Chapter 25 · Ella Steps Into the Kill Box

The white light didn't fade. It grew.

Mark's eyes watered. He could see Ella's silhouette in the center of the platform, kneeling, one hand still pressed into the groove she'd activated. The air tasted like ozone and old copper. His ears rang.

"Ella, get out of there!" His voice cracked. He started forward.

Veran's arm slammed across his chest. "Don't. The outer ring's live. You'll ground the current."

Mark shoved at him anyway. "She's going to—"

"I know." Veran's jaw was locked. "I know."

Toria stood at the edge of the light, both hands clenched at her sides. Her face was gray. "She has to press all four. The sequence won't complete otherwise."

"Then stop her!" Mark twisted free and stumbled toward the platform. The light didn't burn. It just pressed against his skin, thick and cold, like he was wading into deep water.

Ella didn't look back. She crawled to the second groove, the one facing what Mark's brain still wanted to call north even though this world's stars were all wrong. Her braid had come half undone.