Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“My babies are so very rare and make such valuable venom. To waste even a drop is a crime,” she continued, stroking the snake’s dark scales with her fingertips.
“So, you’re saying you won’t help us,” Nylian said, as if her answer wasn’t the most important thing in the world to him.
“I’m afraid I can’t. I remember that the person who purchased that poison was quite adamant about either you or your brother dying.” Her eyes remained on the snake as she spoke, caressing her darling pet. “I’m thinking now if you were to suffer an unfortunate accident while you were here, my client might be interested in paying a bonus.” She leveled her gaze at me and her smile slithered across her face. “But I will give your companion a fighting chance. If he runs now, he might make it out the door before my babies get him.”
Nylian nodded twice. “That is one way to go, but I have another suggestion.” His head whipped to me. “Get the door!”
I jumped to my feet and ran to the heavy double doors that led into the conservatory. From the corner of my eye, I could see Nylian leap up with one hand still wrapped around the arm of the chair. He spun, lifting the piece of furniture, and flinging it into one of the massive windows. Glass crashed. I reached the doors and slammed them shut as the butler was turning in the main hall. I twisted the deadbolt, locking us in, and shoved a nearby broom through the door handles to keep anyone from joining us.
Jasper and Adeline should have heard the glass breaking. Their job was to clear a path for our escape when we got what we were looking for.
As I pivoted on the balls of my feet to face the room again, I nearly screamed as a snake flapped its wings, speeding toward me. Nylian’s sword flashed out, slicing the creature in half before it could sink its glistening fangs into me.
“No! My baby!” Helena screamed. “My sweet baby!”
“Lockhart, go search that bureau there for an antidote,” Nylian ordered. “I’ll keep an eye on Lady Covington and her snakes.”
I ran across the room, my eyes skimming over the labels on all the vials for something marked antidote. There were plenty of chemicals and what looked to be a lot of different poisons, but nothing that seemed helpful. In fact, there were only three vials of antidotes in all of her collection, and those were located on the very back set of shelves. She’d been serious. She was not big on making antidotes to her poisons. Psychopath.
My heart raced, and I started going over the vials a second time, all the while aware that the longer we stayed, the more danger we were in. In the background, Nylian’s sword whooshed through the air and Helena’s screams grew more crazed.
“There-there’s nothing here! She was telling the truth. There’s no antidote,” I shouted when I’d looked over everything for a third and final time.
“There has to be—”
Another crash of glass filled the conservatory, and my heart threatened to stop. Did the duchess have guards we’d missed?
“Did you find the antidote?” Jasper’s voice rang out.
“No! She doesn’t make antidotes!” I called back, panic causing my words to tremble.
“Search for a vial labeled ‘black-winged cobra hearts’!”
“What the…”
We all stared in the direction of the voices. A moment later, Jasper and Adeline appeared through the leafy greenery. Adeline deftly sliced through snakes as they attempted to strike while Jasper ran to us, his grimoire bouncing on his hip. He was pale except for spots of color in his cheeks. For once, Master Binx was not riding on the top of his head, but I thought I saw him peek out of the folds of Jasper’s robes near his collar.
“The hearts of black-winged cobras are a well-known panacea. They can cure nearly any poison if used in the antidote!”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Helena screamed, balling her hands into fists. She took a step toward Jasper as if she meant to attack him, but Adeline was right there, backhanding her hard enough to send her staggering to the divan.
The mercenary stood over her, glaring. “I’ve seen too many good people die from poison. I have no respect for what you do or who you are.” She spat at the woman’s feet, then moved to join Jasper at the table, where we were now searching for hearts taken from black-winged cobras.
“Even if you find the hearts, I’m not making you the antidote,” the duchess sneered. “Let Prince Orian die. You can all die.”
“I don’t think any of us would trust any antidote you claimed to make for us,” Nylian countered.
“Jasper, check those books over there,” Adeline barked. “She would have the recipe for the poison written down, right? Makes sense the antidote would be in the same book.”