Chapter 12: The Shield's Echo
Kael's POV
Time slows to a thick, syrupy crawl.
The Lunaris scout's triumphant sneer is a frozen mask. His outstretched hand seems to move through water, fingers curling like claws aimed at my throat. Fenra is a blur of snarling fur, leaping, but I know she's too slow. The man's other hand is already drawing a dagger, its edge catching the dull light.
The Echo Core doesn't hum. It screams.
But it's not the chaotic, hungry scream of the Ruin. This is different. Sharper. Cleaner. It's the sound of a fortress gate slamming shut. The sound of a mountain refusing to yield.
A memory surfaces, not of a person, but of a feeling. An absolute, unshakeable certainty. The memory of standing firm. Of being the anchor that holds the line against the storm.
My body moves without my command. It's not the wild, destructive surge I used against the Throne Beast. This is focused. Deliberate.
As the scout's hand closes on my tunic, I don't pull away. I plant my feet in the mud, a stance I've never learned but my bones remember. My left arm comes up, not to block the dagger, but to smash my forearm against the inside of his wrist. It's a short, brutal movement, all the strength of my small body concentrated into one point.
CRACK.
The sound is sickeningly loud. The scout screams, a high-pitched sound of shock and agony, his dagger flying from nerveless fingers. His grip on my tunic loosens.
I don't stop. The memory, the instinct,drives me forward. I pivot, using his forward momentum against him, and drive my shoulder into his chest. It's like hitting a stone wall, but the wall grunts and stumbles backward, his boots slipping in the mud.
He stares at me, his face a mask of pain and utter disbelief. I'm just a child. A scrawny, terrified child. I shouldn't be able to do this.
Fenra uses the opening, her jaws closing on his leg. He roars, kicking her away, but the distraction is all I need.
The memory is fading, the Core's scream subsiding into a dull, throbbing ache in my head. I'm just Kael again, scared and out of breath, staring at the injured, furious man who is still between me and escape.
He clutches his broken wrist, his good hand fumbling for another weapon at his belt. The shock in his eyes is being replaced by a cold, murderous rage. I've humiliated him. Now he'll just kill me.
"You little "
A shadow falls over us both.
It's not a cloud. The man is simply there. He must have been moving, but I didn't hear a footstep, didn't sense a approach. He is massive, wider than the scout and a head taller, his form draped in a heavy, stone-dusted cloak. I can't see his face beneath the deep hood.
The Lunaris scout freezes, his eyes widening in a new kind of fear. He recognizes this man.
The giant doesn't speak. He doesn't need to. He simply takes one step forward, placing himself between me and the scout. It's not an aggressive move. It's a statement. A fact. You will not reach this boy.
The scout hesitates for a second, weighing his odds. Then, with a final, venomous look at me, he turns and flees, clutching his wrist, disappearing back toward the town.
Silence descends on the riverbank, broken only by the gurgle of water and Fenra's low growls as she gets to her feet, shaking herself off.
I stand there, trembling, my heart still trying to beat its way out of my chest. The adrenaline fades, leaving me weak and dizzy. I stare at the back of the giant who saved me.
Slowly, he turns.
His face is like the mountain we just descended, weathered, lined, and impossibly strong. His hair is thick and grey, cut short. His eyes are the color of granite, and they hold no warmth, only a deep, weary assessment. They sweep over me, taking in my hooded form, my shaking hands, and then they fix on the one thing I forgot to hide.
Mom's signet ring, which had slipped out from my tunic during the struggle, now hangs plainly in the open air.
His granite eyes lock onto the swirling vortex symbol of the Echo Throne.
For a long, agonizing moment, he says nothing. The world holds its breath.
Then, his voice rumbles out, low and deep, like stones grinding together deep underground.
"Elenya's son."
It's not a question.
Tears I didn't know I was holding back spring to my eyes. Hearing my mother's name on this stranger's lips, spoken with such grim familiarity, shatters the last of my composure.
I can only nod, a single, jerky motion.
His gaze doesn't waver. The assessment continues, and I feel laid bare before him. He sees the grief, the fear, the exhaustion. He sees the boy, not the prince.
Finally, he speaks again, his voice a few degrees softer, the stone worn smooth by some old, deep emotion.
"Come," he says, turning without another word. "The quarry is safe."
He doesn't wait to see if I follow. He simply expects it. And he's right.
I stumble after him, Fenra falling in step beside me, as the massive, stone-dusted form of Thorne, the Shield of Stone, leads us away from the town and toward the first true sanctuary we've known since my world ended.
YOUR SUPPORT BUILDS THEIR SANCTUARY!
POWER STONES: If you're thrilled to see the first member of the Echo Guardians finally appear, please consider donating Power Stones! It helps forge the bonds of this new, fledgling team.
ADD TO LIBRARY: Make sure to add to your library! The reunion between Seraphine and Thorne promises to be... interesting.
What's Next:
Safety, answers, and the first steps toward rebuilding a legacy within the stone walls of an abandoned quarry.
Thank you for reading. Finding Thorne feels like a turning point, and I'm excited to share it with you.