The Hush of the World (ONC 2024)

Chapter 4

My breath hitched in my throat, a cold shard of ice lodging itself in my chest. Rani. My fiery, impulsive little sister, a whirlwind of boundless curiosity, stood there, defiant but undeniably scared. How? I'd left her safe at home, tucked away and under strict instructions not to leave.

The world seemed to shrink, the cacophony of the Choosing fading into a dull roar. There was only Rani, her eyes wide with a fear that mirrored my own. Panic surged through me, a desperate need to reach her, to shield her from this monstrous spectacle.

Before I could even think, my legs were moving, a primal scream tearing from my throat. "Rani!" I shrieked, pushing through the stunned crowd. People stumbled back, their faces reflecting the horror etched on mine.

Angur grabbed my arm, his grip iron tight. "Ayina, wait!" he roared, his voice barely audible over the growing chaos.

But I couldn't stop. Rani was all I saw, all I felt. Reaching the front of the crowd, I lunged towards the guards, shoving them aside with a strength I never knew I possessed.

"That's my sister!" I screamed, my voice raw with desperation. "Let her go!"

The guards, taken aback by my sudden outburst, hesitated for a split second. But their hesitation was short-lived. Steel fists slammed into me, sending me sprawling into the mud. Pain exploded in my ribs, but it was a distant echo compared to the terror gnawing at my soul.

Rani, pushed forward by the relentless crowd, was now inches from the Azenar Gate. Tears streamed down her face, her defiance replaced by a whimper of fear.

Angur tackled a guard, a flurry of fists and desperate rage. Naisha, ever the pragmatist, shoved me towards the gate with a muttered incantation. "Go, Ayina! You're the only one who can save her now!"

The world dissolved into a blur of pain and panic. Ignoring the agony in my side, I scrambled to my feet and lurched towards the pulsating gate. Just as Rani reached the threshold, the dark energy erupted.

But this time, it wasn't a horrifying display of violence. The energy swirled around Rani, a whirlwind of inky blackness, then with a blinding flash of light, she was gone. Not ripped apart, but swallowed whole. The gate pulsed once, twice, then subsided, leaving behind an unsettling silence.

A primal scream ripped from my throat, a raw, animalistic sound that echoed through the plaza. But this time, it wasn't a scream of despair. It was a scream of disbelief, of confusion. Rani wasn't dead. But where had she gone?

The soldiers, as surprised as everyone else, lowered their weapons. The crowd, stunned into silence, stared at the empty space where the gate had just shimmered. Angur reached my side, his face etched with concern.

"Ayina," he rasped, his voice thick with emotion. "Rani…"

But I couldn't speak. My mind reeled, trying to grasp what had just happened. Rani, accepted? But by whom? By what? A cold dread settled in my stomach, a fear far more profound than the terror of witnessing her supposed demise.

Then, a hush fell over the gathered throng. All eyes turned to the imposing figure emerging from the grand pavilion – King Eldred, his regal bearing radiating a cold authority. He ascended the steps leading to the Azenar Gate with a measured stride, the silence deepening with every step.

"An… interesting turn of events," the sultan spoke, his voice a low rumble that resonated through the plaza. "The gate has chosen… differently this time."

A flicker of hope, faint and fragile, sparked within me. Rani wasn't dead. But whatever awaited her beyond the gate, it couldn't be good. And a horrible suspicion gnawed at me. The healer, the Seal, the vision… it all seemed connected somehow.

"Where did she go?" I demanded, my voice hoarse but resolute. "What have you done?"

The sultan's gaze, cold and calculating, fell upon me. A smirk played on his lips, a flicker of something cruel lurking behind his steely eyes.

"The gate has spoken," he declared, his voice dripping with a chilling satisfaction. "Now, the Choosing continues."

My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat echoing the fear that clawed at my throat. Rani was gone, taken by a force I didn't understand. And a sickening realization dawned on me. If I wanted to save her, I may have to follow her, to step through that very same gate, into the darkness beyond.

A cheer erupted from the crowd, a jarring counterpoint to the hollowness in my chest. Rani, accepted. Chosen. Not dead. But for what? The King's words echoed in my ears – "The Choosing continues." But that wasn't true. Not this year. The gate, they said, only accepted one tribute every ten years. Ten years! An eternity stretched before me, each second an agonizing wait.

The crowd celebrated, oblivious to the storm raging within me. Angur held me close, his touch a small comfort in the face of this overwhelming despair. Naisha, her face grim, stood beside us, a silent understanding passing between us.

Grief, raw and potent, threatened to consume me. But amidst the chaos, a new resolve flickered to life. I wouldn't wait ten years. I would find Rani, follow her into whatever darkness awaited her beyond the gate.

With a desperate sob, I tore free from Angur's embrace and lunged towards the Azenar Gate. The pulsating energy had subsided, leaving behind a swirling vortex of inky blackness. But the closer I got, the more I felt a cold, malevolent presence emanating from it.

"Ayina!" A frantic shout ripped through the air. I turned to see my father, his face etched with a mixture of relief and terror. He was pushing through the throng, his voice hoarse as he called my name.

His tear-streaked face mirrored the turmoil within me. But seeing him, the weight of responsibility I'd been ignoring crashed down. My father, the sole provider for our family, stripped of his Rank because of a stolen Seal. The guilt, a heavy burden I'd pushed aside, returned with a vengeance.

I stopped, mere feet from the ominous gate. My father reached me, his arms wrapping around me in a crushing embrace. Tears streamed down his face, soaking my cloak.

"Rani…" he choked out, his voice thick with grief. "But you… you can't…"

I squeezed my eyes shut, the image of his tearful face forever imprinted on my memory. "I'll get our Rani back, abba," I whispered, a fierce determination rising within me. "We'll be okay. I promise."

As I spoke, a tremor ran through the plaza. The crowd gasped, their gazes shifting nervously towards the Azenar Gate. The dark vortex writhed, an unnatural energy crackling around its edges. This wasn't supposed to happen. The gate wasn't meant to be disturbed so soon after accepting its tribute.

Panic surged through the crowd. The soldiers, ever vigilant, formed a line in front of the gate, their faces grim as they readied their weapons. But against what?

Fear, primal and instinctive, coiled in my stomach. The dark energy coalesced, taking the form of writhing tendrils that lashed out from the gate. Just like what had happened to the other girl… but this time, they were aimed at me.

Thinking fast, I tapped into my dormant power, the ability to weave dreams and visions. In a desperate gamble, I conjured the most vivid image I could – myself, walking through the gate, the darkness parting before me.

The tendrils faltered, their malevolent energy flickering. Then, with a sickening crackle, they converged, engulfing the image of me in a burst of dark light. A stunned silence fell over the plaza.

The energy dissipated, revealing… nothing. The tendrils were gone, the gate stood inert. Had it worked? Had I somehow tricked the gate into accepting the illusion?

A wave of relief washed over me, so intense it almost made me faint. But before I could celebrate, a low groan echoed from the Azenar Gate. The ground trembled, and the crowd screamed as the dark vortex began to churn once more and I was sucked right in.