The elders cleared a space around the long table, murmuring uneasily as Grayson approached the ornate wooden box with the same grim resolve of a man walking toward a verdict he already suspected wouldn't favor him. Lily watched, heart pounding, as an elder she didn't recognize opened the box's lid, revealing a shallow basin filled with dark, glinting liquid that smelled faintly of iron and something older, wilder, not placeable.
"Blood binding," Ethan murmured quietly beside her, noting her confusion. "Ancient ritual. Once activated, it compels absolute truth from whoever touches the liquid. Lying while bound causes physical pain severe enough that even the most disciplined liar eventually breaks."
"That sounds barbaric."
"It is," Ethan agreed. "Which is exactly why it's reserved for si
