Page 97 of Kingdoms of Night

Bad. Definitely bad. She stood, straightened her dress, and fixed her gaze on Puck. “You are going to tell me what is in that tea.”

Puck scoffed. “Proprietary blend, thank you very much. Even if your lover did drink the whole thing like a boor.”

She seized Puck by his silk collar and jerked his face closer to hers. “Tell me now!” she screamed.

He gripped her hands and leaned back. “You’re rather high strung at the moment, so I’ll refrain from kissing you. That and I’m fairly certain you actually would bite me.”

“I’d bite your tongue off and make you swallow it.” Time could very well be running out, and he was joking? “Now talk!”

Feron tried to get back on his feet but fell back, groaning. Both wolves lay down on either side of him. They nudged and licked him, whining. “Have to stop him.”

“No, you have to rest.” She glanced back at him, then twisted her hands free from Puck and glared at him. “Puck—”

“Nothing he should be reacting to so badly. He was just stupid.”

No. He’d tried to save them. “He also ate most of a giant wyrm—”

“A wyrm? You mean—” Puck’s eyes widened further. He then wrinkled his pointed nose. “You mean the Lambton Wyrm? He ate the Lambton Wyrm?” His eyebrows shot up nearly to his purple hairline.

“Not all of it. The wolves helped.” Feron groaned, blinking sluggishly.

“Holy void.” Puck tugged at his hair with his black-fingered nails. “Why did you eat it? What’s wrong with you?”

“There wasn’t a sign.” Feron doubled over, another groan shaking him.

“No sign? You mean an actual sign that said, ‘Please don’t eat the monster’? That kind of sign? Or maybe common sense? Most people don’t look at a big poisonous monster and think why yes, I think I’ll eat that!”

Feron moaned in response.

“Tell me what’s in the tea or I’ll stab you,” she shouted. “I can’t treat him if I don’t know what it is. And I can’t risk giving him something that makes all this worse.”

Puck blinked, then nodded. When she stepped toward him, he moved back and held up his hands. His movements had become unsteady, and he spoke almost too quickly to be understood.

“It’s a mild hallucinogenic and aphrodisiac. Or would have been. With the wyrm venom, it’ll be more nausea and nightmare inducing. Assuming he doesn’t completely dehydrate and his fever doesn’t get out of control. And that he gets enough rest. The lamb’s ear probably won’t be as pleasant now. Same with the wild pansy.” Puck pinched the bridge of his nose and set one hand on his waist. “Usually I’d squeeze the juice into your eyelids, but I thought the tea was more fitting this time, you being a tea maker and all. Clearly I was wrong.”

“You’ve been wrong about a lot of things. And how dare you try to drug us!”

He scrunched his face. “Not really—”

“Do you have an antidote?”

“Well, no—”

“You son of a jokal worm!”

He raised an eyebrow, making the now-indigo tattoo along the side of his face arch as well. “Not as far off as you might think, but do you really think insulting my lineage will win you any points?”

“I don’t care about points. I just don’t want to hurt him any further.”

He fidgeted, his smile uneasy and his tattoos quavering. “Small chance of that, unless you decide to cut him or bite him with more than your words. I meant what I said, though. The food is good, and it will not harm either of you in any way. Nor is it magical. All the best. Exeunt, loves.”

A puff of turquoise and magenta smoke rose. The smell of cloves and myrrh intensified, and he was gone.

Son of a jokal worm, indeed. She grabbed the teapot and turned back to Feron. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a tea for this.”

“Don’t want any more tea ever.” Feron tucked in tighter, waving a slow hand. “And stop singing.”

Probably the hallucinogens kicking in.

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