Chapter 13: The Hollow's Price
The night pressed in around them as Lyra and Kael left the inn, the weight of the truth settling heavy between them. The town had done something something worse than simply cursing Kael. They had ensured the curse lived on.
They moved through the narrow streets, the lanterns flickering in the cold wind. Whisperwood felt different now, as if it was aware that its secrets were unraveling. The air hummed with something unseen, something waiting.
They needed answers.
And Lyra knew exactly where to start.
The mayor's house stood at the center of town, old and weathered, its windows dark. Lyra didn't bother knocking. She pushed the door open, Kael right behind her.
Inside, the house smelled of dust and age. Papers were stacked haphazardly on the desk, books filled with faded writing. But what caught Lyra's attention was the large, framed map on the wall an old rendering of Whisperwood.
Kael moved beside her, his eyes narrowing. "This isn't right."
Lyra followed his gaze. The town's boundaries were different. The forest stretched farther in this version, curling around the town like claws. And in the center
A place that no longer existed.
Kael's breath was unsteady. "I know this place."
Lyra turned to him. "Where is it?"
Kael's voice was barely above a whisper. "It was burned."
A pit formed in Lyra's stomach. "Why?"
Kael didn't answer. He didn't have to.
The town had buried something just like it had buried him.
Lyra grabbed the map off the wall. "Then that's where we're going."
They reached the ruins at the forest's edge just before dawn. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and something old something wrong.
Ash covered the ground. Stones jutted from the dirt, blackened with fire. It had been a building once, but nothing remained now except bones of the past.
Kael stood frozen. His hands trembled as he reached down, brushing ash from a scorched wooden beam. His voice was raw.
"I remember this place."
Lyra watched him carefully. "What happened here?"
Kael closed his eyes. And then, the memories came back.
Fire.
Screams.
The town had gathered here, torches in hand, eyes full of fear and something worse determination.
They had chosen.
A child. A girl.
She had been offered.
Kael staggered back, gasping for air. The world spun.
Lyra grabbed his arm. "Kael"
His breath came in ragged bursts. "It wasn't me." He looked at her, horror dawning in his eyes.
"They didn't make me take the Hollow Saint's place."
His hands clenched.
"They made her."
Lyra's blood went cold. "Who?"
Kael's voice was barely a whisper.
"My sister."
The world tilted. Lyra felt like she was falling, even though her feet were still on solid ground.
The town had given someone to the Hollow Saint.
And Kael—Oran had lost more than just his past.
He had lost her.