Chapter 21 · Rust and Relic - Chapter 21: The Dead Man Whistles

"Don't touch that."

Liv's knife was already at my wrist before I got my hand within three inches of the bone map. We were crouched in the dark corner of the ruined fort, the aurora still flickering outside through the gaps in the stone. My heart hadn't stopped pounding since we ran through that blind light.

"I wasn't going to take it," I said. "I was checking if it's real."

"It's real." She didn't move the blade. "And it stays with me."

I pulled my hand back slow. The obsidian shard in my pocket was warm enough that I could feel it through the leather wrapping. The progress bar at the edge of my vision had been stuck at 34% for the past hour. No new quest. No helpful hint. Just that pulsing line and the knowledge that every priest and warlord on this continent wanted me dead.

"Fine," I said. "Keep it. But we need to know what it says."

"I know what it says."

"Then tell me."

She tilted her head, eyes catching the faint glow from outside.