The water turned a faint pinkish-red before the dagger absorbed it all. Liam had lowered his hand into the water and watched as all the blood that escaped his palm attached itself to the dagger like a red string. His eyes stung from being open under the cold water, but that was the least of his concerns. He needed to see what was happening; it was a phenomenon he couldn’t miss.
The dagger was glowing. The markings turned a sultry kind of gold—fiery and piercing. He watched, his lungs begging for air. He couldn’t hold his breath any longer, so he inhaled sharply. Water painfully filled his lungs, but he surprisingly didn’t struggle. Liam accepted his fate with grace, his eyes and attention still fixated on the dagger. It was more captivating than the painful contortions of his body. His ey
