Slow Hollows Novels & Stories

Silhouette Two I had never left my hometown. I had never had any reason to; after all there was everything I would ever need in it. A college, where I had gotten my degree, and a family business I had hoped to take control of one day. But things changed. And I didn’t know whether that change was going to become for the worst or for the better.

It was a wound. The sky above was gray and rotting, and the air shimmered with a pale, golden mist that clung to her skin like grief. Black trees stretched into the horizon like skeletal hands, their bark wet with sap that smelled of iron and burnt sage. Riven came through behind her, and the Gate sealed itself shut. They were alone. But not for long. “The Hollow senses you,” he said. “Is that good?” “No.” They walked in silence, through the pathless land where the ground cracked and pulsed beneath their feet.

The dawn broke slow over Shadowpine, the sky streaked with soft pinks and greys, like the world itself was hesitant to wake after the chaos of the night before. The Hollow was still heavy with silence, the kind that presses down on your chest and makes you catch your breath.

Its surface was shattered, spiderweb cracks spreading out like fractured veins. I reached out and touched the cold glass. The broken reflections fractured my face into jagged pieces, distorting my features into something unrecognizable. A shiver ran down my spine. This was no accident. Someone had been here — sending a message I wasn’t yet ready to read. --- That night, sleep was a stranger. In the darkness, I heard a whisper, faint but clear. *“Find the truth beneath the surface.”* I told myself it was the wind, the city playing tricks on a tired mind. But deep down, I knew it was something more. Something waiting.

mother's. I'm living for myself now. I run to the woods as fast as I can, dodging the sight of people walking to their farms. I'm almost out of breath as I run further. I hold onto a tree, panting hard as I try to catch my breath. The birds are louder in this part with their sound, echoing loudly. The wind is blowing gently. I can somehow pick up the faintest sounds of movement of tiny animals. I begin to walk in the direction I took yesterday. It looks familiar. "Arggh," I scream, slipping into a ditch covered in leaves. I fall hard on my face into a big dark hole. I touch my face as I feel a wet warmth on my skin. My blood stains my fingers as I touch my new cut on my cheeks. I stand to m

"If you go, I will take you. But I warn you: the Hollows will ask for something you may not be willing to give." The Southern Hollows were a labyrinth of limestone and shadow, the entrance a narrow fissure in the hillside that seemed to swallow light. The air that flowed from it was cold and carried the faint, sweet scent of decay — not the sterile decay of the Blight, but the organic decay of leaves and bones. Lira stood at the entrance with Aria and Rowan, while the rest of their party waited outside. Only the essential would enter; the Hollows tolerated few. "Stay close," Rowan said. "The caves shift. Paths that were open yesterday may be sealed today. And do not speak unless you must. Th

Three weeks ago. The night of the blood moon. I ran alone through the high passes, heavy with young—nine moons along, the pup quickening with every step. The trail gave way. I tumbled, striking stone and ice, wedged in a crevice where the cold would finish what gravity began. I sent my call through the spirit-web to the healers. Needed the Alpha's permission to cut the pup from my dying flesh. Ninety-nine summons. Silence. The hundredth time, the bond stirred.

“Like I’m letting you walk into a whispering tree alone. You’re reckless, not invincible.” That earns a grin from me. Gods, I love him. I squeeze his hand. “Then let’s be stupid together.” We step into the hollow. The air inside is thick and damp. The light shifts. It’s not darkness exactly. It’s more like stepping through old breath. The whispers start immediately. Not loud. Not distinct. Just a low, layered murmur. Like being in a room with dozens of people speaking just beneath the threshold of understanding. Elliott exhales sharply behind me. “They’re not speaking… they’re remembering.”

His gaze is heated as he takes in my naked form. He winks at me, and I feel my skin heat up under his lustful gaze. A portal opens and I feel the cold, icy breeze against my skin. I turn and run through, diving into the icy waters as I shift quickly, my body temperature regulating to the surrounding waters. I nod to Artemis and we swim towards the colony. The water is frigid and dark. In places we swim under ice. We dive deeper and find the entrance to the colony. The gap is big enough to go through inside the icy cavern.

"That’s exactly what I want." I looked at Silas. "I have a plan. But it requires you to trust me. And it requires you to do something you’re going to hate." "I already hate it," Silas said, his eyes reflecting the golden sky. "The 'Hollows' aren't just processors," I explained, leaning in close so the Director’s sensors couldn't pick up my words. "They’re 'Nodes.' Jax is still connected to the sky. If I can 'Patch' into him... if I can use his 'Hollow' shell as a 'Router,' I can send a virus directly into the 'Siphon.'"