Page 80 of The Order of the Bitter Hunt

I reach in, plucking out a folded ticket, and Jun does the same. We unwrap the small pieces of paper together.

They both say the same thing…

Innocent

.I turn to Jun with a furrowed brow. “What could this possibly mean? We’re innocent?”

That makes it seem as if someone in the room is guilty. I shudder.

“It must be part of the puzzle… but I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.”

Servers shove glasses of champagne into our hands, but I don’t dare drink. This is a mental trial; we need to keep our minds sharp.

The others have different ideas—their glasses are already empty. Good. That will give us a slight advantage.

Professor Stark makes the announcement. She clinks her glass, standing in front of the room, and we all crowd around her.

“Welcome to the first trial of l’Ordre de la Chasse Amère,” she says. “This task will be one of intelligence—but it is not one of numbers or words.”

Murmurs scatter through the room, and Jun and I exchange looks.

“Instead, this trial requires attention to detail. You must know who to trust—and be able to tell when someone is lying. There will be eight people in a group, and within each group, seven are innocents. One is a murderer. The murderer will pick people off one by one. It is your job, innocent, to know who to trust. Ally with each other, and avoid the ones you believe to be suspicious.”

It doesn’t feel like a game of intellect at all. It’s a game of trickery. I hold my breath, captured by anxiety.

Professor Stark continues. “If you are the killer, every ten minutes, you must kill one person by poking them in the back. Do so with subtlety. If you figure out who the killer is, report it to a Professor, and you win. If you’re killed before you find the killer, you lose. If you guess the wrong person, you lose. You must wait for thirty seconds after the poke to perform your death.”

It’s a game, but it’s twisted. This game is what keeps people from immortality. It’s the line between life and death.

“You will not continue to the next trial if you lose this one,” Professor Stark says.

The rules are clear. It’s a game of Mafia, but the stakes are higher than a typical party game. We’re more likely to lose than win. This is preferable to a puzzle or riddle, but it’s still difficult to play.

Jun and I have an advantage. Unlike the others, we’ve come with an ally… someone we can really trust.

“The first ten minutes begin now,” Professor Stark says. “Eat, drink, and mingle. You will receive further instruction as the game continues.”

Murmurs fill the room.

The Professors split us into smaller groups. Jun and I join six other students. They introduce themselves as Daisy, Janna, Gio, Arthur, Selina, and Augustin.

I know a few of them through classes, but most are strangers.

“We aren’t taking any additional allies,” I say to Jun.

“I was thinking the same.”

“Then what’s the plan?”

“We pay attention, and we watch each other’s backs. Keep it simple.”

It’s easy enough. Jun and I stand off to the side, and no one bothers us, but it’s not the best way to play the game. This isn’t how we’ll gather information, but it will keep us alive.

Professor Stark speaks to the group: “Five minutes to make your kill.”

A few minutes pass, and Daisy approaches us, smiling politely.

“Are you enjoying the food?” she asks.