Chapter 26

Lucy's POV "Hold on," I whispered to Felix's unconscious form. "Just hold on." I'd moved him to a relatively safe alcove, but the black veins from the serpent's poison were spreading faster. His silver eyes flickered beneath closed lids, lost in whatever truth visions the venom brought. "There has to be something," I muttered, searching the chamber. "Some cure, some magic, some—" "Some hope?" The new voice made me spin. Where the great serpent had been, a cobra now rose from the ground. Smaller but somehow more ancient, its hood bore markings that shifted like living hieroglyphs. "Are you here to help or finish what your larger friend started?" I moved protectively in front of Felix. "Neither. Both. The question is: what are you here for?" The cobra's voice was feminine, almost musical. "The mark? Power? Or something more precious?" "I'm here for him." I gestured to Felix. "Nothing else matters right now." The cobra swayed closer. "Interesting. The last time a ghost walker lay