Chapter 3 Whispers in the Wind

The moon gleamed with the radiance of omens forged of silver in the pretend sky above the Undercity, its light cast through crystals of sorcery that resonated with its glimmer. The city rested not. Whispers entwined itself upon the corridors and alleys, bending like rivers-some talked of politics, some of ghosts, but increasingly, more and more spoke of her.

The Queen in exile.

The Queen who might have been.

Selene did not like whispers. She had spent far too long letting them control her life. But this evening, she heard one too many.

"She's too fragile to be in charge."

"They say she wept the first week."

"A broken bond creates a broken woman."

And maybe that was true at that time. But tonight, the wind bore something else.

It bore her past.

And she was going to pursue it.

Selene stood atop the eastern wall of the Undercity, the false sky fading into darkness as the spell-candles began to dim. Nyra approached behind her, quiet as smoke.

"You're restless," Nyra said, folding her arms. "It's dangerous."

"I heard the name again," Selene replied, eyes fixed on the horizon.

"Whose?"

"Reina."

Nyra stiffened.

Selene turned. "You know it."

"The witch?"

"The spy," Selene corrected. "She was Kael's advisor. and my friend. She testified against me."

"Then she's a traitor."

"Or blackmailed. Or framed. Or worse."

Nyra frowned. "And you want to go out and search for her now."

Selene nodded. "She vanished after I was banished. No trace. I have the right to know."

Nyra arched an eyebrow. "You expect the wind to deliver them to your doorstep?"

"No," said Selene. "But I think I know where it's whispering from."

Lucian frowned in disapproval.

"You want to go back above?" he said, pacing the war room. "To your old pack's territory? You'll be hunted."

"Not all the way back," Selene replied. "Just the border. There's a druid circle in the Whispering Pines. Reina used to go there. They say it's where the wind remembers things."

Lucian gave her a look. "Wind doesn't talk."

"No," Selene agreed. "But spirits do."

He drew breath, smoothing his hair back. "Then I'm coming with you."

"No," she said to him. "You can't. You're the King of this city. If anything happens to you-"

"I'm not going to abandon you to go face a haunted forest with nothing but ghosts and memories. You're not invincible, Selene."

"And I never said that. But this is my pain to pursue."

Lucian glared at her, then, finally, turned to Nyra.

"Take a squad. Five shadows. Blend into the forest. Don't let her out of your sight."

Selene gave him a grateful nod. "Thank you."

He stopped her as she turned.

"If anything happens," he said softly, "whisper my name into the wind. I'll find you."

Their eyes locked.

And for the first time in a decade, Selene felt like someone meant their promise.

The Whispering Pines stood just beyond the northern boundaries of Crescent Hollow, the land of her old pack. A land once steeped in legend and druidic reverence, it was now shunned-haunted, they claimed, cursed with spirits that recalled too much.

Selene didn't care.

She, too, recalled too much.

The air was crisp and damp. Moss hung from the trees like mourning cloths. Each wind bore voices-giggles, screams, whispers that weren't there at all.

Selene shoved her hand into the trunk of an old pine tree, reciting a incantation Reina had taught her years before.

"Wind that roams, voice that's spoken...

bring the things that you've sown...

The bark vibrated beneath her palm.

The air thickened.

Then, a voice, half-whispered-though not through her ears, but through her mind.

"She cried here. She burned the truth. Blood on her hands... not yours."

Selene gasped. "Reina..."

"She was torn. between duty and terror. She spoke not a word. Then exile."

"Where is she?" Selene said out loud.

The wind whipped furiously, catching her hair.

"Wolves stormed. Tore her away. Silver chains. She never returned."

Selene took a step back.

A darkness fell beside her-Nyra.

"What did you see?" she asked.

"Reina was taken," Selene replied. "After I was exiled. Silver chains. I think. I think she came to rescue me and was punished."

"Then the true traitor is still in charge," Nyra growled.

Selene's hands into fists. "Kael."

"Or someone near him. Someone who wished you out of the way."

Selene glanced back at the ancient tree.

And the wind spoke once more.

"The truth lies where the moon bleeds."

Selene's eyes sprang up into the black canopy, racing heart. "Blood Moon Cliff."

Nyra cursed. "That's enemy land."

"Then we'll claim it."

They walked back to the Undercity at dawn, cloaks torn and boots dirty, but eyes afire.

Lucian had waited for her.

"Well?" he asked.

Selene stood firm. "Reina might have died to save me. The lies run deeper than I'd imagined."

Lucian nodded consideringly. "Then we unearth them deeper."

She smiled weakly. "You're not going to try to hold me back, are you?"

"You're already unstoppable," Lucian replied. "I'd rather be fighting with you than against you.".

She glanced at him then-not merely the enigmatic hybrid king, but the man who heard her, noticed her, and did not turn from her suffering.

"You see," she said, advancing a step, "there was once a time when I thought Kael was the only one who could protect me."

Lucian gazed at her. "And now?"

"Now I believe I'm the one who guards myself."

But you don't have to do it alone," he said to her, sweeping a lock of hair from her face.

Their fingers met.

And for the briefest instant, the world paused.

No wind. No whispers.

Only the unspoken promise between two hearts smoldered and entombed-but never broken.

The following morning, Selene stood in the Undercity's grand hall. Warriors, spies, and seers clustered around her. Her voice was unwavering as she spoke.

"We ride to Blood Moon Cliff next full moon."

A whisper ran through the crowd.

Lucian stepped beside her, resting his hand on the blade of his sword.

"Any who will allow justice to be served," he declared, "ride with your Queen."

The term came like a drum roll.

Queen.

Selene did not move.

She accepted it.

Finally.

The wind screamed beyond the gates, as if the world had heard her rise.

But now it spoke not of her frailty.

It thundered of her comeback.