Chapter 18: The First Warning
The wind carried a whisper through Whisperwood's empty streets. Not the usual rustling of trees, but something else.
A voice.
Lyra turned sharply, hand instinctively brushing the hilt of her dagger. "Did you hear that?"
Kael was still pale from the memory loss, but he nodded. His fingers twitched at his side. "Not just the wind."
They followed the sound, weaving through narrow alleys until they reached an abandoned house on the edge of town. Its shutters were broken, the door hanging slightly ajar.
Inside, the whispering stopped.
Lyra exchanged a glance with Kael. Then, she pushed open the door.
The air inside was wrong. Thick with the scent of damp wood and something metallic blood.
And then
A figure moved in the shadows.
An old man sat hunched in the corner, his body wrapped in layers of tattered cloth. His fingers twitched as he rocked slightly, eyes darting between them like a frightened animal.
"You shouldn't have come," he rasped. "They'll see. They'll know."
Kael took a step forward. "Who?"
The man flinched. "The ones who watch. The ones who rewrite." His voice cracked. "They're already taking things from you, aren't they?" His gaze locked onto Kael, something frantic in his stare. "You don't even know what's missing."
Kael swallowed hard. "Tell us what you know."
The old man shuddered. "You don't ask about the missing. Not unless you want to go with them." His breath hitched. "The weaver spoke to you, didn't she?"
Lyra's stomach twisted. "You knew her?"
The man let out a bitter laugh. "Not anymore."
And then, he lifted his hands.
Lyra felt her breath catch.
The old man's fingers his hands had been sewn shut. Thick black thread crisscrossed his palms, holding his fingers together in a grotesque mockery of clenched fists.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"This is what happens when you try to write the truth."
A chill ran down Lyra's spine.
Kael took a step back, his breath unsteady.
"What did she say before she disappeared?" Lyra pressed. "What do they want to hide?"
The old man's eyes flicked to the door, his expression suddenly panicked.
"You need to go." His breathing grew rapid. "They know you're here."
Kael tensed. "Who knows?"
But the old man's mouth snapped shut.
Not in silence. Not in fear.
As if something had just erased his words from existence.
And then
A sound outside.
A shuffling. A scraping.
Something was coming.