Page 37 of Shadows Rising

I clench my jaw. I know.

I hate how right she is.

“The Hall of Echoes will make her see,” Revna says. “It was built for this. Where Valkyries once acknowledged their bonds, where fate aligned them with those meant to stand beside them. She won’t be able to deny it once she steps inside.”

I exhale slowly, nodding. “That’s why I chose it.”

And that’s why I hate it.

Because once she enters that chamber, it will all become real.

Her bonds.

The ones with them.

And the one with me.

The Hall looms ahead, its entrance framed by towering runes that glow faintly, thrumming with magic older than most of the sanctuary itself. The air shifts as we approach—heavy with memory, thick with power.

The Hall of Echoes is unlike any other place in the sanctuary. It doesn’t just hold history, it preserves it. Magic lingers here, etched into the stone, woven through the air. It’s where Valkyries once gathered to make important decisions. Where the royals gathered after, seeking wisdom.

And where bonds were acknowledged.

Revna exhales beside me. “It still feels the same.”

It does. Too much the same.

The chamber is vast, with arched ceilings that seem to stretch beyond reality, shimmering with threads of magic from realms long since lost. Shadows flicker along the walls, but they aren’t just shadows.

They’re memories.

Echoes of the past.

Faint figures drift in and out of sight, remnants of those who stood here before us. Valkyries. Their companions. Their warriors.

The energy here is alive, waiting.

Revna places a hand against one of the glowing runes. “Once she enters, she won’t be able to deny it.”

I nod, the weight of it settling in my chest.

The Hall will show her the truth.

And I’m not sure any of us are ready for what comes after.

Chapter 19

Kaia

Breakfast is quiet, but not in a peaceful way.

It’s the kind of quiet that feels too careful, too forced. Like everyone’s pretending things are normal when they absolutely aren’t. The weight of what we learned about the bond sits heavy between us, unspoken but impossible to ignore.

Finn is the only one keeping things from falling into full-blown awkward silence, mostly by shoveling food into his mouth and making dramatic noises about how “deprived” he was last night.

Malrik just drinks his coffee, watching him like he’s debating whether to hex him into silence or let him continue.

Aspen and Torric, on the other hand, are not watching anything.