Chapter 16: Echoes of Secrets.
As the first light of dawn crept over Green Arbor, painting the sky with pale hues of pink and orange, Talon stood alone amidst the charred remains of the tavern. Smoke no longer lingered in the air, but the scent of ash clung stubbornly to the ruins, a ghost of the night it had burned. The tavern, once filled with life and laughter, was now a hollow skeleton, its blackened beams standing like mourners in the morning light. Talon’s silhouette cut a solitary figure against the wreckage, his shoulders heavy with the burden of secrets.
He absently kicked at a scorched piece of timber, his mind swirling with doubts that had grown since their return. The quiet had become unbearable—a mirror reflecting the silence that had taken root within him. His thoughts weren’t on the town’s ruin or even the ambush that had nearly claimed their lives. No, his mind was anchored to something deeper, darker—something from long before he’d become a Sentinel. A past that echoed in the ruins before him.
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Elsewhere, at the edge of town, Ava sat beside Jess on their usual bench near the river. The water flowed gently, its surface reflecting the growing light of the day. The rhythmic sound of the current provided a soothing backdrop, one that seemed to invite confessions and quiet reflection. Ava sat with her hands resting on her lap, her eyes distant as they followed the river’s path.
“He’s been distant, Jess,” Ava began, her voice soft but weighed with concern. “Ever since we got back, it’s like he’s here, but not really. His mind’s somewhere else.”
Jess turned to look at her, brow furrowed with empathy. “He’s always been the type to keep things close to his chest,” she said, her voice measured, careful. “But I’ve noticed it too. Something’s different this time. Maybe it’s everything you both went through.”
Ava’s gaze dropped to her hands, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the scars on her palms. “He hasn’t said anything, not directly. But I can see it in the way he avoids certain conversations, how he slips away when no one’s watching. It’s like... he’s haunted.”
Jess was quiet for a moment, watching the water. The morning was peaceful, but there was a tension in the air between them, like the calm before a storm. “He mentioned something to me once,” she said quietly. “About that night when you both left. He thinks if you hadn’t been there, he might not have made it back.”
Ava’s heart clenched at Jess’s words, her breath catching slightly. “He said that?”
Jess nodded. “He carries it with him. Maybe it’s guilt—or something deeper.” She paused, then added gently, “You know him better than anyone, Ava. Sometimes, when people face death like that, they come back changed. He’ll need time.”
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Ava stared into the distance, her mind grappling with Jess’s words. “I’ll give him the space he needs,” she said finally, though her voice trembled slightly with doubt. “But if he keeps pushing everyone away, including me, I don’t know if I can just stand by.”
Jess placed a hand on Ava’s shoulder, her grip firm and reassuring. “He’ll open up when he’s ready,” she said softly. “Just be there when he does.”
---
Back at the tavern ruins, the morning light cast long shadows over the debris, adding an eerie stillness to the scene. Talon’s jaw was clenched as he surveyed the wreckage, his eyes dark with suspicion. He crouched down, running his fingers over the scorched ground, his mind racing. Something wasn’t right. The fire had spread too fast, too deliberately. And now, as he stood among the ruins, the familiar tug of the past was beginning to pull at him.
His solitude was broken by the sound of footsteps crunching over the ash-laden ground. Talon’s eyes snapped up as Mark, the tavern’s owner, appeared. The man’s face was pale, his movements jittery as he sifted through the debris, muttering curses under his breath.
Without hesitation, Talon’s stride was swift, cutting through the rubble as he moved toward Mark. His hand shot out, grabbing the tavern owner by the collar and shoving him against a charred beam. “Tell me the truth, Mark,” Talon growled, his voice low and menacing. “Why did your tavern really burn down?”
Mark’s eyes widened in shock, his breath coming in short, panicked bursts. “Talon—I don’t know what—”
“Don’t lie to me,” Talon snarled, pressing him harder against the beam. His face was inches from Mark’s, and the intensity in his eyes left no room for evasion. “I’ve seen fires like this before. This wasn’t an accident.”
Mark’s fear deepened, his gaze darting around as though searching for a way out. He swallowed hard, his voice shaking. “It was the Syndicate, Talon. They wanted to use the tavern to run a gambling ring... a black market. I said no, and this... this is what they did to make me change my mind.”
Talon’s grip tightened for a moment, his blood boiling at the mention of the Syndicate. The name that haunted him from his past. His father’s shadow loomed larger now, threatening to drag him back into a world he had fought so hard to escape.
“You should have told someone,” Talon hissed through clenched teeth. “We could have protected you. You put the entire town at risk.”
Mark’s voice cracked with despair. “Talon, you don’t understand. They don’t stop. If I had come to you, if I’d told anyone, they would’ve come after me—and after you. You don’t know them like I do.”
Talon’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind spinning as memories of his father and the Syndicate flashed before his eyes. He released Mark, stepping back, his fists still clenched at his sides. His voice, though quieter now, was cold and sharp. “Keep this quiet,” he ordered. “If they know we’re onto them, they’ll move faster. And more people will get hurt.”
Mark nodded shakily, rubbing his neck where Talon had grabbed him. “I... I understand,” he whispered.
Talon didn’t respond. He turned and walked away from the ruins, his mind now a battlefield of old wounds and new dangers. As he left the tavern, he could feel the weight of his father’s legacy pressing down on him. The Syndicate wasn’t just an echo of his past anymore—it was a clear and present danger. And this time, the stakes were higher than ever.