Chapter 167 CHAPTER 167

Chapter 167 CHAPTER 167
The group moved quickly across the ridge, putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the chamber, getting Talia as far away from Circe’s magic as possible. Talia clung to Elara’s side, her small hand trembling in Elara’s grasp, and every few steps she glanced back over her shoulder as though she was expecting something, or someone to be behind them, following them.

Raven led them higher, her pace brisk but purposeful. She didn’t speak, didn’t look back, didn’t pause to rest. Her magic shimmered faintly around her, reacting to the tension in the air, and Elara could see the strain in her shoulders, the way she held herself too tightly, as though afraid of what might happen if she let go.

They reached a narrow clearing sheltered by a natural stone arch. Even though they were higher up, the wind was calmer here, the air clearer, untouched by the oppressive hum of Circe’s magic. Raven stopped at the centre of the clearing and finally exhaled, her breath visible in the cold morning air.

“This is far enough,” she said quietly. “The chamber won’t reach us here.”

Kaelan scanned the perimeter, his posture alert. “Will it be safe?”

“As safe as anywhere can be,” Raven replied. “Circe’s magic saturates the sanctuary. It reacts to Talia because the seed recognises its birthplace. If we try the extraction there, the chamber will fight us. Here, at least, it will be quiet and give us more of a chance.”

Elara nodded, looking around the clearing. “Then this is where we’ll do it.”

Raven didn’t answer. She stepped away from the group, kneeling on the stone and pressing her palms flat against it. Her magic rippled outward in a soft wave, testing the ground, the air, the space around them. The stone glowed faintly beneath her touch, responding to her presence.

Saphira approached her slowly. “What do you need?”

Raven didn’t look up. “A circle. Wide enough for all three Elders. And Talia. And me.”

Elara felt her stomach tighten. “You’ll be inside the circle with them?”

“I have to be,” Raven said. “The extraction requires a conduit. Someone who can hold the magic as it’s pulled free.”

Lyra frowned. “But isn’t that dangerous?”

Raven’s lips curved into a small, humourless smile. “Everything about this is dangerous.”

Elara stepped closer, kneeling beside her. “Raven… talk to me.”

Raven’s hands stilled on the stone. For a moment, she didn’t speak, her breath catching in her throat. When she finally lifted her head, Elara saw something raw in her eyes, fear, yes, but something deeper too. Something she had been holding back.

“My magic is reacting,” Raven whispered. “To the Elders. To the seed. To the chamber. All of it.”

Saphira was on Raven’s other side. “Reacting how?”

Raven pressed a hand to her chest, as though trying to steady something inside her. “It resonates, like a chord being struck. Like something inside me recognises what Circe created.”

Elara placed her hand over Raven’s. “Because your magic is Elder magic, too.”

Raven nodded. “Yes.”

Talia, who had been hovering behind Elara, stepped forward and touched Raven’s arm. “But you’re not like her.”

Raven’s expression softened at the sound of Talia’s voice, but the fear didn’t leave her eyes. “I know I’m not. But the magic doesn’t care about intentions. It only cares about what it recognises.”

Elara squeezed her hand. “You are nothing like Circe.”

“You don’t know that.” Raven’s breath trembled.

“Yes,” Saphira said firmly. “I do. Circe used her magic to control, to manipulate, to destroy. You use yours to protect. To heal. To help. That is not the same.”

“Circe chose power over people. You choose people every time.” Elara added.

Raven looked down at the stone beneath her hands, her voice barely audible. “What if the ritual awakens something in me? What if the seed responds to me the way it responds to Talia? What if…”

Elara squeezed her hand again. “Then we’ll be here, all of us. You won’t face it alone.”

Raven closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down her cheek before she brushed it away quickly. “I’m supposed to be the one guiding you.”

“And you are,” Elara said. “But even guides need someone to steady them.”

For a long moment, Raven didn’t move. Then she inhaled deeply, grounding herself, and nodded. “Alright. I can do it.”

Saphira smiled softly. “Good. Now what do you need from us?”

Raven let out a shaky laugh. “I will need you to keep me anchored, with your magic.”

“We can do that,” Saphira said.

Raven smiled, and the tension in her shoulders eased.

Together, the three of them began preparing the ritual site. Raven directed them with quiet precision, her voice steadying as she worked. Elara and Saphira followed her instructions, drawing the outer circle with chalk, placing crystals at the cardinal points, and marking the inner lines that would channel the flow of magic.

Lyra scattered herbs along the perimeter, just as Raven instructed her to. Kaelan and Darius reinforced the outer boundary with stones, creating a physical barrier to match the magical one.

Talia sat nearby, watching with wide, anxious eyes. Every so often, Elara glanced over to offer her a reassuring smile, and Talia would nod, though her fingers twisted nervously in her lap.

When the circle was complete, Raven stepped back and surveyed their work. The symbols glowed faintly, humming with a quiet, steady energy that felt clean; it was untouched by Circe’s influence.

“It’s ready,” Raven said.

Elara approached her. “Are you?”

Raven didn’t hesitate. “I have to be.”

“Just remember,” Saphira stepped closer. “You’re not doing this alone.”

Raven looked at her, then at Elara, then at the others. “I know.”

But Elara could still see the fear beneath her calm exterior, not fear of failure, but fear of herself. Raven walked to the centre of the circle and knelt, placing her hands on the stone. The air shifted immediately, the magic responding to her presence with a soft, resonant hum. Elara could feel it too.

Raven closed her eyes, her voice steady but quiet. “I can feel the seed, even from here. It’s faint, but it’s reaching, and searching.”

Elara knelt beside her. “Does it feel like Circe?”

Raven’s breath trembled. “Yes. And no. It feels like something she made. Something she shaped. But it also feels… unfinished. Like it’s waiting for something.”

Elara swallowed hard. “We’ll stop it.”

Raven opened her eyes, and for the first time since they entered the sanctuary, Elara saw something new in them, not fear, but determination.

“We will,” Raven said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to free them. And to save Talia.”

Elara exhaled, relief washing through her. “Thank you, Raven.”

Raven nodded. “Then let’s bring them here and begin. ”