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A return visit to the hospital,check.
“And to make the reversal formula, it would require the blood of the same kraken and of the dark-elf alchemist who madeit.”
Ugh, I would need more than a visit to the hospital to findthose.
“You would also need a highly trained and exceptional alchemist willing to create all this for you.” Hesmiled.
“Any chance that’s you? Or am I going to have to find this dark-elf alchemist—does he have a name?—and force him to do it atgunpoint?”
“I wouldn’t trust any formula that was made under duress. As to if I can do it, I am capable, but I would not wish to incur the wrath of the dark-elf clan living in the area. My simple home would be easy for them to breach, and I could not fight off many of their mages. Their magic is verystrong.”
An entire clan?Great.
“But I would possibly risk their wrath if the price were right and if the alchemist—Synaru-van is her name—never learned of myinvolvement.”
“What’s your price?” My skin crawled as I imagined him demanding my blood—or for me to bring some of his followers here so he could enjoytheirblood.
“You have lingering about you the aura of adragon.”
The unexpected statement startled me. “He left his aura on me?Nasty.”
“Many of my ancient formulas require a drop of dragon blood. This has been hard to come by. For the longest time, there were no dragons left on Earth, not even as visitors. It seems that has changed.” He beamed his smile at me, not at my neck this time but at me. Or maybe at that crusty dragon aura lingering aboutme.
I vowed to take a bath later and scrub with my loofah and that high-powered pumice hand-cleaner that mechanics liked. I used it whenever I got an assignment’s blood on me, and I would slather myself from head-to-toe to get a dragon auraoff.
“To sum up,” Zoltan said, “I will create both the reversal formula and the healing elixir for you, but I require a drop of Synaru-van’s blood, a drop of the blood of the kraken that she used, and, for my own payment, a vial of dragonblood.”
“Avial? Not just adrop?”
“I havemanyformulas that require a drop of dragon blood. Thus I need many drops.” He rubbed his cold hands together with hotglee.
“These aren’t the formulas that would allow you to take over the White House, arethey?”
“Oh, no. I could do that simply by making followers. Please be honored that I’m not asking you to becomeone.”
“My neck and I are pleased. Is it because the dragon aura clinging to my skin makes my bloodundesirable?”
“Not at all. The dragon aura would enhance the flavor and perhaps even give me increasedvitality.”
I wasdefinitelyusing the loofahlater.
“It’s the powerful magical gun you haven’t stopped pointing at me that’sproblematic.”
“I’m glad I brought it then.” I looked at his shelves. “Do you have some empty vials I can borrow? And, uh, syringes. I assume you don’t want the bloods tomingle.”
“Certainly not. I’ll prepare you a samplekit.”
“Do you have any idea where I can find this dark-elfalchemist?”
“In the tunnels beneathSeattle.”
I could have guessed that from what Willard had told me. “Is there a favorite entrance she uses when she goes out to shop for groceries and humansacrifices?”
“I doubt Synaru-van goes out. I do not know where their entrances are, but she didn’t find the kraken blood in a puddle under thefreeway.”
I scratched my jaw. Meaning there was likely access somewhere near a large body of water? Unfortunately, that didn’t narrow things down much. Most of Seattle was within a mile or two of one significant body of water oranother.
He’s not in the little room under the trapdoor,Sindari told me.And if you’ve ever tried to open a door with only paws and claws, you’ll thank me for myeffort.
