Chapter 13 · Dad Says Don't Touch It

"Get back." Calder's claw locked around my wrist before the door could finish cracking open.

"Don't touch me." I yanked free. "You heard him. He said don't let you near it."

"I heard him say a lot of things." His stone fingers flexed, then curled into a fist. "Most of them were lies."

The iron bars across the door bent outward with a scream that had nothing to do with metal. Light the color of old blood leaked through the gap, and the temperature in the room dropped so fast I could see my breath.

"What is that?"

"The core." Calder's voice went flat. "Or what's left of it."

"You've seen it before."

"I helped put it in the ground."

The cuff on my wrist flared hot enough to burn through the leather. I bit down on the curse and shoved my other hand against the door frame to stay upright. Calder didn't move. He just stood there with his cracked wings half-spread, staring at the light like it owed him money.

"When?"

"Sixteen years ago." He said it like he was reading a grocery list. "Your father was there. So was I.