Page 135 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood
“How about we just focus on the task at hand?”
He shakes his head and laughs.
“You’re breaking my heart, Barron.” I roll my eyes as he continues to eye the paper.
“So, what exactly are we looking for?”
He turns to look at me and widens his eyes.
“Wearen’t looking for anything. You might be the main character in all my dreams, but you are most definitely the villain in my reality.”
“What?”
“Need I remind you how I ended up here?” He raises his eyebrows and waits.
“Fine, but you can’t hold that against me forever, you know my reasons. I did what I had to.”
He blows out a breath.
“I know.” His eyes sweep the room again. “Look, vampire venom is not the only magic left in this world. Let's just say there are other sources of it, and some of those sources may just hold the key to what we need. Something that may be able to draw the magic out of a person completely.”
“Like an impure?”
His face twists in confusion. “A what?”
“An impure. That’s what the vampires call Julian’s kind.”
“Interesting. Incredibly unimaginative but interesting.”
“So, you’re saying that whatever you’re looking for is the missing ingredient that we need?” I ask eagerly.
“Technically, yes. If my theory is correct, and I can get the right combination of ingredients, then yes. If I’m wrong…well, let's just not talk about that.”
“So where do we find this stuff?”
He bites his lip. “That’s the part you’re not going to like.”
“Why?”
“Because it requires going somewhere dangerous.”
Of course it does.
“Where?”
He hesitates for a moment, then drops his voice to a near whisper.
“It’s called the Shadow Market. It’s where I go to get things that I need when I don’t want to leave a trail.”
“Ok, so let's go.”
He laughs at this.
“Yeah, I think you’re forgetting about our pretty little prison here. We can’t just walk out the door, and even if we could, going there is a risk in itself.”
“If this stuff can potentially get rid of whatever magic is infecting my sister, then we’re going.”
“So, you’ve managed to sneak out of this place before?”
