Page 149 of Traitor Witch

But the Solar ignores all of those and heads straight to theworkbench, grabbing a handful of something from an open crate as she passes.

I sneak a peek inside and my rage burns hotter.

Fangs. Vampire fangs. Hundreds of them all jumbled together in the crate.

No, siren scales and fae dust aren't the only ingredients in this macabre 'cure'. Shifter blood, vampire fangs, mage fire, and witch magic. It's a gruesome melting pot of immortal parts.

The blood gets tipped in the cauldron as she passes, but she drops the fangs into a mortar and pestle, and starts grinding.

That should be all the evidence I need to end her right now, but... I just can't believe a Solar is doing this willingly.

It seems impossible.

Then the door swings open.

I wedge myself behind the crate and send as much energy as I can into the camouflage sigil on my spine.

But the newcomer doesn't come into the room, they stay in the doorway.

"Are you nearly done?"

"Almost, just the fangs, crystals, and prayers to go."

They're putting crystals into it too? I grimace, thinking of how gritty and awful that's got to taste.

"Good. The new crystal delivery will be here soon." There's a long pause, followed by a sigh. "The Princess's antics set us back, but we'll catch up quickly enough. Her Majesty needs us. Here—" The Solar reaches out, snatching something from the air— "Derrick snapped these off a pirate. Apparently he's several hundred years old, so these'll be more potent than the scraps we get from the pits."

"Any chance of there being more where these came from?" The Solar seems excited as she examines whatever she just caught.

"He's been sent to the pits, so maybe. But I wouldn't get my hopes up. Are things okay down here? I've got to check everything's alright with the first batch."

"Go, I'm fine. I'll send word for you when it's ready for the final spells." There's a smile in her voice that sickens me, and she hums as she drops two more fangs into the mortar.

Fangs. From a pirate.

It takes a moment to process, during which time, the door slams shut.

I'm behind her in a blink. Red tints my vision as I summon a spirit blade and bring it arcing up in a graceful thrust.

My aim is perfect, and the blade meets her heart on the first try. The magical weapon disintegrates her body to ash before she can even scream.

It's a far quicker death than she deserves.

I can't stop looking at the fangs in the mortar. Opal hops up onto the bench and sniffs at them delicately.

"Are they Rysen's?" I ask, feeling sick.

She raises her big eyes to mine and nods."It's his scent."

I stagger backwards. "We need to find him."

"No, we need to get to the Queen,"Opal reprimands."We're in the palace. He's in the Pits. We don't even know where the Pitsare."

All of that makes sense. Damn, I know I've got to keep going but still... "We have to do something!"

"We will,"she insists."Rysen gives the best treats, but he's an immortal vampire. He can manage an hour more while we find this bitch and send her to the Lady's judgement."She sits back on her haunches and looks at me."Or you'll free him just to send him straight back into her clutches. Don't forget, she holds their end of a bargain."

"Then we torch this place. Free the shifters and—"