Page 74 - DivineSparkRising II-TheMirrorofSilenceFinal

Divine Spark Rising
Henry raised both hands. “We just want to talk.”
She studied him as if the word talk was fragile.
“Talking is dangerous,” she said. “You might get
heard.”
Zhara joined them, bowing slightly. “Sera, these
are the listeners from Lisbon.”
The girl brushed dust from her palms. “Lisbon
fell to the Mirror first. Why did you come here?”
“To stop it,” Carolina said. “To free the words.”
Sera tilted her head, curious. “You think words
can be freed? They free us. Or they kill us.”
2. The Bazaar Breathes
The bazaar that day felt different. Radios
blinked on without touch. Lamps dimmed. The air
vibrated with subsonic tones, almost too deep to
notice. Zhara’s technicians moved through the
aisles, tightening wires, adjusting dials.
Henry followed Sera as she wove between stalls.
“Jinji said you’re a doorway,” he said. “What does
that mean?”
She touched her throat. “I carry an older code.
Before speech was sound. Before silence was
punishment.”
“Can you control it?”
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