“It says gloomwraiths can only be killed with a mumbling axe by one who has never told a lie.”
“Got it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never told a lie?”
“Never.”
“Are you lying now?”
“No.”
She paused. “You have a mumbling axe?”
“No.”
“Mumbling sword?”
He shook his head. “Wouldn’t work.”
“How about an articulate axe? We could teach it.”
“That might work. The tangled king has one, but he won’t hear me.”
“Nonsense.”
“No, I mean he literally won’t hear me. He can’t hear the truth.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“You’ll lie to the tangled king?”
“No problem.”
He frowned. “…Did you eat my prince-bisket?”
“Absolutely not.”
“There are crumbs on your-”
“Did you eat my cryspes?”
He looked away.
“A lie of omission is still a lie.”
“But it’s a lie you don’t tell. I didn’t say I’ve never not told a lie.”
She squinted. “Let’s go.”
