Beneath The Lantern Veil

The rain had already fallen for hours when Liora stepped off the midnight bus and into the dimly lit streets of Halden Row. The town shimmered under wet pavement and scattered lanterns that glowed softly beneath the thick mist drifting in from the river. She pulled the hood of her coat tighter around her face and gripped the strap of her duffel bag. The air tasted of rain metal and something faintly sweet like old memories stirring in the back of her mind.

She had not returned to Halden Row in twelve years. Not since the night her mother vanished without explanation leaving only a single note that read simply Forgive me. Liora had carried those two words like stones in her pocket heavy and unanswerable. She had left the next morning and never looked back. Until now.

The bus rolled away splashing water from the uneven road as it disappeared into the fog. Liora adjusted her footing feeling her heartbeat thrum against her ribs. She had returned because of a message sent from a number she did not recognize. A single line. I know what happened to her. Come to Halden Row. Midnight. The Lantern Bridge.

She took a steadying breath and headed toward the heart of town. The lanterns swayed gently casting golden halos through the mist. Most shops were closed their windows dark and silent. But the river below whispered endlessly its currents curling around the bridge she had once crossed thousands of times.

As she approached the Lantern Bridge she noticed a figure standing at its center leaning against the old iron railing. The figure was tall shoulders broad head bowed slightly as if deep in thought. A lantern beside him flickered in the wind lighting his silhouette with soft amber edges. Liora stepped cautiously closer.

He lifted his head and the faint light revealed his face. A man with dark hair damp from the mist eyes a deep unguarded brown and an expression caught between surprise and a quiet recognition he could not explain.

You came he said his voice soft low steady.

Liora swallowed. I received a message. Was it from you

He shook his head. No. But I knew someone would come tonight. My name is Silas. I am the keeper of the lanterns here.

She frowned. I did not know lanterns had keepers.

They did not but the corners of his mouth curved faintly they do now. The town needed someone to tend them after the accidents by the river.

Accidents She felt her pulse quicken. What accidents

Silas studied her face with an unreadable intensity. You are Liora. Daughter of Selene Ardent.

Her breath caught. Yes.

Then we should not stand in the open he said gently. There are things we must speak of but not here. The river listens on nights like this.

She hesitated glancing toward the dark water swirling below. The river had always felt alive to her as a child as if it had moods and a soft ever present hum whispering secrets she could never quite grasp. At night the whispers felt stronger.

Silas motioned for her to follow him to a small stone pavilion at the end of the bridge. Inside the mist felt thinner and the lantern light warmer. He lit another lantern hanging from the ceiling its glow pushing the shadows back.

Liora crossed her arms. Tell me what this is about. I do not have time for riddles.

Silas nodded. You deserve the truth. But first let me ask you something. Do you remember the night your mother disappeared

The question struck like a blow. Of course I remember. It is the night that ruined everything.

And before that night he pressed what do you remember of her

Liora opened her mouth but the words tangled. Her memories of her mother were fractured like shards of stained glass catching only pieces of light. She remembered lullabies by the river. Lanterns lit in their garden. Her mother whispering Liora listen to the river it carries stories older than this town.

I remember she said slowly that she was distant. Quiet. Always walking by the river at night.

Silas listened intently. Did she ever speak of the lanterns

Liora frowned. No. Just the river.

Silas exhaled as if confirming something he already suspected. Then he sat across from her the lantern glow sharp in his eyes.

Your mother was not just someone who wandered by the river Liora. She was its guardian. One of the last.

Liora stared at him. Guardian That is impossible. She was just a woman. She worked at the post office. She paid bills. She baked bread on Sundays.

Silas shook his head gently. She hid what she was because she had to. This town once lived in harmony with the river. But something changed long before you were born. The waters grew restless. People stopped respecting the old rituals. And when the river grows restless it takes.

Liora felt her stomach twist. Takes What are you saying

Silas leaned closer voice barely above a whisper. The lanterns are not just for light. They are barriers. Shields. They keep the river from reaching too far into our world. Your mother tended them once. Protected the town. Until the night she vanished. And the river has been hungrier ever since.

Liora shook her head trying to push away the rising fear. My mother did not vanish because of the river. Someone took her. Or she left. People do not disappear into water like magic.

Silas held her gaze. What if I told you I have seen the river take someone

Her breath faltered. You are lying.

He did not flinch. Two years ago. My sister Mara. She was standing near the water and then she was gone. Pulled into the dark. The lanterns flickered that night and I was too late to stop it.

Liora stared at him her heartbeat pounding hard and wild.

Why tell me this

Because your mother left something behind Silas said something only you can find. And something the river wants.

Before Liora could respond the lantern above them flickered. Once. Twice. Then steadied. Silas stiffened.

We need to move. Now.

Why What is happening

The river Silas said his voice tight it knows you are here.

Liora followed him along the bridge her breath quick shallow as the mist grew thicker around them. The river below churned louder than before as if stirred awake.

Suddenly Liora stopped. Silas. Look.

A faint blue glow shimmered beneath the water swirling upward in slow graceful spirals. Shapes moved within it twisting like silhouettes dancing in the depths.

Silas grabbed her wrist. Do not look at them too long. They pull at your memories.

Liora struggled to breathe. What are they

Echoes he said. Pieces of the river. Pieces of what it has taken.

The blue glow pulsed once. A soft haunting hum rose from the water brushing against Lioras thoughts. And then she heard it.

Liora

The voice was unmistakable. Soft. Familiar.

Her knees nearly buckled. That is my mother.

Silas tightened his grip. It is not her. It is the river using her voice. Run.

But Liora could not. Tears burned in her eyes as she leaned toward the railing. The glow sharpened and for a fleeting moment she saw a face beneath the water. Pale. Beautiful. Eyes sorrowful as moonlit tides.

Mother she whispered.

The river responded with a rush of wind and light. The lanterns along the bridge flickered desperately struggling against the force rising from below.

Silas pulled her back. Liora listen to me. If you answer it if you reach for it you will not come back.

She shook her head tears streaming. But what if it is her

Silas cupped her shoulders his eyes fierce. If she is alive she needs you on land not in the river. Trust me. Please.

The pleading in his voice finally broke through her panic. She let him pull her away her breath ragged.

They fled into the mist not stopping until they reached the outskirts of town where the lantern glow felt stable again. Liora sank onto a bench trembling.

Silas knelt beside her. I am sorry. I should not have brought you to the bridge without warning.

She wiped her eyes. I heard her Silas. I know my mothers voice.

The river shows people what they ache for he said gently. That is how it lures them.

But it knew my name. And hers. It is not random.

Silas exhaled deeply hesitant. There is something you should see. Something your mother left behind. It is why I agreed to meet whoever came tonight.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small wooden box carved with intricate swirling patterns. Liora felt a strange warmth radiating from it.

Where did you get that she asked softly.

Silas stood slowly offering the box to her. Your mother entrusted this to the previous lantern keeper the night before she vanished. He passed it to me before he died. He said it must only be opened by her daughter.

Liora stared at the box her heart hammering.

Open it Silas said.

Her fingers trembled as she lifted the lid. Inside lay a folded piece of paper and a small lantern pendant made of silver. She lifted the paper carefully unfolding it.

It was a letter.

Liora my love
Forgive what I must do. If you are reading this then the river is waking again and you must take my place.
The lanterns obey our bloodline and only through you can the river be calmed.
I am not gone. I am only where the water cannot reach you.

Liora felt her breath collapse into silence. The words blurred as tears filled her eyes.

Silas spoke softly. She did not abandon you Liora. She protected you. Even if it cost her everything.

Liora clutched the pendant her voice breaking. I never got to tell her that I did not hate her. I never got to ask why she left.

Silas moved closer sitting beside her. You have a choice now. You can continue her work. Or you can walk away.

She shook her head fiercely. I cannot walk away. Not now.

Silas smiled softly. Then I will help you. You do not have to face the river alone.

Something inside her shifted at his words. A fragile warmth blooming beneath the sorrow. For the first time she felt the faintest sense of direction a path opening through the fog.

What do we do first she asked.

Silas stood offering his hand. First we relight the lanterns. All of them. Before the river takes someone else.

She took his hand letting him pull her to her feet. His grasp was warm steady grounding. When she looked into his eyes she saw something she had not seen in anyone for years. A quiet unwavering belief.

They walked side by side toward the lantern line that stretched along the river. The mist swirled around them but it no longer felt cold. The pendant glowed faintly against her chest as if responding to her resolve.

As they reached the first lantern Silas stopped and turned to her. Liora. Are you afraid

Terrified she admitted.

Good he said gently. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is choosing to stand anyway.

Together they lifted the lantern flame. The glass shimmered and the light spread outward in a warm powerful glow that pushed back the mist.

Liora felt the river hum in response a low deep vibration beneath her feet. The pendant grew warm as the flame brightened.

Silas watched her carefully. You feel it do you not

She nodded. Yes. Like the river is waking.

It is he said. And it knows you are here.

She looked at the lantern flame glowing in her hands. Let it come. I am not running anymore.

They moved from lantern to lantern reawakening each one while the river stirred restlessly beside them. With each flame Liora felt a strange strength growing inside her something tied to her mothers legacy something ancient and familiar as breath.

By the time they reached the final lantern the mist had thinned and the river glowed with a soft silver sheen.

Silas rested his hand lightly on her shoulder. You did it. The river is calmer. At least for tonight.

Liora took a long steady breath. Silas thank you for guiding me. For trusting me.

His expression softened. I have been waiting for years for someone who could help me protect this place. But I did not expect to find someone like you.

Her chest warmed. Someone like me

Someone who listens without turning away. Someone who carries broken pieces but still walks forward. Someone who stands at the rivers edge and refuses to fall in.

She felt her heartbeat quicken under his gaze. Silas

He stepped closer slowly giving her every chance to pull away. But she did not. The mist curled around them their closeness warm against the cool night air.

Their foreheads touched lightly. Silas whispered Liora. You are not your mothers shadow. You are her light.

Her breath trembled. And you are the first person who has stood beside me without trying to fix me.

Then let me keep standing beside you. As long as you want me to.

She closed her eyes letting her forehead rest against his. I want that.

The river hummed softly below as if acknowledging their promise. The lanterns around them glowed brighter casting gold ribbons across the dark water.

When she opened her eyes the fog had lifted revealing a sky scattered with stars. The town felt different. Safer. Watched over.

Silas took her hand intertwining their fingers. Ready to go home he asked.

She nodded. Yes. And tomorrow we can search for the rest of what she left behind.

Together they walked toward Halden Row guided by lantern light and the steady rhythm of the river. The night held its breath around them warm with promise.

And beneath the soft glow of the lanterns a new story unfurled carried not by fear but by love courage and the quiet bond growing between two hearts standing at the edge of a restless river.

A beginning not born of loss but of light.