Chapter 11 · The Forge Timeline

The black rune burned.

Kade's chest felt like someone had shoved a live coal under his ribs. He pressed his palm flat against his sternum, trying to push the heat back down, but the core just pulsed harder. The hum coming from deeper in the forge wasn't helping. It matched the rhythm in his chest, note for note, like two pieces of the same broken machine trying to lock together.

Mira still had her gun on Elara. Her hand wasn't shaking anymore. That was worse.

"You set us up," Mira said. Her voice was flat. "You brought us here so they could seal the door."

"I did." Elara didn't move. She kept her hands loose at her sides, palms out. "But not for them."

"Then who?"

"For you. For him." Elara's eyes flicked to Kade. "You wouldn't have listened if I'd just told you. You had to see the trap close. You had to feel what it's like when the tower decides you're done."

Kade's jaw clenched. The rune was getting louder inside him. Not just heat now. Pressure. Like something trying to claw its way out through his ribs. "You could've warned us.