Beyond Hollow Echoes (Book Three)

⋆˖☽ ​​​​​​Chapter 5 ☾˖⋆

Aurenoxious’s wings slowed their rhythmic beating, hovering us just above the ground of the mainland. In front of me, Ondina's back muscles tightened as her gloved hands gripped the leather reins.

"I don't know when I will ever get used to this," she called back over the roaring wind.

My aching arms tightened around her waist. I kept my face pressed against the wool of her cloak, squeezing my eyes shut as another rolling wave of nausea washed over me. "It’ll get better," I muttered.

Aurenoxious let out a deep, chest-rattling rumble as his massive talons met the earth, sending a shockwave of vibration into our bones. A second later, Thallioxia slammed into the earth right beside us. The emerald dragon’s arrival kicked up a gust of wind, spraying a blinding sheet of snow over us.

Aurenoxious let out an irritated huff of hot air, his horned head snapping toward her in silent reprimand. Thaliloxia let out a sheepish rumble in her throat. She tilted her head down, dragging her glowing eyes to the snow-covered ground in submission.

I released my tight grip on Ondina's waist, sitting back and swinging my legs over to one side of the leather saddle. Wrapping my freezing hands around the pommel, I stared down at the long drop to the frozen earth below. Taking a shallow breath, I hoisted myself over the edge, my back scraping against Aurenoxious's warm scales as I slid down. My boots hit the earth. Sinking a little over ankle-deep into the powdery snow. A moment later, Ondina followed, landing beside me.

A few yards away, Emeric vaulted down from his mount. He reached up, his bandaged, battered hand patting against the emerald dragon’s side. "Stay here. We will be back by tomorrow evening. And if anything happens—"

Thallioxia let out a grunt, cutting him off.

A genuine smile pulled at Emeric's lips. "I know you understand. I won’t remind you further."

My chest prickled with a warm sensation that fluttered all the way down to my stomach.

His expression sobered the instant he turned his attention back to us, the familiar mask sliding back into place.

Ondina pulled her cloak tighter around her throat, her head turning back and forth as she surveyed the towering trees of the winter woods. "How far are we from Scryer?"

"About an hour's travel by foot," Emeric answered, his deep voice carrying in the crisp air. "Any closer, and we run the risk of the townsfolk seeing us, or hunters stumbling upon these two." He gestured over his broad shoulder toward the waiting dragons.

Emeric’s green eyes met mine, slowly scanning over my battered frame. The corner of his mouth twitched, his jaw tightening as if he were fighting back words he desperately wanted to say.

Ondina's voice broke the charged quiet. "Which way do we go?" she asked, her tone tighter and more brittle than usual.

Emeric stepped toward us, gesturing into the dense, snow-laden woods. "It is in this direction."

We fell into step beside him. Ondina glanced over her shoulder at Aurenoxious one last time. The great dragon offered a soft grunt. Taking a shuddering breath, she turned her head forward, her green eyes scanning the passing trees, though her mind was clearly somewhere else.

The silence was broken only by the crunch of our boots in the deep snow. Overhead, a tiny chitterwing fluttered past, landing on a frosted branch with a small twig clamped in its beak. It wove the wood into a half-built nest, let out a melodic trill, and darted off again into the darkening sky. Around us, the long, haunting shadows of the ancient trees stretched and shifted.

A strange ache pulled at my chest as I looked around the forest. It was a different woods, far from where I had grown up, yet being surrounded by the towering trees was like returning home—and simultaneously, it didn't. That familiar ache to stay here was fading.

Luminethra is beginning to feel like my home.

"How are you feeling?" Emeric's deep voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I glanced over at Ondina, but she was lost in her own world, her pace rigid. "I am feeling better," I answered, pausing for a heartbeat as my gaze dropped to the dark bruises and healing scabs covering his hands. "And you? How are you recovering?"

His long fingers twitched at his sides. He curled them into tight fists and then forced his hands to relax, tucking them into the folds of his cloak. He kept his gaze fixed ahead. "A few bruises and scratches are nothing to worry about, Alanah."

"But there is more you aren't telling me," I pushed, my mind replaying Ondina's evasive reaction from when I had first woken up.

He glanced ahead at Ondina, then looked back down at me. The harsh angles of his face softened. "It was nothing to worry over. I overdid it."

"But I am worried... it was because of me."

Emeric's footsteps slowed. I matched his delayed pace, letting the distance between us and Ondina grow. She didn’t notice we had lagged behind; her brisk march never faltered.

Emeric looked at me. His green eyes held a deep, lingering pain—but right behind that pain was undeniable fear. When he spoke, his words came out hesitant.

"I will follow you."

His words stopped there. So did my breathing. My heart began to flutter in my chest. "Follow me… where?"

He took in a slow breath, his intense gaze shifting back forward to the treeline. "Anywhere," he breathed.

The single word hung in the freezing air between us, echoing louder than a shout. I didn’t know how to respond. This is different than the Emeric I know.

Unable to find my voice, my throat tight, I glanced ahead. Ondina had stopped walking.

She was standing at the edge of the forest opening, her gloved hand pressed against the bark of a large pine. Her body was frozen. The howling wind caught the hood of her cloak, blowing it backward so her long, golden braid whipped behind her as she stared out at the horizon.

Once Emeric and I caught up to her at the treeline, we both stopped short. My body froze in place as the breathtaking view opened up before us.

A sprawling blanket of pristine white snow covered the massive valley. Countless footprints trailed through it, carving a trafficked path down toward the water.

Whisp Lake stretched across the horizon, locked beneath a glittering sheet of winter ice. Distant, bundled figures walked across the frozen surface, taking a dangerous shortcut from one side of the city to the next. Others sat huddled on snow-dusted benches along the shoreline, either sitting alone or clutching onto pairs. They were leaning close to the ice, laying their deepest desires and sorrows in hushed whispers to the frozen lake.

A lake cannot make your wishes come true, I thought, taking in the serene, tragic view. But it is beautiful.

The sight of the black miasma pulled my attention. It snaked across the white snow, coiling and twisting through the long shadows as it followed the people. My chest tightened, a cold dread washing away the beauty of the landscape, and I forced my gaze up to the towering entrance of Scryer.

Reinforced stone walls surrounded the inner city, built high to protect the people from the monsters outside. Clusters of small merchant stalls were set up against the stone wall—temporary structures designed to be hauled away at the end of the day.

Ondina pushed herself off the tree. "We should secure a room at an inn first. They usually fill up before nightfall."

Without waiting for a response, she marched down the path. I glanced up at Emeric. Our eyes caught for one lingering moment. My stomach flipped and I looked away, fixing my gaze on Ondina's retreating back as I hurried through the snow to follow her.

As we drew closer to the edge of the frozen lake, the collective hum of human desperation washed over us. We passed a haggard mother sitting on an icy bench, rocking a small child wrapped tightly in her arms. Her chapped lips moved against the child's head, but I couldn’t make out the frantic words she was forming as our boots crunched past in the snow.

The miasma pulled my attention to an older man kneeling in the deep drifts near the shoreline. The cursed fog enveloped him until he was nothing but a trembling shadow trapped within it.

"Take these nightmares," his hoarse voice begged. "I cannot take this much longer."

A wish all of us have longed for. I forced my head to face forward, the crushing weight of a hundred whispered prayers pulling at my very soul.

"Watch it!"

A woman bumped into my shoulder. Our eyes met in mutual surprise, and she stumbled back, creating distance between us. Before she could say another word, Emeric stepped in front of me, putting his broad frame between me and the stranger.

"Are you alright?" he murmured, looking down at me.

"Yes," My hand trembled as I reached up, pulling the thick hood of my cloak forward, casting my face into a deep shadow and shielding myself from the town. I am still a curse to others. Emeric glanced over his shoulder. "Why don’t you walk behind me? The crowds are growing heavier."

I gripped the rough edges of my hood, making sure the winter wind wouldn't take it, and tucked myself behind his sweeping cloak as he began carving a path for us through the pressing bodies.

We had finally reached the city entrance. The massive iron-wrought gates stood wide open, a steady stream of travelers passing in and out. The haunting whispers of the lake vanished, replaced by the loud, chaotic murmurs of the bustling marketplace. Beneath my boots, the snow gave way to hard cobblestone paths.

"I believe there is an inn just down this main road, but I want to be sure," Ondina said, her green eyes scanning the changed architecture of her former home. She stopped in front of a small merchant stall displaying delicate, handcrafted flower bouquets of various colors. "Excuse me?"

The young vendor looked up, her hazel eyes locking onto Ondina. "Are you looking to trade?" she asked, her voice soft but practiced against the noise of the crowd.

"I am sorry, not at the moment," Ondina replied politely. "We just need to find a place to stay for the night."

The girl pointed down the winding street. "If you just follow this main cobblestone path, it will lead you straight to one of the inns. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," Ondina said with a curt nod. She turned and led us deeper into the bustling city until we stopped in front of a towering, three-story building. Letters were etched into an old wooden sign that creaked and rocked back and forth in the bitter winter wind.

As Emeric pushed the door open, a wave of smoky, fire-lit warmth seeped out, soothing my stinging skin. The noises of the town marketplace were muffled into silence as the door shut behind us. Inside, a stone hearth crackled cheerfully.

A stern-looking woman with graying hair stood behind the front desk, speaking to a weary traveler and slapping a heavy brass key down on the wood. "You will be on the second floor, room number five."

The man huffed in annoyed response, grabbing the key without a word and stomping his boots toward the wooden stairs.

The innkeeper's sharp eyes shifted to us, assessing our worth in a single glance. "How many rooms will you need?"

Emeric stepped in front of Ondina and me. "We will need two rooms." He swung a small leather sack off his shoulder, the firelight catching the polished steel of his greatsword as he moved.

The woman looked unimpressed by the weapon. "And what exactly do you have for trade?"

Reaching into his sack, Emeric pulled out a tightly wrapped piece of cloth. He unfolded it on the scratched wooden counter, revealing a pristine cut crystal glass.

The woman's eyes widened, her stern facade dropping. "And how many nights?"

Emeric pushed the glittering crystal toward her. "Just one night."

Her hand hovered over the glass for only a second before she snatched it away, hiding it beneath the counter before anyone else could see. In return, she placed two iron keys on the desk. "You will be on the third floor. Rooms one and three."

Emeric frowned, looking down at the keys. "Do you have any rooms next to each other?"

"You should be thankful you were able to get a room at all," she snapped, her sternness returning. "There is only one other room left in the building for the night."

Emeric took the keys and turned back to us. "Since we have a room we should head to the library first."

"The library is closed," the innkeeper's voice cut through the air.

Ondina's head snapped toward the desk, her brow furrowing. "Why? It is never closed."

The woman crossed her arms, leaning against the counter. "You are clearly just a visitor, so you wouldn’t know. The library is only open every other day now. People around here don’t care about old books like they used to. It’ll open again tomorrow." She gestured toward the frosty, darkening window. "It’ll be dark soon. Even if the doors were open, you don’t have enough time to read anything."

Emeric and I exchanged a glance. Ondina didn't wait for us to decide our next move; she simply held out her hand, her posture rigid. "Give me the bags and a key."

Emeric placed one of the keys into her open palm. There was a crest carved into the dark metal, but the firelight was too dim for me to make out the shape.

Ondina didn't look at it. She glanced at me, her bright green eyes hollow, stripped of their usual fierce spark. "Alanah and I will be in room three."

Emeric slipped the supply sack off his shoulder and handed it to her as well. Her knuckles turned white as her grip tightened on the straps. I want to ask her to come with us. The tension radiated from her spine. It isn’t the right time. "I am exhausted," she stated, her voice brittle as she slung the strap over her shoulder. "I will see you both later."

My chest ached for her. How hard must it be for her to be back in Scryer, especially after losing Garrick?

I forced my lips into a encouraging smile, even though she was already turning away. "Get some rest. We will see you soon, but if you decide you want some air, we will be out in the town square."

She gave a single nod, her lips pressing into a hard line as she turned her back and hurried for the stairs, disappearing into the shadows of the second floor.

Once she was gone, I stepped closer to the wooden counter, keeping my head bowed so my eyes remained hidden deep within the shadows of my cloak's hood. "Have you ever heard of a monster called The Storm Siren?"

The innkeeper's hands froze. Her eyes widened a fraction, the sudden tension palpable in the warm room. Her fingers began tapping against the scratched wood of the desk. "That is merely a ghost tale told to frighten disobedient children." Her suspicious gaze darted between Emeric and the polished wood of my bow protruding from my cloak. "Why would two visiting outsiders care to hear about such a local, foolish story?"

"We were just curious after hearing the name in passing."

She clicked her tongue. "That is not a tale shared with outsiders."

"Are you willing to share it with us?" Emeric pressed, his deep voice carrying a subtle, intimidating weight.

The woman bristled, stepping back from the counter. She shrugged her shoulders, c*****g her head to the side in dismissal. "I am busy. I need to attend to the evening stew. I don’t want to burn it now, would I?"

She disappeared through the back threshold, retreating into the kitchens and out of sight.

My hand twisted around the smooth wood of my bow. "We should get going before it is too late."

I pushed the door open, stepping back out into the biting chill of the evening air. The town had transformed. The bustling energy of the day had settled. The street lanterns had just been lit, casting long, eerie, golden shadows across the swept cobblestone paths. The frosted windows of the surrounding stone homes glowed with flickering orange firelight, and the chimneys puffed thick grey smoke up into the darkening sky.

Emeric fell into step beside me as we made our way back toward the town square. "I don’t think anyone here will easily answer our questions. They are far too guarded."

"Maybe not the adults," I murmured, my eyes scanning the thinning crowds. "But the children might."

"The children?"

"Yes," I nodded. "If it really is a nursery rhyme or a ghost story, they would be far more likely to share a tale that they hear often."

Ondina only remembers fragments of the terrifying parts. We need the whole truth.

Nearby, a little girl with bright blonde hair was playing near a frozen fountain with a wooden doll, its yarn hair dyed the exact same color as her own. An older boy, clearly her brother, sat on a frosty stone bench watching her. A fond, unguarded smile formed on his face as she giggled, throwing the doll high up into the air and catching it while spinning in clumsy, joyful circles.

The doll slipped from her small hands, clattering onto the cobblestones. I took two quick strides and bent down to pick it up, staying crouched low to remain on the young girl's level. She had bright emerald eyes, almost the exact same shade as Ondina's.

Her eyes lit up with wonder. She took a curious step forward, her gaze lifting toward my face. But instead of smiling, the girl stopped. Her breath hitched, and she took a terrified step back, her small hands reaching back to clutch fistfuls of her brother's heavy cloak.

I held the wooden doll out for her. Emeric stepped up beside me. The children's wide eyes darted between us.

"You dropped this," I said, keeping my voice as gentle as possible.

The girl's hand shook as she reached out, pinching the doll just by a single strand of its yarn hair to snatch it from my palm, careful not to let our skin touch. "Th-thank you," she mumbled sheepishly, her gaze pinned to the cobblestones.

"Can I ask you both a quick question?" I started.

The older boy immediately pulled his sister behind him, gripping her small hand tight. "It is late. We must be leaving now." He didn't wait for a response; he was already dragging her away down an alleyway.

Emeric let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. "I do not think this will be as easy as you think."

"Maybe not," I admitted, standing back up. Emeric is massive, carrying a greatsword on his back, and I am armed with a bow while hiding my face like a wanted thief.

"My mom told me a scary story last night," a young boy's voice drifted over the quiet square. He was leaning up against a nearby stone wall, huddled together with another young boy and a little girl, their heads bowed together in a conspiratorial circle.

Emeric and I exchanged a quick glance.

"Was it about the Storm Siren?" the little girl asked in a whisper, taking a step back from the boys.

Before I could stop myself, I stepped closer, drawn by the name. "You have heard of it before?"

The kids jumped. "Shhh!" the second boy hissed at his friend, glaring hotly at me for interrupting. "We aren’t supposed to talk about it."

The little girl looked frantically up at the glowing streetlamps. "The lanterns are on. I need to go home," she panicked, her voice rising in pitch, "or Ma will make me help with the cooking again!"

She spun around and bolted straight in my direction. She slammed into my legs, losing her balance and tumbling backward onto her bottom. The sudden impact jerked my cloak, and my hood slipped backward off my head, exposing me fully to the golden lantern light.

I reached out offering her my hand to help her up as my other hand scrambled to pull the hood back over my head. But it was too late. Her head craned up to meet my eyes.

For a fraction of a second, she seemed surprised.

The childish innocence drained from her features. Her eyes widened before she squeezed them shut. She scrambled frantically backward on the cobblestones, tearing her hands up, and let out a blood-curdling scream that shattered the quiet night.

"Get away from me, you curse!"

I froze, my outstretched hand hanging in the empty air. My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. Taking a shaky step back, I realized the ambient murmurs of the square had fallen dead silent. Every single townsfolk had stopped whatever they were doing. Their judging eyes were fixed on us and the screaming child on the cobblestones.

The familiar panic rose up, choking off my air. I took another retreating step back.

A woman hurried over from a nearby stall, her eyes darting between us and the terrified girl. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," Emeric answered, shifting his frame to block their view of me, keeping his voice calm.

"She is cursed!" the little girl cried out, pointing a trembling finger around Emeric's leg.

"That is not kind to say to strangers," the woman scolded the child, though she took a cautious step back herself, her eyes full of superstition and fear.

I do not wish to hear more. I turned away from the scene. "I need some time alone," I said to Emeric, my voice curt and broken. "Don’t follow me."

My steps quickened into a near run, leading me straight for the city entrance. One of the iron gates had been closed for the night, while the other remained open with four armed guards standing on watch. They called out something demanding as I rushed past them, but the frantic rushing of blood in my ears drowned their words out. I just kept moving, fleeing the light, until my boots hit the deep, snowy banks of Whisp Lake.

The oppressive hum of human desperation from the daytime had vanished. In its place was the eerie silence of the moon, broken only by the ice shifting and cracking under the night sky.

A solitary tree stood near the desolate shoreline. I slipped gratefully into its shadow, letting my spine hit the rough bark.

I am not a curse, I whispered into the empty night. The lake's frozen surface glinted, reflecting the crimson and silver moonlight back at me. How long must I be labeled a monster when I am not?

My freezing fingers dug into the fabric of my trousers. The unmistakable crunch of boots in the snow sounded behind me, I didn't move. The footsteps stopped right beside me. I slowly turned my head.

Emeric stood there in the dark, his broad chest rising and falling from his hurried pursuit.

"I told you not to follow me," I snapped.

He stepped in front of me, his towering frame blocking out the moonlight and the mocking lake. "I said I would follow you. That includes here."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Because you need to make sure I am safe for Mikaeus." His name left my mouth like vile poison before I even realized what I was saying or why it hurt so much.

He took another deliberate step forward, invading my space, boxing me into the shadows of the tree. I pressed my back against the wood, my breath catching.

"It has nothing to do with him," Emeric said, the words sounding like they were being ripped from his chest. "I have given him enough. I follow his orders even when it tears me apart to do so. But not this time. Not with this."

He leaned in closer, his intense green eyes burning with a fierce, untamed light in the dark. The freezing air between us became hopelessly charged. My breath caught in my throat as my mind betrayed me, desperately imagining his rough hands on my skin. I tried to push the terrifying, intoxicating thought away.

"What are you keeping from him, Emeric?" I pressed, my voice dropping to a whisper.

He stepped even further into my space, closing the gap until the radiating heat from his body poured into the winter chill around me, chasing away the cold. Overwhelmed by his proximity, I looked down at the snow, unable to meet his burning gaze.

Gently his battered, bandaged hand reached up. The rough fabric brushed under my chin, tilting my face back up to the dark. His other arm came up, his large hand planted against the trunk of the tree just above my head, trapping me in his warmth. He searched my eyes for a long moment, reading every fractured piece of my soul. Then, his hand fell from my chin, his deep voice trembling with a terrifying vulnerability.

"You… He can’t have you."

My entire body froze as a dizzying, burning heat crept up my neck, flooding my cheeks. His rough, bruised fingers slid across my jawline, leaving a trail of tingling skin in their wake. As he reached my ear, his hand slipped beneath the hood of my cloak, his calloused fingers tangling into the hair at the nape of my neck to hold me in place.

He didn’t move any further. He stopped mere inches from my face. His chest huffed against mine, his green eyes questioning mine in the dark. He was silently begging for permission—searching for any reason to stop before we crossed a line we both knew we could never uncross.

The world shrank until there was nothing left but the freezing winter wind and the undeniable pull of the man standing in front of me. The white mist from our ragged breaths mingled together in the tiny, charged space between us. A tremble shot through my hands as my gaze dropped to his lips. All logic, all duty, all reasoning completely slipped away.

I do not wish to push him away. Not this time.

My hands shot out. My fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt. We didn't hesitate for another second. At the exact same heartbeat, we pulled each other forward, our lips colliding in the dark.

A kiss that felt less like a beginning and more like a surrender. My fingers twisted into his shirt, pulling his frame closer, allowing no space between us, taking the kiss deeper as the crimson moon swallowed us whole.

He tore his lips from mine, both of us breathless and undone. His lips still remained parted, his eyes dropping back down to my lips.

Behind us, the frozen surface of Whisp Lake seemed to awaken, sensing the shift. The haunting whispers of a thousand desperate wishes grew louder, echoing maliciously across the cracking ice, trying to intrude on the moment.

Before the haunting sound could reach me, before the curse could ruin this too, Emeric's thumb dragged my lip down. His hand slid back into my cloak, pulling me taut. The heat rushed back in. Everything outside the shadow of the tree ceased to exist.

It was just us.

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