Chapter 27 · The Name She Lost

"Who are you?"

Cyrus's hand was still on her arm. Fingers sticky with burner ink and blood. The spiral mark he'd just carved over the shattered chain was raw, edges smoking faint green.

Kael was looking right at him.

Through him.

"It's me." His throat was dry. "Cyrus."

She blinked. Frowned like she was trying to place a word in a language she didn't speak. Then she glanced down at his hand and pulled back.

Not hostile.

Just nothing.

"I don't know that name," she said.

The world tilted.

Arch was staring from across the rubble. Lien had gone pale, one hand on the youngest kid's shoulder. The other orphans were silent.

Cyrus let go. The burner was still in his other palm, needle tip dripping black.

"You know me," he said. "You've known me for weeks. I fixed your marks. I've been traveling with you since—"

"Since when?"

Her tone wasn't cold. It was genuinely curious.

She looked at the fresh spiral on her arm, turned it slightly in the dim light. "You did this?"

"Yeah." His voice cracked. "To save you. The chain mark was controlling you, it was a beacon, I had to burn it out—