Chapter 17 · The Black Current

"You feel that?" Carson's hand locked around my wrist before I could step away from the parapet.

I did. The air tasted metallic and sweet, like blood left too long in the sun.

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

I pulled free and faced the square below. The merc captain's body still sprawled across the cracked stones. The core fragment he'd crushed glittered in the mess.

The light pouring from it wasn't gold. It was black, moving, crawling up the walls like oil with a pulse.

"Second tide," I said.

"That's not possible."

His hand went to his sword.

"Tell that to the wall."

The black crawl reached the first watchtower. Stone hissed. Steam burst from the parapet, and the guard on top screamed.

Not fear. Pain. The tide had eaten through his boot and was working toward the bone.

Carson rushed past me. "Get him down! North tower, fall back to the second platform! Don't touch the black stuff!"

Guards scrambled up the tower stairs. Below, people fled the square, shoving and tripping over one another. A child went down under the crowd.

"Harrow!" Carson shouted. "Get civilians into the inner wards! Sweep for the wounded!