Chapter 38 · The Dead Hold the Door

"They're through the east wall!" Mira's voice cut through the explosions outside. She slammed the command table with both hands. "Kael, we need to pull back now or we lose the entire third line."

Kael didn't answer. He was staring at the core room door, where Nora stood with her hand on the broken seal. The air around her shimmered like heat over asphalt.

"Kael!" Mira shouted.

"I heard you." He didn't look away from Nora. "How many do we have left?"

"Forty-seven still breathing. Maybe thirty that can hold a weapon." Mira's voice cracked. "The dead aren't stopping. They just keep coming."

Nora turned. Her face was too pale, her eyes too bright. "How long until they reach this room?"

"Ten minutes," Mira said. "Maybe less."

"Then we don't have time to argue." Nora pushed the door wider. Cold air rolled out, carrying the smell of old blood and burned magic. "I'm going in."

"The hell you are." Kael crossed the room in three strides. He caught her wrist before she could step over the threshold. "You heard what came out of there. Your own voice. Your dying voice.