Chapter 10: Echoes Beneath the Stone
982 Words
Chapter 10 : Echoes Beneath the Stone
Night settled gently over Shadow Fang.
One by one, the lanterns lining the palace walls flickered to life, their warm glow chasing away the darkness that crept through the courtyards. The joyful music of the Harvest Banquet had faded, replaced by the quiet footsteps of servants clearing the Grand Hall.
Most of the kingdom slept peacefully.
But sleep refused to come to Lyra.
She sat beside the window of her small guest chamber in the palace, the moonlight spilling across the folded invitation still resting on the table. Beyond the glass, the palace gardens shimmered beneath a silver veil, calm and beautiful.
Yet her heart was anything but calm.
She closed her eyes.
The banquet replayed in her mind.
The mysterious traveler.
The strange crescent-shaped stone.
His words.
“The moon remembers you.”
A shiver ran through her.
“What did he mean?” she whispered into the silence.
She had never seen the man before.
At least…
She didn’t think she had.
Yet when their eyes met, she had felt something impossible to explain—as if she were remembering someone she had never known.
She pressed a hand against her temple.
Ever since the banquet, faint images had appeared whenever she closed her eyes.
A city glowing beneath moonlight.
Towering white pillars.
A silver river flowing beneath ancient trees.
And always…
The same whisper.
Not loud.
Not frightening.
Simply waiting.
Almost calling her name.
A gentle knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Lady Lyra?”
It was Mara.
Lyra opened the door.
“You haven’t slept,” Mara observed immediately.
Lyra managed a tired smile.
“I’ve been trying.”
Mara stepped inside, carrying a steaming cup of herbal tea.
“I thought this might help.”
The familiar scent of chamomile and mint filled the room.
Lyra accepted it gratefully.
“Thank you.”
Mara studied her face with quiet concern.
“Something happened tonight.”
It wasn’t a question.
Lyra hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t have to.”
Mara rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“But whatever burden you’re carrying…”
“You don’t have to carry it alone.”
For a moment, Lyra considered telling her everything.
The traveler.
The whisper.
The strange feeling that someone—or something—had been waiting for her.
Instead, she simply smiled.
“I’ll be alright.”
Mara wasn’t convinced.
But she chose not to press further.
“Get some rest.”
After she left, Lyra returned to the window.
Far above the palace…
The moon hung unusually bright.
Elsewhere in the palace, another light still burned.
King Kael stood inside his private study, staring at the ancient parchment spread across his desk.
Master Aldus stood opposite him, surrounded by stacks of weathered books gathered from the Royal Archives.
Neither man had spoken for several minutes.
Finally, Kael broke the silence.
“Tell me everything.”
Aldus adjusted his spectacles.
“I’m afraid there isn’t much to tell.”
“You’ve spent forty years studying our history.”
“And someone spent centuries removing parts of it.”
Kael frowned.
“So the stories are true.”
The old scholar sighed.
“I used to believe Lunaris was only a legend.”
He gently opened another crumbling manuscript.
“But too many fragments remain.”
He pointed toward a faded illustration.
It showed seven stars surrounding a crescent moon.
“The same symbol,” Kael murmured.
“The one on the silver coin.”
Aldus nodded.
“It appears again and again.”
“But every page explaining its meaning has been torn away.”
Kael looked toward the window.
“Someone erased an entire kingdom.”
“And did so thoroughly.”
The old scholar lowered his voice.
“Which means they feared it.”
Silence filled the room.
Kael folded his arms.
“Feared what?”
Aldus met his gaze.
“I believe…”
He hesitated.
“They feared what Lunaris protected.”
Before Kael could ask another question—
A dull vibration passed beneath their feet.
Both men froze.
The candles flickered.
A single book slid from a nearby shelf and landed heavily upon the floor.
The tremor lasted only a heartbeat.
Then it was gone.
Kael looked toward the stone floor.
“You felt that.”
Aldus nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Neither man spoke.
Both knew…
The tremor had not been natural.
Commander Rowan walked briskly through the palace corridors.
He had spent hours questioning guards, servants, and guests.
Everyone had seen the mysterious traveler.
Yet after the banquet…
He had vanished.
No horse had left the palace.
No gate had been opened.
No guard remembered seeing him depart.
It was as though the man had simply disappeared into thin air.
Rowan disliked mysteries.
Especially the kind that ignored common sense.
As he rounded a corner, he paused.
For the briefest instant…
He thought he saw a hooded figure standing at the end of the corridor.
The figure didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Only watched.
Rowan reached for the hilt of his sword.
“Who’s there?”
The corridor was empty.
Only silence answered him.
A cold breeze drifted through the hall.
Rowan frowned.
“For the first time in years…”
he muttered,
“…I hope I’m wrong.”
Far below the palace…
Beyond forgotten staircases.
Beyond sealed passages hidden by centuries of stone…
A narrow crack appeared in an ancient wall.
Silver light escaped through it.
Faint.
Almost imperceptible.
Yet enough to awaken symbols carved into the surrounding rock.
One after another…
The crescent markings began to glow.
Deep within the darkness…
A low sound echoed.
Not a roar.
Not a voice.
A heartbeat.
Slow.
Ancient.
Patient.
As though something beneath the mountain had waited hundreds of years…
And had finally begun to awaken.
- Writer
