Chapter 26 · The Lock in Her Chest

Julian's weight against my shoulder gets heavier with every step. We're three blocks from the tower and he's barely holding himself upright.

"Stop," he says. His voice comes out rough. "Mara. Stop."

I don't. Nia's already peeled off toward the south gate. The streets are emptier now, everyone with a contract mark hunting for my face. We've got maybe twenty minutes before Elias tightens whatever he's doing and Julian collapses for good.

"I mean it." Julian digs his heels in. For someone who can barely breathe, he's stubborn as hell. "You need to know what you're walking into."

"I know what I'm walking into. My brother. The tower. Blood ink on the anchor lock."

"That's not—" He stops. Pulls in air like it costs him. "That's not all of it."

I turn. His face is gray in the streetlight. The veins around his throat are darker than they should be, spreading like cracks in glass.

"Then talk fast," I say.

He looks at me for a long second. Then he reaches up, yanks his collar down. There's a mark burned into his chest, right over his heart. It's not the Rook seal. It's smaller. Older.