Alus stared for a heartbeat, glanced at his own hand holding the other two playing pieces, then burst out laughing.“Prick.”He tossed the missing dice at Arek, who caught them with ease and refilled the cup with all five knucklebones.
Arek went on, self-satisfied.“Point to me.Alus would have to give up a truth in this case, and our roles would remain the same.”
“So you call him ‘demon’ if you think he’s lying, and ‘dragon’...?”
Gluttony nodded to Saer’s question.“‘Dragon’ for truth.If the Guesser is ever wrong, the point goes to the Roller.”
“And if the Guesser is right?”
Arek took back over.“If I’m telling the truth and guessed as ‘dragon,’ or truth-teller, no points are given out, but our roles are reversed.The Guesser becomes the Roller, and vice versa.However.”Holding the cup, Arek gripped it with his lower three fingers and thumb while pointing as he explained.“If I’m being deceitful and guessed correctly as ‘demon,’ or liar, point still goes to the Guesser.ButI remain the Roller.Because demons are controlling bastards.At least, that’s what Neyu said when she came up with that rule.”
An amused huff left Saer at Arek’s conclusion.“When does the game end?’
The twin brothers shrugged in sync and answered at the same time.“When it’s done.”“When we want.”
Glancing between their hungry faces, Saer drew out his two-word response, “I see.”
Alus snagged the mug from Arek’s hand with a grin.“You and me, Captain.You ready?”
“Who goes firs—”
Gluttony rolled the dice and turned the cup over, peeked underneath, then locked eyes with Saer.“Two stars and twelve points.”
Saer blinked.Arek nudged him.“Dragon or demon?”
“I...demon?”
Alus grinned and peeled back the mug, revealing nothing at all like he’d described.“You got me.Ask your truth.”
Saer still hadn’t caught up.He threw out the first thing he could think of, what had been on his mind since he first came to the shoreline.“Where is Errshek?”
“No idea!”Alus immediately rolled and turned the cup over once more, spying under with a rapid glance.“Zero blank faces.”
Saer barely heard Gluttony declare his roll.Teeth clenched, he forced a word out.“Dragon.”
“Wrong!”The mug lifted, showing exactly three blank dice sides.Alus paused enough for a smile and glanced sidewise at Arek.“What truth shall we ask, Handsome?”
The Twins both tipped their head in an eerily similar fashion.Saer’s brows lowered in barely contained exasperation.
“I’ve got one.”Arek reached over and took the mug from Alus.The Twins were going against Saer as a team; it shouldn’t have taken him by surprise.“Why don’t you ask Father where Errshek is?”
Saer ground his teeth together.
While he pondered his answer, Arek shook the knucklebones and flipped the mug over, but kept his palm over the base, waiting for Saer’s response.
Saer’s voice came gravelly and stilted, but he spoke the truth.“I can do this on my own.I don’t need our maker’s help.”
Pride.Always pride.
Arek considered the answer for so long that Alus nudged him.“Well?”
“He’s telling the truth,” Arek answered, voice quiet.
Umbrage washed through Saer.“Of course I’m telling the truth.”
Arek shrugged and peeked under the cup.Alus, to Saer’s irritation, smiled wider.
“Four dice.”
