Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 55

© CHAPTER TITTY FIVE

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE

SILVER’S POV.

I sat by the fire, slowly chewing the last of the berries. I probably shouldn’t even be eating those I didn’t remember anything, and for all I knew, I could be allergic. But who cares about any of that? Not me. Not right now anyway. After everything I’d been through in the past few hours, these berries felt like a feast. A royal

one at that.

I would deal with the allergy later, if there was any.

Across from me, the bird was done eating–but this time, instead of resting by the fire, it fluttered to a darker corner of the cave and landed there silently. It didn’t chirp or move. Just… stayed.

1 kept glancing that way between bites, wondering what it was doing over there.

Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. And it was still there. Just staring.

Frowning in confusion, I rose to my feet and walked slowly toward the corner, wondering what could be holding its interest this much.

I mean, there was nothing over there other than shadows as far as I was aware. Not to mention, this was a

bird we were talking about. What could it possibly be looking at for this long?

The shadows were darker around there, and I squinted as I approached. The bird didn’t flinch when I got close. It simply turned its head slightly, as if to guide my gaze–not at itself, but at the wall behind it.

I turned, and that’s when I saw it.

A marking–carved into the stone.

I took a step closer, my breath catching in my throat.

It was faint, weathered with time and barely noticeable at first, but now that I was up close, there was no mistaking it. The circle, the triangle shape… the s***h.

I recognized it immediately.

The symbol of the Hallow King. Or so the female Elder had called it.

I reached out, brushing my fingers across the carved lines. They were real. Very deep, too. Someone had

taken the time to mark this into the cave wall–long ago, judging by the wear.

“What the hell…” I whispered under my breath.

Why here? Why this cave?

My thoughts spun. Who would have/done this? And why? What for?

Despite what Elder Agatha had said, I had still believed that the Hallow King was just a story. A myth whispered in old texts and hunters‘ tales. But this… this was no story.

I turned to the bird, now watching me silently from its perch just above the symbol.

“You brought me here on purpose, didn’t you?” I murmured. “You wanted me to see this.”

It didn’t answer. But it didn’t have to.

173

© CHARTER FIFTY LIVE.

I already knew the answer. It was even more obvious now that this bird wasn’t ordinary

I stared at the symbol a moment longer, my stomach sinking with something colder than fear an unex sense of being part of something much bigger than I understood.

Then, slowly, I backed away and returned to the fire. The bird followed.

i

The marking stayed carved in my mind long after I stopped looking at it.

Eventually, the storm began to ease.

What had once been a violent roar against the cave walls became a slow patter. The wind calmed, and the darkness outside lightened slightly.

I stood and stretched, my body stiff and sore from the cold, the stress, the strange dreams, the shadows… all

of it.

The bird fluttered down from its perch and landed just a few feet away.

I watched it, waiting. Wondering what it was up to this time.

Then it took off again–this time not in a frantic rush, but slow and smooth, flying just low enough for me to

follow.

I hesitated only a second before stepping out of the cave and trailing after it.

The ground was still slick, and the air was damp, but the worst had passed. The bird flew ahead, pausing now and then on rocks or low branches, always glancing back like it was making sure I was still coming.

I didn’t know how long we walked, but the forest slowly grew more familiar. Trees I recognized. A ridge I

remembered climbing. A fallen tree I had passed on my way here.

We walked for a little while longer, and then, finally–there it was.

The building.

Dr. Grayson’s house.

I was home.

I stopped at the edge of the clearing, just beyond the last line of trees. The bird hovered a moment longer, wings outstretched.

And then–without sound or warning–it flew off, rising above the treetops and vanishing into the night sky.

I stood there a moment, watching the space where it had gone.

“Thanks, buddy,” I said quietly.

Even though I knew it couldn’t hear me.

Even though I still didn’t understand anything that just happened.

I took a slow breath and walked forward, my boots crunching on the gravel path. When I reached the front

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