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CHAPTER 18
When I got to Rychel’sworkshop, it was evening. I had gone back to the suite I shared with Draven and opened the passage in the sitting room, thanks to Beks’ instructions. I hadn’t wanted to always have to rely on him to get around but I also didn’t want to use the main corridors and risk running into Avriel or Sephone again. Once had been enough.
Beks had been reluctant at first. I think he liked sharing his secrets with someone. But he liked sneaking away from Javer even more. Still, I didn’t want the boy getting into trouble constantly for my sake.
I also didn’t need him there, listening to every question I asked Rychel. Not that I didn’t trust him, but he was just a child and he was already too worldly wise for a boy so young.
Rychel was wearing a set of bulging eye pieces rimmed in black and peering at something on the table in front of her as I entered.
As she stepped back, I saw what it was. The goblet from the opening ceremony the other night.
“Why do you have that?” I asked, as I descended the flight of stone stairs to the workshop floor.
Rychel turned. She didn’t look surprised to see me. “I stole it. From the treasury. Sephone had it locked up as soon as Draven brought it back. She only took it out for the ceremony then it was back in its place and waiting for me to rescue it.”
“I still don’t understand the fascination with that thing.” I stared at the chalice. It was a simple wooden cup.
As I stepped closer and peered over Rychel’s shoulder, I saw that the cup had an interior of polished gold. Still, it was hardly the most lavish goblet I had ever seen.
“It bound the competitors to the terms of the challenge. How exactly?” I asked
“It did that, yes. But its capable of much more.” She spoke of the chalice almost as if it were a living thing, I noticed. “Before the opening ceremony, each competitor provided a drop of their blood. The blood went into the cup. The cup remembered. When Sephone said the words, the rite was enforced and the participants bound.”
“So if someone decides they suddenly don’t want to compete in the Blood Rise...?”
“They’ll die. It’s simple really,” Rychel said, still studying the cup. “They have to show up for each challenge and they can’t exit a challenge part-way, no matter how much they might want to. They have to see it through now that it’s begun.”
“All of them except for Celeste,” I reminded her.
“Right. Celeste.” Rychel grimaced. “Brave but stupid.”
“Brave? How so?”
“I can understand the desire to rebel. The desire to denounce this court for its crimes,” Rychel said mildly. “But obviously from the moment she opened her mouth, she was doomed to die.” She looked thoughtful. “She probably knew that. It was a gesture, nothing more. I’m sure she hoped the children would take out Sephone. It was a nice idea.”
“And you got your body to experiment on, after all,” I said coolly.
“I did. Not that much has come of it,” Rychel said, her face falling. She perked up. “I have more hope from this.”
