Wait. Wait.
My fingers close around the largest piece, the curve that sat against my pulse. Still warm.
I'm keeping this.
"You're coming with me, El."
She doesn't answer. I wasn't asking.
The door comes off the hinges.
Guards. The one with the limp is closest, his mouth open, surprised. He didn't think I could—
His throat is in my hand. I don't remember crossing the room.
I squeeze. The sound is wet, crunchy. I hold on longer than I need to because I want to know if his eyes will burst.
They don't. Disappointing.
Two more guards. One is screaming—high-pitched, annoying.
"That's very loud," I tell him.
He gets louder. I fix the problem.
The third one runs. Smart. I let him go because—no, actually, I don't let him go. I catch him in the corridor. He falls badly and cracks his skull on the stone.
That wasn't me. That was gravity. Technically.
Kosh.
"I'm busy, El."
Left. Left. Up. No—bodies. Mine. I made those. When? Doesn't matter. Turn around.
A god appears at the end of the hall. One of the bright-eyed believers. She was there when they killed Elyra. She watched.
"You can't—"
Her jaw breaks before I hear the sound.
I stop walking and look down at her. She's crying, trying to crawl away. Her jaw hangs wrong and blood runs down her chin.
"You watched them do it," I tell her. "You didn't even flinch."
She makes a noise. Can't form words anymore. Shame.
I should kill her—that's the logical thing. She's seen my face. She knows I'm out. But the pull is humming under my ribs, dragging me forward, and I want to know what's at the other end more than I want to watch her die.
Priorities.
"Tell them I said hello."
I step over her. She's still crying, and I start counting her sobs. One. Two. Three. Four—
I round the corner and lose count.
More shouting behind me. Alarms. Bells. Someone is screaming about chains and someone else is screaming about blood. Everyone is very upset.
