Chapter 345 The old magic 1

Chapter 345: Chapter 345 The old magic 1

Talia’s POV

The great hall had emptied.

I stood at the entrance of the great hall, watching the last of the warriors disappear over the ridge, and I felt the weight of what we had accomplished settle into my chest.

The allied packs were preparing to leave.

They had come because they believed in us, because they believed in the cause, and because they believed that Malachai could be defeated. And I would not let them down. I would not let any of them down.

Soon they moved out, and I stood at the border of Blackmoor Valley, and I watched them gather their warriors and their supplies.

The Alphas had pledged their loyalty, but they had their own packs to prepare, and their own people to protect. They needed to go back to their territories, to train their warriors, to stock their supplies, and to say their goodbyes.

Alpha Stone walked to me, and I saw the respect in his old eyes. "We will return, Luna Talia. When the time comes, we will be ready."

I nodded, and I felt the hope rising in my chest. "I know you will, Alpha Stone. I trust you."

Alpha Thornwood approached, his voice gruff but sincere. "We will prepare our warriors. We will be ready to fight beside you."

"Thank you," I said. "All of you. For believing in us. For trusting us."

I watched them depart, and I felt the hope rising in my chest. They were leaving, but they would return. They would fight beside us, and they would stand with us.

Kaelen walked to me, and I felt his hand on my back. "They will come back, Talia."

I nodded, and I felt the warmth of his hand through my shirt. "I know, Kaelen. I know."

He pulled me close, and I felt his arms wrapping around me. "You did this, Talia. You brought them together."

I pressed my face into his chest, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. "We did this, Kaelen. All of us."

The days passed, and the stronghold grew quiet again.

But I did not rest, because there was no time to rest. Malachai was still out there, and we needed to be ready. I could feel the weight of the coming battle pressing down on me, and I knew that I needed to be stronger.

My mother found me in the training yard, and I saw the determination in her tired eyes. She had been resting, and recovering, but now she was ready. She was ready to teach me.

"It is time, Talia," she said. "Time for you to learn the old magic."

I looked at her, and I felt the excitement and the fear mixing in my chest. "The old magic?"

She nodded, and I saw the ancient knowledge flickering in her eyes. "You need to learn the spells that have not been spoken in generations. These are magic that has been waiting for someone to wield it, and magic that was almost lost forever."

I took a breath, and I felt the determination rising in my chest. "Teach me, Mother. I am ready."

My mother stood in front of me, and I watched her hands move through the air. They traced patterns that I had never seen before, and there were shapes that seemed to shimmer in the light.

"The old magic is different from what you have used before," she said. "It is deeper, older, and more powerful. But it requires focus, and it requires trust."

I listened, and I felt the weight of her words pressing down on me. "Trust in what?"

She looked at me, and I saw the love in her eyes. "Trust in yourself, my brave girl. Trust in your bloodline, and trust in the magic that flows through your veins."

I nodded, and I felt the determination rising in my chest. "Show me, Mother. Show me what to do."

"Open your heart, my brave girl," my mother instructed. "And feel the magic come to you."

I nodded, then I raised my hands, and I tried to feel the magic. I remembered the words, the ones she had taught me in the dungeon, and I whispered them, hoping they would work.

"Sha’kala mor’eth," I whispered. "Vas’kala sil’verath."

But nothing happened.

I tried again, pushing harder and forcing the words through my throat. "Sha’kala mor’eth. Vas’kala sil’verath."

Still nothing. The air was still, and the magic did not answer.

I felt the frustration building in my chest, hot and sharp. Why was it not working? I had used these words before, and I had broken silver with them. Why were they not answering now?

My mother walked to me, and I felt her hand on my shoulder. Her touch was gentle, and I felt her warmth seeping through my shirt.

"You are trying too hard, Talia," she said. "The old magic does not respond to force. It responds to belief."

I looked at her, and I felt the frustration building in my chest. "How do I make it respond, Mother? I have tried everything."

She smiled, and I saw the patience in her tired eyes. "You stop trying to make it respond, Talia. You let it come to you."