Chapter 10 · Under the Ashes

The key burns through my jacket pocket like a live coal. I press my hand against it anyway. The heat pulses once, twice, dragging my attention toward the east edge of Nightport where nothing stands but scorched foundations and ghosts.

"You're actually doing this." Sera doesn't ask. She shoves a flashlight into my free hand and another at Julian. "Both of you are insane."

Julian leans against the concrete pillar behind him, one hand clutched over the suppression shot Sera jammed into his ribs ten minutes ago. The black veins under his skin have pulled back, but they haven't disappeared. They're waiting. "I've been called worse," he says. His voice is steadier than it should be.

Sera glares at him. "You can barely stand."

"I can walk." He pushes off the pillar to prove it. His jaw tightens, but he doesn't sway. "And she's not going alone."

I should tell him to stay. I should tell him I don't need a bodyguard who might collapse before we reach the ruins. But Evan's last words are still rattling around my skull. *Don't trust anyone. Not even him.*

I need to see Julian's face when I find that ledger.