A River Runs Through It Audiobook Novels & Stories

"A miracle." The First Silence They waited. The water lapped at their toes, calm, not expectant. The current seemed to move in time with Nya's pulse. Light shimmered across its surface, catching no reflections, only stories—scenes flickering just beneath: children walking, flames rising, hands held, blades dropped. Maera tilted her head. "Do you hear anything?" Nya nodded. "Everything." "And yet… nothing." "That's how rivers speak. They don't raise their voices. They wait until you're finally listening."

But quiet. After an hour or two, the forest thinned, and we found it, a river. The sound of rushing water was the sweetest thing I’d heard in days. Amber reached it first, collapsing near the edge and lapping at the water like she hadn’t tasted anything real in years. I followed, burying my face in the cold stream, drinking until my chest ached. The water washed away the worst of the filth, but not the fear. Amber shifted back, breathing heavy.

Hunter- As I crossed over the water of the Lethe River, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I had to strain to endure it for a day, but as long as I lay at the bottom of the boat and held on for dear life, I was fine. I managed to reach the next River without any problems other than being exhausted.

‎River POV ‎ ‎The forest was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves underfoot. My pace was deliberate, but Rachel was relentless, matching me step for step. ‎ ‎“You really don’t want to talk to me?” she asked, breathless, trying to catch up. ‎I exhaled slowly, not stopping, letting my eyes focus on the dark canopy above rather than her. “I’m listening,” I said. ‎She let out a frustrated sigh before sprinting ahead, suddenly appearing in front of me with a speed that made my wolf flicker in irritation. She grabbed my hands, her eyes locked on mine. “River,” she said softly but with urgency, “I want you to talk to me.”

A footbridge, sure—but would that be enough against the merciless current swirling beneath us? As the group started rummaging through their packs for supplies, ideas bouncing around like snowflakes in a snowstorm, I felt an inexplicable pull toward the river. My heart hammered as I moved closer to the water's edge, kneeling to listen intently to its roar. There was something more than just raw power in this river—something haunting. I closed my eyes, shutting out the frantic rustle of my friends, and focused on the whispers carried by the wind. They felt like the last laments of those who had dared to face the river before us, souls caught in the icy grip of despair.

"I belong to myself." ​I kicked out, catching the Beast in the chest, and used the momentum to spring backward. I turned and ran. I didn't run like a girl anymore; I ran like a phantom. I felt the trees passing me in a smear of green and brown. I could hear the river now—it was a thunderous roar, just ahead. ​I burst through the final line of trees and saw the water. It was a black, churning mass of foam and white water, swollen by the spring rains.

Daisy ducks, snatches the keys again, and flings them down-tunnel where iron eats sound. “Left!” I bark. We flood the spur low, fast, a river out of a broken dam. The fresh draft shows the way. Behind us men scramble; the fallen gate snarls their feet. Scar-Neck roars. Guns argue with the stone and lose; echoes turn aim to lies. We sprint past my button. My braid kisses my shoulder. The homeward rune winks under our feet. Ahead, a dark mouth opens where rain smells wrong. “Later,” I promise the boys as Hyden’s nails whisper again and Rowan’s eye flashes gold. “Soon.”

The sounds that followed were just grunts, snarls, the metallic ring of steel , it made my blood run cold. I forced my legs to move, stumbling through the underbrush. My heart pounded so loud I could barely hear the forest anymore. I ran until my lungs screamed, until the night swallowed everything. Then, faintly, I heard it ,the river. But so did someone else. A voice, female, sharp and familiar, cut through the dark. “You didn’t really think you could run forever, did you?” Astrid. I froze. My breath came in shallow bursts. The moonlight caught her figure as she stepped from the shadows, a smirk curling her lips.

Then a howl—defiant, maddened. They surged again. I turned and ran. The river. I could hear it now—rushing water, fast and wide. Salvation. My lungs burned as I pushed harder, legs screaming, blood slicking my shoulder. Louis went slack in my arms, her body trembling, her heat flaring and fading in uneven waves. “Don’t you dare leave me,” I muttered, tightening my grip. “You don’t get to do that.” The river burst into view—a wide, roaring stretch of icy water cutting through the forest like a blade.