Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 19

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KAIA’S POV

My eyes kept darting to Silver as we walked through the trees. It took some time and effort to get him to agree to come on this walk with me, especially since he already felt tired after sparring with Jace. He had wanted to return to the house, but I could see the walk was helping him. And now it was about to help me too, because I had a truckload of questions that needed answers as soon as possible. He seemed different today–more at ease. More comfortable too.

He almost looked normal. Peaceful.

But my thoughts were anything but peaceful.

I kept looking at his shoes.

They weren’t the boots.

Silver was wearing the sneakers Everett gave him. They were simple, useful, and almost looked brand new- but not fancy or expensive. Not like the ones my eyes had just seen, anyway.

I cleared my throat. “Hey, um… can I ask you something?”

Silver looked at me and nodded. “Sure.”

I hesitated for a moment, thinking about how I was supposed to put the question. But then I figured I might as well just go for it, and that was exactly what I did. “This might sound strange, but…. do you remember what shoes you were wearing when we found you in the woods?”

He blinked. “Shoes?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, watching him closely.

He looked down at the sneakers. “These are the only shoes I remember. You said a guy named Everett gave them to me, didn’t you?” He looked genuinely confused.

“No, not these,” I said gently. “Before that. Before the hospital. When we found you, you weren’t barefoot.”

He sighed. “… don’t remember. Why?”

Based on his answers, I could only assume h hasn’t met the hospital staff. Perhaps he left the house earlier

and the two of them took separate paths.

I stopped walking and sighed as I turned to face him. “Because someone from the hospital came to talk to me today. She said she had your boots–black leather with gold designs. Very expensive, from what I heard. She said they were yours. That you were wearing them when we brought you in,”

He frowned, clearly trying to remember. “I don’t remember any boots. I don’t remember anything like that.”

I looked at him, my heart beating a little faster. “You’re telling the truth, right? You’re being completely h. with me?”

He frowned, looking taken aback. Then he shook his head. “Kala, of course I’m being honest with you. Why would I lie about something so simple? I don’t remember anything I was wearing that day before… whatever It was that happened to land me here. I only remember pain. Darkness. Blood. You. The hospital. That’s all.

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Nothing else. And definitely no boots.”

I believed him. He looked too confused to be lying.

Which made it all even more strange.

I let out a long breath. “Those boots… they’re not just regular boots, Silver. They’re from a fancy designer in Paris. A rare pair. Dax said only fifty were made in the whole world. People fight over them. Some pay twenty or thirty thousand dollars just to have them. And… you were wearing them. In such an area. I mean, who wears such shoes into a forest? There’s no way you could have worn something so expensive just to march into the woods. I think you were heading somewhere else that day. Somewhere. I don’t know… Important? Maybe?”

Silver looked shocked. “I- I don’t know. I don’t even know who that designer is, how designs cost.”

much more what his

7 didn’t either,” I said. “But everyone else at training knew. Dax almost lost his mind when he saw them. It’s like they think you’re someone famous. Or rich. A celebrity, maybe.”

Silver chuckled lightly. “But I’m not. At least… I don’t remember being anyone important.”

I felt a lump in my throat and started walking again. He followed, a little slower this time.

“Maybe you were,” I said gently. “Maybe there’s more to you than you think. Maybe that’s the reason you

ended up in that forest in the first place.”

“Or maybe the boots belonged to someone else,” he said with a mischievous smirk. “And I stole them.”

I stopped walking and looked at him with a glare. “Don’t say that.”

He looked into my eyes and sighed. “Why not? You don’t know me, remember? You don’t know what I’ve done,

Kala.

“No,” I said, “But I know who you are now And that matters.””

He didn’t say anything. But I saw his hand move a little, like he wanted to reach out. But then he must have

decided against it.

I took a deep breath. “Silver… If your memories come back, if you remember anything–please tell me. No

matter what it is.”

His eyes stayed on mine for a long moment before he nodded. “I will. You have my word.”

“Good,” I said, giving him a small playful smile. “Because if it turns out you’re a billionaire crime boss or some runaway fashion prince, I deserve to know.”

He smiled, just a little. “Deal”

And just like that, the tension faded a bit.

But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking…

Who was this man?

And why was he found in our woods wearing boots that could buy a car?

My eyes darted to him again, and I noticed he had gone a little quiet. He looked lost in thought, and I couldn’t blame him. Who wouldn’t be, in a situation like this? As a matter of fact, he was handling the situation better

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than most people would in his place.

I should probably leave him to his thoughts, I should probably leave him alone for a moment and give him the chance to breathe, even if just for a few minutes. But the problem was, I still had more questions. And I

couldn’t keep them in.

“So,” I said again finally, kicking a loose stone with my boot. “About earlier at the training ground.

He glanced at me, one brow raised in amusement. “You mean when you almost turned me into a kebab?”

I let out a soft laugh. “Okay, fair. But no, not just that. I mean…. the fight. The way you moved–it wasn’t just instinct, Silver. That was training. Real training.”

Silver stopped walking for a second, then resumed with a small sigh. “Yeah. I figured you’d bring that up.” “You can’t blame me for being curious,” I said, watching him carefully. “You say you don’t remember anything

but your body does. At least that’s what it looks like based on what I just saw back there.”

“That’s what makes it worse,” he muttered, his gaze fixed ahead. “I may know how to fight, but that doesn’t mean I know why. Or how, for that matter. I don’t know who taught me either. Or what I used those skills for. It’s like having puzzle pieces with no picture.”

There was something in his voice–frustration, confusion…

And again, who could blame him?

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