Chapter 290 The failure

Chapter 290: Chapter 290 The failure

Talia’s POV

I wedged the rod between the bars, and I pulled.

The metal groaned against the silver, and I felt the vibrations travel up my arms. I pulled harder, and I felt the sweat dripping down my face. My muscles were screaming, and my hands were bleeding, but I did not stop.

"Come on," I grunted. "Come on!"

But the bars did not move.

I dropped the rod, and I let out a cry of frustration. I slammed my fists against the silver bars, and I felt the burn sear through my knuckles. The pain was sharp and immediate, but I did not care.

"Talia," my mother said. "Please stop."

I shook my head. "I am not stopping."

I reached for the rod again, and I wedged it between the bars, then I pulled with everything I had. The rod bent, and the bars creaked, but they did not break.

I dropped the rod again, and I pressed my hands against the bars. The silver burned my palms, but I held on.

"Break," I commanded. "I say break. Now!"

My voice was raw and hoarse, but there was no power behind it. The silver was too strong, and my magic was too weak.

I tried again. "Break!"

But nothing happened.

I slammed my fists against the bars again, and I felt the blood welling up beneath my skin. The pain was nothing compared to the frustration I was feeling in my chest.

"Talia," Kaelen said, his voice was weak from where he was resting by the wall. "You are hurting yourself."

I looked at him. "I do not care."

"Talia..." He called again.

"Kaelen," I said. "I cannot break them. I have tried everything."

He pushed himself up, with his body swaying. He walked to me, and he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Talia," he said. "We will find another way."

I shook my head. "There is no other way."

I looked at the bars, and I felt the tears streaming down my face. I had come so far, and I had fought so hard, and I could not break through.

I sank to my knees in front of the cell, and I pressed my forehead against the cold silver. The metal bit into my skin, and I felt the tears dripping onto the stone floor.

"I am sorry, Mother," I whispered. "I am so sorry."

My mother pressed her palm against the bars, and I felt the warmth of her hand through the cold silver.

"Talia," she said. "Listen to me."

I lifted my head, and I looked at her through the bars.

"You need to leave," she said. "Right now."

I stared at her. "What?"

She looked at me, and I saw the fear in her tired eyes. "The guards will come soon. They always come to check on me, even though it is not as care. Most times, it is to mock me, and to see if I was still alive. But if they find you here, they will kill you."

I shook my head. "I am not leaving you."

"Talia..." She called.

"Mother," I said. "I am not leaving."

She pressed her hand against the bars, and I saw the desperation on her face. "You do not understand. Malachai’s guards are ruthless. If they find you, they will not just kill you. They will make you suffer first."

I reached through the bars and took her hand. "I do not care."

Seraphina shook her head. "Talia, please..."

"Mother," I said. "I have been looking for you for fifteen years. And now that I have found you, I am not leaving you now."

She looked at me, and I saw the tears streaming down her face. "I cannot lose you again, Talia. I cannot."

I squeezed her hand. "You will not lose me. I promise."

I looked back at Kaelen, and I saw the pain on his face. The silver was still burning him, and I knew we did not have much time.

"Mother," I said. "Our friends are outside. They are creating a distraction at the front gate so we can break you out."

My mother’s eyes widened. "A distraction?"

I nodded. "They are fighting Malachai’s guards right now. Or so I am thinking, because I do not really know the type of distraction they came up with. But they risked their lives so we could get in."

She looked at me, and I saw the understanding in her eyes. "Now I understand. That is why the guards have not come yet."

I nodded. "Yes. We have a little time."

I looked at my mother through the bars, and I felt the fear creeping back into my chest. I had not told her everything, not yet.

"Mother," I said. "There is something else."

She looked at me. "What is it?"

I took a breath. "A guard was coming. While we were trying to find the bars, he found us."

She looked at Kaelen, then back at me. "You said a guard was coming?"

I nodded. "He found us, but we fought him."

My mother’s face paled. "You fought him?"

I nodded again. "He was strong. Kaelen was weakened by the silver, but he still fought the guard. When he was knocked down, I could not sit still because my magic was weak, so I had to fight him myself. I used the training Kaelen and his beta gave me."

"And you won?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Not at first, mother. He was too strong, and he threw me against the wall, and he was about to kill Kaelen with his silver sword."

My mother gasped. "What happened?"

I looked at her, and I felt the tears prick at my eyes. "My magic. It was weak, so weak that I did not think it would work. But I screamed. I screamed with everything I had, and the scream carried my magic. It stopped him."

My mother stared at me. "Your magic worked? Here?"

I nodded. "Barely. I had to command him to sleep. It took everything I had, but it worked."

She reached through the bars and touched my face. "My brave girl."

I leaned into her touch. "I tried to use my magic on these bars, Mother. But it is too weak. The silver is too strong."

She looked at me, and I saw the love in her eyes. "I know, Talia. But you are here. That is what matters."

I shook my head. "It is not enough. I need to get you out."

She squeezed my hand. "You will find a way. I believe in you."

I held her hand through the bars, and I felt the warmth of her fingers against mine.

I looked at the bars, and I felt the determination rising in my chest. I would find a way to get my mother out of this place. I had to.