Bailey’s POV
The weresnake guards let me in the moment I announced I was here under royal business. Their eyes flicked over me, suspicious but obedient, and the heavy doors groaned open like the hiss of a serpent.
I moved quickly, my boots echoing against marble floors, searching room after room. The castle was a labyrinth—hallways lined with serpent motifs, walls glinting with torchlight, air thick with incense that smelled faintly of venom and smoke. Every corridor felt alive, as if the stone itself was watching me, waiting to strike. Somewhere in here was the lab. The one whispered about in hushed tones. The one I needed.
Every door I opened revealed nothing but empty chambers, libraries stacked with scrolls, or ceremonial halls dripping with gold. My frustration grew with each ste
