Chapter 31 · A New Line Through Copperfall

"Stop fighting it."

Mina's voice cut through the burning. I couldn't see her anymore. The meridian lines had taken over my vision, every thread of power in Copperfall laid bare and screaming. My hands were still pressed against the conduit plate, and I couldn't let go. The grid was rewriting itself through me, and it felt like someone had replaced my blood with molten copper.

"I'm not fighting," I said, or tried to. The words came out sideways.

"Yes you are." Her hand landed on my shoulder, and the touch was the only real thing left. "You're trying to control it. Let it run."

"If I let it run, it'll burn through the whole district."

"It's already burning through you."

She was right. I could feel the lines branching under my skin, carving new paths where the old ones had gone dark. My left arm was numb to the elbow. My ribs felt like someone had strung wire between them and pulled it tight.

"Jace." Her grip tightened. "How much do you remember?"

Strange question for someone who was supposed to be keeping me alive.

"About what?"

"Before. Your first life. The tower.