The secret ingredient wasn't all that secret. Snake venom.

"Snakes aren't active in winter," Shay said. "Their metabolism slows them down, and they're easy to catch. We have a ton of them in the barn."

I blinked. "With the horses."

"The horses usually trample them if they get too close."

"Usually?" I shot back.

"Ooooh no." Archer moved in behind me and squeezed my arm, hard. "That's an issue we'll take care of. In the meantime, ...