The statues began walking. At first, Aurora thought the movement was an illusion. A trick of the silver light. A consequence of exhaustion. Then the nearest statue lifted one enormous stone foot and placed it upon the ancient road. THUD. The sound rolled through the city. Another statue moved. Then another. Then dozens. The dead city had become an army of stone. Gideon immediately raised his sword. "Everyone behind me!" The survivors obeyed. Parents pulled children close. The wounded were dragged toward the center of the group. Elara moved beside her mother while Darian looked wildly from one statue to another. "They're coming straight toward us." "I know," Aurora said. The First Ashbourne stood perfectly still. "Don't attack them." Gideon glanced at her. "They're walking toward us." "I know." "They're enormous." "I know." "Then perhaps you could explain why we shouldn't attack them." The woman looked at him. "Because they aren't coming for you." Another statue approached. It was a soldier. Its stone armor was cracked, its sword broken at the hilt. It stopped several yards from Aurora. Slowly... it lowered itself to one knee. Then another statue did the same. Then another. Soon the entire avenue was filled with kneeling figures. Thousands of them. Gideon's sword remained raised. Aurora stared. "They're bowing." "No." The First Ashbourne shook her head. "They're remembering." Aurora stepped forward. The soldier lifted its enormous head. Its stone mouth opened. No sound came out. Yet Aurora heard something inside her mind. A word. A name. Ashbourne. She flinched. The statue touched its chest. Then pointed toward the tower. Aurora understood. "They're showing us the way." The First Ashbourne nodded. "The Heart cannot be reached by the living alone." Darian frowned. "Why?" "Because the city was built to protect it from its creators." Caelum gave a quiet laugh. "Of course it was." Lucien looked at him. "You find that amusing?" "Not amusing." Caelum's gaze moved across the endless kneeling statues. "Familiar." Aurora looked at him. "How?" Caelum didn't answer. Instead, he stepped toward the nearest statue. The soldier slowly rose. Caelum placed one hand against its chest. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a thin golden line appeared beneath his palm. The statue shuddered. A crack spread across its chest. Aurora immediately reached for her Veil. "Caelum!" He pulled his hand away. The statue stopped. He stared at his palm. "Interesting." Lucien approached. "What did you feel?" Caelum's expression darkened. "Memory." "What kind?" He looked toward the tower. "Fear." The answer silenced them. The First Ashbourne stepped forward. "Then we should move."
They began crossing the avenue. The statues rose behind them. Not attacking. Following. Thousands of stone feet struck the road in perfect rhythm. THUD. THUD. THUD. The sound was enormous. It echoed through the buried city like an ancient army returning from war. The survivors walked between the statues. Some were frightened. Others stared in wonder. A young boy reached toward one. His mother immediately pulled him back. "Don't touch it." The boy frowned. "But it doesn't look angry." The statue nearest them lowered its enormous hand. The boy stared. Then slowly reached out. His tiny fingers touched the stone. The statue's eyes lit with a faint silver glow. The boy smiled. "It remembers me." His mother began crying. Aurora looked away. The city was doing something strange. It wasn't trying to frighten them. It was mourning. Every statue represented someone who had lived here. Someone who had died here. Someone who had been sacrificed to create the Binding. And now that the Binding was gone... they were finally allowed to move.
The tower grew larger as they approached. It was impossibly tall. Its walls were carved with thousands of names. Aurora recognized some. Ashbourne. More Ashbournes. Names from the doors beneath the temple. But there were others. Thousands of ordinary names. Men. Women. Children. Whole families. Aurora stopped. "They're all here." The First Ashbourne nodded. "The city gave its dead to the Binding." "And nobody remembered them." "They remembered." Aurora looked at her. "Who?" The woman touched the wall. "The city." A low vibration passed through the tower. The great entrance opened. No one touched it. Inside was darkness. Caelum looked at the doorway. "This is where I died." Aurora turned. "What?" He didn't look at her. "I wasn't killed." His voice was quiet. "But the man I was..." He stared into the darkness. "He died here." Lucien stepped beside him. "We should have destroyed this place." Caelum looked at his brother. "You tried." Lucien lowered his head. "I failed." "You survived." "I failed." The two brothers stared at each other. Aurora could feel the old wound between them. The First Ashbourne walked past them. "Both of you." They looked at her. "Enough." Her voice wasn't loud. But they obeyed. She entered the tower. Aurora followed.
The moment she crossed the threshold, the Veil went cold. The tower was different from the rest of the city. There were no statues. No books. No paintings. Only chains. Hundreds of them hung from the ceiling. Some were enormous. Others were thin enough to fit around a wrist. At the center stood a circular platform. Three empty spaces had been carved into it. Aurora approached. The first symbol was the Binder. The second was the Guardian. The third was the Witness. But beneath them was another. The fourth. Aurora. Her stomach tightened. The First Ashbourne stood behind her. "Why is my symbol here?" The woman looked at the platform. "Because the Heart knows you exist." "That's not an answer." "No." She stepped closer. "It is a warning." The tower suddenly shook. Every chain swung simultaneously. Then one snapped. It crashed onto the floor. Another snapped. Then another. Gideon shouted, "Everyone back!" The chains began falling. The survivors scattered. Elara grabbed two children. Darian dragged an injured man beneath the platform. Their mother shouted for everyone to stay low. Caelum moved faster than anyone. He seized a falling chain before it crushed a survivor. The metal wrapped around his arm. His expression hardened. "Move!" The man scrambled away. Caelum released the chain. It struck the floor. But instead of remaining still... it began crawling. Like a serpent. Aurora stared. "That's not normal." The First Ashbourne looked upward. "No." Another chain moved. Then another. The chains were pulling toward the center platform. Toward Aurora's symbol. The Veil began glowing. Aurora stepped backward. "What does it want?" The woman answered softly. "The Heart is choosing its next vessel." Aurora's blood ran cold. "No." The woman looked at her. "Aurora..." "No." She shook her head. "I am not becoming another prison." Caelum stepped beside her. "You won't." Aurora looked at him. His expression had become deadly serious. "Because this time..." He stared toward the center of the tower. "...we destroy the Heart."
A massive sound came from beneath them. BOOM. The platform cracked. A golden light erupted through the floor. The chains flew upward. The survivors screamed. The statues outside began pounding their fists against the tower walls. THUD. THUD. THUD. Something beneath the tower was waking. The First Ashbourne looked toward the glowing crack. Her face became pale. "It knows we're here." Aurora tightened her grip. "Let it know." She stepped toward the opening. The Veil answered. Silver light poured from her hands. The golden light beneath the tower responded. And from somewhere deep below... a voice whispered her name. Not Caelum. Not Lucien. Not the First Ashbourne. A voice Aurora had never heard before. "Aurora..." She froze. The voice whispered again. "Come home." And beneath her feet... the Heart began to beat