Chapter 317 The Memories

Chapter 317: Chapter 317 The Memories

Talia’s POV

"Tell me more, Mother."

My mother smiled. "Of course, my brave girl. I will tell you more."

She looked at me, and I saw the memories flickering in her tired eyes. She took a breath, and I watched her face soften as she let herself remember.

"The village was called Luminara," she said, and her voice was soft and distant. "It was hidden in a valley, surrounded by mountains. The sun would rise over the peaks every morning, and the light would spill into the valley like liquid gold."

I closed my eyes, and I tried to picture it.

"There were gardens everywhere," she continued. "Flowers of every color. Roses, lilies, and flowers I have never seen anywhere else. They bloomed all year round because of the magic that flowed through the earth."

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Magic?"

She nodded, and I saw the light in her eyes. "The ground was filled with it. It was in the soil, and in the water, and in the air. You could feel it everywhere. It made the flowers grow, and it made the children laugh."

"I remember standing in the garden one morning, watching the flowers bloom right before my eyes," she said, and her voice was soft with wonder. "The petals would unfurl like they were stretching after a long sleep, and the colors were so bright they almost hurt to look at. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I knew then that I would never leave that place."

She smiled at the memories. "And it made the elders strong too."

"Tell me about the people," I said.

She smiled, and I saw the warmth spreading across her face. "The people were kind, and they took care of each other. If someone was sick, the whole village would come to help. If someone lost their home, the whole village would rebuild it. We were not just neighbors, we were family."

I listened, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. "And the children?"

Her smile grew brighter. "The children were everywhere."

"I wished to watch you play with them, Talia," she said, and her voice cracked. "Before the fire, and before everything. You were so small, and your laugh was so loud. You would run through the pack house then, in Cresswood, with the other children who always came to visit, and your hair would fly behind you like a banner. I used to stand at the door and watch you, and hope to take you to Luminara, because I would remember how things were over there, and I would think to myself, ’This is what happiness looks like.’"

I looked at my mother’s face, and it was bright with a smile.

"Children over there were just as happy. They always ran through the streets, and they played in the gardens, and they chased each other around the fountain. Their laughter was the most beautiful sound in the world." She said.

I watched her face, and I saw the years falling away from her. She was not the broken woman who had crawled out of a silver cage. She was the woman who had lived in a village called Luminara.

"Tell me about the fountain," I said.

She laughed, and it was a real laugh. "The fountain was in the center of the village. The water was so clear that you could see the stones at the bottom. And in the summer, the children would run through it to cool off. You would have loved it, Talia. You would have loved it so much."

I nodded, and I felt the tears streaming down my face. "I wish I could have seen it."

She reached for my hand, and she squeezed it. "You will, Talia. Someday, I will take you there, and we will rebuild it together."

I looked at her, and I felt the hope rising in my chest. "You think we can?"

She nodded, and I saw the determination in her eyes. "I know we can. The magic is still there. It has been waiting for us to come back."

I squeezed her hand, and I smiled. "Then we will, mother."

Then suddenly, I saw her face change.

I watched the joy drain from her face, replaced by something darker, and something older. It was like watching a cloud pass over the sun, and I felt the cold creeping into my chest. Whatever she was about to tell me, I knew it was going to change everything.

The light in her eyes dimmed, and I watched the shadows creep back in. She looked away from me, and her jaw tightened.

"Mother," I said, and my voice was soft. "What is it?"

She was quiet for a long moment. Then she spoke, and her voice was heavy with the weight of years.

"There is something I need to tell you, Talia. Something I should have told you a long time ago."

I felt the fear creeping into my chest. "Tell me."

She looked at me, and I saw the pain in her tired eyes. "The man who destroyed Luminara. The same man who put me in that cage, his name is Malachai."

I felt my blood run cold at the mention of the name, even though I knew about him. "Malachai." I repeated.

She nodded. "He is a Silvertongue hunter, Talia. He has been hunting our bloodline for thirty years."

"He took everything from me, Talia," she said, and her voice was raw with grief. "He took my home, my people, my freedom, and he took the years I should have spent watching you grow. He stole fifteen years of my life, and I will never get them back."

She paused, and her face grew dimmer. "And he has killed so many of us. He burned our village, and he scattered our people, and he has been chasing us ever since."

I looked at her, and I felt the anger rising in my chest. "Why? Why does he hate us so much?"

She shook her head, and I saw the tears streaming down her face. "Because he is afraid of us, Talia. He is afraid of our magic, and he is afraid of our power, and he has spent his entire life trying to destroy us."

I looked at her, and I felt the determination settling in my chest. "Then we will stop him."

She looked at me, and I saw the hope flickering in her tired eyes. "I know we will, Talia. I know we will.”