Chapter 29 Lessons in Silence
Tasha:
“Again,” Master Virel said, his voice even, steady in the way people spoke when they believed calm could be taught like a lesson.
I adjusted my stance without speaking, pressing my feet deeper into the earth of the training ring. The ground beneath me was packed hard with old blood and old magic, layered with wards that pulsed faintly under my skin. The suppression cuffs around my wrists hummed softly, their runes warm, constant, and suffocating.
I hated them.
I hated the way they pressed against my magic, flattening it, dulling it, forcing it into obedience. I hated how quiet my demon had become, not gone, only watching, crouched somewhere deep inside me with its teeth bared.
“Focus,” Virel said as he moved around me. “Do not rush the power. Let it move when you allow it.”
If I allowed it, nothing here would still be standing.
I nodded anyway.
Power stirred under my skin, sharp and eager, clawing for release. I shaped it slowly, painfully slow, forcing it into a narrow stream instead of the violent surge it wanted to become. The magic trembled between my palms, unstable, resentful.
“Now strike,” Virel instructed. “Only the target.”
I turned and released the spell.
It hit the stone marker cleanly, cracking the surface but stopping short of shattering it. Exactly what they wanted. Exactly controlled enough to prove improvement.
The watchers beyond the barrier murmured approval.
Elder Sara stood with her arms crossed, her sharp eyes cutting into me like blades. Elder Ron stood beside her, quiet and watchful, always measuring. They had been here more often lately, closer than before.
They thought they were seeing progress.
They did not see the way my jaw ached from clenching it. They did not hear the demon whispering that it would be so easy to kill them all.
“Good,” Virel said. “Again.”
The air shifted before I could respond.
I felt it immediately, a ripple in the wards that crawled over my skin and tightened around my ribs. Every instinct in me screamed that something was wrong.
“Stop,” Elder Sara said sharply.
Virel froze and stepped back.
Her eyes locked on me. “Tasha. You are to come to the council hall. Now.”
I lowered my hands slowly, deliberately. Inside, my pulse slammed hard enough that I could feel it in my throat.
“What happened?” I asked, keeping my voice level.
Elder Ron stepped forward. “That will be explained elsewhere.”
Virel looked at me for a long moment. “Restraints remain active,” he said quietly. “Do not challenge them.”
“I won’t,” I replied.
That was a lie. Just not today.
The walk to the council hall felt heavier than usual. Guards flanked me on both sides, their steps synchronized, their silence loud. No casual glances, no relaxed posture. Whatever waited ahead was serious.
The doors opened, and the weight of the chamber pressed down on me immediately.
All the elders were present.
Elder Korran sat at the center, his presence filling the space without effort. Age had not softened him. His gaze pinned me in place the moment I stepped forward.
My father stood to the side.
He did not look at me.
“Sit,” Elder Korran said.
I took the seat at the center of the hall, the one designed to make me feel small and exposed. The wards beneath the stone flared faintly, reacting to my magic like a warning.
“You were training,” Elder Sara said.
“Yes,” I answered.
“And how did it go?” Elder Ron asked.
I chose my words carefully. “I followed instructions. I kept my power contained. I did not lose control.”
Inside, something snarled at the word contained.
Elder Korran nodded. “That matches what we have observed.”
My father finally looked at me then. His face was tight, his eyes conflicted. He looked like a man standing between duty and blood, and hating both options.
“Three packs have arrived at our borders,” Elder Korran said.
My chest tightened.
“Which ones?” I asked.
“Stoneclaw,” Elder Sara said. “Snowpack. Ashfin.”
I felt the demon stir at those names, recognizing threat, recognizing enemies.
“And why,” I asked slowly, “would they come together?”
“They have come for you,” Elder Korran replied.
I kept my breathing even. Calm. Controlled.
“Custody,” Elder Ron added. “They are demanding that you be handed over for shared containment.”
Containment.
The word echoed through me, sharp and ugly.
“They want to chain me,” I said. “Just with different hands.”
“Watch your tone,” Elder Sara warned.
“I am only stating what it is,” I replied, lowering my gaze to appear compliant.
Inside, rage burned so hot it made my vision blur. They wanted me passed around like a weapon they were afraid to leave unattended.
My father stepped forward. “They are using your recent actions as justification.”
“The human,” I said.
He nodded. “Yes.”
They did not say her name. They never did.
“They know she was a doctor’s fiancée,” Elder Sara said. “They know her death happened in the city.”
“They fear exposure,” Elder Ron added. “Human authorities. Scientists. Retaliation.”
“And war,” I said quietly.
Elder Korran’s expression hardened. “They were explicit. If you kill again, and if we refuse to hand you over, they will unite against us.”
“All packs,” Elder Sara said. “No exceptions.”
The demon inside me surged violently, slamming against my control, screaming for blood and fire. My magic flared instinctively before the cuffs burned hotter, forcing it back down.
I lowered my head, forcing my hands to remain still.
“And Neel?” I asked.
The silence that followed was thick and dangerous.
My father turned sharply toward me. “How do you know they are aware of him?”
“Because you are warning me,” I said softly.
Elder Korran exhaled. “They know about the human you are attached to.”
Attached.
“If conflict begins,” Elder Ron said, “humans close to you will not be safe.”
My stomach twisted painfully.
“He is fine,” Elder Sara added. “As long as you cooperate.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear the hall apart stone by stone and make them choke on their threats.
Instead, I bowed my head.
“I understand,” I said.
The lie slid out smoothly.
“You are calmer,” Elder Sara observed. “More stable.”
“I am trying,” I replied. “I do not want anyone else hurt.”
That pleased them.
“She responds to structure,” Elder Ron said. “Training is working.”
Elder Korran studied me closely. “Do you accept our authority?”
“Yes,” I said.
“And the conditions placed upon you?”
“Yes.”
“And the consequences if you fail?”
“I understand,” I repeated.
They believed every word.
When they dismissed me, my body felt eerily calm, my magic quiet, my demon silent but alert.
As I was led back through the corridors, my thoughts stayed fixed on one thing.
Neel.
They thought obedience meant healing. They thought restraint meant taming.
They did not realize that I was memorizing every weakness, every routine, every false sense of security they wrapped around me.
If staying quiet kept Neel alive, I would be quiet.
For now.
And when the time came, none of them would see it coming.