Chapter 27 · My Name on the Lock

The key in my chest doesn't hurt the way I thought it would.

It's cold. Like someone shoved a handful of January into my ribs and left it there to melt. I can feel it branching out under my skin, tiny roots looking for something to hold onto.

Behind the door, my own voice is calling my name.

Not Mara. The other name. The one my sister used when we were kids and she wanted me to follow her somewhere I shouldn't go.

"Come on," my voice says from the other side. "You know how this works. One name. One lock. You open it, or you stay here forever."

I look down. The key is black glass, same as the door, and it's halfway into my chest like a splinter I can't pull out. My hands are shaking. The core door is still here. Silas is gone—just gone, like the door spat him out when I screwed up the trade—but the lock is still waiting.

Elias is on his knees a few feet away. The chains are gone. He's staring at me like I just stepped in front of a train.

"Mara." His voice is raw. "What did you do."