The trees grew twisted.
Kael hadn't noticed at first. But now he saw it the way their branches curled like broken fingers, the bark split with dark veins. The air smelled wrong here. Not like rot. Like nothing at all.
Lira walked slower now. Her hand never left her dagger.
"This is it," she said. "The Hollow."
A house stood ahead. Or what was left of one. The roof sagged. The windows were empty holes. Vines crawled up the walls, but even they looked dead.
Kael's arm burned. The leather cord around his wrist had turned black.
"She won't help you," the sword murmured. "No one does. Not for free."
Lira knocked. The sound echoed, too loud in the quiet.
The door opened.
A woman stood there. Tall. Thin. Her hair was white, but she didn't look old. She looked... empty. Like a reflection in dirty water.
Her eyes landed on Kael's arm. "Ah," she said. No smile. No frown. Just... recognition.
Lira bowed her head. "Mistress Veya."
Veya stepped aside. "Come in. If you dare.
The Price of Answers
The inside of the house was worse.
Dust floated in the air, but it didn't settle. Candles burned with no flame. A chair sat by the fireplace, but no one sat in it.
Kael's skin prickled.
Veya didn't offer tea. Didn't ask their names. She just pointed at Kael's arm. "Show me."
He rolled up his sleeve. The sigils had spread. They reached his elbow now, pulsing faintly.
Veya traced one with her finger. Cold shot through Kael's veins.
"Demon-forged steel," she said. "Old. Hungry." She looked at Kael. "It wants your grief. Feeds on it."
Lira tensed. "Can you remove it?"
Veya tilted her head. "Everything has a price."
"Here it comes," the sword whispered. "The knife in the dark."
Kael swallowed. "What do you want?"
Veya smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "A memory."
The First Loss
She made them sit.
"Give me one," Veya said. "A real one. The kind that keeps you awake."
Lira went stiff. "No."
Veya shrugged. "Then leave."
Kael looked at Lira. Saw the fear in her eyes. He turned back to Veya. "Take one of mine."
The sword laughed. "Fool. She'll take the best part of you."
Veya placed her hands on Kael's temples. Her fingers were freezing.
"Think of it," she said. "The memory you can't forget."
Kael closed his eyes.
Lyss smiled up at him from her sickbed. Seven years old. Too small. Too pale.
Tell me about the stars," she whispered.
Kael held her hand. "Which ones?"
"All of them."
So he did. He talked until his voice cracked. Until she slept. Until the dawn came.
Her last morning.
Kael gasped.
The memory was gone. Ripped out. The space it left behind ached like a fresh wound.
He knew Lyss had died. But he couldn't remember her voice.
Veya exhaled, shuddering. For a moment, color touched her cheeks. "Good," she murmured. Then, to Lira: "Your turn."
Lira's face went blank. "No."
Veya sighed. "Then the bargain's broken."
The house creaked. The candles flickered.
Kael grabbed Lira's wrist. "It's okay," he lied.
Lira's jaw clenched. Then, slowly, she nodded.
Veya touched her forehead.
A boy with Lira's eyes laughed as she pinned him in the dirt. "Cheater!"
She grinned. "Sore loser."
He threw a handful of leaves at her. "Race you home?"
She never caught him.
Lira made a sound like a wounded animal.
Veya stepped back, breathing hard. "Done."
The house groaned. Dust swirled. Something unseen scurried in the shadows.
Veya pressed a vial into Kael's hand. Black liquid swirled inside. "Drink it at moonrise," she said. "It will silence the sword. For a time."
Lira stood, shaking. "How long?"
Veya's smile was hollow. "Long enough to say goodbye."
The Walk Back.
They didn't speak.
Kael clutched the vial. Lira stared straight ahead, her face a mask.
The trees whispered. The wind carried voices that weren't there.
Lira stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry."
Kael looked at her. "For what?"
She didn't answer.
He understood.
They kept walking.
The sword stayed quiet.
For now.
TO BE CONTINUED....