Chapter 20 · Voidbound - Chapter 20: The Deal Before Sundown

"You shot me."

Mira didn't lower the gun. "Tracker's dead. You're welcome."

Kael pressed a hand to his shoulder where the round had grazed him, blood seeping through his fingers. The alley behind the Pit arena stank of rust and old blood, and somewhere above them, Rook's voice still echoed from the hijacked screens. Garrick dies at sundown. The words looped in Kael's head like a death sentence he couldn't outrun.

"That thing in your chest," Mira said. Her voice was flat, but her knuckles were white around the grip. "How long before it eats you?"

"Long enough."

"Liar."

Kael shoved off the wall and stepped toward her. She didn't flinch. The muzzle stayed level with his sternum, close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off the barrel. Close enough that if she pulled the trigger again, there'd be no dodging it.

"You want the truth?" he said. "Every time I summon it, I lose HP. Every time it feeds, it gets stronger. And right now, it's the only thing that can get Garrick out of that cage before Rook turns him into a spectacle."

Mira's jaw tightened. "The Guild's already moving. They're not coming for Garrick.