Chapter 22 · Someone Else Is Counting Too

“That's not my hand.” Rhys stared at the ledger, Ethlin's blood smeared on the page. Her name wasn't the only thing that had changed. New ink crawled out like a vein finding its way to the surface. RHYS KALDANE. And under it, a date that hadn't happened yet.

“Say that again,” Sona said, her knuckles white around the ledger's spine. “Say the part about the hand.”

“The ink's not writing in my order,” Rhys said, his voice flat. “Every loop I've lived, this book writes forward. Same day, same names, same order every single time. That date under my name — that's not loop nine. That's not any loop I've been in.”

Ethlin made a sound against the wall, half a laugh, half something wetter. “You're telling me there's more than one of these. More than one loop. Running at the same time.”

The door slammed open. Vittal Ograne stumbled in, his sword belt hanging loose, his face gray. “Kill me,” he said.

Nobody moved. “I mean it,” Vittal said, his hands shaking. “Right now. Before it happens again.”

Sona's voice was low. “Vittal, put it down.”

Vittal's eyes went to Rhys. “Something's been in my head.