Chapter 15: A Town of Liars
Dawn crept over Whisperwood, its light pale and sickly, barely touching the town's crooked rooftops. It was as if the sun itself hesitated to shine here.
Kael hadn't spoken since they left the ruins. The pendant remained clutched in his fist, the name Seren now a weight neither of them could ignore.
Lyra stole a glance at him as they walked. His face was unreadable, but his silence said everything.
They weren't just uncovering secrets anymore.
They were unearthing graves.
Instead of confronting the mayor outright, they started small. The town was still waking, its people moving sluggishly like they were half-dreaming.
Lyra spotted an older woman setting up her stall in the marketplace a weaver. The patterns on her fabric were intricate, symbols woven into the cloth that seemed almost familiar.
She approached with a careful smile. "Morning."
The woman barely looked up. "You're the outsider, aren't you?"
Lyra's smile didn't falter. "Seems like everyone knows that already."
The weaver gave a dry chuckle. "This town has long memories."
Lyra's gaze flicked to the fabrics. "Strange, then, that it forgets certain names."
The woman's hands stilled on the cloth.
Kael stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "Do you remember Seren?"
The woman's fingers twitched, a thread snapping between them. Her lips parted slightly, her eyes flickering toward Kael just for a moment.
Then, she dropped her gaze. "Can't say I do."
She was lying.
Lyra leaned in slightly. "You didn't even ask who she was."
A flicker of something passed over the woman's face fear. She fumbled with her spools of thread, avoiding their eyes. "Lots of people have passed through this town. I don't remember them all."
Kael exhaled sharply through his nose. "She wasn't someone who passed through. She lived here."
The woman's hands trembled. "I have work to do."
Lyra narrowed her eyes. "Tell me one thing," she said softly. "What happens to those who remember?"
The weaver stiffened.
A heartbeat of silence.
Then, her voice dropped to a whisper.
"They disappear."
A chill crawled up Lyra's spine.
Before she could press further, the woman turned away, her shoulders hunched as if bracing against an unseen storm.
Lyra met Kael's gaze. They didn't need to say it aloud.
Seren wasn't just erased.
She was made to be forgotten.
And whatever had done it whatever was keeping Whisperwood's secrets buried was still watching.
Waiting.