EVERY TENDON IN HIS body tensed, every muscle contracted, and every nerve tingled. It was like he vibrated. Yet Angelos stood stock still, caught in the rigours of pleasure caused by the mere sight of the artifact. He recognized a kindred spirit as soon as he saw it and knew he'd found what he was searching for. Or rather, he knew it as soon as he heard it: the sweet symphony of souls entombed in glinting stone. He could hear all the voices it had enslaved crying out. The old woman hadn't been lying in the end.
With this blade, he would give Night back her voice, with the correct words, the right ritual, and the proper sacrifice. He imagined how pleased she'd be when he freed her, quashing the thought of her wroth at being imprisoned for so long. A shiver ran across his skin, puckering th
