Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter 28:
Lia’s POV
The forest was a living pulse, its shadows shifting under the midday sun, but my tribrid senses caught every whisper of danger, the faint frost-scent of Frostclad scouts, the rustle of leaves under cautious paws. My claws twitched, the silver fire in my veins humming as I led Tara and Kael through the trees, their moonbound eyes glowing with the same fierce resolve I felt. I thought of Edgar and what he was doing. But my focus was here, in the wild, chasing the moonstone my mother had hidden, a relic that could strengthen my moonbound army and prove my loyalty to a clan that still spat ‘tribrid’ and ‘traitor’ like curses.
The safehold’s runes had burned into my memory, their glow lingering in my mind alongside the vision of my mother, Clara, hiding the moonstone in a forest glade. Elena had stayed behind to scout for Frostclad, promising to join us with any other moonbound she could find. My army was small, Tara, with her quick wit and silver claws, and Kael, his grizzled strength a quiet anchor, but it was growing, and every step toward the moonstone felt like a step toward claiming my place.
“This way,” I said, my voice low, my wolf senses guiding me toward a glade where the air felt heavier, charged with the same magic I’d felt in the safehold. Tara’s eyes flicked to me, her trust in a weight I was still learning to carry. “You sure about this, Lia?” she asked, her voice soft but steady. “The clan’s already itching to call you a traitor. If we find the moonstone and they think you’re keeping it for yourself…”
“They can think what they want,” I said, my voice sharp, the tribrid fire flaring in my chest. “I’m doing this for the clan, for us. The moonbound are Ironclad too, and the moonstone will prove it.”
Kael grunted, his claws flexing. “They’ll hate you for it,” he said, his voice rough but not unkind. “Moonbound always scares them. Too much power, too little control. You’re asking for a fight.”
“Then I’ll fight,” I said, meeting his gaze, my wolf growling. “I’m done begging for their trust.”
The glade opened before us, a circle of moss and ancient trees. At its center stood a gnarled oak, its roots twisting into the earth like veins, and my mark burned, the tribrid fire surging as I approached. The runes from the safehold were carved into the bark, faint but glowing under my touch, and I felt it, a pulse, like a heartbeat, deep in the earth. The moonstone was close.
I knelt, my claws digging into the soil, the vision of my mother guiding me. “She hid it here,” I said, my voice low, urgent. “It’s under the roots.”
Tara and Kael joined me, their claws tearing at the earth, but a sharp howl stopped us cold, Frostclad, too close, their scent flooding the glade. My wolf snarled, the tribrid fire blazing, and I stood, my claws glowing silver. “They’re tracking us,” I said, my voice a growl. “Connor knows we’re close.”
Before I could move, three Frostclad wolves burst into the glade, their eyes glowing gold, their teeth bared. Behind them, a Shadowfang wolf lingered, her silver eyes sharp with malice. My heart pounded, but the tribrid fire was stronger, urging me to fight. “Stay back,” I told Tara and Kael, stepping forward. “This is mine.”
The lead Frostclad lunged, his claws aimed for my throat, but I was faster, my tribrid speed a blur as I dodged and slashed, my glowing claws tearing through his flank. He yelped, stumbling, but the others were on me, their teeth snapping. I fought back, the tribrid fire exploding in a burst of silver light, knocking them back. Tara and Kael joined the fight, their moonbound strength fierce, and together we drove the wolves off, their howls fading into the trees.
Panting, I turned back to the oak, my hands shaking as I dug again, the tribrid fire guiding me. My claws hit something hard, a stone, smooth and glowing faintly, its surface etched with runes. The moonstone. I pulled it free, its weight warm in my hands, its power surging through me, amplifying the tribrid fire until my whole body glowed silver.
Tara’s eyes widened, her voice awed. “Lia… you’re…”
“Moonbound,” I said, my voice steady, the stone’s power coursing through me. “And so are you. This is what we are, what the clan’s afraid of. But it’s our strength.”
Kael’s gaze was wary, but he nodded. “You’ve got the stone. Now what?”
“We find more moonbound,” I said, clutching the moonstone, its light pulsing with my heartbeat. “We build our army, stronger than the clan’s envy, stronger than Connor’s alliance. And we protect the Ironclad, our way.”
A rustle in the trees made my wolf snarl, and Elena emerged, two more wolves at her side, a young man and a woman, their eyes glowing silver, moonbound like us. “I found them,” Elena said, her voice sharp but proud. “They heard your call, Lia. The stone’s power, it’s drawing them.”
My heart swelled, the bond with Edgar pulsing, urging me to return to him, to show him what I’d found. But the clan’s hate lingered in my mind, their whispers a shadow I couldn’t shake. The moonstone was mine now, its power tied to my tribrid blood, and with it, I’d lead my moonbound army, not just to fight Connor, but to claim my place as Ironclad.
Another howl echoed, closer, and my wolf senses flared, Frostclad, Shadowfang, coming for the stone. I gripped it tighter, my claws glowing, my army at my back. “Let them come,” I said, my voice a growl, the tribrid fire blazing. “We’re ready.”