Page 73 of The City Of Fractured Memory

I instinctively cling tighter, my arms winding round Stryx’s neck, every muscle in my body tense as her vast form curves gracefully through the air. Then, the world begins to change around us. The blue haze of Lake Voyd gives way to something luminous and soft. I see it then, up ahead as I squint through the darkness: the rocky underside of Lunoreth, glistening with waterfalls that pour endlessly into the lake below. Tiny threads of light dance where the water cascades down, and I can’t help but gape as we float closer and I realise they are sprites—small, glowing beings that thrive in the mist.

We soar past plumes of water that seem to hang suspended in the air, each one glittering in the dawn like ribbons of starlight. My fear gives way to awe as I take it all in; the shifting blue light, the echoing hum of unseen magic vibrating through the air, the way the water catches on invisible currents before vanishing into the nothingness below.

Finally, Stryx angles downward towards one of the waterfalls. The sound grows deafening as we dive straight into it and I brace, only to find myself enveloped not in freezing water, but in a warm mist that shimmers gold for an instant before clearing. Stryx comes to a stop gently at the edge of another tunnel behind the waterfall, this one carved smooth and glowing faintly with veins of light that run through the stone. Instead of the roaring of the water I heard outside, in here the water drips softly instead, echoing through the passage like a steady heartbeat.

I slide down from Stryx’s back on unsteady legs, staring at her as she shifts once more into her humanoid form. I follow her longing gaze and turn toward the light at the far end of the tunnel, where faint blue and gold hues shimmer like the promise of another world. “That,” I whisper, still breathless, “was the most amazing and terrifying thing I’ve ever done.”

Stryx smiles faintly, gently ushering a couple of sprites from her hair. “Wait until you see what comes next.”

I amble after Stryx who leads the way through the tunnel, the pinprick of light at the end growing larger until we finally approach the exit. Stryx doesn’t hesitate before striding out into the early morning light, but I take a moment at the opening, taking a deep breath as I come to terms with the enormousness of what I’m about to do. Mortals are not permitted here, though given the uncertainty around my current blood status, I have to hope I’m not killed on the spot. It does make me wonder how my real father could have kidnapped me from here, assuming that what Stryx said is true. It doesn’t seem possible for a mortal to cross without help from an Echofae, but he must have managed it somehow.

I take another deep breath, and as I take my first step beyond the mouth of the tunnel, the world opens up before me, an impossible, breathtaking expanse of living light.

The first thing I notice is the air. It moves differently here, thick with energy, alive with a shimmering pulse that clings to my skin like a fine mist. Every breath I take feels electric, humming with a subtle vibration that sets my heart thrumming in time with the rhythm of the forest itself. I immediately feel a pull to the world around me, like the magic in my blood is desperate to dance with its kin.

All around me, the trees rise impossibly tall, their absurdly enormous trunks twisted and ancient, reaching up into a canopy laced with threads of silver-blue light. Vines drape from the branches like veins, glowing faintly like they are carrying the forest’s lifeblood, streams of luminescence that pulse and flicker with every whisper of the breeze.

Tiny winged creatures dart through the air around us, their forms little more than sparks of brilliance, some gold, some violet, others translucent as moonlight. They twirl and dip in elegant spirals, their movements so graceful it seems choreographed. One brushes past my cheek, leaving a faint trail of glowing dust that shimmers before fading into nothing.

For a long while, I stand in silence, turning in a slow circle as the world seems to breathe around me. A firefly lands gently on my skin, and a genuine laugh escapes me. I realise that for the first time in such a long, long time, I feel…joy. Pure, unrestrained joy. A strangled sob erupts from my lips as wonderful, happy tears sting my eyes. Stryx gives me a knowing smile.

“Welcome to Lunoreth,” she says quietly, her voice carrying a note of reverence that makes my pulse quicken, and for the first time in my life, I feel something deep and ancient whisper back.

I feel like I’m finally home.

Thirty-Two

“This place,” I whisper in awe. “It’s…alive.”

Stryx smiles, her eyes catching the blue light like crystals. “Everything here is,” she says softly. “Every leaf, every drop of water, every heartbeat. The forest remembers its makers, and it recognises you. We are all connected here.”

I freeze, my gaze flicking up to the towering trees once more. The veins of blue light seem to pulse in time with my racing heart, like the forest is answering my presence, greeting me. Stryx guides me forward through the trees, the silence starting to press on me. Even my Shadow remains suspiciously absent.

“Where is everyone?” I whisper, though I’m not sure why I feel the urge to keep my voice down.

“I’ll show you,” she smiles, her pace increasing, and it occurs to me then how desperate she must be to get back to her family after being gone for so long.

For her sake, I quicken my pace, following her along a heavily trodden path through the moss and bracken. As we walk, bioluminescent light pulses through the vines above and the fungi at our feet, acknowledging our presence, encouraging us forward. The trees start to thin out and structures start to appear after a while; small dwellings scattered about through the forest, their number increasing the closer we get to the centre. Eventually we reach a huge clearing, surrounded by a roiling river, and the sight ahead makes me stop dead in my tracks.

The heart of Lunoreth steals the breath straight from my chest.

I imagined many things on the journey here—ruins swallowed by moss, perhaps, or a glittering palace of the Echofae carved from light and glass—but nothing could have prepared me for this. Before us stretches a plain bathed in silver light, motes of gold glittering overhead like shards of glass caught in water. The river winds round the edge of the clearing, a wooden bridge carved over it leading to the most awe-inspiring structure. In the middle of the vast clearing, the biggest trees I’ve ever seen rise up like the bones of the world itself, their colossal trunks hollowed and merging together into a spiralling cathedral of living wood, stretching as far as I can see.

A flash of white snaps my attention back to the ground, and from between the pale, whispering trees, a creature emerges, graceful and otherworldly, its movements as fluid as water.

I’ve only ever seen drawings of an Orrathyn Wolf before, but none compare to the beauty of it in real life. It stands taller than a horse, its body sleek and luminous, its hide rippling with shades of moonlight and deep blue, as though constellations have been woven into its skin. Elegant horns curl from its head and faint shimmers of gold glowing beneath the surface of its fur.

My breath catches as it pads towards us, silent despite its vast size, its gaze intense and unwavering. Its eyes meet mine, and my heart stutters, my instincts screaming at me to back away from this unknown entity. The Orrathyn tilts its head slightly, its gaze calm, but impossibly ancient.

From behind it, a smaller one—perhaps its offspring—creeps forward, its steps soundless on the soft earth. Stryx bows her head slightly, an almost reverent gesture that makes my skin prickle.

I try to speak, but find my voice caught in my throat.

Then, like Stryx in her Irithys form, the creature speaks without moving its mouth, its voice curling round my mind with a soft, but mighty reverberation.

“Do not be afraid, child of two worlds.”

The voice feels like it’s coming from everywhere at once, resonating in my mind, my bones, the quiet rhythm of my pulse. My fear wavers, replaced by a strange calm that washes through me like warmth from a fire.