Chapter 28 · A Rule Someone Already Broke

"Read it out loud."

Sona's forearm slammed into my chest. Pinned me to the stone before I could get a foot back.

"Or I start guessing," she said, "and you correct me when I'm wrong."

The page was still smoking at one corner. Ink that wasn't ink—it moved when the light moved, like something under the surface was still breathing. She had it fisted an inch from my nose. Close enough I could smell the burn. Under that, her. Sweat and steel oil and the cold off the tower stairs.

"Careful," I said. "You keep it that close to your face, you're gonna lose eyebrows."

"I'll lose worse if you don't start talking." She didn't blink. Sona never blinked when she wanted something—I'd learned that eight loops too late and one loop just in time. "This came out of the crack in the bell frame. Same crack that rang the bell with no rope on it. You wanna tell me that's a coincidence too?"

"I never said coincidence."

"You didn't say anything. That's the problem." Her arm pressed harder. Forearm to sternum. I felt my own pulse kick against it, stupid and fast. "I found a rule, Rhys.