Free Blackbirds & Bourbon by Heather R. Blair Page B

is a truth stone. That the person holding it is compelled to be honest, no matter what.”
    “Did Styx give that to you?” Jack’s voice is hoarse and he looks like somebody just stepped on his grave, his gaze riveted on the stone.
    “Styx? No. Why would you—”
    “Then where the hell did you get it?”
    I can’t lie, not with the stone in my hand, and I wouldn’t anyway. Because I want to know why Jack is reacting this way. “Tyr. He threw it to me at the mall before he kicked my ass.”
    Jack leans back against the wall, his eyes closed. He seems to be trying to control his breathing. “Did he tell you why?”
    “No. He said he was doing me a favor. What’s wrong, Jack?”
    “Nothing. But if he got that where I think he got it… Shit.” He taps the back of his head lightly into the dirt wall, his fists pounding the top of his thighs.
    “Are you going to explain that?”
    “Let’s just say the only one of those I’ve ever seen belongs to somebody who would not be happy to find it missing. And if Tyr stole it from said person to give it to you…” He shakes his head, his expression somewhere between lethal and calculating. “You must have made quite the impression on our resident assassin.”
    I frown. “Yeah, ’cause setting me up and trying to kill me is a sign of affection these days. Can’t he just pull my pigtails or something?”
    “Nobody’s pulling your hair except me, princess,” Jacks says darkly.
    The look on his face has me gulping. Nope. Not going there. “Give me a clue here, dammit.”
    Jack points at the stone in my hand. “I think he wants you to use that to beat the Council’s inquiry. They’ve been used for that exact purpose in the past, though not for hundreds and hundreds of years because most of them have disappeared.”
    “How—” But then I get it. No one holding a truth stone can lie. It’s like swearing on a Bible but better. An FTC lie detector. The wave of relief almost staggers me.
    This changes things.
    With this, I can be sure of keeping my magic. I stare at the shiny, striped rock with new affection before confusion makes me frown.  “So wait…he set me up, then gave me an out? Why?”
    “Why indeed. Either Tyr really does have a soft spot for you, or—”
    “Or more likely, someone’s paying him a king’s ransom to help me.”
    Jack nods. “He’s playing both sides. Which is very interesting.” He rolls his shoulders, rubbing the spot where Ivo bit him, looking contemplative. I know exactly what he’s wondering because I am, too. Who’s my mysterious benefactor and what’s their stake in all this? But first things first.
    “You’re not going to out him, are you?”
    A raised eyebrow. “So we’re back to the not-trusting-me thing again?”
    I lift the stone. “There is a way around that.”
    Jack’s eyes rake over the stone then back to me. He says nothing, but I can see his throat working. “Is that the only way you’ll listen to me and go home?”
    I don’t tell him my burning desire to confront the Dark Council has waned more than a little with this new development. “Yes.”
    His jaw tightens. He scoots back stiffly until his back is pressed up against the side of our little hole. “Fine. Give it to me. What do you want to know before you let me save your stubborn hide?”
    I drop the stone into his outstretched hand, my eyes wide. A million questions are swirling in my head. Where the fuck do I start? And which ones do I actually have the courage to ask?
    Before I can open my mouth, he raises a finger. “Some ground rules. Three questions. Only three.”
    “What are you, a genie now?”
    “Accept my terms or see how far you get before my magic comes back.” His words are as cold as frozen steel.
    It’s my turn to swallow. “Three questions it is.”
    I fold my arms, watching Jack curl his fingers around the stone, his expression mutinous. “Let’s start with something that’s been driving me bat-shit for years. How the