Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 49

Dawn of 49

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CHAPTER FOURTY NINE

GIVERS POV

The moment i opened my eyes, I knew! wasn’t awake. Not in the real world, anyway.

Everything around me was too perfect–too strange. I stood in the middle of a long hallway that looked like had been pulled out of a fairytale or a history book. The walls stretched high and wide, lined with fall archert windows veiled in sheer white curtains that billowed gently, even though there was no breeze I could feat

Golden sconces held flickering candles, their light dancing against the polished marble floor. The calling above was impossibly tall and decorated with faded murals of ancient battles and ethereal beinge watching

from the skies.

My footsteps didn’t echo. I didn’t even feel the floor under me. I felt like I was floating on air, even though was clearly standing.

Then I heard it–the soft sound of footsteps echoing gently against the floor

1 turned and saw a woman walking toward me. Two others followed behind her, identical in dress–flowing red robes–but clearly different in appearance. One had vibrant red hair that cascaded down her back in thick waves. The other’s hair was long and as dark as the shadows clinging to the corners of the hallway

They walked right past me like I wasn’t there.

They didn’t see me.

I didn’t exist here.

But the woman in front–she caught my attention. Her stomach was swollen with pregnancy, and her every

movement spoke of exhaustion. She looked like she was near the end of her term. I watched her walk to the end of the hall and disappear through a wooden double door.

Then, without transition or warning, I was inside the room too.

It was warm. A large chamber with heavy velvet curtains, intricately carved furniture, and a roaring fire that

filled the room with amber light. The bed sat in the center, its canopy draped in silver silk. My feet carried me

forward without thought. Without my permission.

That’s when I saw it.

The portrait.

I froze, squinting in confusion.

Even in the dream, I still remembered.

I still recognized it.

It was the same painting Dr. Grayson had shown me back in the basement. The man with sharp,

, commanding features and eyes like a warrior.

King Leander, Grayson had said. And just like in the dream, he wore the same ring and necklace l

before.

I looked around, and there were more portraits–some of the king, others of the pregnant woman now seated

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CHAPTER FOURTY NINE

on the bed, her hand resting on her belly.

1 stepped up to one of the portraits and reached out to touch it.

The moment my fingers hovered inches from the canvas, I heard voices behind me.

I turned.

The woman on the bed was speaking now. Her face was clearer than ever. Beautiful, but filled with worry and concern. The two robed women knelt on either side of her, but just like always, I couldn’t see their faces. They

were still shadowed.

That was when I realized they were the same women from mine and Kaia’s dreams. They had to be. Even now,

I could clearly remember how similar the dreams were to each other–and now I knew why.

They were both from the same place, which meant whatever happened to one must have happened to the

other as well. They must have suffered the same thing.

“My lady,” the red–haired one said gently, placing a hand on her knee, “you cannot continue to worry. It is not

good for the child.”

“Everything will be fine,” the other added. “You needn’t be afraid.”

The woman sighed deeply.

“I do not worry for myself,” she said, her hand stroking her belly gently. “I fear for my child. I fear something

terrible may happen.”

I stood there just watching in confusion. It was almost like I was watching a movie. Somehow, I knew it

wasn’t real. I knew it was a dream. But I couldn’t help my curiosity.

Suddenly, a loud banging shattered the moment.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Open the door! Please!” someone yelled, their voice full of panic and desperation.

I snapped around toward the sound.

Then I heard it–a whisper so close to my ear it felt real.

“Wake up. They’re coming.”

And just like that, I shot up with a gasp.

I breathed heavily, my heart pounding hard in my chest.

The fire caught my attention, and it took me a second to remember where I was. I was in the cave–the same one I stumbled into when the storm rolled in. Outside, I could hear rain crashing violently against the rocks. It was dark now. Night had completely taken over.

I sighed, sitting up.

“Damn you, asshole,” I muttered through clenched teeth as I remembered how I ended up here in the first

place.

Alpha Gareth. The biggest asshole the world has seen yet.

That bastard had given me a broken compass and a fake map, sending me out here on a wild goose chase.

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CHAPTER FOURTY NINE

For what?

I mean, I get it–he didn’t like me. I wasn’t exactly his biggest fan either. But seriously, this? What did he intend to gain from this?

I looked at the fire–still burning, thank the moon. It would have been a pain to set up a new one, especially in this cold. I reached over to the pile of dry wood I had stacked in the corner and fed more into the flames.

I had found a lighter earlier when I took shelter in the cave. I figured someone had left it behind. I wasn’t

complaining.

As I squatted there, watching the fire crackle back to life, my mind drifted again.

That dream… it wasn’t just a dream.

It felt like something else.

And that woman…

Who was she? I don’t know if it’s all the stress of these past few days getting to me, but… something about

her felt familiar. I just didn’t know what.

A sudden, sharp screech shattered my thoughts.

I froze, my eyes darting around the cave as I tried to locate the source of the sound.

It came again, louder this time.

My eyes widened, and I slowly stood up to my feet and turned to face the entrance of the cave.

Then a gust of wind blew through the cave mouth, and the fire extinguished instantly with a hiss.

Everything went black, and I was plunged into total darkness.

At first, I thought it was just the wind–until I saw them.

Shadows.

They oozed into the cave like spilled ink, creeping along the jagged stone walls, moving over the floor. They weren’t shaped like animals or people–they had no shape at all. Only motion and dark tendrils that stretched. and curled, dragging along the walls and ceiling like they were tasting the space around them.

The temperature dropped instantly. I could see my breath.

The shadows moved slowly toward me.

I stepped back, my heart hammering in my chest. My feet slipped slightly on the damp cave floor, but I didn’t fall. I kept backing away–one step, then another.

Whispers met my ears, and I realized they were coming from them. They were faint, echoing voices that didn’t belong in this world. Hissing syllables that clawed at the inside of my skull, grating like broken glass.

“Ssssil…verrr…”

curling

I pressed my back against the cold stone wall, breathing hard. They were closing in, their te around rocks and dragging across the ground like living things. Shadows should not move like that. Hell, they

shouldn’t even move at all!

What the hell was going on?!

CHAPTER FOURTY NINE

I fumbled Into my pocket, desperate for the lighter. I didn’t know what these things were, and frandy bea

even want to know. But whatever they were, I wanted them gone. Maybe fire would drive them away. I had to get the fire burning again.

Suddenly, I felt something sharp jab into my finger, and I hissed in pain, yanking my hand out. A droplet of blood welled up on the tip of my finger, causing my eyes to widen in realization.

The needle. The one Eli gave me and I kept in my pocket. I had completely forgotten about it until now

Suddenly the shadows shrieked–a loud sound that pierced the air like ripping metal.

They halted mid–crawl. Froze completely. Then they started writhing in panic.

They recoiled, retreating as if the very scent of my blood was poison. Some of them vanished entirely into the cracks of the cave. Others hissed and twisted violently, trying to cling to the stone before disappearing like

smoke on the wind.

My mouth hung open as I watched in shock.

I stared at my hand. The blood. Then back to the place where the shadows had been.

What the…

At first, I was completely lost, not having a clue as to what was happening.

Then it hit me.

Eli’s words rang in my ears.

“Just a prick. Just enough to draw blood… it will scare them off.”

I stood there, my heart pounding, my breath shaking.

This was the ‘they‘ he was referring to???

They had come for me?

But… why?!

What did they want with me?

Why are things getting weirder and weirder with each passing day?

My heart pounded as realization slowly dawned on me.

Whatever these things were… they either feared blood…

Or they just didn’t like mine.

Judging by what Eli told me, I would say it was the latter.

I shook my head, my eyes wide in disbelief.

For the first time since they appeared, I wasn’t sure if I should be afraid of them…

…or of myself.

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