Chapter 21 · The Ledger's Demand

"Don't," Ethlin said, her nails digging into my wrist. "Don't you dare close it."

I tried to pull away, but she held tight. "Ethlin, you're bleeding."

"I rewrote the rule," she said, her voice cracking. "Three names on that sacrifice list, and I just told the book none of them get to be mine."

Sona stood by the door, sword still bare, watching us with an unnerving silence.

The page under Ethlin's palm flared gold - wrong gold, the kind that makes your teeth ache. "Ethlin, let go of the book."

"Not until it takes," she said, shaking. Sweat cut tracks through the blood on her face.

"And if the ledger doesn't like the rewrite?" I asked.

"Then it tells me," she said, looking up at me with glassy eyes. "Same as it tells you."

That's when my name started burning through the page. Not hers. Not Sona's. Mine.

"Rhys," Ethlin said, her grip on my wrist tightening. "Loop Ten. It's writing Loop Ten next to your name."

The room went quiet.

"Say that again," I said, my heart racing.

"Loop. Ten." Ethlin's breath came in short pulls now, blood dripping off her jaw onto the back of my hand.