Chapter 307 The night

Chapter 307: Chapter 307 The night

Talia’s POV

The darkness was complete.

I opened my eyes, and I could see nothing. The sky above me was black, and the ground beneath me was invisible. The only light came from the torches behind us, flickering and distant.

I blinked, and I felt the confusion washing over me. I was in Kaelen’s arms, and he was running. His breathing was ragged, and I could feel his heart pounding against my back.

"Kaelen?" I whispered.

He looked down at me, and I saw the exhaustion in his eyes. "Talia. You are awake."

I tried to move my body, but my body was too weak. "What is happening? Where are we?"

"We are still in the Ashen Lands," he said, and his voice was strained. "We are trying to escape."

I looked around, and I saw the others running beside us. I could see Piper, Jax, Silas, Cain, and my mother, Seraphina. Their faces were pale, and I could see the exhaustion on every single one of them.

"The guards," I said. "Are they still coming?"

Kaelen nodded. "They are right behind us, Talia."

I strained my neck and looked back, and I saw the torches flickering in the darkness. They were closer than I had expected, and they were moving fast. The guards were gaining on us.

"Kaelen, you need to put me down," I said.

He shook his head. "No."

"Kaelen..." I started to say.

"No," he said again, and his voice was firm. "I am not leaving you."

I looked at him, and I saw the determination in his eyes. I knew that he would not let me go. He would die before he let me go, and that... I could not allow.

"Kaelen," I said, and my voice was soft. "If you do not put me down, we are all going to die."

He looked at me, and I saw the fear in his eyes. "Talia..."

"I can walk," I said. "I can run, and I can fight."

"Talia, you can barely stand," he said.

"I know," I said. "But I can try."

He looked at me for a long moment, and I saw the conflict in his eyes. Then he nodded, and he lowered me to the ground.

I stood on my own, and I felt the weakness spreading through my legs. My body was still heavy, and my magic was still weak. But I was awake, and I was ready to fight.

"Piper," I said. "Help me."

Piper was beside me in an instant, and she put my arm around her shoulder. "I have you, Talia."

I leaned on her, and I felt the strength returning to my limbs. It was slow, but it was there.

"Keep moving," I said. "We cannot stop."

We ran through the darkness, and I felt the exhaustion pressing down on me with every step. The ground was uneven beneath my feet, and I stumbled more than once. But Piper held me up, and I kept going.

"Talia," Kaelen said, and his voice was filled with worry. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine," I said. "Keep moving."

I looked back, and I saw the guards getting closer. Their torches were bright, and I could see their faces twisted with rage. They were not going to stop. They were going to chase us until we fell and until they captured us.

"Alpha," Cain said, and his voice was urgent. "They are gaining on us. We cannot outrun them anymore."

I looked at the path ahead, and I could see nothing. The darkness was complete, and I did not know where we were going.

"Then we find somewhere to hide," I said.

Silas shook his head. "There is nowhere to hide, Luna. The Ashen Lands are mostly flat and open."

I looked around, and I saw the truth in his words. There was no cover, and no shelter. Just darkness and wide open ground.

Jax’s voice was desperate. "Then what do we do?"

I looked at the guards, then at my pack. They were all looking at me, waiting for me to lead them.

"If they catch up to us, then we fight," I said.

"Talia," Kaelen said. "You cannot fight. You are too weak."

"I can still fight," I countered. "I am a Silvertongue, and I will stop them with my voice magic, and try to buy us some time."

Kaelen grabbed my arm, and I saw the fear in his eyes. "Talia, no. You cannot use your magic again. It will drain you, and you will faint. You have already done too much."

I shook my head. "I have to try, Kaelen."

"You almost died last time," he said, and his voice was desperate. "The blood magic took everything from you. If you use your voice magic now, you might not wake up again."

"Kaelen..." I started to say.

"Talia please," he said, and his voice cracked. "I honestly cannot carry you again. I cannot watch you fall and not know if you are going to wake up. Please. Do not do this."

I looked at him, and I saw the tears in his eyes. I knew that he was afraid, and he was terrified of losing me.

"I know you are scared," I said, and my voice was soft. "I am scared too. But if I do not try, we all die. And I would rather risk losing myself than watch you die."

He looked at me, and I saw the love and the fear mixing in his eyes. "Talia..."

"I will be careful," I said, cutting him off gently. "I promise."

He did not let go of my arm. "Talia..."

"Kaelen," I called, holding his hand firmly. "I have to do this. Please, trust me."

He looked at me for a long moment, and I saw the conflict in his eyes. Then he nodded, and he let go of my arm.

"Be careful," he said. "Please."

I nodded. "I will.”

I turned to face the guards, and I felt my magic stirring in my chest. It was weak, but it was there. And even though I was afraid of losing consciousness again like Kaelen had said, because I did not like the fact that he had to carry me, and run at the same time, I still opened my mouth, and I prepared to speak.

Then suddenly, I heard a voice that was faint and distant, but unmistakable.

"Talia!" The voice called.

I looked ahead, and I saw a figure standing in the darkness. It was a wolf, with silver fur and golden streaks. She was beautiful and powerful, and she was looking at me. She looked like she was in a vision, and looked very real at the same time.

The voice sounded so familiar to me, and I realized that it was my wolf’s. "Lyra?" I whispered.

It was indeed my wolf. She had come back.

"You are not alone," Lyra said. "We are together. And we will not let them take us."

I felt the warmth spreading through my chest, and I felt my magic surging through my veins. It was not the weak flicker I had felt before. It was a flame, burning bright and strong.

I stepped forward, and I opened my mouth.

"Stop," I commanded.

My voice was strong, and it carried across the distance. The guards stumbled, and I saw the confusion on their faces. They tried to take another step, but their feet would not move.

I turned to my pack, and I smiled.

"We keep running," I said.

Jax whistled. “That never gets old. And I love it.” He smiled.

Kaelen walked closer to me and held my hand. I knew he was afraid that I might fall down and lose consciousness like before, but I did not.

“Everyone, keep running until we get to the border. We are not going to stop or hide before that.” Kaelen said.

We all turned around and ran into the night, and we did not look back.