"You didn't need to."
She experiments again, adjusting tone with tiny taps while I follow her rhythm instinctively. She is not merely learning. She is guiding the flow of the waves, conducting resonance the way a musician conducts an orchestra.
An act that even soundweavers take decades to master.
"You're steering it," I realize aloud.
Her brows lift. "Am I?" She smiles slowly, testing another tone. "Then keep listening."
Night settlesbefore we realize the passing of time.
Roseth curls into a nest of blankets near the wall, exhaustion claiming her mid-sentence. I sit beside her, heart pounding for reasons that have nothing to do with danger.
"I think I want to stay," I whisper into the darkness.
The words feel fragile leaving my throat.
"I know the festival will end. I know the world will still be dangerous. But I keep imagining mornings like this one. Evenings in this forge. Your voice telling me I am wrong about everything." I laugh softly. "I want a future with you, Roseth. If that future will have me."
She sleeps through the confession, breathing slow and steady.
The forge door slams open.
Tali bursts inside, breathless and wild-eyed. "Father Orrick has your bell! He took it from the temple! He's activating it during the ceremony!"
Roseth wakes instantly.
We run into the lantern-lit streets as festival lights ignite across Bellmere. Music rises. Cheers echo across the water. At the ceremonial platform, a lone figure stands with silver metal cradled in his hands.
He is not waiting for the proper moment.
He is unleashing everything now.
11
ROSETH
Lantern light scatters across the lake like drifting constellations.
The shoreline teems with people. Music spills from fiddles and drums near the docks.
It should feel like home but instead, dread coils low in my stomach.
Khaivor walks beside me through the crowd, silent and tense. His gaze never rests. It sweeps across rooftops, bell towers, temple banners, the restless water. Every movement carries urgency.
"We need to tell them," I say.
"They will not believe me." He groans.
"They will believe me."
He studies my face for a heartbeat before nodding once. We push toward the largest cluster of townsfolk gathered near the docks.
Khaivor steps forward first.
"You need to leave the shoreline."
Several people glance his way. Most turn back to the music.
