Chapter 278 The Door

Chapter 278: Chapter 278 The Door

Talia’s POV

The symbols led us through the darkness like a trail of breadcrumbs, each one appearing just as the last began to fade. I had stopped counting how many we had passed because it did not matter. What mattered was that they kept appearing, kept guiding, and kept promising that we were not walking toward another dead end.

Kaelen’s hand was wrapped around mine, with his palm warm despite the cold that seeped through the stone walls. His breathing was shallow, and I could see the silver burns on his neck peeking through the cloth. But he did not complain. He never complained.

"Talia," he said, with his voice low. "How much further?"

I shook my head. "I do not know, Kaelen. But the symbols have not stopped."

He looked at the walls. "They have not faded either."

I nodded. "They will not stop until we reach the door. The one from my vision."

He squeezed my hand. "The door to your mother."

"Yes," I said. "The door to my mother."

We walked in silence for a while. The tunnel was still narrow, and the walls were still close. But the light from the symbols made it bearable, and almost warm.

Then I saw it.

The tunnel opened into a chamber. It was small, and barely large enough for two people to stand side by side. But in the center of the chamber, there was a door.

A stone door covered in symbols.

I stopped, and I felt my heart pound against my ribs. The pull of my mother was stronger now, so strong it made my chest ache.

Kaelen stopped beside me. "Talia, is that it?"

I nodded, with my voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, Kaelen. That is it."

I stood there for a moment, and I was unable to move. The door was right in front of me, close enough to touch, and yet it felt like it was miles away. All those years of wondering if my mother was alive. All those years of hoping and praying and dreaming of this moment. And now it was here, waiting for me.

Kaelen must have felt the hesitation in my hand because he squeezed it gently.

"Talia," he said softly. "What is it?"

I shook my head, with my eyes still fixed on the door. "I have been imagining this moment for fifteen years, Kaelen. Fifteen years of picturing what it would look like to find my mother, what I would feel, and what I would say. And now that it is here, I do not know what to do."

"You do not have to know what to do," Kaelen said. "You just have to walk through it."

I looked at him. "What if she is not what I remember? What if she has changed? What if she does not even recognize me?"

Kaelen turned me to face him, with his hands on my shoulders. "Talia, look at me."

I looked at him.

"She is your mother," he said. "You have crossed mountains, survived silver traps, walked through the heart of enemy territory, and faced your greatest fears. You did all of that for her. And you think she would not recognize that?"

I felt the tears prick at my eyes. "I just..."

"You just need to take the next step," he said. "That is all."

I took a breath, and I nodded. "You are right, Kaelen."

He smiled. "I know I am."

I stepped forward, and I felt the warmth of the symbols before I even touched them. They were carved into the stone, deep and precise. It was very old and worn by centuries of waiting.

But they were still visible, and still glowing faintly.

Kaelen stood beside me. "Talia, can you read them?"

I touched the symbols, and I felt the warmth spread through my fingers. "They are Silvertongue symbols, Kaelen. Like the ones on the walls."

He looked at me. "What do they say?"

I studied them, and the meaning came to me slowly. Not in words, but in feelings. In images, the symbols told a story.

"They speak of a prisoner," I said. "A Silvertongue woman. They say she was betrayed by someone she trusted, locked away for her power, and left to rot in the darkness."

I paused, and I felt the tears prick at my eyes.

"They speak of a daughter," I continued. "They say the daughter would come. The last one. The one who would break the chains and set her free."

Kaelen’s hand found my shoulder. "They are speaking of you, Talia. And your mother."

I nodded. "They knew I would come, and they have been waiting for me."

I traced the symbols with my fingers, and I felt the pulse beneath them. The door was alive and waiting.

"Kaelen," I said. "This is it. This is the way to my mother."

He stepped closer. "Then open it, Talia."

I looked at the door, and I felt the fear rise in my chest. What if it did not open? What if the symbols were wrong? What if I had come all this way for nothing?

"Kaelen," I said, my voice shaking. "What if it does not open?"

He took my hand. "Then we find another way, Talia."

I shook my head. "There is no other way, Kaelen. This is it."

He squeezed my hand. "Then open it."

I looked at him, and I saw the certainty in his gray eyes that he believed in me. He always believed in me.

I turned to the door, and I placed my palm on the cold stone.

The symbols flared to life.

The glow spread from my hand, radiating outward like ripples in water. The symbols on the door lit up, one by one, until the entire surface was bathed in golden light. The heat was intense, but I did not pull away.

Then I heard it. There was a grinding sound, that was deep and resonant, and it meant that the stone was moving.

Shortly after, the door opened, and light flooded out, bright and warm.

I blinked, raising my hand to shield my eyes. The chamber was filled with light, and I could feel the warmth on my skin. It was like stepping into sunlight after years of darkness.

Kaelen squeezed my hand. "Talia, you did it."

I looked at the open door, and I felt the tears spill down my cheeks. "She is in there, Kaelen. My mother is in there."

He pulled me close. "Then we go to her."

I looked at the light, and I felt the determination rising in my chest. I had come so far, and I had endured so much. And now, finally, I was here.

I whispered into the glowing light. "Please just give me my mother this time. Please."

Kaelen took my hand. "We have gotten to this door, Talia. So we will reach her this time. Together, Talia."

I squeezed his hand. "Together, Kaelen."

Then we stepped through the door.