Chapter 192 The Location

Chapter 192: Chapter 192 The Location

Talia’s POV

I sat in Grandfather Aldric’s room, with tears blurring my eyes, and flowing down my cheeks.

The fire crackled in the hearth, and the shadows danced on the walls. I could feel the warmth of the flames on my skin, but it did not reach the cold that had settled deep in my chest.

I felt the weight of my own question hanging in the air between us.

"Where is my mother now?"

Grandfather Aldric looked at me, and I could see the seriousness in his eyes. He was quiet for a moment, and I could feel the weight of what he was about to say pressing down on him.

He finally spoke.

His voice was low and heavy, like he was pulling the words from somewhere deep inside him. I could see that this was not easy for him to say. "She is being held in a distant territory... called the Ashen Lands."

I frowned slightly, because I had never heard of that place before.

The name sounded dark and foreboding, like a place where hope went to die, and I did not like the way it felt on my tongue.

"Ashen Lands?" I asked, repeating the words.

Grandfather Aldric nodded.

His eyes were serious, and I could see the worry in them. I knew that he was afraid for me, and he was afraid of what I might find there.

"It is a dark and dangerous place, ruled by an enemy of the Silver tongues, Child. Their king’s name is Malachai."

My heart pounded. "Who is he?"

"He is a wolf who has been hunting Silvertongues for years," Grandfather Aldric said. "He has been holding your mother captive all this time."

The words "fifteen years” hung in the air between us, heavy and impossible. My mother had been a prisoner for fifteen years.

I stared at him. “My mother had been held captive by this Malachai for fifteen years?”

Grandfather Aldric nodded. “I believe so, Child.”

I tried to imagine what she had been through; the fear, the loneliness, and the helplessness. It made my chest ache, and I felt the anger rising inside me.

She had been trapped in a distant territory, alone and afraid, while I had been hiding in Cresswood.

"Is she still alive?" I asked, and my voice came out in a whisper.

I was afraid of the answer. Afraid that he would tell me she was gone, and afraid that I had come all this way only to lose her again.

Grandfather Aldric was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I do not know, Talia. I have not received word from her in years, so I do not know if she is still alive."

The words hit me like a blow to the chest, and I felt like I could not breathe.

The hope that had been building inside me, and the hope that had been growing since the moment he told me she was alive, was suddenly threatened by the possibility that she might already be dead.

I had just learned that my mother was alive, that she had not died in the fire, and now I was being told that she might be dead anyway?

"No," I said, shaking my head. "She is alive. I know she is alive, and I can feel it."

I did not know how I knew, I just did. It was a feeling deep in my bones, and a certainty that I could not explain.

Kaelen squeezed my hand, and I felt his warmth seep into me.

“Where is this Ashen land?” I asked, staring at Grandfather Aldric.

Grandfather Aldric walked to a chest in the corner of the room. He opened it and pulled out an old, worn out map.

The edges of the map were frayed, and the paper was yellowed with age. It looked like it had been used many times, like it had been folded and unfolded by hands that had been searching for answers.

He spread it on the table and pointed to a dark region marked with strange symbols.

The symbols looked ancient, and I did not recognize them. But I knew that they marked the place where my mother was being held.

"This is where she is," he said. "The Ashen Lands. It is a dangerous place, full of traps and enemies."

I could see the warning in his eyes, like he was telling me that this would not be easy. He was telling me that I might not come back.

"You will not be able to walk in without a plan." Grandfather Aldric said.

I stared at the map, memorizing every detail.

I traced the lines with my eyes, following the path that would lead me to my mother. I wanted to remember every twist and turn, and every landmark and marker.

The Ashen Lands was a place that I had never heard of, but I did not care. I would take my chances.

I had come too far to turn back now, and I had survived too much to let fear stop me. Now, I would not let anything stand in my way.

I would go there, and I would find my mother.

I traced my finger along the path to the Ashen Lands.

I could feel the rough texture of the paper beneath my fingertip, and I imagined myself walking that path, step by step, getting closer to my mother with every passing day.

“The journey would be long and dangerous, but I did not care. I had survived worse, and I would survive this too.” I said firmly, staring at Grandfather Aldric, then at Kaelen.

The words were not just for him, they were for me. I needed to remind myself that I was strong enough to do this.

I looked at Grandfather Aldric again. "I will go."

He nodded. "I knew you would."

I looked back at Kaelen. He was watching me, with his gray eyes soft, and I could see the questions in his eyes.

He wanted to ask if I was sure. He wanted to tell me that this was dangerous, that I could get hurt, or that I could die. But he knew that I had already made up my mind.

To my surprise, he did not speak. He just held my hand and let me process everything in my own time, and I was grateful for his silence.

He did not try to talk me out of it, and he did not try to protect me from the truth. He just stood beside me, steady and strong.

I took a deep breath to steady myself, and properly digest all that I had heard. Now that I had a map, i had Lyra, and I had my strength, I just needed to put a solid plan in place.

Because, I would find my mother, no matter what it took.