Neisa slowly turned around. The skepticism was still there, but beneath it, I saw a flicker of the girl I had written, the one who would do anything for her craft and her family's honor.
"You're serious," she asked in a low voice, as if she spoke too loudly, then the bubble would burst, giving her a reality check.
"I am a lot of things, Neisa, but right now, I am a woman who is desperate to survive. And the only way I survive is if you make this potion. The only way you survive is if you take this deal."
I reached into the folds of my gown and pulled out a small, heavy velvet pouch filled with gold coins. The dress shopping money Jenna had given me. I set it on the edge of her stall. Though she would probably kill me for losing it to a thief, this was far more important than a few scoldings.
