Chapter 19 · You think I can't tell when my brother is speaking?

She shoved him away. "You think I can't tell when my brother is speaking?"

"I think you want him alive so badly you'll let the council put a knife in your hand and call it rescue."

Nora slapped him.

The sound cracked across the chamber.

Elias's head turned with the hit. He slowly faced her again.

His cheek reddened beneath her palm's mark.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"No."

"Good. Then stop wasting time."

The panel shrieked.

MEMORY PURGE: 91% COMPLETE.

The gold line labeled Finn's signal began to dim.

Nora turned back to the controls. Three switches rose from the panel, each protected by a different ward.

One was marked RELEASE.

One was marked PURGE.

The third had no label at all.

"Which one?" she asked.

Elias didn't answer.

Nora looked at him. "Which one shuts down the grid?"

"The unlabeled switch."

"And what does it cost?"

"My heart."

"You knew this was here."

"I knew there was a failsafe. I didn't know if it still worked."

"You brought me here knowing you might die."

"I brought you here because you're the only warden the grid still recognizes."

"So I was a key."

"You were the key.