“Vegetables. Beans. Pulses. Lots of rice. Cheese.”
“Interesting. And how do you prepare these dishes?”
He smiles. “Not unlike gumbo, actually. My father cooked with at least eight different spices in any given dish.”
“And you know how to do this?” Valeria’s brows arch with approval.
Arjun’s head tilts from side to side as if in consideration. “More or less,” he says.
“Then you will teach me.” Valeria nods with satisfaction. “In return, I will show you how to do a simple earth spell of your choosing.”
“Done,” Arjun agrees with a grin.
She smiles back at him. “Now, Sébas, it is time for you to apologize for not coming to see me once in ten years.”
I almost laugh. Then I realize she is serious. Her stare is dead-eyed and unflinching.
I clear my throat. “Lo siento, Tía Valeria.”
“I visit your mother’s crypt every year for her birthday. I leave flowers and tell her about my life. Sometimes Eloise accompanies me.” Valeria stirs the roux, waiting for it to darken to a rich brown color. “I’ve never seen you there. Not once.”
“It’s because I never go.” There is no purpose in lying to her. Any discomfort I may feel is my own fault.
“Why?”
I do not answer.
“Philomène’s forty-seventh birthday is in a few months. You will go with me this year.” She pauses. “Your mother liked gardenias. Bring them with you.”
I nod. “I promise I will.”
“Good. Promises mean something to his kind.” She nods to Arjun. “I expect the halfling to hold you to it. Now that is done, and we won’t speak of it again.”
The nutty smell of browned butter and flour suffuses the air. Though mortal food holds little appeal for me, I cannot help but appreciate the fragrance. The memories it brings. As I look around, my gaze falls on the row of ancient books stacked above the pans along the wall.
A thought takes shape in my mind. “Tía Valeria?” I ask.
“Yes?”
“Have you ever read about a warlock or a witch named Sunan?” Beside me, I hear Arjun groan.
She pauses in her stirring, her expression wary. “Why do you ask?”
I push my lips forward, mulling my response while I glare at Arjun. “It’s a name I’ve come across in my reading recently.”
“Ay, you’re an awful mentiroso.” Valeria snorts. “You need to learn to lie better.”
“I said the same thing,” Arjun says. “The damned snake is a better liar than he is.”
They share a laugh while I scowl at them.
“What do you really wish to know, Sébas?” Valeria asks. “Are you asking about who Sunan is or what he can do?”
He. Sunan is a man. That is a detail I did not have prior to this evening.
“Does he even exist?” I press.
Valeria mixes the trinity into the roux and continues stirring. “As far as I know, he lives deep in the ice forests of the Sylvan Wyld, where he has resided for eight hundred years.”
“And”—I struggle to contain my eagerness—“what kind of magic can Sunan perform?”
Sympathy ripples across Valeria’s face. “You are asking if he can unmake you.”
It’s useless for me to deny it. I nod once.
“Why do you wish to be unmade?” she asks. “Is it for your benefit, or for the benefit of someone else? And don’t lie to me, boy. I will know.”
I want to lie, nonetheless. But I want to know the truth more. “It’s both,” I admit. “I lost someone I loved when I became a vampire.”
“Do you fear being alone?”
“No.” I think of the things Kassamir said to me that night at Jacques’. “I fear a life without meaning.”
“You think this Sunan will help you find it?”
“I . . . don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “But if there is even a chance to regain a piece of my humanity, I believe I have to try.”
She hums in understanding. “I do not know if Sunan of the Wyld still exists or if the tales about his power to unmake immortals are true. Alas, you must take your request to him in person. He has not crossed a portal into the human world for more than half a century.”
My excitement vanishes like the flame of a doused candle. “Vampires are forbidden from using a tare like that to enter the Winter Court of the Sylvan Wyld.”
“They are,” Valeria agrees. “But there is no such law against traveling to the Summer Court of the Vale.” She pauses for effect. “And what you do once you’ve entered the fey realm is up to you. Enough power and influence—enough sway