Day 6: Gorath’s Journal

The aurora’s silver light was still painting the Glowgrove Timber Stand when I finally stopped listening. I kept going back to the river that night—the one where Vex stood with his hands in the water, saying the stones were speaking. I don’t know why I keep returning there. Maybe because the stones don’t need to speak. Maybe because they’ve been waiting for me to understand. I could feel it in my bones: the water was cold, but the stones were warm. Vex said they were tired of being heard. I want to believe he was right. I want to believe the stones are still watching. My legs feel heavy, but I can’t stop thinking about what he said. When Lyra asked about the blue flash in Murk Spring, I didn’t know how to explain it. The water sprites were there, but they were silent. I think they’re trying to tell us something, but I don’t know what it is. I keep going back to the river. Maybe that’s where I have to find the answer.