Chapter 20 · Two Oath Marks

"One second, Warden. Drop the knife."

The captain's rifle was aimed at Dorian's chest.

Mara stood between them with a blood-slick blade in her hand. The black oath mark on her wrist pulsed under her skin. Dorian's matching mark burned through the torn sleeve of his coat.

"You heard him," Calder called from the raised platform. "Step away from Rusk, Mara. The traitor protocol is already armed."

Dorian didn't move. His eyes stayed on me.

That was the problem with him. He could face a firing squad without blinking, but he still looked at me like my next choice mattered more than his life.

"Tell your soldier to lower the rifle," I said.

The captain's jaw tightened. "I take orders from the recorder."

"No, you take orders from the oath in your blood," Dorian snapped. "And the oath is being hijacked."

A red line crawled across the captain's throat. His fingers jerked around the rifle.

Calder smiled. "Shoot him."

The rifle clicked.

Dorian moved first. He caught my waist and dragged me sideways as the shot cracked through the chamber. Stone burst behind us.