Beyond Hollow Echoes (Book Three)

⋆˖☽ ​​​​​​Chapter 4 ☾˖⋆

Ondina sat at the edge of my mattress, her weight pulling the blankets taut around my feet. I forced my head up from the pillows, the dull throb in my skull pulsing with the movement.

Mikaeus sat in the wooden chair pulled close to my bedside. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together in his lap. The shadows of the room caught the deep, exhausted lines etched into his face.

"How many…" my voice came out hushed, scraping against my dry throat. "How many people did we lose?"

Mikaeus dragged his hand down his face before letting it drop back to his lap. "We held the remembrance ceremony while you were asleep."

A remembrance ceremony. How does Luminethra honor their dead?

"We lost too many," Mikaeus continued, his voice thick with a crushing grief. "Even one would be too many." His gaze dropped to the floor. "Twenty. Twenty men and women have passed on from the battle."

He lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine once more. They were glazed over with unshed tears. "I am just glad that—" His words fell short. Squeezing his hands into tight fists, he turned his face away, staring into the crackling hearth. A heavy silence settled over the room until Ondina broke it.

"And the Vow? What have you decided to do with the survivors?"

"Do not worry. That is taken care of… it is under control."

The same thing as always. Keeping us in the dark. My hand dug into the bedsheets. "What have you done with them, Mikaeus?"

He still refused to meet either of our gazes. "We haven’t decided their final fate, but they are securely locked away in the holding cells. They will not bring harm to anyone else."

I opened my mouth to press him further, to demand the truth, but Ondina spoke first. Her tone was careful. "Is Garrick also one of the prisoners you have kept?"

Mikaeus’s head turned toward her, his mouth pulling down into a grim frown. "He didn’t make it."

Ondina shook her head. "That’s impossible. I saw him fighting alongside everyone in the Underkeep. He was alive and standing once the fighting stopped." Her head snapped up, her bright green eyes sharp. "You are lying."

"I am not, Ondina. He was gravely injured in the chaos. A Nyxraith tore through his chest." Mikaeus paused, his voice dropping into a gentle whisper. "He succumbed to his injuries last night."

"I don’t…" Ondina's whisper broke off. She turned her head toward me, her lower lip trembling before she bit down, forcing it to settle.

She needs— Before I could even formulate a comforting thought, Ondina's walls slammed back into place. Her posture went rigid, and her voice hardened into ice. "Alanah needs to find a monster,” she stated. She paused just long enough to swallow the break in her throat. "The Storm Siren."

Her hands were shaking. She dug her fingers into the fabric of her trousers to hide the tremors, her gaze fixed on a blank spot on the wall.

Mikaeus sat back in his wooden chair, the wood groaning in protest. He crossed his arms over his chest, his brows furrowing in deep thought. "I have never heard of this monster you speak of. Why are you looking for it?"

Enkarthos said I must.

"Ondina says she has heard of it before," I answered. "At Scryer."

"Scryer? The City of Whispering Lake? Why would they hear of such a dark thing? That is the one place people journey to for their desperate wishes… not to hear terrifying tales of monsters."

My gaze drifted over to Ondina. Her green eyes were fixed on the floor, her chest rising and falling with heavy, uneven breaths. A bitter, hollow smile touched her lips.

"Because… it is not a story that they share with outsiders," she paused, her voice catching in her throat. "It is only for those who grow up there."

My head snapped back to Mikaeus before he could ask her further. "We must go. We need to leave as soon as possible."

Mikaeus let out a sigh. "I cannot go with you. My duty is here, helping the people of Luminethra. And I need Mira to stay and help me manage the wounded."

"Ondina and I can travel alone." I prefer it that way.

The iron hinges of the bedroom door creaked open. Emeric's deep, raspy voice drifted through the gap first. "Mikaeus, you are needed."

A second later, his towering frame appeared in the threshold. He froze the instant our eyes met. The dark, exhausting worry weighing down his features melted into relief. Jagged cuts tracked across his face, and the gash on his cheek was so deep a thick, dark scab had already formed over it.

My eyes dropped to his hands. His knuckles were deeply bruised, the skin shredded, raw, and torn. He did that trying to dig us out.

His jaw tightened. He clenched his damaged hands into fists and hid them behind his back.

"No, you will not be traveling alone. Not after everything that just happened," Mikaeus said, his tone shifting back into the authoritative voice of a leader. "Emeric will escort you both."

Emeric's broad shoulders shifted in the doorway. "Where am I taking her?"

"To Scryer. They need to find information on a monster."

Emeric's gaze hardened. A flash of worry began to bleed through his stoic expression. His green eyes scanned over my bruised body in the bed. A barely audible sigh escaped his lips. "When do we need to leave?"

He is agreeing that easily? No arguments?

"First thing in the morning." The wooden chair creaked as Mikaeus stood. He hovered over the edge of my bed. His fingers twitched at his sides. His hand lifted, reaching out as if to touch my bruised cheek or brush the hair from my face. His mouth parted to speak.

"Ahem."

"You are needed in town, Mikaeus," Emeric stated, his voice a low gravel. "As I stated earlier."

Mikaeus froze mid-reach. He pulled his hand back, closing his fingers into a fist at his side. He forced his gaze away from me.

"I am coming," Mikaeus said stiffly. He looked back down at me one last time, his expression unreadable. "Get some more rest."

He turned on his heel and walked out, brushing past Emeric in the doorway. The door clicked shut behind them, muffling their voices in the hallway and leaving me unable to make out the rest.

My eyes drifted back over to Ondina. She was still sitting in the exact same position at the foot of my mattress, unmoved and lost in a very dark place somewhere else. I knew Garrick meant a lot to her, but seeing her shut down like this made me realize he might have meant much more than I ever knew.

“Ondina,” I said softly.

She didn’t answer. She didn't even blink.

I tried her name again, a little louder, a little more urgent. "Ondina?"

Her fingers curled into tight fists, and her body sprang up from the mattress. "I need to go somewhere myself. I am sorry, Alanah." She didn't look back, already halfway across the room before I could even sit up to stop her. "I will see you in the morning."

The wooden door clicked shut again, leaving me alone with nothing but the sound of the crackling hearth.

I let my head fall back against the headboard, my eyes fluttering shut. She just needs time to herself. But even with everyone gone, the room still carried the suffocating grief they had left behind.

I can’t stay in here. I need to move my legs before we start traveling tomorrow… maybe I can clear my head.

Gritting my teeth against the protesting ache in my ribs, I swung my bare feet over the edge of the mattress and pulled on my leather boots. I forced my battered body upright and slowly made my way out into the hall.

The distant, muffled murmur of voices carried down the hall, accompanied by the thud of traveling footsteps. I paused outside Ondina's closed door. I lifted my hand, my knuckles hovering inches from the wood. I want to knock. I want to comfort her. But my fingers curled inward, and I forced my arm to drop back to my side. That isn't what she needs right now. Setting my jaw, I forced my aching legs to carry me down the corridor.

With each step toward the grand staircase, the muffled voices grew clearer. Pausing at the top of the landing, my attention was caught by a familiar flash of dark hair below. Mira. She was speaking with two men. Their voices were hushed, deep concern etched into the men's features, but Mira’s face remained neutral.

As I started my slow descent down the stairs, her head turned. Our eyes locked. She held my gaze, her lips continuing to move as she issued her orders.

"Help Mrs. Hodgens with starting her fire," she instructed them. "And ensure she has enough rations for the week."

The men gave respectful nods and hurried out through the main doors.

I reached the bottom step, intending to head for the exit as well, but Mira pivoted gracefully. She stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

I stopped short, wincing as the sudden halt pulled at my ribs. “Is everything alright?"

A muscle jumped fiercely along her jawline. A fleeting, complicated thought crossed her features, but she held her tongue. I sighed, shifting my weight to step around her. She didn't raise a hand to block me.

"Don’t go looking for Mikaeus."

My boot froze inches above the floor before I lowered it. "I am not looking for him, Mira. I am just going outside."

She stepped closer, invading my space and letting her voice drop. "You are a distraction. One that he does not need. Not right now."

I met her cold stare with a hardened one of my own. "I know that. I have never thought otherwise. His duty is to the people of Luminethra."

A brittle silence fell between us. I stared back at her, and for the first time her mask cracked. An overwhelming sorrow pooled in her dark eyes. But the very second our gazes met, she locked it away. She swallowed, her throat bobbing.

"I better get back to helping him."

She brushed past my shoulder. My feet remained fixed in place. I watched her go, letting the echoing distance between us grow before I forced myself to push through the front doors.

What is going on with her? The second I crossed the threshold, the freezing winter air hit me. The snow was coming down in a thick blanket, the wind whistling past my ears. As I stepped out into the rising drifts, an imposing shape near the distant treeline caught my attention.

It was Aurenoxious.

The dragon had settled his body at the edge of the snowy woods. Kneeling in the deep, freezing drifts in front of him was Ondina. She held smooth stones in her hands, stacking them, higher and higher, to build a solitary cairn. As she placed the final stone on top, her entire body gave out, and she slumped forward onto her knees. Her shoulders trembled.

My heart throbbed at the sight. She may have lost Garrick, but at least she has Aurenoxious. Can a dragon truly replace a human soul?

As if answering my silent thought, Aurenoxious let out a low, vibrating rumble—a sound so deeply mournful it echoed like a physical weight across the snow-filled grounds. The massive beast bent his long neck and laid his scaled head into the snow, resting it right beside her trembling form.

I turned my head away, my throat tight, and let my boots lead me down the path toward the town. It is not my place to intrude.

Beneath my feet, the glowing blue crystals embedded in the stone path pulsed, illuminating the fresh, white snow. As I stepped within the main borders of Luminethra, the wind was severed, shielded by the houses. Dragons of all sizes milled about alongside the townsfolk.

Strung up across doorways and windows were new, bright green ribbons, their delicate edges intentionally charred black by fire. Words were scrawled across the fabric—each letter unreadable to me, looking like frantic lines that held a thousand unspoken tears.

Nearby, an older woman sat on a frost-covered wooden bench next to a young man. She held a pair of worn leather gloves, pressing them into his lap. "Put these on. It is getting colder."

The young man didn't move. He didn't even shiver. His eyes were sunken.

"Diana would want you to take care of yourself," the woman added, her voice breaking.

At the sound of the name, he blinked. He looked over at her with parted, trembling lips. "I—"

The woman wrapped her weathered, shaking hands over his, silencing his broken words. "It will be alright, my child."

My eyes dropped to the ground. He must have lost her at the Underkeep. There was so much loss here. Yes, they were safe now, the Vow was defeated, and they wouldn't be attacked anymore, but... I bit down on the inside of my cheek. That does not make it any less painful. A human life cannot be replaced.

Mikaeus’s authoritative voice echoed through the square. I froze just at the edge of the town center. My eyes lifted, locking with his. He held my gaze from across the crowded courtyard, even as he continued to speak to the small crowd of people gathered around him.

I couldn't stand the weight of his stare. I shifted my gaze past his shoulder, looking out toward the gray horizon instead. The winter ocean was restless, matching the turmoil in my chest. The waves had grown violent, massive crests of white foam crashing against the shoreline.

I turned my back on the town and walked toward the water.

As I drew closer to the shoreline, the tang of salt in the air clung to my clothing. The crashing of the waves was so deafening it drowned out the howl of the winter wind and the lingering sorrow of the town behind me. I stood still at the edge of the beach, taking a deep inhale and letting the chaotic air fill my aching lungs.

The crunch of boots in the snow sounded right behind me.

"Do you truly need to go searching for this monster?" Mikaeus's voice was tight, strained almost to the breaking point over the roar of the surf.

I refused to turn around, keeping my eyes fixed on the merciless ocean. "Yes. This isn’t something that can be changed."

He stepped up right beside me, his tall frame a shield against the wind. "I don’t want to see you like that again. When Emeric carried you out of those woods..." He stepped in front of me, forcing me to look at him and blocking the ocean from my view. He tilted his head down. "I never want to see you like that again."

"You won’t."

"How can you be certain?" he demanded, his voice rising. "Each time… each time, you come one step closer to death."

I craned my neck up, meeting his desperation with a fierce, unwavering gaze. "We can’t be certain of anything, can we? But my answer will not change."

"But I will not be there with you."

"I have Emeric and Ondina. We can handle ourselves." Why is he so desperate to stop me?

He closed the remaining distance between us, his rigid shoulders slumped. His golden eyes searched mine, grasping for a sliver of hope or compromise that simply wasn't there. "Then promise me."

"I can’t make promises that I do not know if I can keep."

"Please." His voice cracked. "At least return here first once you find out where the Storm Siren is. We need to face it together. All of us."

"But you have a duty to your people."

"Yes, and you—"

"Mikaeus!" a man's voice shouted from the snow-covered path behind us. "We need you in the—" The guard cut himself off.

Mikaeus didn't flinch. His eyes never left mine.

"Mikaeus," the man urged again, his tone apologetic but pressing.

"I will be there in a moment," Mikaeus commanded, his voice turning to steel without ever turning his head.

The rapid crunch of the man’s boots retreated back through the snow. With a slow, shuddering exhale, Mikaeus broke our gaze. He took a reluctant step backward. "Just return safely. I must continue my duty."

"We will," I whispered, turning my face away to fix my gaze back onto the ocean.

He hovered there for a long moment before turning on his heel and walking away.

Mira is wrong. His duty will always come first.

A warm prickling sensation bloomed at the base of my skull. “He cares for you, child,” Enkarthos's ancient voice echoed in my mind.

I pushed the thought away. “We leave for Scryer in the morning.” The ocean waves crashed against the shore, sending a mist of glacial sea spray across my face that raised goosebumps over my skin.

“Just remember you are not alone. Trust those that are around you.”

His presence settled the frantic beating of my heart. I closed my eyes against the biting wind, listening only to the deafening roar of the sea. I just hope we find what we are looking for.

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