“Zed Arthen to see you, boss,” the first guard said.
Master Ein sneered and snapped his ledger closed. “Sir Arthen,” he said.
“Master Arthen,” Zed corrected him.
“Of course,” Ein said. “Normally I would be quite upset as such an unreasonable demand on my time. My subordinates exist for a reason, to shelter me from annoying distractions. However, if you truly offer what you claim to offer, I am eager to do business.”
Zed walked to the edge of the desk, leaning his cane against the side. He set the clay bottle between himself and Ein. He saw the girl look up intently, setting her book aside. Ein reached for the bottle, but Zed nonchalantly plucked it up again.
“Before we trade, let’s talk price,” Zed said. “Koathil sap is hard to come by.”
“Five dragons a bottle. That is my price.”
“The tree grows in the Watching Wood, in the heart of Droaam,” Zed said. “That’s a long walk, Ein, and Droaam makes this place look safer than a lover’s arms. Five platinum won’t even cover my travel expenses.”
“Six.”
“It isn’t as if this stuff is particularly difficult to sell, either,” Zed said, ignoring the offer. “It’s in high demand. House Jorasco uses it in anesthetics. A proper assassin’s guild would value it as well, I imagine.”
“Seven.”
“That’s not even to speak of its addictive qualities, which I hear are quite considerable if used irresponsibly,” Zed said. He began to juggle the bottle between his hands. The girl half-jumped from her seat and approached the table, standing at Ein’s side. Ein’s eyes widened.
“Eight platinum, no more. And be careful with that!”
“I could get more in Wynarn,” Zed said, cupping the bottle in his palm. “The wizards are very eager to get their hands on this stuff.”
“Wizards?” Ein asked.
Zed opened the bottle. The tiny cap tumbled between his fingers and rolled across the desk toward the girl’s hand. “Khyber,” he swore, smiling at her. “Could you get that for me?”
She bent and reached for the cap with one hand, then drew back. “Get it yourself,” she said, eyes narrowing.
Zed felt something brush over his awareness, like a feather across his mind. He ignored it, looking at the girl evenly. Fear flickered in her eyes.
Ein snatched up the metal cap with a muttered curse and tossed it back to Zed, who caught it in midair. He had missed the exchange between Arthen and the girl.
“Anyway, as I was saying. Wizards,” Zed said. “Koathil sap has been discovered to be a powerful naturally occurring conduit for enchantment. It weakens the will, leaves the user open to magical suggestion. It’s a relatively recent discovery, but I still have a few friends at the University.”
Ein’s frown deepened. He glared at Zed with thinly veiled hate. The girl now stood close by Ein’s side, eyeing the bottle warily. She placed one hand on Ein’s shoulder. “Wizards are of no concern to me,” he said, his voice an angry hiss. “I will pay you ten platinum for each bottle.”
Zed stopped tossing the bottle. He took the cork out and sniffed its contents curiously. “Now that’s a very attractive offer. If I ever actually have any real koathil sap, I’ll keep it in mind. In the meantime, how much would you pay for holy water?”
With that, Zed flicked the bottle at the girl standing beside Master Ein, spraying the contents in her face. She shrieked and doubled over in pain. Ein ducked under his desk quickly just as his two guards drew their swords and charged. Zed held his cane with both hands, blocking the first man’s sword even as he dodged the second man’s blow. He delivered a knee to the first man’s groin, followed by a sharp blow to the jaw that left him senseless. He turned and fell back just as the other guard’s sword tore through his flowing coat. The guard lifted his blade for another blow, then stopped, jaw dropping open in horror.
The girl who had hovered near Ein had risen to her feet again, but not as she was. Her eyes now shone with an infernal yellow light, and her long fingers curled into claws. A pair of tattered bat wings erupted from her back, and a long tail curled around one long leg. She radiated a bizarre, exquisite sensuality despite her inhuman appearance. She blinked painfully and rubbed at her eyes, still blinded by the holy water.
“What in Khyber is that?” the guard said fearfully.
“A demon,” Zed said, recovering the unconscious man’s sword. “Now help me kill it.”
The guard nodded and charged toward the demon. His sword struck her across the chest. She staggered backward from the force of the blow but took no real injury.
“You don’t want to do this, Arthen,” she said in a sweet voice. “You want to help me get out of here.”
Zed felt a buzzing sensation at the back of his mind, but that was all. Her catlike eyes narrowed when she realized nothing had happened. She turned to the guard instead, who was still staring at his sword in disbelief.
“Kill Zed Arthen,” she said.
The guard turned, facing Zed with a dull, confused expression. Zed rammed a heavy shoulder into the guard, knocking him on the floor. He charged past at full speed, keeping his eyes averted from the demon’s. He swung the guard’s sword, but she caught it in one hand, fingers clenching around the blade.
“Holy water,” she sneered, wrenching the sword from his hand. “With a cold iron cap on the bottle. Edgeroot smoke to buffer your will against mine. You came well prepared, Arthen, but it was not enough. I am stronger than you, and you have no weapons.”
“You didn’t take a good look at the cane,” he said. He struck the demon hard across the jaw. Her head snapped back, blood streaming from between her lips. She staggered against the wall, looking up at Zed with a suddenly fearful expression. The cane fell heavily a second time. She shrieked in agony and vanished with a flash of light, leaving behind a smoking plume of brimstone.
“What was that?” Master Ein said in a terrified voice. He peered out from under his desk.
“A succubus,” Zed said. “Sometimes they crawl out of the Pit, sometimes they just get drawn here.”
“Is it dead?” Ein demanded.
“Unlikely,” Zed answered. “They’re damned hard to kill. No pun intended. She probably won’t be back for a while, though. They usually sulk for a bit when they get caught.”
The remaining conscious guard helped Ein to his feet. He looked away from Zed with an embarrassed expression. “Seven months!” Ein shouted. “For seven months Narisa has been beside me! I trusted her with every aspect of my business, all of my secrets!”
“That’s what they do,” Zed said.
“There’s no telling how much damage she’s done,” Ein said, tearing at his hair with one hand. “How much of what I’ve done has been really me and how much was that … thing?” He gestured vaguely at the smoking floor.
“Hard to say,” Zed said. “At the very least, she was the one who made you start drinking koathil. It made it easier for her to control you. My best advice is to get a good night’s sleep. And keep a cold iron weapon close at hand; succubi are big on revenge. I’ll check in from time to time.” He offered his cane to Master Ein, who accepted it with a grateful if harried smile. The inquisitive walked toward the door, no longer moving with a limp.
“Sir Arthen,” Ein said. Zed glowered over his shoulder. “Master Arthen,” he corrected. “I would appreciate your discretion. If my competitors were to learn about this …”
“My discretion for yours,” Zed said. “Tell your thugs to stop dealing dreamlily in my city.”
“Master Arthen,” Ein retorted, feigning insult. “I would not participate in the sale of an illegal substance.”
Zed looked back at Master Ein. Zed’s face was no longer the bland, easily forgotten face of a random traveler. His eyes were filled with steel. He flipped his sword in one hand, its point directed at Ein’s gaze. Master Ein blanched, his former outrage replaced with frightened shame. “Count your blessings, Master Ein,” Zed said. “You’ve won back your soul today. All I want is this favor. Weigh it.”