Chapter 4

The black mark on his wrist was brighter now, a thin ring of burning symbols circling his skin. The crowd quieted again.

"I can call every guardian within three blocks," he said. "They'll block the road, seize the transport, and drag this whole hearing into the street."

Sevryn's smile vanished. "That would trigger the restriction."

"I know."

"You'd lose the rest of your command."

"Hand over the chip."

Sevryn looked at me. "And what stops her from destroying it?"

I lifted my chin. "Nothing. That's the point."

A guard cursed under his breath.

Sevryn tapped the tablet. "The chip goes into a sealed evidence case. She may carry it, but she may not access it."

"No," I said.

Calian looked down at me. "Take it."

"You want me to trust a sealed case controlled by the same people who shut down my broadcast?"

"I want you alive long enough to open it."

"You keep saying that like you're planning to be there."

His silence answered too quickly.

I caught the front of his coat before he could turn away. The fabric bunched under my fist.

"You're coming with me."

His eyes dropped to my hand.

"That's not part of the deal."

"Then change the deal."

"I can't enter the archive under restriction."

"You gave up half your authority for my protection. Protection means you stay close enough to do it."

Sevryn laughed softly. "She's clever. Dangerous, too."

"Keep talking," I said. "Maybe I won't be the only one losing skin today."

Calian's mouth twitched. Not a smile. Almost worse.

He faced Sevryn. "I ride in the transport."

"No."

"Then the chip stays here, and so does she."

"You don't have the power to refuse custody."

"Maybe not. But I have the power to make this ugly."

The oath-mark on his wrist flashed.

Calian went still.

A line of pain cut across his face. His knees almost buckled before he caught the transport rail.

I grabbed his arm. "What happened?"

"Don't."

"You look like you're being branded."

"I said don't touch me."

Too late. The heat from his skin had already spread into my palm. A matching burn snapped across my wrist.

I gasped and let go.

The mark appeared beneath my skin, dark and thin, a broken circle that matched his.

The crowd saw it.

So did Sevryn.

"Interesting," he said.

Calian stepped in front of my wrist. "Close the doors."

"You can't hide a shared oath-burn," Sevryn said. "Not from the council."

"I didn't ask what I could hide."

The transport doors opened behind us. Inside waited two guards, a narrow bench, and a restraint ring bolted to the wall.

I stared at it. "You expect me to sit there?"

"For your safety," Sevryn said.

"Say that again and I'll bite someone."

Calian caught my waist before I could step away. His palm spread against my side, hot through my torn shirt.

My breath stuck.

"Don't make me force you," he said.

"You already are."

"Lia."

"Put your hands somewhere else."

His eyes dropped to my mouth, then lifted. "You want me to let go?"

The question landed between us, sharp and private despite the crowd.

I hated that my body answered before my mouth did.

"I want you to stop acting like I belong to you."

"You don't."

"Then let go."

His hand stayed at my waist for one more second.

Then he released me and climbed into the transport first.

"Sit beside me," he said.

"That sounded dangerously close to an order."

"It's a request."

"You need practice."

I followed him inside because the guards were waiting and because his shoulder was the only thing between me and the restraint ring.

The doors slammed shut.

The transport lurched forward.

Calian sat close enough that our knees touched every time the wheels hit a broken section of road. Neither of us moved away.

A metal case rested between us. My backup chip was inside it.

His hand covered the lid.

"When we reach the archive, you stay within arm's reach," he said.

"Why?"

"Because the deal only covers transport. Once we're inside, the council can separate us."

"And you can't stop them."

"Not without losing the rest of my authority."

"So every time you protect me, you lose another piece of yourself."

"Now you understand."

I looked at the mark on his wrist. "And when there's nothing left?"

He turned toward me. His knee pressed against mine. His voice dropped.

"Then you run."

The transport passed under the first gate.

The shared mark on my wrist burned hotter.

Calian grabbed my hand. "Don't look at it."

"Why?"

"Because the oathstones record every protected witness."

"You said this was temporary custody."

"It is."

"Then why does it feel like the stone just noticed me?"

He didn't answer.

The transport rolled through the second gate.

A black oathstone stood in the road, taller than a person, its surface cut with old silver lines. As we passed, the stone lit up.

Calian's hand locked around mine.

Letters burned across the stone.

LIA VALE.

My name appeared first.

Then a second line formed beneath it.

SACRIFICE REQUIRED.

Calian rose so fast his shoulder struck the ceiling.

"Stop the transport!"

The driver slammed the brakes. My body pitched forward, but Calian caught me against his chest. His arm wrapped around my ribs. His mouth brushed my temple as he shouted at the guards.

The stone kept glowing.

A third line carved itself into the surface.

THIRTY DAYS.

I looked up at him. His face had gone white.

"Calian," I whispered. "What does sacrifice required mean?"

His grip tightened until I could feel his heartbeat against my palm.

The oathstone flashed again.

A final command began to appear beneath my name, and Calian stared at it like he already knew the words—

"No," he said. "No, it can't be—"