Chapter 163 CHAPTER 163

Chapter 163 CHAPTER 163
The storm had passed by morning, leaving a strange scent in the air. Elara walked with Talia’s hand in hers, Kaelan on Talia’s other side. Talia stayed close, her shoulders drawn in, her gaze flicking between the trees as though expecting something to step out from behind them. She had barely spoken since the flare the night before, and although she was awake and alert, she was tense and on edge.

They were now travelling through part of the forest which was growing denser, the trees taller and older, their trunks twisted by age.

Raven paused ahead of them, her cloak brushing the snow as she lifted her head. “We are close,” she murmured, but loud enough for them to hear.

Saphira stepped beside her, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the trees. “I can feel it as well. The Elders’ magic is stronger here.”

Talia flinched at the word Elders, her fingers tightening around Elara’s.

Elara squeezed her hand gently. “You are alright. We are with you.”

Talia nodded, but her breathing remained shallow. “It’s loud again,” she whispered.

Kaelan crouched slightly so he could meet her eyes. “What is loud?”

Talia pressed a hand to her chest. “The magic. It’s pulling. Not hard, but… it wants something.”

Elara took her hand into both of hers. “What does it want?”

Talia looked into her eyes, then to Kaelan’s, and back, her voice barely audible. “It wants to go home.”

Raven’s expression softened. “You do not have to listen to it.”

“I’m trying,” Talia whispered. “But it’s stronger today.”

Kaelan placed a hand on her back. “Then we will be stronger.”

Talia smiled at him. “We will.” She agreed. Elara smiled at the interaction as she let go of Talia’s hand and stood.

They continued north, weaving between the trees. The deeper they went, the colder the air became; it wasn’t from the natural cold of winter, but something sharper, something that seeped into bone and breath. Elara could feel a pressure that was settling beneath her skin, a presence that seemed to watch them from the shadows.

Lyra walked ahead, her steps light and silent, but it was clear she felt it too; her steps faltered slightly, and she glanced back at Elara.

Then Talia stopped walking.

“Elara…” Her voice trembled. “It’s happening again.”

Elara turned immediately. “Tell me what you feel.”

Talia’s eyes were unfocused. “It’s… looking.”

Kaelan moved closer, his posture protective. “Looking at what?”

“Not what,” Talia whispered. “Who.”

“Talia…” Elara started, but Talia’s head snapped toward her so quickly that it made her flinch.

Her eyes glowed faintly, not bright like before, but enough to know it wasn’t Talia.

Raven swore softly. “The third stage.”

Kaelan stepped in front of Talia. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Raven said quietly, “the seed is trying to use her.”

Talia’s lips parted, but the voice that came out was not her own. “Home.”

Elara froze and took a step back. Her voice was soft, breathy, almost childlike, but wrong. Wrong in a way that made her blood run cold.

“Talia?” Elara whispered.

Talia blinked, her expression blank. “Home,” she repeated, the word echoing strangely in the air.

Saphira moved forward, her voice gentle. “Sweetheart, you are safe. Come back to us.”

Talia’s head tilted, as though listening to something only she could hear. “They are waiting.”

Elara stepped closer. “Who is waiting?”

Talia’s eyes flicked toward the northern cliffs. “Mother.”

Raven inhaled sharply. “Circe.”

Kaelan looked at Raven. “But she is dead.”

“Her magic is not,” Raven said. “And the seed can feel it within the Elders.”

Talia took a step forward, toward the cliffs.

Kaelan caught her arm. “No.”

Talia turned toward him, her expression empty. “Let me go.”

Elara moved quickly, placing herself beside Kaelan, in front of Talia. “Talia. Look at me.”

Talia blinked, once, then twice, and for a moment, her eyes cleared. “Elara… I don’t… I don’t want…” Then she gasped, clutching her head, and another flare hit.

It was nothing like the others. It did not explode outward in a burst of wild energy. It rose slowly and deliberately. The air around Talia shimmered, bending the light, distorting the snow beneath her feet.

Raven raised her hands. “Contain her!”

Saphira moved instantly, placing her palms on Talia’s back. “Elara, guard her!”

Elara grabbed Talia’s hands, pulling her close. “Stay with me. Stay with me.”

Talia’s breath came in sharp, panicked bursts. “It’s pulling… It’s pulling me.”

Kaelan wrapped his arms around both of them, supporting them with his weight. “You are not going anywhere.”

The magic surged, but it was not chaotic like before. Instead, it reached outward like a hand grasping for something.

Raven’s eyes widened. “It is trying to find the entrance.”

Elara’s heart pounded. “But we aren’t there yet.”

“I know,” Raven whispered. “So we need to stop it, now.”

The flare intensified, the snow beneath them glowing faintly. Talia cried out, her body trembling violently.

“I have you,” Elara whispered over and over. “I have you.”

Saphira added her magic, trying to control the flare, while Raven worked to contain and stop it. Elara could feel their magic working with hers, and between them, it was working. But then the flare peaked, a pulse of light shot out brightly, then it started to fade slowly, leaving Talia collapsing into Elara’s arms, sobbing.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I hate this.”

Elara held her close. “I know, sweetheart, it will all be over soon.”

Kaelan brushed a hand down her back. “You fought it. That is what matters.”

Raven stood slowly, her expression grim. “It found something.”

Elara looked up sharply. “What?”

Raven pointed through the trees towards a faint glow pulsing beneath the snow.

Saphira inhaled sharply. “The sanctuary.”

Lyra stepped forward, her voice low. “So, we are close.”

“Very close, it seems,” Darius said.

Elara lifted Talia into her arms, and she instantly clung to her, trembling. “I don’t want to go there.”

“I know,” Elara whispered. “But we must.”

Kaelan placed a hand on her back. “We will protect you.”

They followed the trail until they came to a cliff, and at the base of it revealed a stone archway carved into the rock. Symbols glowed faintly along its surface, the same symbols that they found in the Matchmaker.

Raven stepped forward. “This is it.”

Elara’s heart pounded. “The sanctuary. We have actually found it.”

“We did.” Saphira nodded.

Kaelan took a deep breath. “This is it.”

Talia whimpered, burying her face in Elara’s shoulder. “I don’t want to go in.”

Elara kissed her hair. “You will not go alone.”

Raven stepped toward the archway, and the symbols flared to life, like they were reacting or recognising her magic. As she got closer, a deep, resonant hum filled the air. It sounded ancient, nothing like what Elara had witnessed before.

The stone door began to open, revealing nothing but darkness beyond.

“It recognises my magic, it’s the same as Circe’s.” Raven whispered, “And now they know we are here.”

Then the door finished opening… And something moved in the darkness.