Chapter 728: The Blood Remembers
Sophia hesitated for only a moment.
Then she reached out and took Josiah's left hand in hers. His skin was rough, calloused from years of work, and warm to the touch. He did not pull away. He did not even seem to notice at first. His gaze remained fixed on some point beyond the cell wall as he muttered to himself.
Then Sophia pressed the edge of the dagger against his palm.
Josiah flinched.
His head snapped toward her, his eyes widening with sudden awareness. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice sharp. "What are you doing with that?"
"Hold still," Sophia said softly. "This will only take a moment."
"I don't—"
"Hold still," Sophia growled.
Josiah fell silent at the command.
Sophia made a small cut across his palm. Not deep enough to cause lasting damage, but deep enough that blood welled up immediately, dark and glistening in the light. Josiah hissed through his teeth but did not move as the blood pooled in the crease of his palm.
