Chapter 12 · The Bell Inside Her

"Get back, Mara! Now!"

Cael’s hand clamped onto my shoulder—fingers bruising—and yanked me back just as the first shockwave hit.

It wasn't a sound. It was a blow. The air in the bell tower rippled like water, slamming us against the cold stone. I gasped, lungs burning, air stripped from my throat. Beside me, Cael hit the masonry with a dull thud. He didn't let go. He pulled me tighter, shielding me with his own body, his chest a hard wall against my back.

I didn't want his protection. I wanted the boy ten feet away.

Leo. Or what was left of him.

He stood in the center of the platform, chest split wide open. No blood. No gore. Just blinding, molten gold light pouring out of his ribs, pulsing with a rhythm that made my teeth ache. Inside his chest, where a heart should be, sat a miniature bell of iridescent metal.

It was ringing.

"Leo!"

I tried to scramble up, but Cael’s arm locked across my waist, pinning me down.

"Look at him, Mara! He's not breathing! He's not even blinking!"

"Let go of me!" I thrashed, boots scraping grit. "Leo, look at me!