did not s

threshold of the Spire, Kael beside her, and beyond the trembling veil was the ho

rom language itself-fractured syllables, broken memories, letters that

ing not to sound

behind them. "The Spire listens not with ears, bu

wallow

ral, the way it spun without moti

the source her

a single nod.

ed through

ir ch

, but on the soul. The spiral stairway rose before them, each step shifting shap

p, something

emo

eta

didn't realiz

ing," the Guide s

d the feath

uched t

string of voice-shar

Always

th

nd van

ked out of existence. He tumbled

Aria said, gra

spiral s

rds. T

echoed wit

re not

ther was

got you before

w clenched. "T

ide said. "It wan

essed f

ent, twiste

ut stars above, a floor that rippled like liquid thoug

ing silence, puls

-pages, names, songs, fa

ory swallowed

nd in roots of unvoi

t. Eyes wide

forward, br

looked...

her. But

ore she found her mother again. B

emory the Hol

st stol

ze. "It

totype of forgetting. That's why the wind chose her-be

e the girl, reac

mory f

into the wind. "I lived through you. You crie

re pulse

pire

ollow

it f

beside her.

choice. Memory for memory. Voice for silence.

feather in the

here s

ain-no

tion of

rd. Kael fell to his knees

ong but her own, kael

Ei

who ever forgo

mory s

ll from

ot destroyed, but

ere sha

d into a winds

creams. Lullabies.

g to her,

e looked

e," she w

.The Spir

could not wi

nally-

.Not with fury.B

eneath a tre

y was

nd was

up first,

ber ever

r rested on her chest, now silver-gold,

e stood

ng, but full of peace. "The Hollo

idn't

e wind say

the tree's leaves, wrapping around Kael

ay, across

ke to voices

emembered

the lullabies the

ow was n

was h

Ar

nger a girl w

the Voic

nd had

mbered who