Chapter 12 · Don't Let Him Die

Vale's on the floor when I get back.

Not collapsed. Not passed out. Just sitting against the wall with his knees up and his head tipped back like he's trying not to throw up. The ledger's open on his lap. His hand's shaking so bad the pages are rustling.

"Vale."

He doesn't look at me. His eyes are half-closed and his breathing's all wrong. Too fast. Too shallow.

I drop next to him. "What happened?"

"Read it," he says. His voice sounds like he's talking through glass. "Last entry."

I grab the ledger. The page is still warm where his fingers were. The ink's old, faded, but the name at the bottom is clear enough.

MARA KASH — ACTIVE. DEBT TRANSFERRED TO RONA KASH.

My mouth goes dry.

"That's not—" I start, but Vale makes this sound. Low. Choked. His whole body jerks and he grabs his chest like something's tearing inside.

"Vale!"

His eyes snap open. They're not his eyes anymore. They're black. Fully black. No iris. No white. Just this void that's swallowing the color out of his face.

"Seal," he rasps. "There's a seal."

I don't know what that means but I know what dying looks like.