Chapter 372 Sneaking out

Chapter 372: Chapter 372 Sneaking out

Talia’s POV

I could not sleep.

I lay in the darkness beside Kaelen, and I listened to the steady rhythm of his breathing. He was asleep, with his arm draped loosely over my waist, and I did not want to wake him, because he needed his rest.

Actually, we all did. But I could not rest, because every time I closed my eyes, the same thought was waiting for me in the darkness.

"Two months." The words repeated constantly in my head. "Sixty days." The clock in my mind kept ticking, and I could not make it stop.

I turned onto my side, and I stared at the wall. I tried to count my breaths, and I tried to empty my mind. But the thoughts kept coming, one after another, like waves crashing against a shore that could not hold them back.

“I could run.” The thoughts floated in. “I could take my mother and disappear, and no one would blame me. I was the last Silvertongue after all. If I fell in battle, our bloodline would end. Everything my mother had sacrificed, and everything my ancestors had fought for, would all be lost forever.”

But even as I thought it, I knew I could not do it. I could not leave my pack, I could not leave Kaelen, and I could not run from the fight that was coming.

"Lyra," I whispered into the darkness. "Are you there?"

I felt her stir in my chest, and I heard her voice, soft and steady. "I am here, Talia. I am always here."

"I cannot sleep," I confessed. "I cannot stop thinking about what is coming."

Lyra was quiet for a moment, and I could feel her presence, warm and grounding. "You are afraid," Lyra said. "That is not weakness, Talia. That is what it means to be alive."

"What if I am not strong enough?" I asked, and my voice was barely a whisper. "What if I fail?"

"You will not fail," Lyra replied, and her voice was firm. "You are the last Silvertongue, and the blood of our ancestors runs through your veins. So you are stronger than you know, Talia."

"I do not feel strong," I said, and I felt the tears burning in my eyes. "I feel like I am breaking."

"Then let yourself break," Lyra replied. "But do not let yourself stay broken. Get up, move, and do something. The fear will not leave you if you lie here and let it consume you."

I lay there for another moment, and I felt the weight of her words settling in my chest.

Lyra was right. I could not lie here and let the fear win, I had to do something.

So I slipped out of bed.

I was careful not to disturb Kaelen, and I pulled my boots onto my feet. The floor was cold against my skin, but I did not care. I grabbed a light tunic and pulled it over my head, and I walked to the door.

I walked through the quiet hallway, and I passed by the darkened rooms of my pack.

I did not know where I was going, I just knew I could not stay still. My feet carried me through the stronghold, past the great hall, past the kitchens, and past the library where I had spent so many hours studying the old texts.

The night air was cool on my skin as I stepped outside, and I felt it brush against my face. The courtyard was empty, and the training yard was just ahead.

I could hear the soft sounds of sleep coming from behind the closed doors. The warriors who had been drilling all day were finally resting, the children who had been laughing in the courtyard were finally sleeping, and the stronghold was silent, but I was the only one awake.

I walked to the training yard, and I stopped in the center of the dirt circle.

I stood there for a moment, and I looked at the training post. It was just a piece of wood wrapped in cloth, but in the moonlight, it looked like something more. It looked like an enemy. It looked like Malachai, and it looked like everything I was afraid of.

The moon was high above me, bright and full, and it cast a silver light over everything. I could see my own shadow stretching across the ground, and I could see the training post standing in front of me like a silent opponent.

I raised my fist, and I punched the post.

The impact vibrated through my arm, and I felt the pain shooting through my knuckles. But I did not stop.

I punched again, and I felt the anger rising in my chest. I was angry at Malachai, I was angry at Vivienne, I was angry at my father for being weak, and I was angry at myself for being afraid.

I punched again, and I felt the frustration building inside me. I had spent so long trying to be strong, trying to be brave, and trying to be everything everyone needed me to be. But now, I was tired. I was so tired.

I punched again, and I felt the tears streaming down my face.

I thought about Malachai, and his black eyes, and his cruel smile. I thought about the army he was gathering at the edge of the Ashen Lands. I thought about the war that was coming, and the lives that would be lost. I thought about my mother, and the years we had lost, and the years we might not have.

I thought about Kaelen, and the promise I had made to him, and the fear that I might not be able to keep it.