Ch. 4 • The Aftermath • Ep. 1
1420 Words
Arrow held his younger sister and her best friend close, pausing only long enough to catch his breath before he heard the sharp click of leather boots against the stone streets behind them.
Panic surged through him.
He scrambled to his feet, clutching both children tightly against him as he bolted through the streets of Aethelre with the authorities close behind.
"Halt!" the captain shouted. "Drop the children!"
Arrow ignored him.
He sprinted over freshly laid cobblestone roads, boots hammering against the polished streets. Knox glanced over his shoulder at the pursuing officers, noticing how different everything in Aethelre looked compared to Cindervein. The buildings gleamed with polished brass and clean stone. Steam lanterns burned brighter here. Even the citizens' clothes looked newer, sharper, untouched by soot or cavern dust.
In Arrow's arms, Echo remained frighteningly still.
A faint orange glow pulsed beneath both siblings' skin.
Knox's stomach twisted at the sight of his best friend. Echo's eyes were unfocused, her face pale beneath damp curls frizzed with crackling static.
Arrow kept running.
His lungs burned.
Every step sent pain shooting through his arms and legs, but he tightened his grip on Echo anyway as the thunder of boots behind them grew louder.
One officer was getting dangerously close.
Then Arrow spotted Aether Lake ahead.
Their only chance.
He looked quickly toward Knox.
"Knox," he gasped, "do you know how to swim?"
Knox met his eyes and immediately understood.
He gave one firm nod.
Moments later, Arrow launched himself into the freezing lake just before an officer's hand could grab the back of his shirt.
Cold water swallowed them whole.
All three resurfaced seconds later.
Arrow swam hard with Echo clutched tightly against his chest while Knox fought through the icy water beside him. Every muscle screamed in protest, but Arrow already knew this was life or death.
"There!" an officer shouted from the shoreline. "In the lake!"
The authorities instantly changed direction, continuing the chase along the water's edge.
Ahead, the roaring waterfall thundered between the cities.
Arrow and Knox exchanged one brief look.
Neither of them spoke.
Arrow dove first into the falls, holding Echo tightly as darkness and crashing water swallowed them whole.
Knox followed with a strangled scream.
•••
Back in Cindervein, they resurfaced beneath the cavern waterfall and desperately dragged themselves toward shore.
Arrow collapsed onto the rocky bank first, hauling Echo beside him while Knox crawled out moments later, trembling from exhaustion.
"I know," Arrow panted before Knox could speak. "I'm exhausted too. But we have to keep moving."
Using one arm to hold Echo upright, he grabbed Knox's wrist with the other and shakily pulled him to his feet.
Ahead, warm lanternlight spilled from The Black Lantern.
Knox forced himself to run.
Arrow stumbled after him, Echo's curls whipping wildly behind them while damp strands clung to her forehead.
Knox shoved the tavern door open and nearly collapsed to his knees inside, gasping for breath.
Arrow staggered in right behind him.
Behind the counter, Corvin looked up sharply.
The mug slipped from his hand and shattered across the floor.
"What in the Light...?"
Arrow finally looked at him.
Fear and pain sat naked in his eyes.
Knox's composure broke instantly.
Tears spilled down his face as his voice cracked.
"They're gone... Lyra... Ren..."
He looked helplessly toward Echo, still unconscious in Arrow's arms.
"We shouldn't have gone..."
The tavern fell silent.
Corvin's eyes darted rapidly between the three children before his expression hardened.
"Everyone out," he ordered. "The tavern is closed."
Several patrons hesitated.
Corvin slowly pulled the makeshift pistol from his holster.
The hesitation vanished immediately.
Chairs scraped loudly as the remaining customers hurried outside without another word.
The moment the tavern emptied, Corvin holstered the weapon and crossed the room quickly.
He gently lifted Echo from Arrow's exhausted arms while fixing him with a look that demanded answers.
Arrow looked down toward Knox and offered him a trembling hand.
Knox stared at it for a second before taking it.
Together, the boys followed Corvin into the back room.
Corvin laid Echo carefully onto a small cot before turning sharply toward them.
"Close the door."
Arrow obeyed immediately.
The latch clicked shut.
Knox hovered near the cot, staring anxiously at his best friend while Corvin faced the boys fully.
"Tell me what happened," he said quietly. "And don't lie to me."
Silence.
Knox looked away immediately, unable to force the words out.
Arrow swallowed hard.
"I know Aethelre is off-limits."
Corvin's eyes narrowed instantly.
"You still went," he snapped. "Why?"
Knox answered before Arrow could.
"We wanted to show Tink what it was like," he said quietly. "You know how badly she wanted to see the city."
Corvin studied both boys in silence before sighing heavily.
"Knox, I understand your curiosity." His gaze shifted sharply toward Arrow. "But Arrow? You know better."
Arrow lowered his head.
Guilt sat heavy in his chest.
Corvin folded his arms tightly.
"What really happened in Aethelre?"
Again, silence filled the room.
Corvin's voice hardened.
"Well?"
Knox opened his mouth immediately, but Corvin raised a hand before he could speak.
Arrow finally looked up.
"Stealing, sir."
Disappointment flashed across Corvin's face instantly.
"Stealing? Again?" His eyes moved toward Echo. "That still doesn't explain what happened to her."
Knox surged forward desperately.
"We didn't mean for any of this to happen! We swear!"
Arrow glanced toward Echo, forcing himself to stay calm enough to explain.
"I'm not completely sure what happened," he admitted. "But I know she found something dangerous."
Corvin stayed silent.
Arrow continued quietly.
"She stopped near Aether Lake. Picked something up from the water." His jaw tightened. "I didn't really see it at first. Just before she hid it. It was some kind of crystal. Orange. Glowing."
Corvin looked sharply toward Echo.
"A glowing crystal?" he repeated quietly.
Then his expression changed completely.
"From the lake?"
His voice sharpened instantly.
"You touched something from Aether Lake and didn't think to leave it alone?"
He dragged a slow breath through his nose, visibly forcing himself to stay calm.
"Tell me everything," he ordered. "Where she found it. What happened afterward. What you saw when it lit up."
Arrow nodded weakly.
"I don't think it was whole," he admitted. "Not the first one."
Corvin fixed him with a hard stare.
"Elaborate."
Arrow swallowed.
"I only got a glimpse before she shoved it into her pocket. It looked sharp." His voice lowered. "Jagged."
Corvin's gaze sharpened.
"A crystal shard?"
"It could've been..."
Knox looked nervously between them as tension thickened through the room.
Corvin exhaled slowly, worry creeping visibly into his expression now.
"Tell me exactly where you were in Aethelre."
Knox glanced toward Arrow uncertainly.
Arrow answered quietly.
"We were in the old abandoned clockwork shop. The one everyone says has been empty for months."
Corvin immediately shook his head.
"You put yourselves in danger," he said grimly. "And now the authorities know it."
As if summoned by the words themselves-
Heavy boots echoed outside through the streets of Cindervein.
Everyone in the room froze.
Knox instinctively moved closer to Echo's cot.
Arrow's head snapped toward the tavern floor above them, every muscle tightening instantly.
The boots grew louder.
Measured.
Searching.
Corvin's expression darkened.
"They followed you," he muttered.
"We lost them at the waterfall," Arrow said quickly.
"You hoped you lost them."
Another heavy thud echoed outside.
Then voices.
Muffled.
Close.
Knox's breathing quickened again.
"What do we do?"
Corvin immediately crossed the room toward a rusted cabinet near the back wall. He yanked it open, revealing old tools, ammunition, and a worn map of the underground tunnels beneath Cindervein.
Arrow stared. "You knew this could happen?"
Corvin ignored the question.
Instead, he looked toward Echo.
The faint orange glow beneath her skin had grown stronger while they talked. Thin strands of light flickered across her fingertips like tiny fractures of molten energy.
Knox noticed too.
"...Corvin."
Corvin turned sharply.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Echo shifted weakly on the cot.
A strained sound escaped her throat.
Arrow was beside her immediately.
"Tink?"
Her eyes fluttered faintly, unfocused.
The orange glow pulsed harder.
Then every lantern in the room flickered.
Knox jumped.
The lights dimmed again.
Corvin swore quietly under his breath.
"That crystal attached itself to her energy."
Arrow looked up sharply.
"Can you fix it?"
Corvin hesitated just long enough to terrify all of them.
"...I don't know."
Silence crushed the room.
Outside, the authorities' boots stopped directly beyond the tavern entrance.
- Writer
