Beyond A Queen's Whisper

Chapter Seven

Cassie jolted awake, her heart thudding in her chest. The night was still and silent, but something had pulled her from the depths of sleep. She blinked, trying to shake off the remnants of her dreams, only to realize the room was filled with an odd, rhythmic sound. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was faint, almost as if it were coming from inside the walls. She froze, straining to listen, until she realized the noise was coming from across the room—where she had left the strange book given to her by the bartender.

The book. The very one that had unsettled her with its mysterious aura, now seemed to have a pulse of its own. It sat on her desk, bathed in the dim light of the moon filtering through her curtains. The thumping grew louder, insistent, demanding her attention. As if compelled by an unseen force, she slid out of bed, her feet barely making a sound on the cold wooden floor.

The room was dimly lit by the moonlight, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance as she moved. The book continued its quiet thumping, drawing her closer, its cover vibrating slightly with each beat, as though it were a living, breathing thing. Cassie's breath hitched as she reached out to touch it, the leather-bound cover cool under her fingertips.

The moment her fingers brushed the surface, the book flipped open on its own, pages fluttering like a bird taking flight. A soft, golden light began to emanate from a random page, illuminating the room with a warm, ethereal glow. Cassie's eyes widened as she leaned in closer, trying to make sense of the strange symbols and patterns that seemed to swirl on the page, almost as if they were alive, shifting and rearranging themselves before her eyes.

The light grew brighter, more intense, until it filled her vision entirely, almost blinding her with its brilliance. Cassie blinked, and when her eyes finally adjusted, she saw a detailed map of a forest, a place she had never seen or heard of before. The map was unlike any she had encountered—its details were incredibly vivid, every tree, river, and path etched with precision, as if the map were a living document that changed with the landscape it represented.

At the bottom of the map, in an elegant script, were the words: Find what is needed. The letters seemed to shimmer and pulse, like they were beckoning her, urging her to follow their command. And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the light dimmed, the glow fading until it was nothing more than a faint glimmer on the page.

Cassie stepped back, her heart racing as the reality of the situation sank in. The book was not just a curiosity; it was a guide, a portal to something greater. It had chosen her, called her to this unknown place for reasons she couldn't yet understand. But deep down, she felt a strange pull, a need to follow the book's instructions, to uncover whatever it was that she was meant to find.

"What a weird delivery service," she said hypnotized, as her fingers traced the edges of the map, the paper cool to the touch. She knew she had no choice, now. The journey had already begun, and there was no turning back.

The next day, Cassie found herself standing at the edge of a dense forest in Vermont, the same one that had appeared in the book. The trees towered above her, their branches intertwining to form a canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight, casting long, wavering shadows on the ground. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, and the sounds of rustling leaves and distant bird calls filled her ears.

Cassie hated hiking—she had always been more of an indoor person, preferring the comfort of her cozy apartment to the unpredictability of the wild. The pull of the book was undeniable, she thought to herself. It had led her here, to this remote place, and now that she was standing at the threshold of the forest, she couldn't bring herself to turn back.

With a deep breath, she stepped onto the narrow path that led into the heart of the forest. The ground beneath her feet was soft, the earth giving way slightly with each step. The trees seemed to close in around her as she walked, their trunks gnarled and ancient, as if they had been standing for centuries, watching over the land.