Chapter 8 · I said. Nothing happened

Then the Heart turned.

The machine beneath him groaned, and a blue pulse raced through the pipes. My father's body jerked against the restraints.

I shoved past Sloane.

"Kael!" she snapped.

I hit the control deck and jammed the cutter into the access slot. The brass teeth caught. The panel flashed red.

"Open," I said.

Nothing happened.

"Open!"

The mark on my neck burned harder. My father's head lifted inside the cage.

His eyes found mine through the glass.

His lips moved.

I couldn't hear him, but I knew the shape of the words.

Run.

"No," I said.

Sloane slammed into me from behind as another blast hit the outer door. Her arm locked around my chest, dragging me away from the panel.

"The cage is feeding the Heart," she said. "If you force the lock, it will discharge through him."

"Let go."

"Not until you listen."

"He'll die."

"He'll die faster if you panic."

I drove my elbow back. She caught it and twisted my arm behind me.