Chapter 15. A Natural Alliance
BOOM!
The earth shook. The house trembled. A wave of force blasted into Rhys and Tarais, sending both of them stumbling back. Black smoke billowed out of the windows, chimneys, and doors of the house.
Rhys looked at Tarais. “Should we, uh, help?”
Tarais stood casually, her hands clasped behind her. “No, this is fine.”
“Is it?” Rhys muttered to himself.
A few seconds later, Sorden came staggering out of the door, chased by a gout of dark smoke. She coughed heavily, waving her hand in front of her face, then looked up. Finding two students in front of her, she beamed. “Good afternoon! Anything I can help you with?”
“Er, anything we can help you with?” Rhys returned.
Sorden looked at him, lost, then glanced over her shoulder at her still-smoking house. She laughed. “No, no. I was experimenting with a new pill formula, and it didn’t work out, that’s all. This happens all the time.”
Pillmaking is more dangerous than I thought. Rhys eyed the black smoke for another beat, then put it to the back of his mind and smiled. “I’ve discovered a way to farm herbs on the mountain. Would you be interested in purchasing my herbs?”
She raised her brows. “Let’s see the herbs you’ve made. Depending on their quality, I might be interested.”
With a customer-service smile, Rhys drew out samples of his herbs and offered them to her. “If you’re interested, I’m willing to offer you a twenty-percent discount below market price in return for your protection.”
Sorden chuckled. She took the herbs from him and examined them. “We’ll see, we’ll see.”