Chapter 9 · It showed me her death!

I turned. "It showed me her death!"

"It's using what hurts you. Keep your hand on the pin."

"You knew it could do this."

"I knew it would try."

"That's not better!"

The door split down the middle.

Calian drove one boot into the floor and caught the broken panels with his forearms. The impact forced him down to one knee. Wood tore into his hands.

Something pushed from the other side.

The whole house groaned.

"Calian!"

"Pull it!"

"You said it could open a fault!"

"If you stop, the house becomes the fault!"

"You expect me to believe that?"

"No. I expect you to look at the walls."

I did.

Thin red cracks crawled across the plaster, spreading from the stone to every corner. The same light glowed under the floorboards.

Calian's blood hit the ground. Each drop burned a tiny black mark into the wood.

"What happens when it reaches the foundation?" I asked.

"Everyone in this block goes down."

"And you?"

He bared his teeth. "Pull the pin.