ed from the stone w

re

hind them. It was a mask built of memory, held together by longing. Aria stoo

id again, ste

speak underwater, beneath layers of silence.

's not her," he growled. "Th

lse of wind circled outward. The fals

. "It's not just a whisper anymore.

ed at Aria's bac

Don't follow.

ed her head and said, "C

ords, Aria nearl

me in muddy from the orchard, when she brought back broken nests to rep

knew th

ething else had

little bird,"

ile faltered.

oo smooth. The illusion cracked,

d her, Ka

forward from the stones-a

g. Before the stone

step back, f

t of my

sh-whipping dust, f

from its presence, and for a

he Field of Forgotten-low, steady, li

aised her s

ning," she com

earth benea

but a memory

dows shrieking. Aria felt the world tilt sideways, a

s in h

ing shape

read on the table. The

d at the window

rt to

know it w

in her hand-one bea

mother sai

, the illusio

gla

lef

ed through the wi

sed the

forgot,"

er screamed-not in

eam cr

alls

he field, breath ragge

haking,

e stone. Her hand

of Forgott

en earth

sile

sil

that foll

e Guide lit their fire, Kael looked

ed into t

almost

nod

said. "It doesn't destroy the worl

e, neither of them

, the Hollow

bered the

he forest with

ve way beneath their steps, and towering trees stitched the sky above with black and gre

ree with silver bark and pla

he said quietly. "Here, langu

head. "It smel

old parchment and dried flowers, as though

ow branches and felt some

t she had been

her. "Wait. What did

them coul

not speak your names aloud in the grove. It liste

r at her side vibrated slightly-un

Each step forward felt like wading through memory-not water, not mist-memory. A thousand half-fo

denly, catching h

red, I think. I-" He paused, eyes

at Aria,

id you

her mouth,

idn't

ath in winter. There was only him, the b

Guide said gently. "The

teeth. "No. I kno

ke. Not with emot

me was

stone pulsed faster in his p

don't want t

dn't speak. Instead, she pla

ush of wind stirred

de, and clutched it

it like

na

t forgot

rest s

, voice quiet. "Even when I

m with something like

hing," she said. "A word. A song. A na

hoes of those who had come before and left pieces of themselves

shiv

press

reached the

mooth by wind and time. In the center, a pedestal-weathered

e had been

len

it and placed her han

said. "The one the Hollow

ned. "Who

hispered. "A what.

ard, staring at t

whispered a

mber

it didn't feel foreign either. It fel

l, and the stone in his

sighed a

here deep in the gro

t

ck

knew wher

was w