Chapter 63: a common enemy.

Damian woke to blood in his mouth.

He blinked slowly, his head wracked by lancing pains. His throat was parched and his lips were cracked and split. Coagulated blood covered his face, and his nose was dislocated entirely, forcing him to breathe through his mouth.

The ground was cold and made of stone, covered with a thin layer of urine-soaked hay. Slowly, he pushed himself upright, noting that his wrists and ankles were no longer bound. His jacket had been taken away, but the Rosa Regalia still rested on his finger—

—The Regalia?!

Damian stared at the ring in disbelief, the strange dream he'd had floating to the forefront of his mind. The square-cut ruby was cracked perfectly in half, and the ancient Cinder inside had burned out, leaving nothing behind.

The Regalia protected me from the Deep… From whatever Nicholas was trying to do.