Chapter 20 · Midnight Anchor

"Your sister or the city." Crowe's voice came through the stone like he was standing right behind me. "Choose now, Vale."

I stared at the anchor. Black iron, old as the walls, humming so loud my teeth hurt. Elara was strapped to the platform above it, unconscious, breathing shallow. Mara stood between me and the stairs, gun up, face blank.

"Don't," she said.

"Don't what?" I took a step forward. "Don't save her? Don't let you put a child on that thing?"

"Don't make me shoot you before midnight."

I laughed. Tasted blood. "You already did. Three loops ago. Didn't stick."

"This time it will." Her finger tightened on the trigger. "Crowe rigged the anchor. If she goes on at midnight, the reset stops. The breach closes. The city stands."

"And she dies."

"She dies clean. You plug yourself in, the bell eats you alive and the loop keeps running. Crowe gets his soldier farm. You get to wake up screaming forever."

I wiped my mouth. "So I let her burn?"

"You let her go." Mara's voice cracked. Just a little. "Rowan. I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't un-strap her."

"No. But a bullet will stop you from doing something worse.