Page 73 of Of Blood and Banes
He watches me, jaw working in a calm fidget as if he’s waiting for me to falter. Or run away.
“Well?” I prompt again. “If this is a test of my patience, I assure you we won’t get far.”
He rolls his neck as if the mere existence of me in the same vicinity of him is exhausting and emotionally challenging. “You let me out of these chains.”
“Absolutely not.”
“You let me out of these chains every night we’re in here.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “No.”
“You let me out of these chains for two hours?—”
“I said no.” Though, I have to give him the unabashed credit for his persistence.
He mirrors my body language, folding his arms over his chest. “What kind of bargain is this if you’re not willing to compromisesomething?”
“Releasing your shackles is off the table. What else would you want?”
He sits in silence for a few heartbeats to mentally run through some sort of list. Finally, he says, “Letting me free.”
“Forget it,” I grumble, shuffling into bed, and wrapping myself in sheets.
I wait.
After what feels like forever and doubt trickling in that Marge won’t come, a knock taps on the door. Darian shifts a suspicious look to me. I ignore his questioning gaze, pulling my boots and cloak on and slipping out the door. Marge and I walk silently through the quiet, dark streets and out to the hills where the dragons rest. Daeja perks her head up, watching Marge and me from a distance, her white eyes almost glowing in the darkness.
“What are you doing?”
“Marge said she’ll be training me.”
“Training for what?”She shifts in her spot, and the other dragons open their eyes.
“She calls it pulling. Basically, controlling magic. Don’t worry about me, go back to sleep.”
Daeja lowers her head to the ground but keeps her eyes trained on me. She lifts her chin off the ground a few inches to turn her head every time we stride out of her vision.
After we’ve left the dragons behind and venture further into the forest, I turn to Marge. “Why is it only you and I can hear the humming?”
“I can’t hear it. I can only feel it.”
“Okay, well, how come you and I can both sense it? Does it have anything to do with the fact you’re a Spoiled?”
“No. Well…possibly,” she mutters.
“So why can I hear it now?”
“Most riders can sense it due to their magical bonds with their dragons. But you are likely extra sensitive, especially the longer you wear the Blood Ring, and now that you know what to look for.”
“Can the dragons sense the rings as well?”
She shrugs. “I’m not sure. That might be a better question for your dragon, but I imagine they do, just as they sense Spoileds.”
“So…let’s say I manage to master pulling. What can I do with the magic? Sethan said before I entered the blood pact that the ring holds power, but what kind?”
“They say the most powerful magic can be done with blood and bones, but I’m not sure anyone alive today knows its extent other than the King himself. I’ve personally seen King Aaric shatter another person’s bones without doing so much as lifting a hand. I’ve seen him raid people’s memories and transform his own form to look like someone else. Since he couldn’t locate the Blood Ring, he’s been attempting rituals with blood to mimic it, but he’s been unsuccessful.”
I shiver, not wanting to ask, but doing so anyway, “What kind of blood has he been using? And for what kind of rituals?”
