Page 36 of The Towering Sky

“My what?” Calliope demanded.

“You put it on your tongue, and it makes a taste profile of your palate,” the lab technician, or whatever he was, informed her. “The tablet itself is harmless, but it’s coated in nanostructuresthat record the chemical compounds of your individual taste buds and transmit them to our main computer. We’ll use that information to design you the perfect personalized chocolate.”

“I don’t need that. I already know what I like,” Calliope said firmly. “I love caramel, and raspberry, but Ihatechocolate covered in salt. I mean, honestly, salt belongs on margaritas and nowhere else....”

She trailed off, realizing that both men were watching her expectantly.What the hell?she figured, and put the tablet on her tongue. It tasted like nothing at all, like air; and before she knew it, it was gone. She smacked her lips, puzzled.

“Interesting. You have less of a sweet tooth than I would have guessed, given that you claim to like caramel,” the chocolatier said, almost to himself, “with incredibly strong quinine receptors. Let’s see...” He moved from one beaker to another, humming slightly.

“Claimto like caramel?” Calliope whispered with mock outrage.

“You’ll see,” Brice assured her. “I bet you right now that this is the best chocolate you’ve ever tasted.”

Calliope lifted an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What are the stakes of this bet?”

“Dinner,” he said smoothly. “If it’s your favorite chocolate in the world, you go to dinner with me.”

“And if it isn’t my favorite?”

“Then I’ll go to dinner with you.” He grinned.

“Interesting terms,” Calliope murmured as the dispenser spat out a perfectly round truffle, with no designs of any kind.

“Here,” Brice said, reaching for the chocolate, “let me.”

Calliope started to protest, but before she could say anything, he’d popped the truffle into her mouth.

Her eyes fluttered closed as it melted on her tongue, dissolvingall thought. She couldn’t have said what it tasted like exactly; it wasn’t any flavor she recognized. All she knew was that it was utter bliss, as if all her taste buds were firing at once.

“Oh mygod.” She opened her eyes, only to see that Brice was right there before her.

“Sounds like you liked it.” Brice turned back to the chocolatier. “Peter, we’re going to need a dozen more of those.”

“I’ll throw in a few of your custom blend too, Brice,” Peter offered, evidently pleased by Calliope’s reaction. “I still have it on file.”

They settled at a table by the window. A moment later, Peter appeared with their tray of chocolates and several glasses of sparkling water.

“I can’t get over these,” Calliope said, reaching for another truffle. “I mean, I transmit some tongue data, and now it supposedlyknowsme?”

Brice leaned back, studying her. “All it knows is your palate. I, however, would like to get to know you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything. What kind of music you listen to. What magical power you would pick, if you could have one. Your greatest fear.”

“That started shallow and got serious fast,” Calliope pointed out.

“Well, I never know how long I’ll get before you disappear on me.” Beneath the seeming lightness of Brice’s tone, Calliope heard a note of something else, something that made her shiver a little in anticipation.

She opened her mouth to spin another lie—and paused. She was sick of hiding behind layers of pretend.

“You’re going to laugh, but my favorite band is Saving Grace.”

“Wait—the Christian band?”

“I didn’t realize they were a Christian band when I startedlistening! I just liked their music,” Calliope said defensively. “And all the songs are about love!”

“Yeah,divinelove.” Brice sounded amused. “I had no idea you were so holy.”