The Whispering Echoes

by Melissa Giorgio

  “No. It was just me and my mother until I was four and she passed away. I don’t even know who my father is,” I said. “Bantheir was like a father to me, but he also kept his distance, like he was afraid to get too close.” I laughed weakly. “I didn’t exactly live a normal life.”

  “I’m sorry about your mother,” she said, her hands fidgeting. I noticed she did that a lot, usually grabbing at the grass before flinging it aside once she realized what she was doing. Was it a nervous habit or something more? “Losing your parents… It’s the worst.”

  “I’m sorry about yours, too.”

  “Thank you. At least I had Emile. I don’t know what I would have done without him.” As if sensing us talking about him, Emile glanced over and waved to Claudette, who waved back. Emile had spent the entire trip talking to Vernen and Leonid. More than once I’d heard Vernen laugh out loud and I smiled, relieved that he’d cheered up after the disastrous morning we’d had.

  “Seems like they’re friends now,” I commented.

  “Oh, my brother.” Claudette rolled her eyes fondly. “He could charm that rock over there. Everyone loves him. He’s so good, while I’m…” She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

  “I think you’re perfectly fine,” I reassured her.

  She flashed me a smile. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”

  Once the sun began sinking toward the horizon, we set up camp. Emile assured us we’d reach the town by late afternoon. Leonid kept glancing at the horizon, impatient, but when he saw how tired the rest of us were, he relented.

  After Aden helped Quinn off the horse, she raced to the wooded area off the side of the road, shouting, “I’ll get firewood!”

  “Wait!” Aden shook his head and chased after her.

  West groaned from where he sat, slumped over. “I wish I was twelve again.”

  “She sat on a horse all day,” Leonid pointed out. “Of course she has energy. If she hadn’t volunteered to fetch firewood, I would have forced her to.”

  Claudette, who was in the process of removing her horse’s saddle, stopped to stare at him. “That’s horrible. Irina, you like this guy?”

  “For some reason, I do,” I said, making Claudette laugh.

  Leonid scowled. “What do you mean, for some reason?” When I shrugged and didn’t answer, Leonid stalked over to me. “Just for that, I’m not going to go easy on you tonight during your knife training.”

  I groaned. “Can’t we skip that? I’m exhausted.”

  “No. Absolutely not. As soon as you finish eating, we’re training.”

  I flopped down on the grass, certain I would never be able to get up again. Jaegger, curled up next to me, opened one of his eyes and rumbled, “I can eat him if you want, little bird.”

  “Not tonight.”

  “‘Not tonight?’” Leonid echoed as everyone else erupted into laughter. “Lark, you’re killing me here.”

  “Lark?” Claudette asked.

  “It’s his nickname for me,” I explained. “I used to have a lark necklace. It was my mother’s. It’s also why Jaegger calls me ‘little bird.’”

  Claudette exchanged a startled glance with Emile. “What does a lark look like again?”

  “It’s a brown bird with a pointy beak. It may not be the prettiest of birds, but that necklace meant the world to me,” I said.

  “Of course it did,” Emile murmured. He was still watching his sister. “The card?”

  She nodded slowly. “I think Aeonia’s fortune came true, after all this time.”

  I sat up, feeling chilled. “What are you talking about?” Aeonia had made me pick a card from her deck, and I’d drawn the dragon card, confirming what I’d already feared: that she knew about Jaegger.

  Claudette closed her eyes and recited, “‘There will be a time when you have to make a decision. Where you will have to choose between friends or foe. And the fate of another will rest on your decision.’” She opened her eyes. “That’s what Aeonia said when I drew a card with a lark on it. I’ve been suspicious since you said the name of your city is Dusk. That was the other card I drew: a landscape awash in a fiery sunset. In other words, dusk.”

  “The decision you had to make was whether you wanted to side with us,” I said slowly, working out the fortune. “And choosing between friends and foe… Does that mean us or Michel?”

  “But whose fate rests on her decision?” Leonid asked. We glanced at one another. It could mean any one of us. Jaegger, Vernen, even Parnaby…

  “I always thought it was nonsense,” Claudette said with a wave of her hand. “Emile’s fortune was even worse. She told him he was going to fall in love with someone who’d died. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

  A stunned silence settled over my group.

  “WHAT?” CLAUDETTE LAUGHED NERVOUSLY, GLANCING at each of us in turn when still no one said anything. Her expression turned grave. “You can’t be serious. One of you died?” When describing what’d happened with Bantheir, I hadn’t told her about that part. I never felt it was my story to tell, not when Vernen was still adapting to what’d happened to him.

  “It was me,” Vernen said quietly. “It’s why I can do magic now. I was a regular soldier and I was killed, and when Jaegger brought me back to life in exchange for Bantheir’s life, I came back with Bantheir’s magic.” He turned to Emile. “I’m a broken monster and you want nothing to do with me, so you’re better off pretending you never heard Aeonia’s fortune.” And with that he stalked off toward the forest, muttering something about firewood.

  “Vernen!” I jumped to my feet, racing after him. Since he’d come back from the dead he hadn’t uttered that many words at once. My heart broke. Even after everything we’d said to him, about how he wasn’t different, he still thought of himself as a monster. “Vernen!” I called again as I jumped over a fallen tree stump. I caught up to him before he disappeared into the inky darkness of the trees. I didn’t hear Aden and Quinn, but I imagined they couldn’t be too far away. “Come here.” I guided him back to the tree stump, instructing him to sit down. Leonid was watching us, so I held up a hand, letting him know I could handle this. It was my turn to speak to Vernen.

  I plopped down next to him, my legs screaming in relief. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I asked, “You really don’t believe that, do you?”

  Vernen squeezed his eyes shut. “He was so nice to me today, and now he probably hates me for talking to him like that.”

  “I don’t think Emile is capable of hatred,” I said, remembering what Claudette had said about her brother. “And besides, I think he understands. You were caught by surprise with Aeonia’s prediction. Although… Do you really want to push him away like that?” I nudged him with my shoulder. “He is awfully nice. And handsome. Don’t tell Leonid I said that, though.”

  Vernen chuckled quietly. “Don’t tell Leon that I think Emile is handsome, too.”

  I threw my arms around him. “Forget what Aeonia said. She was just a kid when she was telling them their fortunes. Just do what your heart tells you is right.”

  “But sometimes my heart tells me to do the wrong thing,” Vernen whispered, a haunted look on his face.

  “So far, you haven’t done the wrong thing, so I think you’re going to be fine. You heart is in the right place, Vernen. You just need to learn to trust yourself.” I gave him one more squeeze before letting go. “Now come on, aren’t you hungry? Don’t you want more stale bread and cheese?”

  Vernen shook his head, smiling again. “I can’t wait to get to that town tomorrow.”

  “Me too.”

  THE MOMENT I FINISHED EATING, Leonid pounced, asking, “Are you done? Good. Come with me.”

  West let out a whistle, which earned him a glare. Even though I wanted to remain sitting so I could rest my weary feet, I got up and joined him.

  As we walked away from the group and the cheery fire Aden and Quinn had built, the absence of Jaegger’s familiar weight in my arms unnerved me. After gul
ping down half a loaf of bread, the dragon had made a face and stalked off to the wooded area, declaring he’d catch his own meal before searching for Aeonia. He still hadn’t told me what his plans for tonight were. I trusted him, but at the same time, I’d come very close to losing him this morning. I didn’t want him to risk his life needlessly, especially when he wasn’t at full strength.

  Leonid stopped in front of a cluster of trees and gave them an appraising look in the moonlight. He’d led us in the opposite direction of the wooded area and I wasn’t sure what he was looking for until he nodded and handed me one of his knives. “I’m going to have you practice throwing it. After,” he said with a scowl, “I teach you how to hold it properly.” Coming up behind me, he placed both of his hands on mine, curling my fingers around the hilt of the knife. “Is that all right?” His mouth was close to my ear, making me shiver.

  It felt like forever since we’d stood like this. I turned my head, glancing up at him through my lashes and Leonid sucked in a sharp breath. “Hello,” I said softly.

  His eyes dipped to my lips. In the darkness, the bruises under Leonid’s eyes gave him a hollow, haunted look, but it did nothing to diminish his good looks. “Hello,” he said, and I was pleased to hear his voice trembling slightly. Then he snapped out of it with a shake of his head and took a step back, much to my disappointment. “The knife, Lark.”

  “Fine.” I turned my attention back to the blade in my hands. “And yes, if you mean my wounds, it’s all right. The burn doesn’t even hurt anymore. West put some ointment on my fingers that helped.”

  “And your left hand?” Even in the darkness I could see the flash of anger that flitted over his face. “I will never forgive Parnaby for stabbing you like that—”

  “It doesn’t hurt,” I interrupted. “Really, I’m all right, Leonid. It’ll take more than that to do me in.”

  “I know.” His voice throbbed with emotion. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.”

  My breath caught and I shook my head, unable to speak. But maybe I didn’t have to. Leonid nodded slightly, as if he knew exactly what I wanted to say.

  “Come here,” he instructed. “Let me show you how to actually use the blade as a weapon.”

  We practiced for three quarters of an hour, the moon slowly making its way across the starlit sky. He showed me how to lunge and parry with the knife, instructing me to repeat the movements until he deemed me satisfactory. I hoped I’d never have to use the knife on someone, but I understood why he was teaching me. It was better to have a way to defend myself than to rely on the others to protect me.

  “Now for the fun part.” Taking the knife from me, Leonid flipped it in the air, where it spun a few times before he caught it by the hilt.

  “Show off,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Not yet.” He threw the knife and it sailed across the clearing, landing in the trunk of one of the trees with a soft thunk. “Now I’m showing off.”

  “Do you expect me to do that?” I asked as he jogged over to retrieve the blade.

  With a smirk, he said, “No, of course not.” I made to hit him and he ducked out of the way. “But try it anyway.”

  It was disastrous. My first attempt didn’t even hit the tree. Barely concealing his laughter, Leonid fetched the knife and pulled me closer to the tree before he made me try again. This time the knife bounced off the bark and almost stabbed him in the foot. Leonid let out a yelp and jumped away. Now I was the one who was laughing.

  “I’d say you did that on purpose, but your aim is so awful I know it was an accident,” he muttered.

  “You’re horrible.”

  He gave me one of his rare smiles. “I’m not saying anything that isn’t true, am I?”

  “Keep talking, mister.” I snatched the knife from his outstretched hand. “And watch yourself.”

  “Lark, I could stand right in front of you and you’d miss.” He was still smiling as he closed the distance between us.

  I raised my brows. “Do you want to test that theory?” I took a step closer to him and aimed the knife at his heart. “What if I hit you right here?”

  Leonid closed his fingers over mine. “You know my heart is already yours.”

  Oh, how I missed this. It’d only been a few days, but it felt like a lifetime since we’d bantered so easily. “Leonid…”

  “I don’t care what you did in Dusk,” he murmured. “You were trying to protect Vernen and Jaegger. I understand that now. I’m sorry I yelled at you. It was too much to take in and I was frightened.” He let go of my hand to cup my cheek. I leaned into his touch as he brushed my skin with his calloused thumb. “Can we go back to the way things were before?”

  “I’d like that.” I shivered and Leonid wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. We took a few steps back until I was pressed against the truck of one of the trees I’d been aiming at. Leonid’s face dipped closer to mine, but before our lips could touch, I said, “I promise I’ll be upfront about everything from now on. Keeping secrets from you? That was a poor decision on my part.”

  “I know why you did it. You were frightened. Aeonia is intimidating,” he said.

  “Do you think we can retrieve the stone from her?”

  “Shh. Let’s not speak about her right now.” Before I could ask him what he did want to talk about, his lips captured mine in a kiss that was equal parts sweet and breathtaking.

  The bark of the tree dug into my spine through my coat, but I ignored it as I pulled Leonid closer. His entire length was pressed against me, burning me through the layers we both wore. I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him closer still. Groaning against my lips, Leonid deepened the kiss and I closed my eyes, dizzy as I drowned in his touch.

  Leonid broke away with a startled yell and stumbled back, tripping over an exposed root and landing on his bottom.

  “What?!” I whirled around, my heart hammering. I half expected to see Aeonia behind us, ready to strike. My eyes searched the ground and I cursed. I’d dropped the knife at some point and had no idea where it was. “What is it?”

  Weakly, Leonid pointed up.

  I followed the direction of his finger, swallowing a shriek when I saw two aqua-colored eyes burning in the darkness. “Jaegger!”

  The dragon was draped over one of the branches, his body the size of a dog and his expression amused. “Don’t stop on my account.” He stretched, his talons digging into the branch.

  “Were you spying on us?” I threw my hands in the air. “How long have you been watching us?”

  “Not long. Luckily it seems I arrived just in time for the good part.”

  Leonid scrambled to his feet and brushed dirt off the back of his coat. “Why are you watching us? What is wrong with you?”

  “How rude,” Jaegger sniffed. “When I was trapped in that other world, after I’d given out my Essence and was waiting for my followers to make their wishes, I watched humans. What the two of you were doing was always my favorite part.”

  “Jaegger!” My faced burned.

  “You,” Leonid said, shaking his head, “need a new hobby. Desperately.”

  Jaegger snapped his teeth with an audible click and Leonid took a nervous step back. “Should I start with eating insulting soldiers?”

  “Lark,” Leonid said through gritted teeth. “Please tell your dragon not to eat me.”

  Now that my heart was slowing down, I had enough sense to tease Leonid. “I have told him that, but I can’t guarantee that he’ll listen to me.”

  He muttered a curse, bent down to retrieve the knife from where I’d dropped it, and stalked away.

  Jaegger watched him go. “I’m sorry I interrupted you two.”

  “Are you actually sorry for us, or are you sorry that you didn’t get to watch more of…” I trailed off, unsure of how far things would have actually progressed. We’d stepped away from our friends, but anyone could have walked over and found us. Even Quinn! I started blushing again. We’ll need to exercise s
ome self-control. How hard can that be? I remembered the feel of Leonid’s hands on me, of his lips against mine, of his body deliciously pressed against me in all the right spots, and I groaned.

  It was going to be impossible.

  I sank down to the ground, leaning my back against the tree trunk. Jaegger nimbly jumped from his branch, landing silently at my feet. I opened my arms, expecting him to crawl into my lap, but the dragon shook his head.

  “Not tonight, little bird. I have work to do.”

  “You’re going to track Aeonia?”

  He raised his nose to the wind, sniffing. “I will try. Don’t wait up for me. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.” He paused, his voice lowering. “It’s been a long time since I felt the wind on my wings.”

  I jolted forward. “Wait—you’re going flying?” When he’d said he was going to track her, I’d thought he’d meant magically. That’s why he needed to rest and build up his strength. As I sat there, watching him expand until he was bigger than Claudette’s horse, I realized how wrong I’d been. “Jae, someone might see you!”

  He rolled his eyes, which looked so odd that I had to laugh. He’s spending too much time with us—we’ve corrupted him with our mannerisms. “Little bird, I will blend in with the night sky,” he said, indicating his obsidian-colored scales with a flick of his tail. “Besides, there are not many humans around. No one will see me.”

  My smile slipped away and I reached for him. “Just… Be careful. It was only a few hours ago that you—”

  He butted his head against my hand. “Why do you keep forgetting that I’m a god? I’m not fragile like you humans.” Turning away, he stretched his impressive wings open and flapped them twice, which created a mini-breeze that blew my limp curls against my face. “But I thank you,” he continued soberly, “for your concern. It’s been a long time since someone cared for me. Not since the days the dragons roamed the earth freely.”

  My heart ached at that. “Oh, Jae…”

  “Rest, little bird. You deserve it after all you’ve been through. But don’t do anything with your lover while I’m gone,” he added with a cheeky grin. “I don’t want to miss that!”