“No, not me. I got no idea what’s in that sack.”
Garde backed away.
“Nonsense! If anyone could know, it’s you.”
The edge in Alhazarda’s voice stopped Garde cold.
“Don’t underestimate the bag’s power. Woven by blind acolytes of the greatest magicians who ever lived, blessed by mystics of the Persian desert, this bag wields life, death, and truth. It may stave off one, endow the other, or reveal the third—but only for those who play by its rules, and its rules are simple: three guesses then look inside. Only a quarter. Simple, simple. Step right up. Twenty-five cents. Guess correctly, win your heart’s desire. View the future—or the past. Find answers to the questions that bring you sleepless nights. Now, Mr. Garde, I ask again, would you like to play the game?”
Garde struggled to sort h
