Chapter 28 · The Rift Wants a Life

"You hear that?" I pressed the Nullstone harder against my palm. Blood welled up where the edge bit in. "That's Carter. My medic. He's still calling for me."

Mira didn't move. "I hear it."

"Then you know I can go back." I turned the stone over. The rift hung in the air between us, shimmering like heat off asphalt. Through it I could see the outline of a tent, desert camo netting, someone's boot. Earth. Home. "You said I'm the anchor. Fine. I'll rip it out. Let someone else hold this war together."

"Nora—"

"Don't." I stepped toward the rift. The air around it tasted like copper and ozone. "You used me. You all did. Kael, you, every single person who didn't tell me what I was."

Mira's hand shot out and caught my wrist. "If you go through, the anchor doesn't just break. It inverts. The war floods into your world. Every rift, every Hollow, every piece of corruption we've been holding back—it all goes through after you."

"You're lying."

"I'm not." She squeezed hard enough that I felt bone. "And you know it. You've seen what the magic does here.