Okay, now he was pissing her off. "Prove it!"
"What?"
"Prove it. " She backed off on her tone, but Myrnin wasn't looking angry; he was looking strangely interested. He stared at her for a second in silence, and then he got the biggest, oddest smile she'd ever seen on the face of a vampire.
"All right, " he said. "A contest. Computer versus abacus. "
She wasn't at all sure now that was a good idea, even if it had been her idea, essentially. "Um -- what do I win?" More importantly, what do I lose? Making bargains was a way of life in Morganville, and it was a lot like making deals with man-eating fairies. Better be careful what you ask for.
"Your freedom, " he said solemnly. His eyes were wide and guileless, his too-young face shining with honesty. "I will tell Amelie you were not suited to the work. She'll let you go about your life, such as it is. "
Good prize. Too good. Claire swallowed hard. "And if I lose?"
"Then I eat you, " Myrnin said.
With absolutely no change in expression.
"You -- you can't do that. " She pulled up the sleeve on her shirt and held up her wrist so the gold bracelet caught the light.
"Don't be ridiculous, " he said. "Of course I can do it. I can do anything I want, child. Without me, there is no future. No one, especially Amelie, begrudges me the occasional tidbit. You're hardly large enough to qualify as a meal in any case, and besides, I'm making it well worth your while. "
She took a step back from him. A big one. That crazy smile ... She glanced toward the door of the other room, where Sam was waiting for her. No wonder Amelie had told him to stay.
Myrnin gave a sad, theatrical sigh. "Mortals simply aren't what they used to be, " he said. "A thousand years ago, you would have bartered your immortal soul for a crust of stale bread. Now I can't even get you to gamble at all, even for your freedom. Really, people have become so ... Boring. So, no bet? Really?"
She shook her head. His expression fell into utter disappointment. "All right, " he said. "Then you will write me an essay for tomorrow on the history of alchemy. I can't expect it to be scholarly, but I do expect you to understand the basis of what it is that I am trying to teach you. "
"You're teaching me alchemy?"
ory of alchemy. I can't expect it to be scholarly, but I do expect you to understand the basis of what it is that I am trying to teach you. "
"You're teaching me alchemy?"