Page 107 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

He twists his face in confusion.

“Why would I do that? I would lose out on money if I made one that didn’t run out. What kind of idiot does that?”

“Screw Karius’s immunity, I’m going to kill him.” Kaia starts to march in his direction.

“I didn’t say Icouldn’tmake one,” he stumbles over his words as he hurriedly tries to stop Kaia from reaching him. “For example, if an old friend and two members of the royal guard were to turn up on my doorstep and ask, then yeah, I could definitely figure something out.”

Ajax laughs next to me, earning a glare from both me and Kaia.

“What? He’s kind of funny, you’ve got to admit.” He shrugs.

“You would need to come to the palace,” I tell him, and he nods.

“Fine. I just need to gather some things first.”

He moves behind his counter and dips down to retrieve something, and then in a flash, he lifts a bucket and throws the contents in our direction. The liquid hits my eyes, and a burning sensation rips a scream from me. The same is obviously happening to Kaia and Ajax as I hear them screaming, too. Beyond it, I hear Finn’s footsteps pound against the wooden floor before the door flies open.Shit.

I feel my way through the apothecary until I reach the small basin, turning on the faucet in a rush. Splashing water into my eyes, I blink rapidly until my vision settles into a soft blur. I rush over to Kaia and bring her to the sink, leading her hands under the running water. Once I’m sure that she is ok, I go and get Ajax, bringing him to it too.

“I’m going to kill him!” Kaia says once her sight starts to return.

“Get in line,” I say.

Ajax blows out a breath and leans against the wall.

“What the hell was that stuff?”

I shake my head. “I have no idea, he’s always cooking up something. He’s a weasel, but he’s a damn smart one.”

“He’s going to be a dead weasel the next time I see him,” Kaia says.

Just then, the door to the apothecary slams open, and a dark figure enters wearing a black cloak. They have Finn clutched in their hands, his body dangling lifelessly, before they throw him into the apothecary. He lands with a thud at my feet. I look up as the figure removes the hood from their face.

“Ivana?” She gives me a small smile.

“Always bring backup,” Ajax says, and despite the sting that still lingers in my eyes and my frustrations over Finn, I still manage a smile.

“Let's get out of here before he decides to poison us next time,” Ajax says.

He hauls Finn’s body over his shoulder as if he weighs nothing before he joins Ivana at the threshold. Kaia and I exchange a look before following behind him.

I don’t know what Ivana did to him, but Finn is still out cold. A smile slips onto my face as the carriage makes a turn, causing him to fall against Kaia’s shoulder for the seventh time. She shoves him away, causing him to hit his head against the side of the carriage, and I half wonder if that’s why he still hasn’t woken up.

Ajax decided that he would go back with Ivana in her carriage. I did ask why she didn’t just use one of her portals to take us all back, but apparently, even magic has its limits.

I sink back into the chair, knowing that this is going to be another long journey until we arrive back at the palace. I imagine that Karius will still be seething over the fact that I left to come with Ajax and Kaia, but he has to understand that I’m as much a part of this as he is, and there’s no point protecting me outside the walls of the palace if the dangers lurking within it are just as bad.

Finn falls on Kaia again, and she shoves him hard, and I can’t help the laugh that escapes this time. Her eyes snap to mine instantly.

“What?”

I try to hide my smile. “Nothing.” An awkward moment of silence passes between us before I decide to speak again. “Thanks for coming to get him, by the way.”

“I didn’t do it for you.”

“I never said you did.”

The wheels of the carriage scratch against the ground, creating a steady rhythm that fills the silence.