Page 48 of Spirit Rites

“Imbued jade?” I ask.

“We have a few pieces of imbued jade that were made centuries ago when magic was more prevalent.”

“What does the imbued jade do?” I ask warily.

“It tests you,” she says brightly.

I glance over at Harper, but she’s giving Mae a cold stare. “How?” I push.

“It’s simple. When you hold the jade in both hands, it will test your worthiness, justice, and wisdom.”

I feel like screaming. “How, Mae? How does it test those things?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I just know that it does.”

“Okay. What happens if I pass this test?”

She beams. “If you pass, nothing happens and everybody will know you passed.”

“Okay, so what happens if I fail?”

Her face pales suddenly, and my stomach tightens.This can’t be good. “How about you ask Kaldar?”

I am not about to let her get out of telling me, not when we’ve come so far. “Nope. You’re telling me, Mae. Out with it.”

She bites her lip a moment, and I wonder how I’m going to get it out of her. But she caves a moment later. “If you fail to have justice, the jade...” she pauses and looks away.

“The jade what?” I prompt.

She looks miserable, but she finally spits it out. “The jade will burn you from the inside out.”

“This place just keeps getting better and better,” Harper says in a voice devoid of any humor.

I’m still stuck on what she said. “The jade will literally burn me, or it will just feel like it? Is it literal?”

Mae gives me a solemn nod. “It will literally burn you. I watched it happen once when I was a little girl. One of the men who was getting sworn in as an elder went through the jade ceremony and failed. I will never forget his screams.” I stare at her in horror, and Harper closes her eyes and shakes her head.

“Ready to go back, Kins?” she asks a moment later.

“Back?” Mae asks in confusion. “Back where?” Then horror lights her face. “Back to where you came from? No! You can’t do that. Oh!” She stands up to pace. “This is why Taren told me not to tell you. He told me it would be too much for you to take in, and it would be better for Kaldar to tell you himself.”

“Hindsight really,” Harper mutters, and I give her a look.

“It’s fine, Mae. Really. Thank you for telling me. It helps me to know what to prepare for.”

“Really?” The expression on her face is so hopeful, I can’t bring myself to kill it.

“Yes.”

She takes a deep breath. “Okay. Whew. I’d better get going. I’d really rather not be here when my cousin gets home.” I’m starting to wonder if I feel the same way. When she gets to the door, she stops and turns back to us. “Are you ready?” she asks Harper. Harper glances at me, and I just shrug. I’m not really sure what’s going on, but that seems to be the permanent state of my life as of late. “I’m going to show you where you’ll be staying for the duration of your time here. I stopped by earlier to make sure it was clean and up to our standards, and I’m pleased to announce it is.”

Harper crosses her arms over her chest. “I thought I was staying here.”

Maelin’s eyebrows nearly hit her hairline. “You wanted to stay with the newly mated couple?”

I bite my lip, thinking of how this could go wrong really quickly. “It’s fine if she stays here,” I offer, though I have no idea if Kaldar is okay with that. I’m sure he will be; he’s pretty easy-going.

“Um, Kinsley, that’s very kind of you; but I’m not sure my cousin will feel the same way. You may be comfortable with your own...self-expression, but I can guarantee my cousin is not. He’s more private when it comes to those kind of things.” It takes a moment for her words to register. When they do, mortification sweeps through me. But she continues before I can say anything. “This house isn’t sound-proofed for nothing.”