Page 109 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
If Hallie knew what he was doing, she’d scold him properly. He wished she would. He wished she were there to knock the cards from his hands and take him somewhere safe. Somewhere there wasn’t a war going on. Somewhere they could be free. Somewhere they could hide away from the rest of the world and simply watch it burn.
He’d nearly done that the last time they’d been together.
He chewed on the edge of his lip and peeked at the cards Eravin dealt him. Not terrible, but he’d need more than luck to win.
Eravin laid out the six galley cards, and Neville started the bidding with three parchment squares. He’d won the last hand after losing the previous two and muttering two stories about the times he’d cheated on exams in lower school. Rather boring, if you asked Kase. Anyone worth their salt cheated at least twice in lower school.
The fact that he’d led with three squares didn’t sit well with Kase. He looked at his own cards once more. He’d need a good blind card, and if the round continued past that, another. Risky. Maybe he could make an excuse to go to the privy and track down Saldr instead. He could probably use some of that dust to get rid of the alcohol in his blood. Then he could look for Jove.
A solid plan.
Except that the flask was empty, and Kase might’ve broken his lucky streak.
He signaled for a blind card and threw out a single parchment square; he could no longer concentrate long enough to read what part of the book they were from. Eravin laid another card face down beside Kase. Eravin threw in twoparchment squares. Kase had trouble focusing on the galley cards.
He should not have drunk the whiskey.
After a second or two more of squinting, he figured he could use the Priest and a Sevenser, but not if someone used one of those first. He ran a hand through his hair, knocking back the hood of his cloak. It would probably come down to his blind. He tapped his cards as Neville passed. Waylan deliberated his next move.
Kase did not want to lose. He had too many secrets. Why had he agreed to play this game anyway? Drink fogged his thoughts, and the flask was dry. He couldn’t numb himself further. He needed to think, but that was near impossible. Waylan talked through what he wanted to do. Probably the whiskey rambling. Kase dragged a nail along the rim of the card, and when no one was paying close attention to him, he lifted the corner ever so slightly.
A Raven.
Blast.
It wouldn’t throw him out, but it didn’t help his situation, and he had a feeling he couldn’t count on any galley card. If he went for another blind, he’d forfeit two bids, but if he didn’t, he’d probably scrape out in third position, if not dead last.
Was chance on his side? Luck? If the second blind was the Hanged Man, he was done for.
Waylan nabbed a blind card, and it was Kase’s turn at last.
“What you got left, Shackley? Anything good, or are you ready to spill?” Waylan teased, thrumming his fingers on his knee in a silent beat.
Eravin tapped the worn deck in front of him. “A blind for you? I haven’t seen you look this nervous since you discovered that Lavinia Richter was, in fact, a woman.”
Kase gritted his teeth to prevent him from spilling out something he’d regret. Waylan snorted. “That was a day for the books.”
Kase looked at his cards again, as if they might’ve changed in the last two minutes. He shifted his weight. His left leg had fallen asleep. His head was heavy with drink. Should he risk the second blind? Neville’s face hadn’t changed across any of the rounds. No laughter, no anger—just numb. Eravin probably had a decent hand, based on his last bid. Waylan was the wild card. His bids had consistently gone up, but he’d drawn a blind. If Kase had to guess, Neville had the Nebula, the highest card in the game, but the big bid at the beginning could’ve been a ploy.
If Kase didn’t take the second blind card, odds were he was losing with the Raven. The whiskey had messed with his head enough to know he hadn’t hid his thoughts. They knew he was about to implode.
“Your guards change over in an hour, Shackley,” Eravin said, tapping fingers on his knee. “I haven’t had the chance to bribe them yet.”
Kase had enough awareness to glare. Finally, he tapped the ground twice. Eravin smiled and passed him a blind card face down.
If I survive this round, I’m going to beg off to the privy.
With the second blind, Kase forfeited the next two bids, and that brought them to the end of the game. As the dealer, Eravin revealed his cards first, as well as his galley card choice. His blind card wasn’t great, but if no one had the Nebula, he was winning this round.
Waylan revealed his cards: a flush, what could have been a winning hand if Eravin’s hadn’t been so good. He smiled and chose not to reveal any blinds.
Neville was slow and methodic about his hand reveal. The lantern light glinted off his respectable cards. Nothing toospecial, and if Kase had any luck left, not good enough to beat himself.
Then Neville turned over his blind.
The cards were old, faded, and probably filched from someone else, but the red eye was still bright against the brilliant blue grays surrounding it. The Nebula.
Blast it.
