Ch 70 - Before the Howl Breaks the Silence

A/N -

I thought I posted the chapter, but instead I saved it as a draft...

Enjoy <3

**

“Why did you come with us?” Avenor asked.

The snow covering the forest floor had grown deeper. Winter was closing in on its peak, and soon travel would become physically impossible. That was why the three of them hadn’t stayed in the Green Tribe for even a day; they’d departed almost immediately.

“What else am I supposed to do but follow the bearer of the Sylvan Mark?” Karla replied, as if the question itself were absurd. “It is my duty to protect you. I will not let anyone end the last hope my people have left.”

“Karla, I haven’t agreed to anything,” Avenor shot back. “Don’t act like I promised to leave the forest with you, let alone risk my life.”

“It’s not even just about you,” Aria cut in, swatting away Huanir, who was circling her with relentless determination, trying to get someone to scratch his ears. “If those three gods are still interested in elves, then the moment you step beyond the forest, which seems to be the only thing hiding you, they’ll start hunting. And if they catch you alongside a believer of our Lord, it’ll look like an act of provocation. High Father would have no choice but to respond.”

I couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride as I listened to her. Not because she had grasped the full picture, she was wrong about that. There was no way I’d willingly go to war with three gods who had once defeated the Goddess. No, I was proud because she believed I could. Or at the very least, she was committed to making others believe it. Her devotion had deepened. She still came shy compared to most of the Velmoryn, but reaching forty out of a hundred was a sizable leap for someone as naturally self-centered as Aria.

“This is why the Sylvan Mark was meant for an elf,” Karla muttered with a sigh. But her attention was pulled away as Huanir approached her this time. She laughed despite herself and scratched behind his ears with a smile.

“You’re wrong about that too,” Aria said, grinning slyly. “Avenor is half-elf.”

“What?” Karla snapped, eyes whipping toward Avenor. “How is that even possible? Elves cannot be born without the Goddess’s blessing. And She… She’s been gone for centuries.”

Avenor glared at Aria, clearly annoyed she had given that away. Now that he knew elves were hunted, he was more committed than ever to identifying as Velmoryn.

“It’s true,” he said tightly. “But before you ask - no, I don’t remember anything before High Father found me.” 

“Avenor,” Karla practically ran to him. “What if we try looking into your mind? You might not remember…”

“NO.” Avenor shut her down immediately, then quickened his pace, widening the distance between himself and the two women. His longer stride made it easier to wade through the deepening snow.

“He’s sensitive about his origins,” Aria murmured, her gaze drifting to Karla, who still looked visibly disheartened. “And besides… I’ve already tried. His mind’s like an impenetrable fortress.”

“Not to be rude, but just because you couldn’t look into his mind, doesn’t mean I can’t,” Karla replied without missing a beat.

Aria met her gaze, unflinching. She didn’t take offense, in fact, part of her would be thrilled if Karla truly did possess more knowledge in magic than she did.

“Karla,” she asked, “why did the Vael agree to our request so easily? Did you influence him in any way?”

“No. I had no part in that.” Karla’s expression turned distant. “The Vael is… peculiar. He doesn’t trust even his own people, yet somehow manages to lead them well enough. I believe he chose to accept your Lord’s faith simply because he sees benefit. The condition he gave, that he must first see if your God eliminates the monster nest, makes that obvious. But truthfully, I do not know him well. I was only a guest in their tribe. I helped once or twice when those creatures resurfaced. They rarely disturbed me during my visits…”

Her words faded, her gaze instinctively drawn to Avenor’s silhouette as he continued ahead.

“Were you sincere when you said you’d follow our Lord?” Aria’s voice hardened. “Protecting Avenor, I can understand. He’s key to unsealing your people. But pledging yourself to High Father is no small matter. You’ll lose the right to act against His will. What if He forbids you from saving the elves? No god would wish to provoke a war with three deities to gain a race that will constantly be chased by others. And if I’m being honest…” Aria paused. “Our Lord seems focused on turning Velmoryns into a powerful nation. I doubt the outside world concerns Him right now.”

The pride I’d felt just moments ago… was rapidly fading. It almost sounded like Aria was trying to dissuade Karla. Which was frustrating. A powerful elven mage like her becoming my believer? That would’ve been a massive gain; she was definitely stronger than anyone bearing my mark. Well… except Tekla. She could channel my divine power after all.

“I question your intentions in asking that,” Karla said, raising a brow. “Normally, any believer would welcome an elven mage pledging herself. Especially one of my powers. Especially… female.”

She stepped closer to Aria, the distance between them shrinking with every word.

“But I’ll answer your question, Aria,” she said, her tone firm now. “In exchange, you’ll answer one of mine.”

Karla raised her hand. Silvery mana unfurled from her palm, swirling softly across her skin.

“What is this? A soul pledge?” Aria instinctively took a step back as she sensed the weight of Karla’s mana. But she recovered quickly, brushing off the initial startle with a small scoff. “I wouldn’t have lied even without it, but… I’ll accept your terms.”

She reached out and grasped Karla’s hand. The moment their palms met, spectral chains coiled around their joined hands, glowing as they etched themselves deep into the skin. Aria gasped, staggering back with a pained moan, clutching her wrist. Angry, red burns laced her palm like someone had branded her.

Karla remained perfectly still, unscathed.

“I warned you I was stronger,” Karla said with a lopsided smile. “Trying to counter my magic only works if your own power is above mine or at the very least isn’t lacking. And here’s a little advice from your senior, Aria - if you want someone to trust you, never say you don’t lie. That only makes you look more suspicious.”

Phantom Step.

Avenor materialized between them in a blur, blade drawn and eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you two doing?”

“I didn’t know you could blink, Avenor,” Karla said, laughing softly. “It was nothing serious. Just two mages comparing whose mana is purer.” Her grin lingered, smug and satisfied. She was clearly pleased with herself for asserting dominance.

“And thank you for not attacking me blindly. It seems the two of you aren’t as close as I assumed.”

She turned her gaze fully to Aria again, her amusement giving way to something quieter. “Now then, to honor our agreement. The reason I’ve chosen to submit to your God is simple. The one bearing the Sylvan mark serves Him. If I wish to receive His help, I must prove my loyalty. I intend to do that fully.”

She looked to both of them, but I could tell her words were aimed at me.

“I’ll prove to your God that Elves can offer Him much by showing my worth. All I ask in return is the right to protect the one chosen by the mark.”

She paused, then added carefully, “But before I offer my devotion, I must speak with your Priestess. I need to know if the God I’m about to serve shares even a fraction of the values High Mother once did…”

“Verde, if I chop off my fucking arm to remove this thing, can Vaelari regrow it?”

Avenor’s voice scraped through my mind again. I should never have told him using my name let me hear him. Ever since, he’d become an incessant nuisance in my head, a commentary I couldn’t mute. Apparently, if someone invoked my true name, I had no choice but to listen.

Karla turned back to Aria, her smile gentler now, but no less commanding. “Your turn. Why did you try to change my mind, Aria? And remember, break the oath, and you’ll lose the one thing you cherish most.”

But instead of the defensiveness Karla expected, Aria’s face lit up, almost glowing. Her eyes sparkled, not with offense, but with something closer to excitement. Like she’d just found a new calling, a new purpose she hadn’t realized she’d been missing.

“I wanted to see how strong you were,” Aria said, a faintest smile appearing on her face. “I was provoking you, not trying to dissuade you. Besides, if a few questions were enough to change your mind, then you’d never be worthy of our Lord’s mark in the first place.”

The smile widened as Karla’s brow lifted in surprise. The soul-marking on Aria’s hand had vanished, absorbed cleanly - a sign the oath had been fulfilled without resistance. Karla may have proven herself stronger in magic, but now she would learn what relentless pursuit truly meant. Aria had found someone she could learn from, and her mind was already whirring with plans to extract every bit of knowledge she could.

But I’d already lost interest.

Tekla was about to walk into something far more important. I shifted my focus, willing the Window to shift toward my priestess.

“Priestess… are you sure about this?” Mirion’s voice was low and uncertain. He stood beside his daughter, frowning. Tekla had insisted on attending the Yellow Tribe’s council meeting alone; a bold move, considering the topic at hand was the relocation of their entire tribe.

Despite Dariel having been named Vael, council approval was still required for major decisions, and asking them to abandon their ancestral lands was no small matter.

Tekla turned to her father with calm, steady eyes.

“We’re asking them to leave their home behind and move to our tribe. If I don’t trust them enough to walk in alone… then how can I ask them to trust us in return?” She gently removed his hand from her shoulder, smiling faintly. “You don’t need to worry. I have my role now. Let me carry it.”

She stepped toward the small wooden hall where the Yellow Tribe’s council of three were waiting.

Just before she opened the door, she paused and glanced upward.

“You can’t come in either.”

A second figure emerged beside her in a silent blur, Lucas. He bowed deeply.

“As you command.”

Even though his movement was fast enough to look like teleportation, Tekla knew Dariel’s beast senses would still pick it up. And even if she trusted the Yellow tribe’s Vael not to take offense, the point wasn’t caution. It was symbolism.

She would walk in alone, as a show of faith.

“Priestess, I didn’t expect you to come unaccompanied,” Dariel welcomed Tekla with a bright smile. His words were not in surprise, but meant to acknowledge the weight of her gesture.

Seeing that the Priestess answered only with a faint smile, Dariel continued.

“We had a few questions regard…”

He froze.

Dariel’s body went rigid, nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air - deep, sharp inhales. Then silence. He stood perfectly still, every muscle coiled, his head angled ever so slightly as he listened.

At first, I assumed Lucas had slipped inside despite the order and was disappointed that Dariel reacted this way. 

But then noticed him in the corner of Window. A man stood near the building, casually wiping his blades with a damp cloth, like the frozen water and air were not bothering him in the slightest.

I willed the Window to pull back, just as Dariel’s voice tore through the hall.

“We’re under attack!”

The earth trembled beneath the stampede of claws and limbs. A beast tide was rushing toward the Yellow Tribe’s settlement; each monster larger than a Varnok, their silhouettes forming a living wave of death crashing through the forest.

This time, the Velmoryns would face it without the Crimson Guardian’s help.