The Vampire Nightmare

Chapter 13

Silence swept across Noctis.

The mysterious woman stood atop the palace tower, her black robes billowing in the wind as every dragon bowed before her.

My heart pounded.

She looked exactly like me.

Every feature.

Every expression.

Every movement.

It was like staring into a dark reflection of myself.

I took a shaky breath.

"Who is she?"

No one answered.

Cassian's face had gone pale.

Kael gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Even the members of the Royal Council looked horrified.

The woman smiled again.

"You don't recognize me, do you?"

Her voice echoed through the city without effort.

I swallowed.

"Should I?"

A soft laugh escaped her lips.

"Not yet."

She slowly lifted one hand.

Dark crimson mist gathered around her fingers, twisting into the shape of a crown.

"The Blood Crown belongs to me."

"It always has."

The council chamber erupted into frightened whispers.

"She can't be alive."

"It isn't possible."

"The Shadow Queen..."

I looked at Cassian.

"Shadow Queen?"

He hesitated.

"It was only a legend."

"Then explain why she looks exactly like me."

Before he could answer, the woman snapped her fingers.

The dragons roared.

One by one, they dived toward the palace.

"Everyone down!" Kael shouted.

The first dragon crashed through the western tower.

Stone exploded across the courtyard.

Smoke poured into the halls.

Guards rushed to defend the entrance as terrified servants fled through the corridors.

Cassian drew his sword.

"Kael!"

"Protect Aria."

Kael nodded.

"With my life."

Another dragon smashed into the palace walls.

The floor lurched beneath my feet.

I nearly fell, but Kael caught my arm.

"We have to move."

He led me through a side passage while Cassian and the royal guards rushed toward the battle.

The palace echoed with the clash of steel and the thunder of dragon roars.

My chest tightened.

"Cassian!"

"He'll find us," Kael said.

"You have to trust him."

I wanted to.

I truly did.

But fear wouldn't let me.

We hurried through a narrow stone corridor lit by glowing blue crystals.

At the end of the passage stood an enormous silver door carved with ancient runes.

Kael placed his palm against it.

The symbols flared to life.

"The Hall of Memories," he said.

"No enemy has entered this place for a thousand years."

The doors slowly opened.

Inside was a vast circular chamber.

Hundreds of glowing crystals floated in the air, each containing moving images from the past.

Kings.

Queens.

Battles.

Coronations.

Lives long forgotten.

I stared in amazement.

"What is this place?"

"The history of Noctis."

Kael walked toward the center of the chamber.

"If the answers you seek exist anywhere..."

"They exist here."

Suddenly, one crystal broke away from the others.

It drifted toward me.

As soon as I touched it, the chamber disappeared.

I found myself standing in a grand throne room.

A young queen sat upon a silver throne.

She looked exactly like me.

Beside her stood Cassian—young, smiling, and wearing royal armor.

The queen laughed softly.

"You worry too much."

Cassian smiled back.

"My duty is to worry."

She reached for his hand.

"And mine is to remind you that you're never alone."

The warmth between them was unmistakable.

They loved each other.

The vision blurred.

The queen's smile faded.

A hooded woman stepped from the shadows.

Her face remained hidden.

She knelt before the throne.

"My Queen..."

"The seal is weakening."

The queen rose immediately.

"How long do we have?"

"Less than a year."

"And my sister?"

The hooded woman lowered her head.

"She has accepted the darkness."

My breath caught.

Sister?

The queen had a sister?

Before I could hear another word, the vision shattered.

I gasped and stumbled backward into the Hall of Memories.

Kael steadied me.

"What did you see?"

I looked at him, my voice barely above a whisper.

"The queen...had a sister."

Kael's expression froze.

"No."

"That's impossible."

Before either of us could speak again, the silver doors exploded inward.

A wave of black fire swept into the chamber.

Standing in the smoke was the mysterious woman from the tower.

She smiled as our eyes met.

"Hello, little sister."