Chapter 402 Dawn arrives

Chapter 402: Chapter 402 Dawn arrives

Talia’s POV

I lay in Kaelen’s arms, and I watched the darkness fade.

I did not sleep.

I could not because my mind would not quiet. I kept seeing the silver cage, I kept hearing Malachai’s voice, and I kept feeling the cold of the Ashen Lands on my skin.

I tried to sleep, so I closed my eyes. I listened to Kaelen’s heartbeat, and I waited for sleep to take me, but it did not come.

So I watched the darkness fade instead. I watched the stars disappear, one by one, until only the brightest remained. I watched the sky change from black to gray to the palest blue.

The room was still. The fire had died hours ago, and the only light came from the window, where the first gray fingers of dawn were beginning to creep across the sky.

Kaelen was awake too. I could tell by his breathing. It was too steady, and too controlled. And I knew that he was pretending to sleep, just like I was.

Neither of us spoke, we just held each other.

I listened to the sounds of the stronghold waking. The footsteps in the hallway grew faster, the voices grew louder, and the clang of metal grew sharper.

A door slammed somewhere down the hall, a cart rolled past, its wheels grinding against the stone, and a voice shouted orders, sharp and urgent.

I knew what those sounds meant: It was time.

I sat up, and Kaelen sat up beside me. But we did not speak, because we did not need to.

I walked to the basin and washed my face. The water was so cold it stung my skin. I gasped, and my eyes flew open. I was awake now. I dried my face with a cloth and looked at myself in the small mirror above the basin.

I looked at my reflection. The woman staring back at me had shadows under her eyes and a scar on her chin from Celeste’s ring. She had calloused hands and a straight back.

"You survived," I said to her. "You survived fifteen years of abuse. You passed three trials. You walked into the Ashen Lands and freed your mother from a silver cage. You are a Luna, you are a Silvertongue, and you are a warrior. And you are ready."

She stared back at me, silent. But her eyes were steady, and her jaw was set. She was ready.

I dressed in my training clothes. They were worn and comfortable, the same clothes I had trained in with Cain for weeks. I pulled them on slowly, feeling the familiar fabric against my skin.

I braided my hair back, tight and out of my face. My fingers moved quickly, automatically.

"You learned to do this in the dark," I whispered to myself. "You learned to do everything in the dark. But not anymore."

I strapped the dagger from Grandfather Aldric to my hip. The leather handle was smooth beneath my fingers as I ran my thumb over it once, then twice.

"She never lost," I whispered. "Neither will I."

I touched my mother’s necklace. It was warm against my skin.

"Never remove the glamour charm before your twentieth birthday," I whispered, repeating her words. "I removed it, I survived, and now I am going to fight."

I turned to Kaelen. He was dressed in his black leather armor with his swords that were strapped to his back.

We were ready.

I looked at Kaelen and he looked at me. We did not need words.

I took one last look at the room. The bed was unmade, and the fire was out. It looked the same as it had last night, but it felt different. It felt like a memory, and it felt like something I might never see again.

Kaelen took my hand, and he squeezed it.

"We will come back," he said.

I nodded, and I believed him.

We locked hands and walked out the door.

The hallways were busy. Wolves were moving in every direction, warriors were checking their weapons, healers were carrying supplies, and servants were running messages.

Everyone had a purpose, and everyone had a role.

Piper was in the hallway. She was carrying a basket of bandages, and she stopped when she saw me.

"Talia," she said, and her voice cracked.

I saw her eyes. They were red, which meant that she had been crying.

I walked to her and I took her hands.

"You promised me," I said. "You stay close to the stronghold. You stay safe."

Piper nodded. "I remember."

I pulled her into a hug. It was quick, and it was fierce. I breathed in the scent of lavender soap that always clung to her skin.

"I will be here when you return," Piper whispered. "I will be waiting."

I pulled back and I looked at her. "I am counting on it."

She nodded. She tried to smile, but it did not reach her eyes.

She looked at me for a long moment, then she spoke.

"Remember when we were children?" she asked. "Remember how we used to hide in the storage room and tell stories about the future?"

I nodded. "You always said you would marry a prince."

Piper laughed. It was a wet sound. "And you always said you would escape."

"I did escape," I said. "And you found a prince in Jax."

Piper’s cheeks flushed. "He is not a prince."

"He is close enough," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

She laughed and hugged me again. "Come back to me, Talia. I cannot do this without you."

I held her tight. "You can do anything without me. But I will come back anyway."

She nodded, and she did not speak. She did not need to.

I turned and walked away because Kaelen was waiting for me. We continued down the hallway.

I stopped outside Grandfather Aldric’s door. Then I knocked.

"Come in," a voice called out.