Page 62 of Tears for a Broken Sky
Like she'd been waiting.
“Hey you,” I said. “Been a while pussy cat,”
She kept her golden green eyes fixed on me.
I stepped toward the ruined bookshelf and ran my fingers through the thick layer of dust.
My hands came away black with soot. I coughed once—sharply—but leaned in anyway.
Drawn.
I pressed deeper, brushing aside more char and ash, and felt it. A shift beneath my fingertips. Cold. Solid.
Metal. Like a safe door, hidden behind the wall.
“Ellie?”
I turned at the sound of Caelen’s voice.
He stood in the doorway, blinking at the sight of Nyx perched calmly on the desk.
She stared back at him, unbothered.
“Why is there a cat in here?” he asked, clearly thrown.
“She’s a friend,” I said, straightening. “Come here. I found something.”
He hesitated—then stepped carefully across the ruined floor, eyeing Nyx like she might bite him.
I reached toward the edge again, fingers trailing along the cold seam of metal beneath the soot.
As I pressed my hand into the crevice, something shifted—clicked—and then—
Pain.
I jerked back with a hiss, cradling my hand.
A thin cut bloomed across my palm, fresh blood rising to the surface.
“What the—” I began, but the words caught in my throat.
The wall responded.
With a heavy groan, the panel creaked inward, the edges grinding against scorched stone as a compartment slid open—revealing a small, charred box tucked inside.
Behind me, Caelen let out a quiet breath.
“Blood lock,” he said softly. “Old magic. I've only ever read about them.”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
Nyx leapt down from the desk with a softthudand padded silently toward me, her eyes fixed on the opened space.
I pressed the heel of my hand to my chest, the cut still stinging, shadows flickering faintly beneath my skin.
I reached in.
