Chapter 14 · Ash Ledger - Chapter 14: The Ledger Wants Blood

"You lied to me."

Mara's knife was already out. The edge sat against my throat before I could turn around.

"I didn't—"

"You said the core was a tool." Her voice stayed quiet, but her hand didn't shake. "You said it followed orders."

I kept my hands where she could see them. The workshop was dark except for the ledger's faint glow on the bench behind me. Outside, the night watch was changing. Voices drifted past the shuttered window.

"It does," I said.

"Then why is it asking for blood?"

She pressed the blade in just enough that I felt the cold bite of steel. Not enough to cut. Not yet.

"Because that's how it works," I said. "You want answers, it needs a price."

"And you were going to pay it."

I didn't answer that. The ledger had been humming all evening, ever since I'd written Ilian's name in the margin. The core had woken up the moment I asked it to find him. It wanted something in return.

Mara leaned in close enough that I could feel the heat coming off her. Her breath was warm against my jaw. "You think I didn't notice?