Chapter 12 · The Door Her Mother Left

The council chamber was still spinning when Kane grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the exit. Castine's voice followed us, smooth and poisonous.

"Running won't erase the mark, Miss Hart."

I didn't look back. The silver burn on my hand was spreading, crawling up my wrist like frost on glass. It hurt. Not the sharp kind of pain you can grit your teeth through. The kind that digs into bone and whispers your mother's name.

Kane shoved the council doors open. Finn stumbled behind us, his breathing ragged. He'd been standing for too long. I could see the way his legs shook, but he didn't complain. He never did.

"We need to move," Kane said. His voice was flat. Controlled. The kind of control that meant he was two seconds from losing it.

I pulled my arm free. "Move where? They have my signature. They have the mark. Where the hell are we supposed to go?"

He stopped. Turned. His eyes were black again. Not the gold I'd gotten used to. The shadow beasts were close to the surface.