Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 238: Silverfang II

Tiana's POV

He gave a slow nod. “Well,” he said, “a lot can fall apart in just a few years. And here... it really has.”

I was about to ask him more, maybe about what happened or when it started, but before I could say anything, the lead guard turned his head and spoke.

“Quiet,” he said in a sharp, firm voice. He glared at the younger guard who had spoken, probably to warn him not to say anything about Corvin's questionable leadership.

No one said another word after that. The silence came back. It felt even colder than before.

We kept riding through the rest of the afternoon. Nothing around us made a sound. No birds flew in the sky. The trees didn’t move. I didn’t even hear anything in the bushes. The only sound was our horses walking—their hooves hitting the dirt.

Later, as the sun started to go down, we came to the top of a high hill. From there, we could see everything below. I slowed my horse and looked out over the valley. In the middle of it was a village.

A memory of Erika flashed through my mind. The town was a place she had come to before. It used to be a small town, but full of life. People would come here to trade goods. The streets were made of stone, and bright flags or cloth banners would hang between buildings. Now, it didn’t look the same at all. It looked quiet. Empty. I didn’t see any market stalls or wagons. There were a few thin lines of smoke rising from chimneys, so I knew people were still living there, but I didn’t see anyone walking outside. No kids playing. No farmers working. No animals in the fields.

“What happened here?” I said. I didn’t expect anyone to answer. I mostly said it to myself.

But the younger guard spoke again. His voice was soft.

“Silverfang has been bleeding for years,” he said. “The crops started failing. Then there were attacks. People started disappearing. Some say the place is cursed. Others say the leaders caused all this.”

I didn’t ask which one he believed. Maybe it didn’t matter.

"You talk too much," the lead guard snapped.

My ears peeled up at that and I made a mental note to try to talk to him privately. Perhaps, there was a chance he would leak something to me.

By the time night started to fall, the sky had turned a dark mix of purple and gray. The air felt even colder now. My fingers were stiff and hurting from holding the reins for so long. I could see the white clouds of my horse’s breath in the air. We couldn’t keep riding much longer. It was too dark, and it wasn’t safe to travel at night. We had to stop soon.

Finally, the lead guard raised a hand to stop the group. “We’ll rest at Blackpine Inn,” he said. “Just for tonight. Don’t go wandering. We ride again at sunrise.”

Nobody said anything. No one argued or tried to keep going. We all knew we had to stop. We were tired, cold, and needed a place to rest. Even the horses looked like they needed a break.

After a few more minutes of riding, we saw the inn. It sat in a small dip between two low hills. The building looked old, but it was still standing strong. The roof was a little uneven and drooped in the middle, but it didn’t look like it was going to fall anytime soon. A wooden sign hung above the door. It swung back and forth in the wind, making a soft creaking sound. There were a few lanterns hanging in front of the building. Their light was soft and warm, glowing over the ground.

When we stepped inside, the warmth hit me right away. It felt like walking into a blanket. A fire was burning at the far end of the room, crackling quietly. The smell of food—maybe roasted meat—filled the air. A few people were sitting at tables, eating and drinking, but no one looked up at us. They kept their heads down and stayed quiet like they didn’t want to be noticed.

The innkeeper came out from behind the counter. He was a big man with broad shoulders and gray hair. He didn’t smile or greet us, but he gave the guards a small nod. “Rooms and supper?”

The head guard stepped forward and answered, “Five rooms. One for the girl. Keep them close together. It will be on the Alpha's tab."

The innkeeper nodded again but I could tell he looked annoyed. For a second I wondered if Alpha Corvin exploited his subjects. “Upstairs,” he said. “Food will be ready soon.”

We all went upstairs together. The stairs were wooden, and they creaked loudly under our feet. I was given a small room near the top of the steps. A narrow bed sat in the corner with a thin blanket on top. There was a wooden chair near a small table and a little window that looked out toward the road. I put my bag down on the floor and sat on the bed. The bed made a soft noise beneath me as I let myself rest for a moment.

After a while, I stood up.

There was a small washbasin in the corner. I poured some water and washed my hands and face. When I looked in the mirror above it, I saw someone I didn’t fully recognize. My face looked older. My eyes looked tired. My shoulders felt heavy. Realizing it was because of my disguise, I sighed and smiled at myself then adjusted the padding in my clothes that made me look slightly fatter than Erika's body.

After a minute, I went back downstairs. The guards were already sitting near the fire. They didn’t look at me when I sat down at the same table. Soon, a young woman came over with food. She placed hot chicken, potatoes, and thick slices of bread on the table. I started eating slowly. The warmth of the food helped, and I was thankful for it.

One of the older guards, who had gray in his beard and deep lines on his face, looked at me for a while before he spoke.

“You’re from Shadowclaw, aren’t you?”

I nodded while fighting an eye-roll. "As you can see."

He looked at me with narrowed eyes. “You people have a reputation.”