THE CHALICE
Be wary the sea, Be wary the cup.
Be wary the food and the wine that you sup.
Your stomach may sourโ Your tongue may twist dour.
Be wary the food and the wine that you sup.
This was a game theyโd played before. Only then, theyโd all been younger and had a great deal less to hide. I stared at Hauth and he stared back at me, twisting the Chalice between his brutish fingers.
If youโve a secret, the Nightmare called,ย the Chalice will reveal it. The High Prince seeks truth. And now he will steal it.
โFine, then,โ Hauth said, opening his handsโas if to show he had nothing to hide. โIโll go first. You can ask only one question each, so make it count. Try to lie too muchโฆโ His lips curled. โWell, letโs hope it doesnโt come to that. Jespyr. Go first.โ
Jespyr looked as if she might be sick, her lips drawn so tight they seemed to disappear. โYou didnโt ask,โ she said, her voice low, shaking with anger. โIt isnโt a game if we never consented to the Chalice, Hauth.โ
Hauth leaned back in his chair. โOnly someone with something to hide would refuse to play.โ His gaze flickered over the table, tracing our faces. โYou donโt have anything to hide, do you?โ
Jespyrโs eyes narrowed. She slammed her goblet back onto the tray. โFine. Iโll begin with an easy question,ย cousin,โ she said, spitting the word
out like it were venom. โAre you jealous of Ravyn?โ
Hauthโs laugh did not touch his eyes. โN-n-n-n.โ He clenched his jaw and tried again. โN-n-n.โ But the wineโthe Chaliceโwould not let him lie. โYes,โ he said.
Elm was next. Pale as death, he managed to keep his head high. โAre you trying to turn the Destriers against him?โ
Again, Hauth tried to lie. The veins bulged in his thick neck, fighting against the invisible leash tethered to his tongue. Finally, he conceded, shooting Ravyn a bitter glance. โYes.โ
Ravyn held his gaze. โWill you challenge me for command?โ This time, Hauth did not try to lie. โYes.โ
Silence spread across the table. It was my turn.
Be wary, the Nightmare whispered.ย Be clever.
โHave you used your Scythe Card on Ione more than once?โ I said, my voice somewhere between a hiss and a strangle.
Hauth smiled, unaffected by my ire. โYes.โ He turned to Ione. โYour turn, betrothed.โ
Ioneโs eyes, though brighter than before, conveyed nothing. โI donโt want to play.โ
โYou have to,โ Hauth said, patting her arm, a bit too rough to be affectionate. โWe all do. If you donโt, Iโll think you have something to hide, my dear.โ
Ione gave him an empty glance. โI donโt care what you think.โ Something flared in Hauthโs eyes. โAsk me a question, Ione.โ
I wanted to reach across the table and rip his face open again. Ravyn, sensing my rage, tightened his grip on my hand.
Ione propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin upon it, surveying Hauth as one might droppings stuck to the bottom of their shoe. โHave you been with other women since our betrothal?โ
For someone whoโd put up such a show, it seemed Hauth did indeed have a few things to hide. His face turned purple, as if holding his breath could seal in the lie.
But the Chalice Card held true. โYes,โ he admitted.
Elm snorted. But Ione sat under the shield of beauty, seemingly untouched by her future husbandโs infidelity.
โIโll go next,โ she said. She raised her hazel eyes up the table. โAsk me anything, Jespyr.โ
Jespyrโs gaze was hard, but her voice softened. โIs Hauth treating you well, Ione?โ
One of Ioneโs perfect brows arched. โAs well as a brute like him knows how.โ
Elm leaned forward, quiet a moment too long, his green eyes measuring Ione. โAre you in love with him?โ
My cousin held his intrusive gaze, measuring him in return. โNo.โ
Jespyr let out a low whistle. It was Ravynโs turn. โWhat do you want out of your connection with the Rowans?โ he asked.
โI want to be powerful,โ Ione said.
Her words frightened me, as did the lifelessness of her tone. The Ione I knew cared to laughโsmileโput wildflowers in her hairโride her fatherโs horse down the forest road barefoot. She drew strength from her own inner light.
A light that had been alteredโdarkened into something cold, hard.
Unfeeling.
The Maiden had remade her.
It was my turn to ask her a question. โIs this what you really want, Ione?โ I asked, my mouth downturned as my gaze drifted to Hauth. โTo marry him?โ
Her laugh rumbled in her chest, her perfect face smooth, her cheeks rosy pink. โYouโre just like Mother, Elspeth. Head in the clouds. You donโt see how hard it is for a woman to be powerfulโto be fearlessโin Blunder, because you never cared about being more than exactly what you are. But I do.โ She folded her hands in front of her, her hazel eyes firm. โAnd if it takes a cold heart to be fearless, then so be it.โ
I was lost in her face. โBut I did care about being more than what I was, Ione,โ I said, my eyes stinging. โI wanted to be like you.โ
My words didnโt seem to reach her. โIt doesnโt matter now,โ she said, pressing a finger to her lips. โNow we are both sheep, nestled pleasantly in a wolf den. Or is it the other way around?โ
The Nightmareโs lips stretched over his jagged teeth.ย I like this Ione.
I thought I might be sick. I looked around, wondering if I could run, searching for an excuse that might free me from the tableโfrom my
changed cousin, from Hauth Rowanโs brutal gaze.
You canโt leave, the Nightmare said, tapping his claws with a swift, jarring rhythm.ย You have to stay, just like the others, and pretend. Just as youโve always done.
โMy turn,โ Elm said, pulling attention away from Ione and me. โAsk me your bloody questions.โ
The Nightmare Card below the table flashed in the corner of my eye. I looked at Ravyn, but he was somewhere else, his gaze focused entirely on Elm.
โWho do you think is the most talented Card user in Blunder?โ Jespyr asked her cousin.
Elm propped his elbows on the table. โI am.โ โThatโs his truth,โ Hauth muttered under his breath.
Ione leaned forward. โWhy do you not live at Stone with your father and brother?โ
What little color remained in Elmโs face disappeared. His throat hitched, and I knew he was fighting to answerโtrying to lie. But he could not cheat the Chalice. โI hate it there,โ he said, his voice so low it almost shook. โIโd tear it down if I could, set the whole thing to flame. Watch it burn to nothingness.โ
The Nightmare shifted in the darkness, flexing his claws, watching Elm. Whatever Ione had expected him to say, it was not that. Her gaze shot to Hauth, who sat like a wall, unfeeling, unaffected. I wondered how much she knewโif Hauth had told her heโd brutalized his brother when they were
children at Stone.
Ravyn broke the silence. โItโs my turn.โ He looked at his cousin. Whatever was said in the silence of their minds, I could not tell. Their faces were blank but for slight shifts in their eyes. โDo you trust me, Elm?โ Ravyn asked.
โDo I have a choice?โ After a pause, the glass fading from his eyes, Elm sighed. โYes. I trust you. I trust you with my life.โ
It was my turn. I wanted to ask if he trusted me as well, but it was too risky. โDoes it pain you to use the Scythe for too long?โ
Elm stared at me for a moment. The Scythe was a Card of powerโ control. To show pain was to forfeit that control. Pain was weakness. And, for a Prince of Blunder, weakness was an unforgivable trait.
But unlike his brother, Elm did not pretend he was beyond weakness. This time, he did not try to lie. โYes,โ he said, straightening his back, his jaw firm. โIt feels like glass cutting through my head.โ
Hauth watched his younger brother. โDo you think you are more fit to be King than I am?โ
Elm turned to his brother. โYes,โ he said, the depths of his green eyes and the hate behind them so strong I flinched. โBut you already knew that.โ
I felt the table might snap for all the tension strung between us.ย They play this game for fun?ย I seethed into the blackness.ย Wars have been started for less.
This game is a war, darling, the Nightmare called.ย And the Chaliceโthe truthโis the greatest weapon of all.
โIโll go next,โ Ravyn said.
Hauth sneered. โWhat for? We both know youโll say whatever the hell you want, just as you always do.โ
Ravynโs features stilledโcontrolled.ย He canโt use the Chalice, I recalled.ย Nor can the Chalice be used against him.
So the Captain of the Destriers does what heโs best at, the Nightmare said.ย Lie.
Hauth made like he might object again, but Ione was already leaning in. โDo you care for Elspeth?โ she asked. โTruly?โ
Ravynโs fingers flexed along my hand. โFrom the moment I met her.โ He paused. โThe second moment, perhaps.โ
I shot him a narrow glance. Ione watched me from her seat, a momentary smile painted onto her flawless porcelain face. Elm rolled his eyes, and Jespyr cracked a grin.
Hauth glowered. โWhat do you do when you are not with the Destriers?โ he asked Ravyn. โWhere do you go?โ
โOnly one question,โ Elm snapped.
Hauth slammed his hand on the table. โI could ask him a hundred questions and not get a thimble of truth. Such is hisย gift. Isnโt that right, Ravyn?โ
No one spoke. Ravynโs face remained even, untouched by his cousinโs ire, free to lie at will. โIโve been busy,โ he said, โwith the Kingโs biddings. What else would I be doing?โ
Hauthโs brow darkened as he sank back into his seat.
Jespyrโs voice was quiet. โDo you wish that you had not become a Destrierโthat you had a normal life?โ
They shared a long glance, the lines along Ravynโs brow easing. โOnly on days I donโt have my sister there to steer me in the right direction.โ
It was Elmโs turn. โTrees, Ravyn, I donโt know.โ He ran his hand over his brow. โDo you think Iโm better looking than you?โ
The corner of Ravynโs lip twitched. โDecidedly.โ
It was my turn to ask a question. I looked up at Ravyn and he repaid me with a smile, his gray eyes just as clear as theyโd been when heโd taken me by the hand and brought me into the deep underground of the castleโinto a world of secrets and treason and purpose. A world of highwaymen and salt.
โAre you still pretending?โ I said, reveling in his gaze.
Ravyn gave a surprised laugh and, in front of everyone, leaned in and kissed me. โI never was,โ he whispered into my lips.
When I looked up, Hauthโs eyes were on me. He rested his hands on the table, lacing his fingers together, trapping the Chaliceโs turquoise light. โAnd now the one Iโve been waiting for. Itโs your turn to answer our questions, Miss Spindle.โ
Sweat pooled in my palms, and my breath came out in short, halting wheezes.
Easy now, the Nightmare called.ย The Chalice is a Card of truth. But the truth must be framedโnettedโcaught. The question is just as important as the answer.
Iโd hardly had time to collect my thoughts before Ione began, her hazel eyes guarded, caught somewhere between curiosity and calculation. โAre you in love, Elspeth?โ
I felt as if I might die. For the first time in my life, I almost hated my cousin. I wondered how a Maiden Card fared against a knocked-in tooth.
This is beastly, I groaned.ย Help me. Help you?
YOU HEARD ME. Help!
The Chalice affects the blood, he said.ย My strengthโmy magicโwill not deliver you.ย His laugh cut through the dark.ย Unless youโd like me to rip the Card out of the High Princeโs handโฆ and break all his fingers for good measure.
That is entirely unhelpful.
Then you must find your own way around the Chaliceโs magic.
He was rightโthe Chaliceโs magic was strange. I did not feel it in my veins, nor could I discern the familiar scent of salt in my nose. It sat somewhere in my body, trapped, waiting for me to answer.
When I tried to lie, I coughed, the sensation of being strangled so acute my eyes watered.
โCome off it,โ Jespyr said. โShe neednโt answer if she doesnโt want to.โ โThe rest of us had to,โ Hauth said, winking at Ravyn. โLet the girl
finish.โ
But I couldnโt. I wasnโt ready to say it, even if I felt it. The truth was too new, so fragile it might break. I fought to find a way around the truthโbut magic blocked my tongue at every pass, strangling me until I was left gasping for air.
Breathe, the Nightmare called, his voice a candle in the darkness.
Next to me, Ravyn stirred. โElspeth.โ He squeezed my hand. โYou donโt have toโโ
โYes,โ I said, the word slipping out of me without resistance, so effortless it could be mistaken as nothing other than the truth.
I tried to pull my hand from Ravynโs, but he wouldnโt let me, his thumb scraping over my knuckles. Still, I did not look at him. I cast Ione a bitter glance, her question a violation, ripping something from me I was not yet ready to say.
Hauth traced the discomfort on my face greedily, honing in on me. Hunting me. โNow, the question Iโve been longing to ask.โ He leaned in. โTell me, Miss Spindle,โ he said, his voice full of false charm. โWhat happened to your arm?โ
I did not have to glance up to know Ravyn, Jespyr, and Elm had all gone rigid in their seats. Ravyn tugged at my hand under the table, but I ignored him, frozen, grasping for words that would not betray me to the hangman.
The Chalice twisted my tongue, blocking the lies before they reached my tongue. Hauth had been smart. He could not steal secrets from Ravyn, a man immune to the Chalice.
But he could steal mine. And with them, condemn us all. โIโโ I said, choking on the word. โIโI wasโโ
Ione put a hand on Hauthโs arm. โI told you, she fellโโ
โShut your mouth, Ione,โ Hauth snarled, swatting her hand away.
โHasnโt she endured enough of your spite?โ Elm said through his teeth. โWhatโs it to you, brother?โ
โCall me old-fashioned, but I donโt think you should use a Scythe on the woman youโre going to marry.โ
They argued. Jespyr joined in. But I didnโt hear what they said. I felt like I was choking on my own bile.
Be calm, the Nightmareโs voice called, close and far away at the same time.ย Sooner or later, the truth will out, he purred.ย You said so yourself.
I didnโt mean like THIS!
I glanced up at Ravyn. He must have seen the fear in my eyes, because when he looked at me, there was a pain in his face I had not seen beforeโ raw, protective. He grasped my hand, and though his lips barely moved, I discerned four words from his mouth.
โLet me help you.โ
Tears filled my eyes. Next to me, Ravynโs Nightmare Card flickered again. Salt filled my nose and I froze, understanding only too late what Ravyn had meant.
Let me help you.
โDonโt, Ravynโโ I gasped.
But it was too late. He had already broken his promise.
The intrusion into my mind felt like someone had splashed me with icy water. I felt it in my earsโmy eyesโmy nostrils, into the roof of my mouth. I coughed, gasping for air.
Itโs all right, Elspeth, Ravynโs voice echoed in my head.ย You can do this
โchoose your words carefully. He asked you what happenedโnot how it happened.
But I hardly heard him. I was too busy shouting, my fingers digging into the Captain of the Destriersโ palm.ย No, no, no! I told you, no, Ravyn!
Breathe, Elspeth, he said, his voice calm above the din.ย Itโs going to be fine.
I told you NO, Ravyn, I said.ย Get out.
Ravyn stirred, confusion and hurt touching the corners of his face.ย Iโm sorry, he said,ย I only wanted toโ
The Nightmare lunged out of the darkness like a beast of prey.ย You heard her, he said, swiping his claws, a vicious snarl ripping up his throat.ย Get out, Ravyn Yew. GET. OUT.
Ravyn fell with full force out of his seat, the entire table shaking in his wake.
โEasy!โ Jespyr called, jumping to her feet. The others stood as well, their gazes shifting from me to the Captain of the Destriers, who satโdazed on the floorโhis handsome face twisted in fear.
Elm rounded the table. โYou look like youโve seen a ghost.โ
Ravynโs gray eyes, wide and glassy, were tight on my face. โNoโฆ not seen.โ
โSit down,โ Hauth barked. He reached forward, pushing past Ione, grasping for me. He caught my injured arm. โItโs all right, Miss Spindle, you can tell me the truth,โ he said, his thumb pressing against my sleeve, into my broken wrist. โAfter all, itโs just a game.โ
Jespyr lunged at him. โGet off her,โ she yelled, knocking him back, his fingers scraping against my wrist as he let go.
I saw stars, sick with pain. Hauth and Jespyr were at each otherโs throats. Elm was pulling Ravyn off the floor. No one but me saw Ione reach for the discarded Chalice on the table and, with the delicate tip of her finger, tap it, freeing me.
We shared a glance. I opened my mouth to say something, but she was already out of her chair, slipping away through the great hall.
Ravyn was on his feet, wolflike as he turned on his cousin. โThis was an ambush, not a game,โ he snarled. โWeโve indulged you long enough.โ He offered me his hand and I took it, then nodded to Jespyr and Elm. โWeโre leaving.โ
I let out a breath of relief, scrambling to my feet.
But the world all around me buckled, and my knees, suddenly weak, bent under the weight of my body.
I fell, crashing to the floor.
Nausea gripped my stomach and I choked, a thick, oozing bile climbing up my throat, strangling me. When I coughed it out onto the floor, it was dark and grainyโheavy like the soil Iโd dug up that morning. It slid down my fingers, hot and viscous, leaving long, angry trails that pooled darkly in my palms.
It wasnโt until Iโd coughed again that I realized it was blood.
Like a fool, Iโd tried to beat the Chalice. Iโd tried to lie too much.
In the brief moments before I vomited a sea of blood, I recalled the
insignia of the Chalice Card:ย Truth Serumโthe old writing hewn above an image of a cup filled with dark red liquid. On its opposite side, the cup turned on its headโthe dark liquid spilling, unbiddenโฆ
Poison.