They walked further into the pathway and eventually, it opened into a large, open space. She could see a throne sitting in the middle of the area. It was made of light blue crystal. Its back was carved into the shape of a tree and its armrests and legs looked to be in the shape of branches and roots. It looked so beautiful, so magical.

  But something felt off.

  It seemed like they were the only ones around. She couldn't hear any other heartbeats inside the cave and as she looked around, she didn't know why but she felt a little bit lonely. As beautiful as this place looked initially, she saw many small things to indicate that this place hadn't been used by many people or witches. Was this place abandoned or was the queen the only one living here?

  "Y-you're the queen of the witches, right?" Abi asked.

  The woman halted and she turned to face her.

  "I am not," she replied, causing Abi to look at her, eyes wide. "I am the next queen in line."

  This revelation made Abi speechless. She wasn't the queen? Then, where was the queen? Who was the queen?

  The silver-haired witch seemed to have read what she was thinking. "Our queen…" she started, glancing up at the majestic empty throne with sad eyes. "She disappeared three months ago and we don't know where she is even now."

  Abi creased her brows. Three months. That timeline was very suspicious. That was about the same time Alex disappeared. Could there be a connection?

  "She disappeared the same night when the king of vampires was stabbed by you," the silver-haired witch continued.

  What the woman said made Abi's heart thud against her ribcage. It brought back the memories of that night, memories that her mind had tried so hard to forget. The memories of that single moment still affected her as if it just happened yesterday. It was the most traumatic time of her life.

  "But we know she's still alive," she added and Abi finally found her voice.

  "How do you know that?" Abi asked, curious. If they didn't know where the queen was, how could they possibly know she was still alive?

  "When the current queen dies, her powers will instantly be transferred to the next queen. This hasn't happened yet. I don't have her full powers so that's how I know she is still alive. Although, I do feel that there is something not quite right happening with her. I have received more than half of her strength in the last three months. It seems she is slowly dying. The queen isn't old enough to die through the natural aging process. I believe she was captured."

  "You think the vampires captured her?" Abi's gaze turned serious. Did this woman trick her into coming to use her as ransom for their queen?

  "I don't think the vampires are the ones who took her," the witch responded, causing Abi's brows to knot once again.

  However, she didn't come here to find out about their queen or her whereabouts. She was here to find out about how to get Alex's memories back and to save him. This was what this woman had told her in her dreams. This was what she had promised.

  "Then, why did you appear in my dreams? You told me to come here if I wanted to save my husband."

  The witch offered her a seat and Abi made herself comfortable while the woman just stood before her.

  "Listen, I believe our queen's disappearance has something to do with your husband. I am not saying that the king abducted her or that it was the Reign family who took her. There is someone out there who is controlling both the rogue vampires and rogue witches. And I believe the king, your husband, and our queen knows who this person is.

  I have been trying to find a way to talk to the vampires but there is no way for me to speak with them without them killing me first. I have tried to find a way to reach out to them but it's futile because I can't speak with them outside this forest."

  "Why?"

  "Because this forest is the only place that is protected by spells. Anything that happens inside this forest can't be seen by others who are looking from the outside. I can't let anyone know what I am trying to do. You already know, right? That everyone is watching our every move, possibly even that someone who must have captured our queen. If they see that I am reaching out to the vampires, I am certain they will make their move to stop any alliance that might happen."

  "But you are able to speak with me through my dreams. You should have spoken to Zeke through it."

  "I can't. Witches can't enter just anybody's dreams. You are the only one that this has happened to. You are special, Abigail."

  "So, you lured me in here because you knew that Zeke and Alex would come after me. Your plan all along was to lure me in to get to them?" Abi questioned. She was starting to get upset. "You used my desperation in wanting to save my husband to get me here. You lied to me to get me here!"

  "No, please. Don't get me wrong. I know some truth about what really happened about that night you stabbed your husband. I just want to exchange information. I will help you save your husband, in exchange, I am asking for your help to locate and save our queen."

  "But I don't know anything. And I am just a human…"

  "As I've said, Abigail, you are special. Have you ever wondered why you can do things that even we can't do? Have you ever wondered how I could speak to you through your dreams? I don't know what you are but I don't believe you are just a normal human being."

  Abi frowned. "W-what do you mean?"