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The Nightmare laughed, pitiless. Be wary the red, be wary the blade. Be wary the pain, for a price will be paid. Command what you can, death waits for no man. Be wary the pain, for a price will be paid.
The King’s Guard wears no seal. The Black Horse is their emblem, their duty, their creed. With it, they uphold Blunder’s laws. They are the shadows in the room—the eyes on your back—the footsteps upon your streets. The King’s Guard wears no seal.
To steal a Providence Card is a wicked crime. No one is invulnerable to the King’s inquest. No one is immune to the Chalice—the truth will always out. Those who bear guilt will pay in blood. To steal a Providence Card is a wicked crime.
Death at his door, and the boy still understands you better than the rest of these fools.
Providence Cards are ageless. Their magic does not fade. They do not decay with time. They cannot be destroyed. Providence Cards are ageless.
don’t want rest, Elspeth,” he murmured into my lips. “I want you.”
“The girl, the King...” I breathed. The Nightmare’s voice burned through my mind. And the monster they became.
There is no escape from the salt. Magic is everywhere— ageless. To the Spirit of the Wood, the exactor of balance, our lives are but of a butterfly—fleeting. Magic is at our birth. So, too, will it be at our death. There is no escape from the salt.
A soul I protected, he said, a sharp edge to his voice. When you were a child and the Physicians came to your uncle’s door, who pulled you to shelter? When the High Prince stalked you like a deer through the wood, who protected you? When the Destrier came for your throat, who fell him to the ground? King Rowan has held you at the end of a noose from the moment the infection touched your blood, Elspeth Spindle. The only reason your neck did not snap was because I was there, holding you up by your legs. Tears of fury filled my eyes. If I had died, so, too, would you have, Nightmare. Don’t for a
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This time, I would steal my father’s Well Card.
THE WELL Be wary the blue, Be wary the stone. Be wary of shadows the water hath shown. Your enemies wait. The wolves stalk the gate. Be wary of shadows the water hath shown.
THE CHALICE Be wary the sea, Be wary the cup. Be wary the food and the wine that you sup. Your stomach may sour— Your tongue may twist dour. Be wary the food and the wine that you sup.
If you’ve a secret, the Nightmare called, the Chalice will reveal it. The High Prince seeks truth. And now he will steal it.
They play this game for fun? I seethed into the blackness. Wars have been started for less. This game is a war, darling, the Nightmare called. And the Chalice—the truth—is the greatest weapon of all.
“Are you still pretending?” I said, reveling in his gaze. Ravyn gave a surprised laugh and, in front of everyone, leaned in and kissed me. “I never was,” he whispered into my lips.
THE NIGHTMARE Be wary the dark, Be wary the fright. Be wary the voice that comes in the night. It twists and it calls, Through shadowy halls. Be wary the voice that comes in the night.
Are you going to let him suffer like this? the Nightmare whispered. I shut my eyes tighter. What will he think of me? Does it matter? Of course it matters. He matters. So don’t lie to him.
blackness. The Nightmare was untouched by his distress. The shepherd of the shadow. The phantom of the fright. The demon in the daydream. The nightmare in the night. Why are you in Elspeth’s head?
To be wary is to be keen— Keen of those who may use magic for wrong. To be clever is to be wise— Wise not to use the Cards too often. To be good is to be reverent— Reverent of balance—of the salt in the air—of the Spirit of the Wood. Be wary. Be clever. Be good.
I’m asking for your help, I said, my voice clear. I understand the price.
The Spirit has no forgiveness, no pardon to lend. She calls out our names, neither kin, foe, nor friend. She watches the mist like a shepherd its sheep... And pays those she snares with the great, final sleep.
“They came in the night,” we said, “the black and red horde. They burned down my castle, put my kin to the sword. The usurper was crowned, though my blood had not dried. But he did not account for the turn of the tide. For nothing is safe, and nothing is free. Debt follows all men, no matter their plea. When the Shepherd returns, a new day shall ring. Death to the Rowans... “Long live the King.”
“There once was a girl,” I said, “clever and good, who tarried in shadow in the depths of the wood. There also was a King—a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book. The two were together, so the two were the same...”
The girl, the King... and the monster they became.
THE TWIN ALDERS Be wary the green, Be wary the trees. Be wary the song of the wood on your sleeves. You’ll step off the path— To blessing and wrath. Be wary the song of the wood on your sleeves.
He would find the last Card. He would lift the mist. He would save Emory’s life. And he would free Elspeth Spindle from the darkness that consumed her.
