A hazy landscape stretched before her eyes, with two mountains standing tall in the distance. Close to Mel, Mira stood with her face turned toward the mountains. Next to her, shadows formed and morphed into a silhouette of a person. The shadow took Mira’s hand and Mel stretched out her own toward them, screaming for Mira to not take its hand.
Mira didn’t seem to hear Mel. Her soft hand slipped into the shadow’s and her head turned up toward the creature's face. White eyes met her dark brown, and Mira smiled. A wide grin that held excitement and wonder at the same time.
Mel’s hand dropped to her side, and she stood watching Mira and the shadow walking away from her, hand in hand. They were walking toward the two mountains and in Mel’s ears a deep voice whispered, “Krazaa”.
Her eyes flew open and her heart pounded inside her chest. Mel was inside the tent in the wasteland, with Austin beside her. Gabriella was nowhere to be found and panic grabbed her by the throat. Austin laid a hand on her arm and Mel’s eyes found his.
“Where’s Gabs?”
Austin’s eyebrows dipped. “She’s outside. What’s happening?”
His voice was calm, and Mel forced down her emotions, sitting up in the small tent. She dragged her knees up to her chest and emptied her lungs. Gabs was safe, Austin was safe. They were all fine.
“Did you have a bad dream?” Austin asked.
Mel nodded, but couldn’t make herself tell him what she’d dreamt. It hadn’t felt like a dream at all. It had felt like a goodbye. Like Mira had shown her, she was okay, and had gone willingly with the shadow. Something Mel couldn’t understand.
Her eyelids drooped and for a second she closed them, only to open her eyes to a dark tinged version of reality. Her gaze fixed on Austin in horror as she tried to lift her arm toward him, but failed. Mel opened her mouth, wanting to scream, but nothing happened.
The sensation returned from last night. A heavy pain inside her skull and the feeling of a worm slithering around in there. Mel wanted to rip it out of her head and throw the thing away, whatever it was. But the loss of control in her limbs lingered and through her dark tinged eyes, she saw Austin sitting up next to her. He gripped her shoulders and stared into her eyes, his mouth working, but no sound reaching her.
Then her eyelids fell closed and when she opened them again, there was no more darkness. Mel dragged in a raspy breath and a tear slid down her cheek. Austin brushed it away with his thumb.
“What is happening, Melissa?”
Mel shook her head in response. She didn’t know what to tell him. She didn’t know what was happening to her. This time, she hadn’t asked for anyone’s help. She hadn’t accepted the dragons into her. She wasn’t the one who’d surrendered control. They’d taken it from her without asking.
The tent ripped open, and Gabs entered. Her gaze fell on Melissa and then darted over to Austin, looking between them after some sign of what was wrong. Then her eyes landed on Mel again. She folded herself into a seated position inside the tent and reached out her hand toward her.
“What’s wrong?”
Mel shook her head, and Austin furrowed his brow beside her. He didn’t understand her, and neither did Gabs. How could they, when she wasn’t telling them anything? She wanted to, but she didn’t know how to explain it all. Nothing was wrong exactly. Nothing had happened except some momentary loss of control over her limbs.
Mel wiped the back of her hand over her cheeks and mustered all her strength to pull herself together. She would tell them, just not now. She was going to wait until the time was right. Until she found the words and had something more to tell than her arm didn’t want to lift when she told it to.
“We need to get to Krazaa,” Mel said.
Both Austin’s and Gabs’ worried faces turned to her. Gabs shook her head at Mel. “Are you sure we should head further into the wastes after what happened last night? Perhaps it’s better if we turn back to Aldrion. Perhaps they’ll let us back inside the gate and we’ll be safer from the void.”
Austin nodded. “I know there might be secrets left here in the wastes. But I’ve read the texts in Falden. The people who made it back from expeditions into the wasteland rarely made it further than Bahlan, and often they were the only ones left alive. You’ve read about Alexander Etrope yourself, you know that even he didn’t make it further. We’ve been lucky this far, much thanks to the village, but now things are different. Maybe Gabriella is right. Maybe we should take our chances with my brother and the governor.”
“I know what Lenera said last night sounded…harsh,” Mel said. “But I think there’s important information hiding in the east. What if we could find a way to bring back the dragon stones? What if we could find information about who the dragons really were? Or even information on how to kill the void?”
“That is what we’d be gambling on, though,” Austin said. “I’m not saying it isn’t tempting, but it would be a gamble, Melissa. I’m just not sure it’s worth our lives.”
Gabs nodded. “Say we find all that and more. Say you are right and we find out how to fix the dragon stones, how to kill the void and get rid of the dragons. What then? We’ll die out here by the hands of a shadow, anyway. That information will never reach anyone. It will never get to the valley or to Aldrion. It will die here with us. Isn’t it better to return home with the information we have now about who the people of the wastes really are?”
Mel saw the picture of Mira walking hand in hand with the shadow before her eyes, feeling like she needed to follow them. She needed to know what they knew. But she also heard Gabs’ arguments, and they were solid. She and Austin were right. Even if they could find the information they needed, there was no way they’d make it back without getting killed.
Perhaps if they still had the wisdom of the village supporting them. A person who knew the wastes in and out and knew the void. She wanted to consult with Luthel, ask him if it was possible to get to Krazaa, what to do when they got there and if the shadows would truly hunt them now. But he had shown her his back. He’d kicked them out of the village just as much as Lenera had. He’d betrayed them.
“Let’s head back to Aldrion,” Mel said. “You’re right. Even if we get to Krazaa, we’ll never get inside the city and we’ll never get back without facing another shadow. We’re lucky to have survived this far, and I don't want to risk your lives. I’m grateful that you followed me into the wastes and that you’ve both stayed by my side. But I can’t ask this of you, not when so much is unknown to us.”
Gabs put a hand on Mel’s shoulder and gave her a tentative smile. It didn’t reach her eyes and Mel saw hesitation in her blues.
“I think it’s for the best,” Austin said. “Perhaps someday we can get back here and find the secrets hidden in the east. But right now, we need to get to safety. I think I can convince the governor to let you go. He’s had time to process what happened to the dragon stones and perhaps he’ll be ready to see things through your perspective. You couldn’t have known the stones would flicker out, none of us could have. If he doesn’t… I have another option we might explore.”
Mel’s head turned to Austin, and her gaze met his. The line of his lips was tight, and she followed the furrow of his brow with her eyes. “I trust you,” she said.
A soft smile played on her lips, completely forced and unnatural. But she hoped it would instill the feelings she wanted Austin to feel. Like she trusted him. Like she would follow him back to Aldrion.
#
The next day, they were ready to leave this place, step away from the wet sand and enter Aldrion’s busy streets again. Mel had a tight feeling in her chest, and she somehow knew she shouldn’t go back. Not yet. She just didn’t know how to tell Austin or Gabriella that she needed to head out on her own toward the mountains in the east.
If she got the others to return to Aldrion, there really wasn’t anything holding her back from the answers she needed to find. Then Aldrion would know who the void worshipers were, they would get the information they had and Mel could reach for more. She didn’t think her odds of making it back alive were great, but it wasn’t impossible either. She didn’t know if she could live with herself without knowing who she was. Who the dragons were and what was speaking to her in her mind.
Austin poured wet sand on top of the fire and Gabriella rolled up the last piece of cloth from their tent. Mel chewed on a stale piece of bread, wondering what apples tasted like. She couldn’t remember, not anything more than the crunchy texture and the sweetness. Nothing like the food in the wasteland, that she was sure of.
Her gaze lifted and scanned the horizon to the south. Something was moving out there. Her brow furrowed, and she squinted, trying to make out what it was. She didn’t know, but it was moving toward them. Mel stood up in one jerking motion, grabbing the attention of both Austin and Gabriella.
“Look,” she said. “Someone’s coming.”
Austin unsheathed his sword, a faint blue glow streaming out from the blade. Gabriella took a step back and dragged Melissa with her. The figure came into view and Mel’s stomach clenched when she saw it was Luthel approaching them. His steps were frantic, running toward them, but in a clumsy manner. His arms flew back and forth against his sides, like he was using them as oars in the air to push himself further, faster.
Mel took a step forward, brushing past Austin, and held out a hand to Luthel as he stopped before them. He ignored her hand and slumped toward the wet ground, his knees sinking into it. His breath was ragged, his eyes downcast, and for a moment silence stretched between the four of them.
“What is it?” Mel asked.
Through shallow breaths, Luthel answered, “They took him…They’re going to kill him… help me.”
Mel looked back at Austin, standing with his sword still drawn, but without any real intention of using it. Gabriella stepped forward, sinking toward the ground, and grabbed Luthel by the shoulders. He looked up at her, his eyes glassy and his lips quivering.
“Do you mean Hanon? Did they take Hanon?”
Luthel nodded, staring at Gabs like she could cure his aching heart. “They’ll sacrifice him. They’ll give him to the void. Just like Mira. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He shook his head, his eyes slipping away from Gabs.
“Why?” Mel asked. “Why would they take him?”
Luthel didn’t answer at first. Then his voice came out raspy from his throat. “He’s one of them. He’s always been. Just like Mira. I knew he was one of them. But…but I thought I could hide it.”
“One of who?"
Luthel’s eyes caught Mel’s. “The shadows. The void is calling for him now. He’s been revealed to the others. I didn’t think it would be possible. I hid him when he turned sixteen. I already knew by then. But the void found him. I don’t know how. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I thought I could change his stars.”
“How did you know he was a shadow?”
Luthel dragged a hand over his face, shaking his head and sighing deeply. “He stirred the water. When his mother passed, he changed the air. No one else saw, no one else knew. I didn't even know it was possible in one so young. But he…” Luthel’s voice broke.
Mel’s brow furrowed. She didn’t understand. It made no sense to her. The shadows had been people once. That much she understood. But what did it mean to change the air?
“Please, you need to save him,” Luthel said. “I need to save him. The void can’t take him. We need to help.”
“When will he be… sacrificed?” Gabs asked.
“Tonight, they’ll call upon the void to confirm his destiny. They’ll ask him to come forth, to reveal Hanon’s true face. They will give him over to the shadows and then he’ll be lost forever. I cannot let it happen. I cannot let them take my son. Please.”
A hazy landscape stretched before her eyes, with two mountains standing tall in the distance. Close to Mel, Mira stood with her face turned toward the mountains. Next to her, shadows formed and morphed into a silhouette of a person. The shadow took Mira’s hand and Mel stretched out her own toward them, screaming for Mira to not take its hand.
Mira didn’t seem to hear Mel. Her soft hand slipped into the shadow’s and her head turned up toward the creature's face. White eyes met her dark brown, and Mira smiled. A wide grin that held excitement and wonder at the same time.
Mel’s hand dropped to her side, and she stood watching Mira and the shadow walking away from her, hand in hand. They were walking toward the two mountains and in Mel’s ears a deep voice whispered, “Krazaa”.
Her eyes flew open and her heart pounded inside her chest. Mel was inside the tent in the wasteland, with Austin beside her. Gabriella was nowhere to be found and panic grabbed her by the throat. Austin laid a hand on her arm and Mel’s eyes found his.
“Where’s Gabs?”
Austin’s eyebrows dipped. “She’s outside. What’s happening?”
His voice was calm, and Mel forced down her emotions, sitting up in the small tent. She dragged her knees up to her chest and emptied her lungs. Gabs was safe, Austin was safe. They were all fine.
“Did you have a bad dream?” Austin asked.
Mel nodded, but couldn’t make herself tell him what she’d dreamt. It hadn’t felt like a dream at all. It had felt like a goodbye. Like Mira had shown her, she was okay, and had gone willingly with the shadow. Something Mel couldn’t understand.
Her eyelids drooped and for a second she closed them, only to open her eyes to a dark tinged version of reality. Her gaze fixed on Austin in horror as she tried to lift her arm toward him, but failed. Mel opened her mouth, wanting to scream, but nothing happened.
The sensation returned from last night. A heavy pain inside her skull and the feeling of a worm slithering around in there. Mel wanted to rip it out of her head and throw the thing away, whatever it was. But the loss of control in her limbs lingered and through her dark tinged eyes, she saw Austin sitting up next to her. He gripped her shoulders and stared into her eyes, his mouth working, but no sound reaching her.
Then her eyelids fell closed and when she opened them again, there was no more darkness. Mel dragged in a raspy breath and a tear slid down her cheek. Austin brushed it away with his thumb.
“What is happening, Melissa?”
Mel shook her head in response. She didn’t know what to tell him. She didn’t know what was happening to her. This time, she hadn’t asked for anyone’s help. She hadn’t accepted the dragons into her. She wasn’t the one who’d surrendered control. They’d taken it from her without asking.
The tent ripped open, and Gabs entered. Her gaze fell on Melissa and then darted over to Austin, looking between them after some sign of what was wrong. Then her eyes landed on Mel again. She folded herself into a seated position inside the tent and reached out her hand toward her.
“What’s wrong?”
Mel shook her head, and Austin furrowed his brow beside her. He didn’t understand her, and neither did Gabs. How could they, when she wasn’t telling them anything? She wanted to, but she didn’t know how to explain it all. Nothing was wrong exactly. Nothing had happened except some momentary loss of control over her limbs.
Mel wiped the back of her hand over her cheeks and mustered all her strength to pull herself together. She would tell them, just not now. She was going to wait until the time was right. Until she found the words and had something more to tell than her arm didn’t want to lift when she told it to.
“We need to get to Krazaa,” Mel said.
Both Austin’s and Gabs’ worried faces turned to her. Gabs shook her head at Mel. “Are you sure we should head further into the wastes after what happened last night? Perhaps it’s better if we turn back to Aldrion. Perhaps they’ll let us back inside the gate and we’ll be safer from the void.”
Austin nodded. “I know there might be secrets left here in the wastes. But I’ve read the texts in Falden. The people who made it back from expeditions into the wasteland rarely made it further than Bahlan, and often they were the only ones left alive. You’ve read about Alexander Etrope yourself, you know that even he didn’t make it further. We’ve been lucky this far, much thanks to the village, but now things are different. Maybe Gabriella is right. Maybe we should take our chances with my brother and the governor.”
“I know what Lenera said last night sounded…harsh,” Mel said. “But I think there’s important information hiding in the east. What if we could find a way to bring back the dragon stones? What if we could find information about who the dragons really were? Or even information on how to kill the void?”
“That is what we’d be gambling on, though,” Austin said. “I’m not saying it isn’t tempting, but it would be a gamble, Melissa. I’m just not sure it’s worth our lives.”
Gabs nodded. “Say we find all that and more. Say you are right and we find out how to fix the dragon stones, how to kill the void and get rid of the dragons. What then? We’ll die out here by the hands of a shadow, anyway. That information will never reach anyone. It will never get to the valley or to Aldrion. It will die here with us. Isn’t it better to return home with the information we have now about who the people of the wastes really are?”
Mel saw the picture of Mira walking hand in hand with the shadow before her eyes, feeling like she needed to follow them. She needed to know what they knew. But she also heard Gabs’ arguments, and they were solid. She and Austin were right. Even if they could find the information they needed, there was no way they’d make it back without getting killed.
Perhaps if they still had the wisdom of the village supporting them. A person who knew the wastes in and out and knew the void. She wanted to consult with Luthel, ask him if it was possible to get to Krazaa, what to do when they got there and if the shadows would truly hunt them now. But he had shown her his back. He’d kicked them out of the village just as much as Lenera had. He’d betrayed them.
“Let’s head back to Aldrion,” Mel said. “You’re right. Even if we get to Krazaa, we’ll never get inside the city and we’ll never get back without facing another shadow. We’re lucky to have survived this far, and I don't want to risk your lives. I’m grateful that you followed me into the wastes and that you’ve both stayed by my side. But I can’t ask this of you, not when so much is unknown to us.”
Gabs put a hand on Mel’s shoulder and gave her a tentative smile. It didn’t reach her eyes and Mel saw hesitation in her blues.
“I think it’s for the best,” Austin said. “Perhaps someday we can get back here and find the secrets hidden in the east. But right now, we need to get to safety. I think I can convince the governor to let you go. He’s had time to process what happened to the dragon stones and perhaps he’ll be ready to see things through your perspective. You couldn’t have known the stones would flicker out, none of us could have. If he doesn’t… I have another option we might explore.”
Mel’s head turned to Austin, and her gaze met his. The line of his lips was tight, and she followed the furrow of his brow with her eyes. “I trust you,” she said.
A soft smile played on her lips, completely forced and unnatural. But she hoped it would instill the feelings she wanted Austin to feel. Like she trusted him. Like she would follow him back to Aldrion.
#
The next day, they were ready to leave this place, step away from the wet sand and enter Aldrion’s busy streets again. Mel had a tight feeling in her chest, and she somehow knew she shouldn’t go back. Not yet. She just didn’t know how to tell Austin or Gabriella that she needed to head out on her own toward the mountains in the east.
If she got the others to return to Aldrion, there really wasn’t anything holding her back from the answers she needed to find. Then Aldrion would know who the void worshipers were, they would get the information they had and Mel could reach for more. She didn’t think her odds of making it back alive were great, but it wasn’t impossible either. She didn’t know if she could live with herself without knowing who she was. Who the dragons were and what was speaking to her in her mind.
Austin poured wet sand on top of the fire and Gabriella rolled up the last piece of cloth from their tent. Mel chewed on a stale piece of bread, wondering what apples tasted like. She couldn’t remember, not anything more than the crunchy texture and the sweetness. Nothing like the food in the wasteland, that she was sure of.
Her gaze lifted and scanned the horizon to the south. Something was moving out there. Her brow furrowed, and she squinted, trying to make out what it was. She didn’t know, but it was moving toward them. Mel stood up in one jerking motion, grabbing the attention of both Austin and Gabriella.
“Look,” she said. “Someone’s coming.”
Austin unsheathed his sword, a faint blue glow streaming out from the blade. Gabriella took a step back and dragged Melissa with her. The figure came into view and Mel’s stomach clenched when she saw it was Luthel approaching them. His steps were frantic, running toward them, but in a clumsy manner. His arms flew back and forth against his sides, like he was using them as oars in the air to push himself further, faster.
Mel took a step forward, brushing past Austin, and held out a hand to Luthel as he stopped before them. He ignored her hand and slumped toward the wet ground, his knees sinking into it. His breath was ragged, his eyes downcast, and for a moment silence stretched between the four of them.
“What is it?” Mel asked.
Through shallow breaths, Luthel answered, “They took him…They’re going to kill him… help me.”
Mel looked back at Austin, standing with his sword still drawn, but without any real intention of using it. Gabriella stepped forward, sinking toward the ground, and grabbed Luthel by the shoulders. He looked up at her, his eyes glassy and his lips quivering.
“Do you mean Hanon? Did they take Hanon?”
Luthel nodded, staring at Gabs like she could cure his aching heart. “They’ll sacrifice him. They’ll give him to the void. Just like Mira. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He shook his head, his eyes slipping away from Gabs.
“Why?” Mel asked. “Why would they take him?”
Luthel didn’t answer at first. Then his voice came out raspy from his throat. “He’s one of them. He’s always been. Just like Mira. I knew he was one of them. But…but I thought I could hide it.”
“One of who?"
Luthel’s eyes caught Mel’s. “The shadows. The void is calling for him now. He’s been revealed to the others. I didn’t think it would be possible. I hid him when he turned sixteen. I already knew by then. But the void found him. I don’t know how. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I thought I could change his stars.”
“How did you know he was a shadow?”
Luthel dragged a hand over his face, shaking his head and sighing deeply. “He stirred the water. When his mother passed, he changed the air. No one else saw, no one else knew. I didn't even know it was possible in one so young. But he…” Luthel’s voice broke.
Mel’s brow furrowed. She didn’t understand. It made no sense to her. The shadows had been people once. That much she understood. But what did it mean to change the air?
“Please, you need to save him,” Luthel said. “I need to save him. The void can’t take him. We need to help.”
“When will he be… sacrificed?” Gabs asked.
“Tonight, they’ll call upon the void to confirm his destiny. They’ll ask him to come forth, to reveal Hanon’s true face. They will give him over to the shadows and then he’ll be lost forever. I cannot let it happen. I cannot let them take my son. Please.”
