Honored Foe 2

"I call it Arsil. The chemical name is too hard to pronounce. Go ahead, examine it, if you'd like."
Saul hesitated for a fraction of a second, confused. He picked it up, gently, with one elegantly manicured hand. He gave it a sniff.
"This smells almost exactly like water." His eyes narrowed. Almost. It almost smelled like water, but there was something else. "What are you playing at? What is this?"
"Arsil." She smiled still. Saul frowned
"Go on."
"Arsil. It's my own invention. Modern science is a wondrous thing. It's a compound of silver, dissolved in my own special chemical solution. It is then processed, seven times, in a solar still. The liquid, not only absorbs the power of the sun, and the potency of silver, but I have each batch blessed by the leader of every church in the city. Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, even Muslim holy men. Colorless, odorless, completely undetectable.  We make them in huge batches now. Its available at the local pharmacy. Only $8.95 a gallon."
Saul shook his head in disbelief and handed back the vial.
"Clever. Almost ingenious." He knew very well that it was, in fact genius. He almost felt a twinge of pride in her accomplishment.
"Did I mention it is also painless?" She tucked away the vial.
"How kind. But poison? I always expected that our last encounter would be a messy, bloody affair, with both of us desperately trying to end the other. Why something so.... pleasant?"
Medea sighed.
"It is your time to go, Saul. Violent deaths are for those who deserve them. You, though, have always done well to ensure that those you feed on are well taken care of. You've always treated those who have hunted you with respect. Even me. You deserve peace, Saul. You are a worthy adversary, and you deserve to go kindly."
"Yes. I suppose so. There are many of my kind that rely on savagery to meet their needs. To what purpose? To be feared?" He scoffed in disgust. "You have been my shadow for many years, Medea. I was beginning to wonder if perhaps we had become friends."
Medea blushed slightly and smiled shyly.
"We were always enemies. I'm sure you remember Boston."