Chapter 8 · Thirty Seconds

"Don't touch that door!" Calian slammed his shoulder against it as the whole house jumped under him.

The frame split with a sharp crack. Dust dropped from the ceiling and stuck to the blood already running down his neck.

I grabbed his arm. "What the hell is happening?"

"The oathstone found a way to feed."

"Feed on what?"

His eyes cut toward the black stone bolted into the far wall. Red light pulsed under its surface. Every pulse matched the burn around my wrist.

"Heat. Memory. Pain." His jaw clenched. "Your pain, mostly."

Another hit slammed through the house. The floor kicked under my boots. Calian shoved me back with one hand, hard enough to make my spine hit the wall.

"Stay behind me."

"You keep saying that like your body is a plan."

"Today, it is."

The door buckled inward. Something scraped against the other side. Not hands. Not anything human. The sound dragged across the wood like metal teeth.

Calian planted both feet and leaned into the door. His coat pulled tight across his shoulders.