Chapter 28 · The Voice in the Core

"Slow down!" Ash's voice cracked behind Ivy as the grating bucked under her boots.

She kept running. Marcus had vanished into the dark ahead, and his footsteps were fading fast.

"Keep moving," Ash said. One hand clamped over his side. Blood pushed between his fingers. "Don't let him reach the junction alone."

"You're bleeding out."

"I'm walking, aren't I?"

"That isn't an answer."

"It's the only one I've got."

The rune on Ivy's jaw crawled another inch, hot as a brand. Her right arm throbbed with every step, like the bone underneath wanted to split open.

The tunnel dropped sharply. At the next turn, Marcus stood with one palm pressed to a wall panel. Blue sparks crawled beneath his skin. His left eye had gone completely red.

"How close?" Ivy demanded.

"Two minutes. Maybe less." He ripped his hand away. The panel spat sparks and died. "It's waking up."

Ash staggered against the wall. "What's waking up?"

Marcus looked at him. "The core."

"And what does it wake?"

"Everything connected to it."

Ivy grabbed Ash's good arm and hauled him upright. "Then stop talking and move."

Marcus turned into the left passage. "You don't understand what it's pulling."

"Try me."