11
" She stumbled along, knocking into a man in a wide straw hat who was running down the aisle of vendors. When he caught hold of her, she saw that his eyes were green as grass.
"You,” she said, her voice syrup-slow. She stumbled and fell on her hands and knees. People were shouting at each other, but that wasn't so bad because at least no one was making her get up. Her necklace had fallen in the dirt beside her. She forced herself to close her hand over it.
The elf pushed the mananambal, saying something that she couldn't quite understand because all the words seemed to slur together. The old man shoved back and then, grabbing the enkanto's arm at the wrist, bit down with his golden tooth.
The elf gasped in pain and brought down his fist on the old man's head, knocking him backwards. The bitten arm hung limply from the elf's side.
Tomasa struggled to her feet, fighting off the thickness that threatened to overwhelm her. Something was wrong. The potion vender had done this to her. She narrowed her eyes at him.
The mananambal grinned, his tooth glinting in the floodlights. "
― Holly Black , The Poison Eaters and Other Stories
12
" Come on,” he said, reaching for her.
” Leave me alone,” she managed to say, stumbling back. The enkanto caught her before she fell, supporting her with his good arm.
” Let her alone,” said the enkanto, “or I will curse you blind, lame, and worse."
The old man laughed. “I'm a curse breaker, fool."
The elf grabbed one of the Jim Beam bottles from the table and slammed it down, so that he was holding a jagged glass neck. The elf smiled a very thin smile. “Then I won't bother with magic. "
― Holly Black , The Poison Eaters and Other Stories
