Chapter 309 Finally at the border

Chapter 309: Chapter 309 Finally at the border

Talia’s POV

We ran, and I felt the ground changing beneath my feet because the black, cracked earth of the Ashen Lands was giving way to something softer and greener. I looked down, and I saw blades of grass pushing through the soil, thin and pale but real.

I stumbled, and Kaelen caught my arm before I fell. "Talia, look at the ground. Look at what is beneath your feet."

I looked down, and I saw the grass, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. "We are almost there, Kaelen. This means that we are almost at the border."

He squeezed my hand, and I saw the relief on his face. "Yes, Talia. We are almost there."

Piper ran beside me, and I saw the tears on her face because she was crying and laughing at the same time. "Talia, I can see it, Talia. I can see the green lands again."

I looked ahead, and I saw the whole landscape because the gray was fading and it was being replaced by a soft and vibrant green. The Ashen Lands were ending, and the world beyond the border was waiting for us.

"Keep going," I said, and my voice was fierce. "We are almost there. Do not stop now."

We ran, and I felt my legs burning and my lungs aching, but I did not stop because I could see the end. I could see the green grass and the blue sky and the freedom that was waiting for us.

We finally reached the border, and I felt the grass beneath my feet because it was soft and cool and it smelled like life. I fell to my knees, and I pressed my hands against the ground since the earth was warm and I could feel the magic flowing through it.

"We made it," I whispered, and my voice was breaking. "We actually made it, you guys."

Kaelen was beside me, and I felt his hand on my back. "Yes, Talia. We made it."

I looked up, and I saw the others collapsing around me because Piper was on her knees and crying, and Jax was leaning forward with one of his hands on his thighs, and the other one on Piper’s back, consoling her. Silas was standing and scanning the horizon, and Cain was still watching the enemies coming.

And my mother. She was standing with Jax and Silas, and she was looking at the green grass with tears streaming down her face because I knew that she had not seen anything green in fifteen years.

She knelt down, and she touched the grass with her trembling fingers. "I never thought I would see this again," she whispered. "I never thought I would feel grass beneath my feet."

I stood up, and I walked to her because I needed to hold her. I took her hand, and I felt the warmth of her fingers against mine. "You are free now, Mother. You are never going back to Malachai’s cage."

She looked at me, and I saw the love in her tired eyes. "My brave girl. My brave, brave girl."

I pulled her into my arms, and I held her because I could not let her go. I felt her body against mine, thin and fragile, but alive. She was alive.

Piper walked to us, and I saw the tears on her face. "Luna Seraphina, welcome home. Welcome to freedom."

My mother pulled back, and she looked at Piper with gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you, Piper. Thank you for taking care of my daughter."

Piper shook her head. "It was Talia who took care of us. She took care of all of us."

I smiled as tears ran down my cheeks. Then suddenly, I felt something strong

stirring in my chest. It was warm and bright, and I knew that my magic was surging back and it was stronger than before. The Ashen Lands had suppressed it, but now that I was free, and out of the land, it was flooding through my veins like fire.

I closed my eyes, and I let it wash over me with its force. I felt the power in my fingertips, and in my voice, and in my blood. I was a Silvertongue, and I was whole again.

"Talia," Kaelen said, and his voice was filled with awe. "Your eyes, Talia. They are glowing."

I moved closer to him, opened my eyes, and I looked at my reflection in kaelen’s eyes, and I saw that they were glowing with a soft golden light that pulsed with my heartbeat.

"It is my magic," I said, and my voice was strong. "It is back. The Ashen Lands can no longer hold me since I am out of it."

I turned, and I looked at the Ashen Lands behind me with the gray sky and the dead trees and the black ground. The riders and the guards were still there, and they were moving now, closer to the border.

I stepped forward, and I faced them one last time because I needed them to see me. I needed them to see what they had failed to destroy.

I walked to the edge of the border, and I felt the magic pulsing through my veins because it was stronger now and brighter and hotter.

The riders were still there, and their horses were snorting and pawing at the ground. The guards were behind them, and their torches were flickering in the gray light. They were waiting and watching, and they were not giving up.

"The Silvertongue," one of the riders shouted, and his voice was filled with hate. "The king will not stop until you are dead."

I looked at him, and I felt the power rising in my chest because I was not the weak and exhausted woman who had stumbled out of the dungeon. I was a Silvertongue, and I was a Luna, and I was definitely done running.

Kaelen moved beside me, and his voice was low with worry. "Talia, what are you doing?"

I did not look at him because my eyes were fixed on the enemy. "I am ending this, Kaelen. I am showing them what they are up against."

"But Talia..." Kaelen started to say.

"Kaelen," I said, cutting him off gently, because I knew that he wanted to argue and tell me that I would exhaust myself. But my voice was firm. "Trust me."

He was silent for a moment, and then I heard him take a breath. "I trust you, Talia. I always trust you."

I stepped forward, and I opened my mouth to speak because the words were on the tip of my tongue, and I could feel the magic building in my throat. I felt the excitement of it and the power in my veins was hot and bright and ready to be unleashed.

But I did not speak, not yet.

I looked at the riders, and I saw the fear in their eyes even as they came closer, because they knew I was about to do something. They knew now that I was a Silvertongue, and they knew what I was capable of.

I smiled, and I felt the power surging through me like a wave. "You should have stayed in your dark land," I said, and my voice carried across the distance. "Because now, you are going to watch us walk away. You are going to watch us disappear into the light, and not be able to do anything about it."

I turned my back on them, and I began to walk back to my pack, because I wanted them to see that I was not afraid. I wanted them to see that they had lost, and I wanted them to see that I was not running from them anymore.

Kaelen was waiting for me, and I saw the pride in his eyes because he was smiling. "Talia, that was..."

But before he could finish his words, and before I could walk further away from the border, a voice from behind shouted. “Attack!!! And make sure you capture all of them. If anyone tries to fight back, kill them. But make sure to keep the Silvertongues alive for the king.”

I immediately stopped in my steps, and I turned around again to face the enemies, even as they charged forward with loud shouts.

Then I opened my mouth to speak one last time.