Chapter 124
The whispers led me away from the cavern and deeper into the forest.
I followed them without entirely knowing where I was going. They were faint now, no longer overwhelming, but every so often a name would brush past my ears, carried on the wind, and I would instinctively change direction.
Rhaevan walked beside me, alert as ever.
He hadn't questioned me again, but I could tell he had no idea where I was taking him.
Neither did I.
At least, not consciously.
The trees grew thicker as we went deeper into the forest, their branches twisting overhead and blocking most of the light. The ground was uneven beneath our feet, covered with fallen leaves and tangled roots.
Then I stopped.
Ahead of us stood an enormous tree, far older than anything else surrounding it. Its trunk was wide enough that several people would have had to join hands to encircle it, and its roots rose from the earth like ancient walls before disappearing beneath the soil again.
Something about it felt familiar.
Not the tree itself, but the magic around it.
I pushed aside a curtain of overgrown branches and found a small clearing hidden behind the roots.
There, almost completely concealed beneath thick bushes and years of wild growth, was a structure made of pale stone.
I crouched down.
"We're here."
Rhaevan immediately came beside me and crouched down as well.
He brushed away the weeds and dead leaves covering the stone.
Slowly, an old slab emerged from beneath the vegetation.
It was not shaped like an ordinary grave. The stone was long and broad, its edges carved with delicate interlocking patterns that had been worn smooth by time. At its centre was the unmistakable symbol of Ardentia, etched deeply into the stone.
I stared at it.
Someone had deliberately hidden this place.
The Star Compass in my hand suddenly grew warm. Its runes began to glow.
I didn't think. I simply placed the compass against the flat surface of the stone, as if some part of me knew what to do.
The moment it touched the slab, the symbol of Ardentia illuminated beneath it.
Light travelled through the carvings, spreading outward in thin lines.
Rhaevan leaned closer.
The stone beneath the compass shimmered. Then letters began appearing across its surface.
I stared at it.
Words slowly formed in ancient script before settling into a language I could understand.
I read them aloud.
"When flame yields and still waters surrender what they guard, seek last where silence was denied to the fallen.
Go where stone stands broken, yet memory endures in names carved against forgetting.
Where restless winds move through hollow ruins and carry the voices of the dead, there waits the final fragment.
Let only the unwavering proceed."
Silence followed. I slowly lifted the compass.
The glow faded, but the inscription remained.
I reached for the map and unfolded it.
As expected, the parchment shifted beneath my fingers. The lines of the forest rearranged themselves, revealing another location farther beyond the mountains and the lake.
I studied it carefully, "Hmm."
Rhaevan remained silent.
I looked back at the inscription.
"After the mountains and the waters, we have winds and hollow ruins, voices of the dead..." I frowned. "So someplace where there are... graves?"
I looked at Rhaevan.
He hadn't even heard the question properly.
His attention was fixed on the inscription, his expression thoughtful.
"The Sanctuary of the Fallen."
He said it with such certainty that I blinked.
"That was quick."
I looked at him, impressed despite myself.
"I think you're getting the hang of this."
He sighed softly.
"The warriors and the brave fallen of Ardentia were given the utmost respect. Those who died protecting the kingdom were buried in the sanctuary, and their names were engraved into the stone so they would never be forgotten."
His eyes moved over the inscription again.
"The broken stones. The names of the dead. The restless winds moving through the ruins."
He looked at me.
"It can only be the Sanctuary of the Fallen."
I raised an eyebrow.
"And do you know where this place is?"
He nodded. "Yes."
I stared at him for a second.
Then I pushed myself to my feet and dusted the dirt from my skirt.
"Well, then, what are we waiting for?"
I folded the map and slipped it back into the satchel.
"Let's move quickly. Once we procure the third fragment, only the Heartforge remains."
Rhaevan slowly rose from beside the ancient grave.
He looked at me.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then a faint smile touched his lips.
"Only the Heartforge remains."
I didn't notice the strange weight behind his words.
I simply smiled and turned toward the forest path.
"We're almost there."
Rhaevan watched me for another moment before following.