The fourth chalice materialized before I could catch my breath.
This one was different from the others. Instead of crystal or gold, it looked like it had been carved from bone. White and smooth, with thin cracks running through it like veins. The liquid inside was dark red, almost black, and it moved sluggishly like blood that had started to congeal.
I stared at it, my heart still pounding from the Third Glass. My reflection's question echoed in my head. But you never stopped being afraid, did you?
No. I hadn't. That was the answer I couldn't say out loud.
"The Fourth Glass waits for no one." The Duchess's voice cut through my thoughts. "Drink, or the Pool will decide you've already failed."
Around the table, other wolves were lifting their own bone chalices. A man two seats down drank and immediately convulsed, his back arching so severely I heard his spine crack. He screamed once, then went silent as the floor opened beneath him.
The splash echoed through the chamber.
