Chapter 157: Hide it.
She passed the vial to the aged sorcerer standing at the head of the table. He sniffed it, narrowed his eyes, and without a word, walked over to where Lutherieth stood, silent all this time, his attention fixed on the map laid out before him, its surface marked with black and white crystals.
"Your Highness," the old sorcerer said quietly, "that scent... could it be shifter blood?"
Luther froze mid-step, turning slowly to meet the man’s gaze.
"What?" he asked, voice low and unreadable beneath a silent rage.
The old man nodded solemnly. "It’s shifter blood. Mixed with pure silver dust. The rest... unfamiliar. There’s a new floral note to it, subtle but distinct. I don’t know what it is."
"Master Daron, can you find a cure for it?" Lutherieth asked.
Master Daron Craftneck, the eldest and most formidable of the sorcerers, stood unmoving. His black staff, embedded with a crackling blue crystal, was a symbol of his power as a lightning summoner. It was he who protected Witch Island from foolish trespassers and greedy adventurers.
"Our alchemists will begin working on it immediately," he replied, sealing the vial and handing it to the youngest sorcerer at the table, a youth with curly brown hair and bright hazel eyes that gleamed with curiosity as he examined the dark liquid.
"A poison designed to kill vampires," the young man muttered, his voice tinged with fascination. "Whoever made this has studied venom deeply. I once heard of a young lady in Zillgaira. She could craft antidotes even for deadlier poisons." A wicked smirk crept across his face.
"Her name?" Luther asked, his voice sharp with intent.
The idea of such a talent intrigued him. If not as a prisoner, he thought, then perhaps... as the twelfth vampire Lord.