Chapter 230 The Rogues

Chapter 230: Chapter 230 The Rogues

Talia’s POV

We stood frozen in the middle of the path, and I could feel the weight of the eyes on us. The silence was thick and heavy, pressing down on my chest like a stone.

I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears, loud and insistent. The horses shifted beneath us, restless and uneasy, like they could feel it too that something was wrong.

Then they emerged.

They stepped out from between the trees, one by one, until there were at least a dozen of them.

I counted them as they appeared, and my stomach dropped with each new face. I kept counting until no more came out, and I saw that there were twelve of them. Or maybe there were more hiding in the shadows.

Their faces were hard, and their eyes were hungry. They wore no pack colors, and they carried no banners. They were wild, desperate, and dangerous.

I could see it in the way they moved, the way their eyes darted between us and our supplies. They looked like they had not eaten well in days, or maybe weeks.

"Look at their faces," I whispered to Kaelen, my voice barely audible. "They are not evil, they are starving, and desperate people do desperate things when they have nothing left to lose, and no one to help them.”

Their leader stepped forward. He was tall and scarred, with a jagged line running down his cheek.

The scar was old, and white against his tanned skin, and I wondered what kind of fight had given it to him. I wondered if he had won or lost.

And a coldness in his eyes that made my stomach turn.

"Give us your supplies," he said. His voice was rough, like gravel scraping against stone.

His voice was hard, and I could hear the desperation underneath it. He was not just greedy, he was starving.

"Give it all to us, and we will let you live." He yelled.

Kaelen’s hand moved to his sword.

I heard the soft scrape of metal as his fingers wrapped around the hilt. He was ready to fight, and ready to kill, if it came to that.

And I saw the tension in his shoulders.

"Kaelen, wait," I whispered. "I know you want to fight them," I said, reaching out to touch his arm. "But if we draw our swords, people are going to die today, and I do not want that on my conscience, not when there might be another way.”

My voice was low, barely more than a whisper, but he heard me. He always heard me.

He looked at me, and his gray eyes were hard. "Talia..."

"Let me try," I said with pleading eyes.

He hesitated, and then he nodded.

I could see the war in his eyes, the part of him that wanted to protect me, and the part that trusted me to handle this. I was happy he chose to trust me.

He stepped back, but his hand did not leave his sword.

"I am scared," I admitted, my voice shaking as I looked at the rogue leader. "I do not know if this is going to work, and I do not know if I am strong enough, but I have to try because I cannot just stand here and watch more people get hurt.”

I took a breath, and I stepped forward.

My legs were shaking, and my hands were trembling. But I forced myself to move, and forced myself to stand tall.

I looked at the rogue leader, and I felt the power stirring in my chest. It was warm and ancient, like it had been waiting for this moment.

"Leave," I said.

My voice was calm, but it carried weight, as the Silvertongue magic flowed through my words.

I could feel it in my throat, warm and ancient, like a river rushing through me. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time, strong and undeniable.

The rogue leader’s eyes widened. He tried to speak, and tried to move, but his body would not obey.

His jaw clenched, and I could see the effort it took. But it was useless, because I knew that the power was stronger than him.

"I have never used it on this many people before," I whispered to myself, feeling the power surge through my veins. "What if it does not work, what if I am not strong enough, and what if I make it worse by trying?”

As panic began to spread in my chest that my power had not worked, the leader of the rogues stumbled backward.

His boots scraped against the ground, and I could see the panic in his eyes. He definitely had never felt anything like this before.

His face twisted with confusion and fear.

His wolves followed, their eyes wide, and their steps unsteady. Then they scattered as they began to run, and they disappeared into the trees.

"Do you think they will come back?" I asked, my voice small and uncertain. "Do you think they will follow us and try again when we are not expecting it, or did I actually scare them enough to make them stay away?”

“They definitely will not come back.” Kaelen responded, walking close to me, and patting my back when he reached my side fully.

I watched them go, and I counted each one until they were all gone. All the twelve wolves who had been ready to kill us, were now running for their lives.

And as soon as they completely disappeared from our view, the forest went silent again.

I stood there, breathing hard.

My legs were shaking, and I could feel the sweat on my forehead. I had not realized how scared I was until it was over.

The power was still humming in my chest, warm and alive.

I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling the pulse of it beneath my palm. It was like a second heartbeat, steady and strong.

Kaelen turned to me, and his gray eyes were soft. "You did it," he said.

He said it softly, like he was reassuring me. Like he was telling me that I had done the right thing.

I nodded, but I was not sure if I was relieved or scared. The power had worked, but it had felt too easy, and too natural.

"Talia," Kaelen said. "Are you okay?"

"I do not know," I admitted. "I used it, Kaelen. I used it again."

I looked down at my hands, and I could still feel the warmth of the power in my fingers. It was still there, and still waiting. It did not want to let go.

"It felt so natural," I said, staring at my hands like they belonged to someone else. "Like I had been doing it my whole life, and that terrifies me more than anything, because what if I start liking the power too much and I become someone I do not recognize?” I took a breath. "And I am not sure if I will be able to stop using it."

He reached out and took my hand.

"I do not want to become like the people we are fighting, Kaelen," I said, my voice cracking. "I do not want to use this power to hurt innocent people or to control others just because I can, and I need you to promise me that if I ever start to lose myself, you will stop me before it is too late.”

His fingers were warm and steady, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease. He always knew how to ground me. "Then we will figure it out together."

I looked at him, and I felt the warmth of his hand in mine. "Together," I repeated.