Chapter 253 The scout

Chapter 253: Chapter 253 The scout

Talia’s POV

I looked at him, and I felt the warmth of his hand in mine. It was a small comfort, but it was enough.

We walked in silence for a while longer. The land grew darker, and the sky grew gray.

I could feel the temperature dropping, and I pulled my cloak tighter around me. The cold was not just in the air, it was in the ground, in the trees, and in the very bones of the earth.

The magic pressed against me, cold and sharp.

Then I saw it.

There was a figure, moving in the distance, and he was watching us.

I saw him before anyone else did. The shadow was trying to hide against the gray sky, and he was still and watchful. My heart stopped.

I stopped walking. "Kaelen." I called softly, with my eyes still locked on the figure.

Kaelen looked at me, then without saying a word, he followed my gaze. "I see it." he said with a cold voice.

Before anyone could react, the figure turned and ran. It was fast, too fast to catch.

"I should have been quicker, I should have seen him sooner, and now he is gone and Malachai knows exactly where we are and exactly how many of us there are," I said, my voice tight with frustration. "I have lost the element of surprise, and that might be the difference between finding my mother and losing her forever."

"Stop!" I shouted. "Wait!"

I opened my mouth to shout again, but the words died in my throat. He was already gone, disappearing into the dead trees like he had never been there.

I wanted to chase after him, but it was too late. The figure disappeared into the trees, and the silence returned.

But it was not the same silence as before. It was heavier now, and charged with the knowledge that we had been seen.

Jax moved forward. "Should we chase him?"

Kaelen shook his head. "It is too late. He is already gone."

Piper’s voice was small. "What does this mean?"

Kaelen’s jaw tightened. "It means Malachai knows we are here, because that is definitely a scout, and that scout will report back. Malachai knows exactly where we are."

I could see the tension in his shoulders, and the way his hand instinctively moved to his sword. He was ready for a fight.

I felt the weight of his words press down on me. The element of surprise was gone. Now, Malachai knew we were coming.

Jax looked at Kaelen. "Should we turn back?"

Kaelen shook his head. "There is no turning back now."

I looked at the group, and I saw the fear on their faces.

Piper’s hands were shaking, Jax had stopped joking, Silas’s jaw was tight, and even Cain seemed more alert than usual.

They were all scared, even if they were trying to hide it.

"I am sorry," I said. "I never meant to put you in danger."

Kaelen turned to me. "Stop. We chose to come, and we are not going anywhere."

His voice was firm, and I could see the determination in his eyes. He was not going to let me carry this guilt alone.

Piper stepped forward. "We are with you, Talia. All the way."

I looked at her, and I felt the tears prick at my eyes. She had been through so much, and she was still standing beside me.

Jax grinned, but I could see the fear behind it. "Besides, we have come too far, including crossing through a cold river, to turn back now."

Silas nodded. "We knew what we were getting into."

Cain did not speak, he just nodded once.

I took a breath, and I forced myself to stand tall. Malachai knew we were coming, but I was not going to run, and I was not going to hide.

"We keep moving forward," I said. "We are going to find my mother, no matter what."

Kaelen squeezed my hand. "Together."

Piper smiled. "Together."

Jax muttered something under his breath. "This is going to be a long walk."

I almost laughed. Almost.

The corners of my mouth twitched, and I felt the tension in my chest ease, just a little. It was not much, but it was something.

With our renewed hope, we continued forward, into the darkness.

"I know this is only going to get harder from here, I know Malachai is going to throw everything he has at us to stop us from reaching my mother," I said, my voice steady despite the fear in my chest. "But I also know that I am not alone, that I have people beside me who believe in me and who will fight with me until the very end, and that is more than I ever had before, and that is what is going to carry me through the darkness."

The magic pressed against me, cold and sharp.

It whispered to me, trying to make me turn back. But I had come too far to give up now, and I did not stop.

I could not stop, because my mother was out there, and I was coming for her.

No matter what Malachai threw at me, and no matter how dark the path became, I would not stop, and I would not rest until I found her.