Caraval (Caraval 1)
“Now say your greatest fear,” the shopgirl prompted.
Scarlett cleared her throat. “My greatest fear is that something bad will happen to my sister, and I won’t be able to protect her.”
The brass scale creaked. Scarlett watched with marvel as the chains shifted and the side containing the heart slowly rose while the empty pan mysteriously lowered until the two were perfectly even.
“It’s always nice when it works,” said the shopgirl. “Now, let go.”
Scarlett did as instructed, and the scale reset, returning to an unbalanced state.
“Now grab hold again and tell me your greatest desire.”
Scarlett’s hands didn’t sweat this time, though the scale still felt too alive for her liking. “My greatest desire is to find my sister, Donatella.”
The scale shook. Chains rattled gently. But the side with the heart remained firmly weighed down.
“There’s something wrong with the scale,” Scarlett said.
“Try again,” said the shopgirl.
“My greatest desire is to find my younger sister, Donatella Dragna.” Scarlett squeezed the stem of the scale, but it made no difference. The empty pan and heart both remained unmoved.
She squeezed harder, but this time the scale didn’t even wobble. “All I want is to find my sister.”
The shopgirl grimaced. “I’m sorry, but the scale never lies. I’ll need another answer, or you can pay with two days of your life.”
Scarlett turned to Aiko. “You’ve been watching me; you know finding my sister is all I want.”
“I believe it’s something you want,” Aiko said. “But there are many things to want in life. It’s not a bad thing if there are other things you desire a little more.”
“No.” Scarlett’s knuckles were turning white—the game was playing with her. “I would die for my sister!”
Chains rattled and the scale moved again, balancing until it evened out. This statement was true. Unfortunately, this was not a viable form of payment.
Scarlett ripped her hands away before she was robbed of any more secrets.
“So, two days of your life it will be,” said the shopgirl.
Scarlett felt as if she’d been tricked. This must be what they had been after all along. She thought about backing out. Giving up two days of her life left her with a feeling of indescribable unease; the same sensation she experienced whenever she made a deal with her father. But if Scarlett backed out now, it would further prove finding her sister was not what she desired most. She wouldn’t get a glimpse into Aiko’s secret notebook, either.
“If you take two days of my life, how does it work?” asked Scarlett.
The shopgirl pulled out a miniature sword from her pincushion. “Slice your finger with the tip of this, then squeeze three drops of blood over the scale.” She pointed to the shriveled heart.
“If you want, I can cut it for you,” Aiko said. “Sometimes it’s easier to let someone else wound you.”
But Scarlett had had enough of other people hurting her.
“No, I can do it myself.” She ran the tiny sword over the tip of her ring finger.
Drip
drip
drip.
Only three dots of blood, yet Scarlett felt each one, and the pain went beyond her finger. It was as if a hand dug nails into her heart and squeezed. “Is this supposed to hurt?”
“A little light-headedness is normal. You didn’t expect losing two days of your life to be painless, did you?” The shopgirl laughed as if it were a joke.