Chapter 102
Her question struck me with unexpected force.
I swallowed hard. "If it remembers war, it must."
A faint, melancholic smile crossed her lips. "Then maybe there's hope."
Pine and old rain scented the air as wind rustled through the trees. The persistent hum softened to something resembling a sigh.
For the first time since the earth had torn apart, the forest no longer seemed to warn us.
It was waiting.
The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken possibilities. My skin prickled with the sensation of being watched not by anything visible, but by the ancient consciousness that permeated this place.
"We should go," I murmured, taking a step back.
That's when we heard it a low, resonant pulse that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The ground beneath our feet trembled.
"It's choosing," she whispered, eyes wide with terror and wonder.
And I knew with bone deep certainty that we weren't just witnesses anymore.
We were catalysts.
POV: Isla
Morning came slow, like the world wasn’t sure if it wanted to wake. A dull gold light crept through the canopy, brushing the leaves with tired warmth. Everything smelled like damp earth and pine sap, the kind of scent that used to make me feel safe. But now it only made my heart beat faster, as though something beneath the soil was aware I was breathing.
The hum had quieted overnight, but its echo lingered an invisible thread tugging behind my ribs. Every time I moved too far from the clearing, I felt it pull. Like the bridge didn’t want me to leave.
By the time I reached the training field, most of the pack was already awake. Warriors sparred in silence, their movements sharp and restless. Every clash of blade against blade made the ground tremble faintly, as if the earth itself was flinching.
Tristan was there, leading drills. His expression was unreadable, but I could tell he was forcing himself to pretend this was normal.
He caught my eye mid command, the faintest flicker of relief crossing his face before he turned away again.
I tried to focus. Gods, I tried. But my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
I kept hearing Kieran’s words from last night. Bind us or break us. Sometimes there’s no difference.
What if the bridge didn’t just remember us what if it wanted us to remember too?
A voice behind me pulled me out of my thoughts. “You shouldn’t be here without resting.”
I turned to see Kieran standing there, his coat half undone, dark circles bruising the skin beneath his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all.
“I couldn’t stay away,” I said. “Every time I try to sleep, it calls.”
Kieran’s gaze softened, but only for a second. “Then maybe it’s not calling you. Maybe it’s warning you.”
I folded my arms. “And yet you’re still here.”
He gave a small, humorless smile. “Because I’d rather be near what’s coming than wait for it to find me in the dark.”
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him he was being reckless. But the truth was I felt the same way.
Later that afternoon, I went to the river.
It was the only place that still felt untouched. The water moved slow, gentle, carrying sunlight in quiet ripples. I crouched near the edge, trailing my fingers through the current, hoping to drown out the noise in my head.
But then something shimmered beneath the surface. A reflection not mine.
A face I didn’t recognize.
Silver eyes, sharp and ancient. Lips that moved but made no sound.
I blinked and it vanished, replaced by my own reflection.
My heart pounded. I stumbled back, nearly slipping on the wet stones.
Kieran was there again. Watching from the tree line.
“How long were you standing there?” I demanded.
“Long enough to see you nearly fall into the river,” he said, stepping closer. “What did you see?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know. A reflection. Someone else’s.”
He knelt beside me, his hand brushing the water’s surface. “The bridge’s reach is spreading. The river’s part of it now.”
“That’s impossible.”
He looked up at me then really looked. “Everything that breathes in this forest belongs to it. You feel that, don’t you?”
I did. Deep down, I did. But admitting it out loud made it real.
“What if it’s not trying to hurt us?” I whispered. “What if it’s remembering for a reason?”
Kieran didn’t answer. His fingers tightened around a small stone he’d lifted from the riverbed. It pulsed faintly, golden light flickering inside like a trapped heartbeat.
He pocketed it. “Then we need to find out what it wants before someone else does.”
“Someone else?” I frowned.
His expression darkened. “The Council sent scouts this morning. They think the disturbance might be the start of another surge.”
I froze. “They’re going to destroy it, aren’t they?”
“If they can.”
“And if they can’t?”
Kieran met my gaze. “Then we make sure it doesn’t destroy us.”