The second she connected with the whispering presence, it became a roar in her mind.
The bloodstone around her neck blazed to violent life. She gasped as searing heat flared against her skin. Reflexively, she grabbed for the amulet, but the heat died before she could pull it out from under her collar.
Carver grasped her arm. “Amryn? What’s wrong?”
She barely heard his concerned voice as a wave of emotions slammed into her. Fury, hatred, malice, terror, agony, and condemnation. She didn’t hear the bloodstone’s horrible voice booming words in her head, but she heard screams. So many endless screams, trapped and scalding against her mind.
She fell back a step, her eyes shutting on instinct as she doubled over and threw her hands over her ears.
It did nothing to quiet the shrieking in her head.
Through the shock and pain, it took a moment to realize the feelings arcing through her—and the screams tearing into her brain—were not coming from the bloodstone around her neck.
They were coming from the bloodstone embedded in the Dagger of Hafsin.
“Amryn!” Carver held both of her arms now. He was shaking her.
No. The trembling came from thefloor.
Guards shouted. Crashes echoed in the large chamber as objects clattered to the floor.A quake, Amryn realized distantly. But the pain in her head was so intense, so overwhelming, she could barely register her fear at the earth’s shaking.
PATIENCE. THE TIME IS NOT YET COME. CEASE NOW.
The booming voice belonged to her bloodstone—but it wasn’t speaking to her.
In an instant, the shrieking in her head died. The torrent of emotions cut off, and all was silent. Even the earth stopped shaking. Amryn had fallen to her knees at some point. Her hands were still pressed over her ears, and her heart thudded loudly with every labored breath that sawed in and out of her.
Carver’s fingers dug into her arms as he knelt before her. His eyes were blown wide, panic and fear writhing inside him.
He had no idea how frightened he should be.
Chapter 46
Carver
“TheDaggerofHafsinis abloodstone?” Carver repeated incredulously.
“It’s one of the jewels decorating the hilt,” Amryn clarified. “It’s the same size as my bloodstone, just not as vibrantly red. It wasn’t dark like when I found mine on Zawri, though. I think that means this one wasn’t fully dormant. It certainly felt more alert than mine did before I used it the first time.”
Carver tried to ignore the way she’d so easily claimed the bloodstone around her neck ashers,and focus instead on wrapping his mind around this unexpected development.
They were back in their room, but his heart was still hammering. The way Amryn had gasped and doubled over in the treasury . . . The memory alone made it hard to breathe. He’d known she was in pain, but he had no idea what was wrong. There was nothing for him to fight. Then the quake had hit, and all he could do was hold her and pray the treasury’s ceiling didn’t come down on them.
The quake had ended quickly, and in a way he supposed he was grateful it had struck when it had. It had stopped anyone from paying too much attention to Amryn’s reaction to finding a second bloodstone.
Saints. He didn’t want another one. He hated being responsible for the one they already had.
“I heard so many screams in my head,” Amryn said, her voice too thin. “It was horrible. The things I felt . . . Such raw and brutal agony. Horrendous grief and searing rage.” She shuddered, and Carver immediately went to her.
She was sitting on the edge of their bed, where he’d made her sit as soon as they entered the room. Afternoon sunlight streamed in through the windows, catching in her beautiful red hair. She was paler than usual, which only made the still-fading bruises on her cheek appear more vivid.
His gut clenched. He knelt before her, taking her cold hands in his. “It hurt you.”
A slight tremor ran through her fingers. “I don’t think it was trying to attack me. That bloodstone . . . it felt totally different from mine. Like it couldn’t communicate in words, only in emotions. Anger and pain, torment and endless screams.”
He hated seeing the fear in her eyes. Especially because there was little he could do to ease it. “You need to stay away from it.”
Her brow furrowed. “But I can’t do that. I have to help with the trap for the Rising.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she squeezed his hands. “I can handle it. I know what to expect now. Besides, my bloodstone told the dagger to be silent, and it obeyed. I don’t think it will hurt me next time I get close.”
