Chapter 35 · The Seal Between Us

"Carson, don't move."

His arm kept rising.

The black execution seal burned across the back of his hand. Its lines crawled up his wrist like ink trapped beneath his skin. His fingers locked around the silver stamp, and its sharpened point faced my chest.

Not his hand.

Not his choice.

The Crown Archive lurched around us. Shelves groaned. Dust sifted from the ceiling. Behind the sealed doors, metal slammed against metal.

Carson's jaw clenched. "I am trying."

"Try harder."

"That's helpful, Ivy."

His arm jerked higher.

I stepped in front of the archive pedestal before the seal could line up with my heart. The engraved crown beneath my palm flashed red. One breath ago, the city's shields had answered to me.

Now Carson's body was being turned into a weapon.

His eyes found mine. Clear. Furious. Scared in a way he would rather die than admit.

"Get out of the way," he said.

"No."

"That wasn't a request."

"Then make your arm listen to you.