Page 18 - DivineSparkRising II-TheMirrorofSilenceFinal

Divine Spark Rising
who nodded once and said nothing. The cup
arrived hot and perfect, no sugar, no comment.
He carried it to the edge of the terrace
overlooking the Tagus. The river looked the same,
wide and stubborn, but the city’s rhythm was off
by half a beat. Somewhere below, a bell struck once
and then stopped, unsure whether to continue.
From near the docks, a child began to hum. Just
a few notes, light and off-key, yet the tune pulled
him backward through time. It was the melody that
had echoed through the Well at Sintra before
everything broke.
The air around him thinned. The sound of the
river flattened. Memory opened its door.
Sintra, Six Months Earlier
The chamber breathed.
Light crawled up the walls, bright as water. The
spiral carved into the floor glowed along its edges,
white turning to gold.
Henry stood at the rim of the Well, pulse
hammering. Carolina shouted something he could
not hear. Jinji’s laptop screamed with failing code.
And Sofia stood at the center of it all, perfectly still.
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