When It Reigns (Cursed Reigns, #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

AERYN'S POV

No chance I slept now.

Sitting up, I dug the Wielder's mystery vial out of my pocket and analyzed the blue contents as I twisted the tube between my fingers. From what I could gather, he had said it would awaken my power, but warned against using it too soon. I wrapped my fingers around it and slid off my bed, deciding it was best to put the vial away to limit my temptation to use it.

I also wasn't sure I wanted a power. I needed it to survive in the Force if I was selected, but I didn't know what my father would do once I acquired it. I had a feeling he would forbid me from enlisting if I had a power and it meant I could marry my assassin instead.

Stopping in front of the vanity, I frowned at my appearance. My brown hair was so dark it was almost black, but it was a disastrous mess, cascading in long curls that tangled together halfway down my back. My face was pale, and my two different colored eyes stared back at me. When I looked in my blue eye, I cringed at the similarities I shared with my father. The green eye I'd gotten from my mother was the sole aspect of resemblance the two of us possessed.

I pursed my lips and placed the vial on the vanity, flipping my head upside down. Gathering the thick throngs of hair together, I bound it all in a messy bun at the top of my head and pulled two strands down to frame my face.

Opening the bottom drawer of the vanity, I placed the clear tube of liquid inside and closed it. I wished I could talk to my mother about what to do. She'd comfort me with her soothing voice and compassion – something my father could never accomplish. He'd always been a cold ruler, but he loved his family and let the ice consume him when my mother was killed by the demons.

I figured sleep would be the last thing I'd be able to do, so I grabbed my discarded belt and fastened it around my waist, patting Racquel's reinforced topaz knives in the sheaths. There were a few drops of droxin left in one of the blades, but the others were empty. The topaz would still make it impossible for a Draconian to use their power, but the blade had to stay lodged in their body for it to work.

With the belt on and my ruben dagger in the sheath on my thigh, as well as a couple throwing stars up my sleeves, I opened my door and made my way down the last two flights of stairs. I nodded at the guards as I exited the castle and proceeded up the narrow lane along the side of the mountain, stopping once I'd made it to my secret cave. I ducked inside and crawled through the entrance, wincing as my hand landed on a solid object. I kneeled back and rubbed my palm with a thumb as I squinted in the faint sunlight streaming in the alcove, shining a spotlight on the culprit of my pain.

Bile rose in my throat at the sight of a single bone finger that had been torn from its demon owner's hand. A ring of ruby red was fastened around the knuckle, and it was pointed at the wall opposite the entrance.

I snatched it off the icy floor and clutched it in my hand as I lit the lamp and ventured deeper into the hole. I inhaled ragged breaths as my heart pounded in my chest, the finger Penn had severed from a demon during last month's challenge digging into my palm as I crept forward until my hand landed on something soft. Directing the light from the lamp to the floor, I shoved the black feather away and moved forward.

Holding up the lamp, a gasp escaped between my lips as my eyes scanned the words carved into the snowy wall.

"Wear the ring," I whispered, reading the message out loud as I brought the light over each word, "It will-"

"-bring you protection," a voice finished.

I jolted in fright and bumped my head on the short ceiling, biting my tongue in the process. The thick bun on the top of my head cushioned the impact, but blood pooled in my mouth as I flung the finger at the intruder with a shout.