue as she walked out. The Vampire had changed into jeans and a low-cut long sleeved tan shirt that she’d rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. Her bare feet padded against the tile as she walked towards us.

  “Just wait for a little while longer.” She scratched my brother under the chin like a cat.

  Vin closed his eyes as he enjoyed the attention, then pouted once she stopped and turned to me.

  “What is it that you need, Pera?” I put my hands on my hips. “Tonight has been great, but I’ve still got a lot to do and I’m leaving in the morning.”

  “Can’t an old woman enjoy good company?” She winked at Starna, who backed up. “Fine.” The Vampire sighed. “You might want to sit down for this…” She looked around, but there wasn’t anywhere for us to sit. She started to turn over a planter, but it was covered in dirt. She paused as she looked at the fancy clothes the rest of us were wearing. The old woman flipped over the bucket and sat down on it.

  “My son wasn’t entirely honest with his request.” She took in a deep breath. “Let me tell you what you’re about to walk into.”

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