The Whispering Echoes (Smoke and Mirrors Book 3)

by Melissa Giorgio

  “Even now you’re in pain, aren’t you?” he asked quietly after I’d trailed off. “You’re masking it, but I know you, Lark. I know you’re suffering.”

  “It’s not as bad as yesterday. Now that I know what to do, the pain’s become manageable. And,” I added, “Jaegger’s been helping shoulder some of that pain, too.”

  “Hmm.” Leonid’s reply was noncommittal. It was too soon to expect him to forgive the dragon. I knew from experience; he still hadn’t forgiven Aden for what he’d done to me when I was in prison, and Aden had more than made up for that since then.

  “When I’m distracted, it’s better,” I said. There was a crack in the ceiling, and I followed it with my eyes, wondering how many patients had stayed in this room, staring at that same crack. “But when I’m alone and I start thinking about what’s next…”

  His fingers folded around mine. “We have to get that stone back to Dusk. Back to Parnaby.”

  I took a deep breath, nervous. “Leonid—”

  “Don’t.” He shook his head. “Don’t say it, Lark.”

  “But you know you can’t go. Not like this.” I gestured toward his shoulder and his ribs.

  “So then we’ll wait,” Leonid said stubbornly. “A few more days, and I’ll be fine.”

  “It won’t be a few more days. And we can’t afford to wait. She’s…” I sat up in bed and hugged myself. “She’s going to come back. The stone is going to call to her, if it hasn’t already.” I could feel his intense gaze on my back, but I didn’t tilt my head to look at him.

  “But you said Jaegger did something to hide it,” Leonid protested. “That should buy us some time.”

  “Leonid, you don’t understand. That stone is evil. It whispers to you, its words echoing over and over in your head until you go mad listening to it.” Remembering some of the things the stone had said, I covered my ears and shook my head, trying to drown out the voices. Even now, when the stone was secure, I could almost hear it…

  “Lark.” Leonid put his hand on the small of my back; I could feel the heat from his skin through my borrowed shirt. When I turned to look at him, his eyes were sad as he accepted his fate of staying behind. “Who will you take?”

  “Jaegger,” I said automatically. “Claudette and Emile said they wanted to come as well. To see this to the end. Claudette blames herself for what’s happened, and even though I don’t believe it’s her fault, I welcome her company. She’s good in a fight. Plus, they already have horses, so I could ride with one of them.”

  He nodded his agreement. “That makes sense. We don’t have enough gold left to hire two more stagecoaches, not to mention how long it would take. I don’t like splitting us up, but a smaller group would be better. You’ll move faster and attract less attention.” Laughing softly, Leonid said, “Then again, you’re traveling with a dragon, so you’re going to attract attention regardless of what you do.”

  “This is so hopeless.” A sense of panic crawled over my skin like insects.

  “Hey. Lark. Look at me.” Leonid’s arm snaked around my waist and he pulled me to him. I shifted my body, mindful of his ribs, and stared down at him. “It’s not hopeless. Look at all you’ve accomplished already. You got the stone back. Now you just need to bring it to Dusk and this nightmare will be over.”

  “I wish you were coming with me.”

  “I do too, but honestly?” Leonid’s lips curled up into a smile. “You don’t need me. You’ve proven that more than once, and that was before you were able to wield magic. Aeonia would be an idiot to try and face you now.”

  I flopped down next to him. “Almost everything you said just now was right. But I do need you, Leonid.”

  He gave me a rakish smile. “It’s nice to know I’m still useful.”

  I pretended to reconsider my words. “Sometimes.”

  “Sometimes?!” Growling, he reached for me, but he stopped with a groan, his hand going up to his shoulder. “I guess right now is one of those times I’m not useful.”

  Feeling bad for teasing him, I brushed my lips against his, which worked exactly how I expected it to. Smiling up at me, he wound one of my curls around his finger. “Promise me you’ll get better soon,” I whispered.

  “I will,” Leonid said. “I’ll be right behind you. I’ll get on the floor and beg Ben to drive us back to Dusk in his coach with a promise to pay him once we’ve arrived if I have to.”

  Picturing Leonid bumping around in the coach with cracked ribs made me wince in sympathy. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Do you have a better one?” His fingers detangled from my hair to brush against my cheek. “Any chance you’ll grow those wings I mentioned earlier? You could fly me to Dusk then.”

  “That’s not happening,” I replied dryly. “And if you want someone with wings to carry you, use Jae.”

  He pretended to pout. “I don’t want Jae; I want you!”

  “No.”

  “Give me one good reason why not!”

  Exasperated, I said, “I’ll give you two. One, you’re too heavy. And wings, Leonid? I would never be able to wear regular clothes ever again!”

  As soon as I said that, I knew I shouldn’t have. Watching Leonid’s face spread into a slow, sly grin, I braced myself for whatever idiocy was about to come out of his mouth.

  “I wouldn’t have a problem with you walking around naked.”

  I hit him in the face with my pillow.

  “Ow! I can’t believe you’re hitting an injured person!” Leonid complained. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he yelled, “West! Irina’s beating me up!”

  “Oh be quiet,” I said. “Besides, I aimed for your face. That’s the only part of you that isn’t injured.”

  “That’s not the only part—ow, Lark!” he yelled as I hit him in the face again.

  “What is going on in here?” West asked from the doorway. I hadn’t even heard the bedroom door open.

  I pointed at a sputtering Leonid. “He’s making inappropriate comments.”

  Rolling his eyes, West said, “Oh, is that all? I thought there was a medical emergency.”

  “There is a medical emergency,” Leonid replied. “Lark keeps hitting me!”

  “I guarantee you deserve it.” With a wave, West left the room.

  I tightened my grip on my pillow and grinned evilly at Leonid.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” he said.

  Raising my brows, I countered, “Is that a challenge?”

  “I’m injured!” he howled right before I hit him again.

  AFTER DINNER EVERYONE GATHERED IN Leonid’s room. It was a tight fit, and after another long day I was starting to feel overwhelmed, but I forced myself to stay focused on the matter at hand. As if sensing my discomfort, Jaegger jumped up on the bed where I sat next to Leonid and curled up in my lap, giving Leonid a haughty look at the same time. Cursing under his breath, Leonid grabbed my hand and held it tightly, as if he expected me to run away, leaving him for Jaegger.

  “Don’t be jealous of the dragon,” I whispered.

  He scowled. “I’m not!”

  “You should be,” Jaegger replied, growling when I poked him in the side.

  “Behave.”

  After enough chairs were procured for everyone, I clapped my hands and the group turned their attention to the three of us sitting on the bed. “You probably know why we asked you here, but I’m going to say it anyway. We need to get the stone back to Dusk.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “And we need to do it soon,” Leonid said. His mouth tightened with displeasure. “Which means I can’t go.”

  Vernen shifted uneasily in his chair. “I’m not leaving you behind, Leon.”

  “Claudette and Emile are coming, along with me and Jaegger,” I said as the siblings nodded. “If the rest of you want to stay here and wait for Leonid to heal before returning to Dusk, I completely understand. Also, Leonid and I agreed a smaller group on horseback would be for the best.”

  “I
’m going with you,” Elyse said, rising from her chair. She looked around as if she expected someone to argue with her, and when no one said anything, she flushed and sat down. Elyse volunteering didn’t come as a surprise. Her desire to see Parnaby—despite what he’d done—had become impossible to ignore.

  “The girl should go,” Jaegger spoke up from my lap.

  Following his gaze, I saw he was referring to Quinn, who squeaked with surprise and pointed to herself. “Me?”

  “Because of the amplifier?” Claudette asked, relieved. Even though she’d stopped carrying it, I guess she still wants it nearby. It is hers.

  “Yes,” Jaegger said. “I would like to see if the magician can destroy it.”

  Claudette’s face went white with shock. “What? You can’t—that’s ours, from Ayres—”

  “The amplifier is older than your city,” Jaegger replied. “I’m sorry; I know you treasure it, but you’ve seen what it can do. And you’ve seen what Aeonia is capable of.”

  “Claudette, they killed scores of dragons with that,” I said.

  Emile glanced at his sister. “But what about humans? Can you use it on someone who possesses magic?” His eyes slid to Vernen, who pointedly ignored him.

  The dragon hummed thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen it done, but I believe if it’s the user’s intent…”

  “We have to destroy it,” Emile murmured to his sister.

  She covered her face with her hands and I felt a pang of sympathy for her as I remembered my mother’s lark. If Bantheir hadn’t stomped on it, I’d still be wearing it on a chain around my neck.

  “Fine,” she said through her fingers. “I’d be incredibly selfish if I refused, especially after seeing what Aeonia did to try to break the seal on what she thought was an amplifier.” Claudette removed her hands from her face and raised her brows. “By the way, Emile and I still don’t know what’s inside of the fake amplifier—the stone.”

  “Pure evil,” the dragon answered.

  “No kidding.”

  “Three magicians,” I said, tired of keeping the truth from her. Elyse shot me a warning look, but I ignored her. “The evilest, most powerful magicians who ever existed are trapped inside of that stone, and they can communicate with people who have magic, telling us to free them.”

  Claudette’s mouth had dropped open while Emile went very still, the blood draining from his face. “Are you serious?” she asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “But why did Aeonia think it was an amplifier?” she asked.

  “She was fooled. We all were. The whispers—the magicians—must have been telling her if she killed a dragon with a blade and used the sword to break the seal on the stone, she would be able to resurrect Ayres,” I said.

  West rolled his eyes. “Because that sounds so believable.”

  “To Aeonia it did,” Claudette said. “Whatever they whispered to her—it must have been exactly what she wanted to hear. She could bring back Ayres and…” Her gaze lowered to the floor. “And reconcile her friendship with me.”

  Emile leaned forward in his chair. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get the stone back to Dusk.”

  “This Parnaby…” Claudette addressed her question to Elyse. “He can protect the stone?”

  The blond nodded. “Yes. His family has been watching it since they first settled in what would later become the southern part of the city. I have no idea how Aeonia discovered it; it’s covered in wards meant to deter people from detecting it.”

  Jaegger shifted uneasily in my arms. Suspicious, I said, “Jae?”

  “I may know the reason for that. When I was summoned by Bantheir, my presence may have broken some of the spells without Parnaby realizing it…”

  Leonid groaned. “So this is all your fault, dragon?”

  Jaegger snapped his teeth in response. “It is not my fault I’m a powerful god—”

  “Jae,” I said warningly. “What did we talk about earlier?”

  Mollified, he swallowed whatever he was about to say and completely ignored Leonid, whose shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. I glared at him, throwing my hands up in the air when he didn’t stop. These two are unbelievable!

  “So that settles it?” West asked. “Irina, Jaegger, Claudette, Emile, Elyse and Quinn are returning to Dusk while me, Vernen, and Aden wait for the captain to heal before we follow you?”

  “When?” Elyse asked. “When do we leave?”

  Everyone’s eyes were on me when I answered, “Tomorrow at first light.”

  AFTER MANY, MANY PARTING KISSES with Leonid, I slipped across the hallway to my room with Jaegger. He had me sit down on the bed, cross-legged, as he paced the length of the room, explaining the mechanics of magic. I tried to pay attention, but my mind was elsewhere. Mainly I was thinking about tomorrow, and the trip home. Each step we took would be a step away from Leonid and the others. I knew we’d be reunited soon enough, but I didn’t like the idea of leaving them—him—behind.

  “Little bird!”

  I blinked. “What?”

  Jaegger shook his head. “You’re not listening. I’ve been calling your name for the past minute.”

  “Sorry.” Flopping back on the bed, I grabbed one of the pillows and hugged it to my chest. My left hand throbbed in response, but I ignored it. I was getting good at that. Lately, a day hadn’t gone by where one or two of my limbs weren’t hurting from either a stab wound or a burn. When this is over, when the stone’s back at Dusk, will I finally have a chance to heal?

  The magic dancing inside me was making me restless. Sitting up again, I swung my legs off the bed and went to the window. Throwing it open, I leaned on the windowsill and breathed in the chilly night air. Fairfield was spread before me, glowing gently against the darkened evening sky. Propping my head on my hands, I said, “I wish I had a chance to properly explore the city.” It didn’t seem fair that the first time I’d left Dusk, I wasn’t able to enjoy it. I knew I could come back, but that didn’t seem likely.

  Jaegger hopped up on the sill and joined me in gazing at the city. “It is nice, but very… mundane. I prefer Dusk. That’s a city with character.”

  “Elyse mentioned something to me,” I said slowly. “About Dusk and Parnaby. There’s more to that city than we think, Jae.”

  “We can ask the magician about it when we return.” The dragon seemed cheered by the prospect. “After we demand he destroy the amplifier.”

  “What if he won’t destroy it?” I picked at a piece of loose wood on the sill with my thumbnail. “What if he wants to use it?” My body went ice-cold. “Jae, what if he uses it on you?”

  “He will not.”

  “How do you know that?” I demanded.

  Looking pleased, he said, “Because we will not give him the stone until he destroys the amplifier.”

  I stared at him. “You’re going to threaten Parnaby.” Instead of answering, he gave me a toothy grin and my stomach dropped. “Jae.”

  “I’m not afraid of the magician. Nor should you be.” Jaegger butted me with his head.

  “Sorry, but I’m not a huge, all-powerful dragon,” I said. “If I tried to use magic against Parnaby, I’d embarrass myself. I’m not threatening at all.”

  “We will work on that.”

  “But I don’t want…” I trailed off, shaking my head.

  “You will not do anything you don’t want to do, little bird,” Jaegger said. “I promise you.”

  The piece of wood came free and I flicked it out the window. “You always make everything sound so easy. I wish… I wish I had your optimism.”

  “Confidence,” he corrected. “It’s called confidence.”

  I laughed at that, turning when there was a tap on the bedroom door. “Come in!”

  Vernen pushed open the door and stepped inside, looking uncertain.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” he said. “I just thought… Maybe we could practice together. Tonight, before Jaegger le
aves?”

  The dragon was still staring out at Fairfield when he spoke. “You have nothing to fear, Vernen. You will be fine on your own. You’re a good student.”

  “Thanks.” Flustered, Vernen ran a hand through his hair; he was wearing it loose tonight, and the brown locks spilled over his shoulders. “But what if I—”

  “Come now, Vernen,” I said, imitating Jaegger’s low, gravelly voice. “Where’s your confidence?”

  Jaegger smacked his tail against my arm and I yelped. Ignoring me, Jaegger leapt off the windowsill and onto the bed, where he turned around once before facing the both of us. “Fine, then. Let us practice.”

  AFTER HAVING US SIT CROSS-LEGGED on the floor, Jaegger began speaking, much like a teacher to his pupils. Again Jaegger stressed the importance of letting the magic flow back to nature. Doing this had become almost second nature to me; it was only when Jaegger pointed it out that I thought about it too hard and struggled to release the power coiling inside of me.

  “That happens to me, too,” Vernen confessed. “But it gets better with time.”

  Jaegger said, “You understand how important it is to practice this. I told you this before, but I will say it again: If you hoard the magic inside of you, it corrupts you. Like with Bantheir and the magicians from the old wars.” We nodded our understanding, both of us eager to expel the extra power. Parnaby feared Vernen would be just like Bantheir because he had Bantheir’s magic coursing through him. What he’d failed to mention was anyone could become like Bantheir if they abused the magic.

  I could be like him. That thought was even more frightening than the idea that it was Aeonia’s magic in my veins. I’d seen her make a tree grow at an astonishing rate, freeze Parnaby’s teleportation spell during our magic show, and engage Parnaby in a magical duel. Would I be capable of feats like that someday? I’d meant what I said when I told Jaegger I didn’t want to, but what if I didn’t have a choice? Vernen, too, didn’t want to use his magic, but he’d been forced to more than once already.