The Whispering Echoes (Smoke and Mirrors Book 3)

by Melissa Giorgio

  I could see from the way Ben’s eyes glazed over that he was already smitten with Elyse. Staying by her side, he explained about the horse’s temperament. While he did, I looked at Claudette. “Is he giving her the horse, or did someone pay for it?”

  Claudette shrugged. “At this point I feel like even if we all combined the contents of our purses, we still wouldn’t have enough to repay them for their kindness.”

  “He’ll retrieve the horse when the coach arrives at Dusk,” Vernen explained as he emerged from the stables with Jaegger.

  “You’re riding with me, Irina,” Claudette said. Quinn, after one last wave to Aden, joined Emile, while Jaegger, tiny size again, hopped into my lap after I was settled on Angeletta.

  Aden and Vernen were the only ones to see us off, but if I shut my eyes, I could picture Leonid lying in bed, probably arguing with West about how he was well enough to stand and come to the window. Touching my fingertips to my lips, I lifted them toward the house as I whispered, “Goodbye.”

  Claudette nudged the horse forward and we were off.

  Back to Dusk.

  THE ROAD OUT OF FAIRFIELD was clogged with travelers entering the city, chatting excitedly about the carnival. As we pressed past them, forced to dismount the horses because of all the traffic, I tucked Jaegger into the folds of my coat and kept my head down. When we were finally free from the city gates and the crowds, we mounted the horses and set off at a gallop.

  Between a restless night and the steady motion of the horse, I was soon lulled to sleep, but my dreams were plagued with whispers from the stone that kept waking me with a jolt. After the third time, Claudette glanced at me over her shoulder and asked, “Are you all right?”

  I rubbed at my eyes, feeling a headache forming. Even awake I could still hear the whispers, which is why I snapped, “I’m fine.”

  “Sorry I asked,” she muttered, turning her attention back to the road.

  Kill, kill, kill… It became a steady chant in my ears, growing louder and louder until it drowned out all other sounds. Pressing my hands to my ears, I shouted, “Enough!”

  Startled, Claudette pulled on the reins and her horse came to a halt. Emile and Elyse quickly followed suit, their horses flanking Claudette’s as everyone stared at me.

  “Little bird.” Jaegger had been walking alongside us for the past three hours and now he looked up at me, his eyes narrowed. “What is it?”

  “You don’t hear it?”

  Take the stone from the dragon. Take it, kill him, take it, free us…

  Jaegger actually took a stumbling step back, away from me. I’d never seen the dragon appear startled before and it scared me. “The stone is speaking to you?” he demanded.

  Clutching my head, I nodded miserably.

  With a frustrated growl the dragon stalked away, heading toward a copse of trees. The rest of us dismounted from the horses and my friends surrounded me. “What are you going to do?” Claudette asked.

  “Maybe… I can help Jae strengthen the wards on the stone?” It was impossible to miss the uncertainty in my voice. But I didn’t know what I could do, or if I even could do something to help. I have to try.

  Watching me for a moment, the other girl sighed and nodded. “We’ll take the horses to the stream we passed earlier. When we’re done, we’ll meet back here.”

  I joined Jaegger at the trees, skidding to a stop when I saw the stone resting on the ground. It caught the sunlight and glittered alluringly, mesmerizing me. Swaying on my feet, I listened to the voices until Jaegger plowed into me, knocking me flat on my back. I gasped as all of the air was knocked out of my lungs, and stared up at the blue, cloudless sky as my head cleared and the whispers receded.

  “Better?” he asked.

  I sat up with a wince. “Yes. Thank you.” I brushed some dirt from my coat sleeve. “Why can I hear them?”

  “The wards are breaking.” Sitting next to me, Jaegger’s tail thrashed in agitation. “I don’t know why.”

  The stone was such a harmless, even pretty, thing. It was hard to believe it was the cause of so much trouble. But now that Jaegger had—literally—knocked some sense into me, I kept my distance and ignored the persistent whispers in my ears. “Can you put them back up?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can I help?” I asked. Jaegger studied me for a moment. I stood still, wondering what he saw or sensed. Was my magic reacting to the stone? Maybe my help would be more of a hindrance. Just when I was about to get up and leave, the dragon surprised me by nodding.

  “But you must do exactly as I say,” he warned.

  I breathed in deeply, steeling myself. “What do you need me to do?”

  “I need you to gather the magic inside of you. Picture it as a ball.” Jaegger waited until I’d done that, humming his approval. “Instead of releasing it back into nature, I need you to drop that ball over the stone. Can you do that? Imagine the magic surrounding the stone like a shield. Do you see it?”

  “Yes,” I said softly, expending all of my energy on the magic I was placing over the stone. I felt Jaegger’s magic joining mine and together the two forces encased the stone tightly. There was no flash of light, no loud boom announcing we’d succeeded, but the whispers ceased immediately. I slumped over in relief. “We did it?”

  “For now.” Jaegger was eyeing the stone warily. “I don’t think this ward is going to last, either. These magicians… Somehow, they’re getting stronger.”

  I couldn’t stop my gasp of horror. If they were getting stronger, what was to stop them from breaking free of their prison on their own? What if we returned the stone to Dusk, to Parnaby, but we were too late? “Jae—”

  “Our only hope is returning to Dusk in time,” he said, correctly guessing my thoughts. “If there truly is some secret source of magic in that city, that might be our only hope in stopping this before it’s too late. We can’t unleash these horrors into the world, little bird. We would be no match for them.”

  “We have to hurry,” I said grimly. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as that. As our travels continued we had to halt again to reinforce the wards, and by the time we stopped for the evening, I’d bitten my tongue so hard in hopes of ignoring the magician’s whispers that my mouth was full of the coppery taste of blood. As I slid off the horse I collapsed to my knees, nearly sobbing with exhaustion. Jaegger took one look at me and left with the stone to put the wards up by himself.

  Quinn tried to get me to eat and drink something, but I refused, falling asleep right where I’d fallen. When I woke, hours later, the sky was black and a fire was crackling ten feet from me. I stood slowly, stretching out my sore muscles, and joined Claudette from where she kept watch, her sword lying in her lap. Wordlessly she handed me a water flask, which I drank from deeply before devouring a slice of bread and cheese.

  Across from us Emile, Elyse, and Quinn slept. “Where’s Jae?” I asked quietly so I wouldn’t disturb them.

  “He thought it best to keep the stone away from you.” Claudette’s expression was troubled. “Irina, he said something about taking the stone to Dusk without any of us.”

  My stomach clenched in fear. That sounded like a horrible idea where so many things could go wrong. I pictured him and Parnaby in the same room, battling it out because they refused to get along. They needed us there to diffuse the situation.

  Although…

  “Maybe I should stay behind,” I murmured. “I’m the one the stone is talking to, right? I’m the one endangering the mission.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone out here,” Claudette said fiercely. “I don’t care if we’re only a day’s ride from Fairfield; it isn’t safe.”

  I dug my fingers into the dirt, feeling miserable. “This is my fault. If only I was stronger…”

  “No one is blaming you. Everyone traveling with you has experienced the dangers of magic firsthand,” she said. “I don’t think you could ignore the voices. Even if you were stronger. Aeonia heard them, and look at what she di
d.” Claudette nodded, as if coming to a decision. “We’ll just have to distract you tomorrow so you don’t hear the voices talking.”

  Talking… With a jolt I realized I hadn’t checked in with Vernen yet. I tested the bond, relieved to feel it was still there despite my exhaustion. I said his name tentatively and a few moments later he responded. Irina? Are you all right?

  Sorry I didn’t contact you sooner. I fell asleep without meaning too, I said.

  How is it?

  Not good. I filled him in on the voices and how the wards kept dropping. I shouldn’t have come, Vernen. I’m slowing us down and—

  You had to go, he said. You’re the only one who can keep Jaegger from killing Parnaby. And I know you can do this. You’re stronger than the stone, Irina. You’re not going to fall for their tricks.

  How come you never heard them? I wanted to know.

  He hesitated for a long moment. I did hear them, back at Parnaby’s mansion, remember? I just couldn’t understand them.

  But why?

  I don’t know. Maybe you’re stronger than me. I mean, you have Aeonia’s magic running through you, right? She’s clearly stronger than Bantheir was. He had no idea about Parnaby’s manipulation magic, remember?

  Maybe. I’ll have to ask Jae. Although I guess at this point it doesn’t matter.

  You can do this, Irina. Trust yourself.

  Sitting up straighter, I poured some gratitude through the bond. We said our goodbyes and I blinked, my eyes coming back into focus to find Claudette staring at me oddly. “Sorry,” I laughed nervously. “I was talking to Vernen.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You were what?”

  I filled her in on the bond. When I was finished, I glanced at Emile’s sleeping form. “Maybe… don’t tell your brother about this? We didn’t tell Leonid because we knew he’d pester Vernen to constantly communicate with me.”

  “I won’t say anything, but Emile’s not like that,” Claudette said. “He wouldn’t bother you. In fact, he probably wouldn’t want you to tell Vernen anything for him. He likes to fight his own battles, my brother.”

  I raised my brows. “This isn’t exactly a battle.”

  “You know what I meant! Still,” she continued, “having a bond like that is amazing. As much as I abhor magic, I wish Emile and I shared something like that.”

  I tossed a twig into the fire and watched the flames devour it eagerly. “I don’t think you need it. Watching you two interact… It feels like you already have something. Have you always been that close?”

  She nodded, her eyes also on the fire as she set aside her sword. “Since as long as I can remember. Our parents used to say we should have been born twins.” Pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, Claudette stared up into the night sky. “I honestly don’t think I would have survived this long without him.”

  “I’m sure he says the same about you.”

  She flashed me a smile. “Of course! Emile wouldn’t last a day without me.”

  I laughed quietly as my eyes searched the plains, wondering where Jaegger was. I couldn’t hear the stone’s whispers, which meant the ward was working. Despite what Claudette had said, I wasn’t worried over his absence. Jaegger wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. Not after what’d happened last time.

  “Do you hear them?” she asked when I was silent for too long.

  “No. The wards are holding.”

  Claudette rested her head on her knees. “Where does Jaegger store the stone when we’re traveling? I’ve never seen it except when he brings it out to reinforce the wards. Is it invisible?”

  “No, it’s…” I paused, trying to figure out how to describe that other place Jaegger could create, the one he used to watch his followers. “It reminded me of a soap bubble.” From Claudette’s confused expression I knew I had to do a better job explaining it. “It’s this other place… It exists here, but we can’t just see it.”

  “So,” she said slowly, “it’s like I said. It’s invisible.”

  I chuckled. “I guess that makes the most sense. When Jae had followers, he’d give pieces of himself to them so they could make wishes. While he was waiting for them to make the wishes, he’d observe them. Up there.” I pointed above us and Claudette glanced at the sky. “When Bantheir summoned Jaegger for his wish, that’s where I went. I was above Leonid and the others, but they couldn’t see me.”

  “Then that’s a great place to store an evil stone,” she said. “A god’s… invisible… world place… thing.”

  “A soap bubble,” I said again. “And yes, that’s the perfect place for it, except the magicians are strong enough to break through it and talk to me.”

  “Hey.” Claudette put her hand on my shoulder. “Stop worrying about that. I told you, you just need to be distracted tomorrow. I will talk to you so much my voice will be the only thing you’ll hear.”

  “Promise?”

  She held out a hand and we shook on it. “We’re getting back to Dusk, Irina. With that damn stone. Then we can finally see this business done with and go on our way.”

  Go on our way… “Will you wait for West? In Dusk?”

  Claudette turned her face away with a grimace. “I don’t know.”

  “What’s not to know? You seemed pretty close this morning.”

  “You are not going to tease me about this,” she growled. “Not unless you want me to mention you and your captain…”

  I tilted my head. “Do your worst. What could you possibly know about us, anyway?”

  “Hmm.” When she pretended to consider my question, my heart sank. West had probably told her something, that fool! “How about the time you and Leonid left in the middle of an investigation to go back home so you could—”

  “All right!” I said loudly, clapping a hand over my mouth as Emile started to stir. “Sorry, sorry!”

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s his turn to watch, anyway.” And with that Claudette flopped down on the ground and pulled her sword closer to her. “Wish I had my sword,” she mumbled tiredly. “This one is nice, but it’s not mine.”

  I reached into my pockets, feeling for Leonid’s knife. Before I’d left this morning, he’d insisted I take it. “No more walking around weaponless,” he’d said sternly. After what’d happened with Aeonia, I’d accepted it without protesting. But I’d also taken my obsidian horse, storing it in my other pocket. If it came down to it, I’d rather have the horse than the blade, but I hadn’t told Leonid that.

  So I understood how Claudette felt, holding a sword that wasn’t hers. If the horse had been replaced with anything else, it would feel like a part of me was missing. It’d been with me for so long and it’d proven itself on this journey that by this point, I couldn’t bear to be separated from it. I didn’t know the history of Claudette’s sword, but if it came from Ayres, then of course she would miss it deeply.

  As Emile rubbed the sleep from his eyes and joined me in front of the fire, I couldn’t help but wonder why Aeonia had taken Claudette’s sword and replaced it with a different blade in the first place. Did she want it simply because the sword reminded her of Claudette, or was there a deeper meaning behind it?

  AS SOON AS THERE WAS enough light to see by, I sought out Jaegger the next morning. He was curled up under a tall oak, his eyes slowly blinking open when he heard me approach. Fifteen feet from him I paused, listening for the whispers. But when I was only met with silence, my shoulders slumped in relief. Maybe they’d given up.

  Or maybe I’ve gotten better at blocking them out.

  “We aren’t separating,” I said without preamble. In response the dragon stretched and opened his maw to let out an ear-splitting roar that I assumed was his version of a yawn. Jaegger walked over to me, bumping me in the side with his body.

  “Good morning to you, too,” he said.

  “Jae, I mean it—”

  He paused with his back to me. “I know you do, and I agree. I won’t leave again, little bird.”

>   “We’re stronger together,” I said matter-of-factly.

  “Yes, we are.” After leading me back to camp, Jaegger slipped off to hunt for his breakfast while the rest of us made do with our provisions. We refilled our flasks and set off on horseback as soon as Jaegger returned. He took to the skies, his dark body disappearing behind the clouds, but if I stretched out with my magic, I could sense him flying directly overhead.

  By midday, despite Claudette’s constant prattle, I began hearing the whispers again. Remembering Vernen’s words of encouragement, I ignored them, repeating in my head, You’re stronger than them. You’re stronger. You. Are. Stronger.

  It worked until we stopped for lunch. By then the whispers were all I heard and, half-hysterical, I begged Jaegger to renew the wards. He made me help him and quickly the voices faded away until I couldn’t hear them again. Rubbing my burning eyes, I said, “We can’t get home soon enough.”

  “Just a few more days, little bird.” Jaegger breathed on the stone and it disappeared, back to that other world he occupied. With the stone out of sight I could pretend it was gone, returned to Parnaby for him to deal with.

  “I’m sorry I’m so weak.”

  He pressed his body against mine and I leaned into him for support. “You’re doing fine. Better than fine. A weaker person would have broken by now.”

  “They want me to kill you.” I said the words softly, afraid if I spoke any louder, they’d somehow come true. “They know, Jae, how to break free, and they want me to be the one to do it.”

  “But you haven’t.” He pushed himself to his full height so that we were eye to eye. “And you won’t.”

  I stared into his unblinking aqua eyes. “If I—”

  “I trust you, little bird,” Jaegger interrupted. “So isn’t it time you trusted yourself?”

  His words, combined with the events of the past few days, unhinged something inside of me, causing me to throw my arms around his scaly neck as I wept. Humming quietly, Jaegger covered me with one of his wings and let me cry in peace.