Chapter 21 · Ash Ledger - Chapter 21: The Fort Goes Down

"Door's not opening," Mara said. She slammed her shoulder into it twice. Nothing moved.

Rowan pressed his palm flat against the stone. Cold. Silent. The kind of silence that meant someone on the other side wanted them locked in.

"They sealed it," Ilan said. His voice went high at the edges. "They know we're in here."

"Shut up." Mara turned, scanning the vault. The floor had dropped a hand's width since the horn blew. Dust fell from the ceiling in thin streams. "There's another way out."

"There isn't." Ilan backed toward the center of the room, away from the cracked far wall. The breathing sound was louder now. Wet. Rhythmic. "This vault was built to hold one entrance. That's the point."

Rowan looked at the ledger in his hand. The pages had stopped glowing, but the metal cover was still warm. The new line of script sat there, black and certain: *Oath enacted. Claim contested. The buried rise.*

"What does that mean?" Mara asked. She was looking at him, not the book.

"I don't know."

"You're holding it. It's yours. What does it mean?"

Rowan met her eyes. "I said I don't know."

The floor lurched. Not a tremble.