Chapter 30 · Crown the Fake

The bells don't stop.

Kai's running with his dad's arm around his shoulders, half-dragging him through an alley that smells like old grease and burnt sage. Every Red Heron tower in the district is screaming, and the sound drills into his skull like someone's using his teeth as chimes.

"They know," his dad says. His voice is thin, like he's talking through paper. "They know you got in."

"Yeah, I noticed." Kai's pulse is hammering. The mark under his ribs is hot, feeding off the adrenaline, and he's trying not to think about what his dad just told him. Don't touch the Gate. Don't let them open it. Don't trust anyone who says they can fix this.

Great. Real helpful.

They hit the end of the alley and his dad pulls up short. Kai nearly trips over him. "What—"

"Left," his dad says. "Through the market. Vera's people are there."

Kai doesn't ask how he knows. He just goes.

The market's chaos. Stalls knocked over, people shouting, and somewhere behind them the sound of boots hitting stone in formation. Red Heron guards. A lot of them.

Kai's lungs are burning.