Dawn stood. ‘Kit is ready?’ Her wings were still weak but she insisted on being there with me to the end. We still had about an hour before we were leaving, and I wanted to spend some of that time with her.
I nodded. ‘Can Dawn tell Kit anything else about breeders? How many breeders does it take to create Dream War world?’
If I could learn anything else from her to help me understand how they worked, it might turn the tide in our favor. Dawn seemed to think about this and I knew she was accessing knowledge from her entire hive mind. ‘Many. When we land on new planet, every Breeder uses power to tether the two worlds together.’
That was what I thought and was good news for our plan. ‘Do you think if we kill enough breeders, the Dream War will fall?’
Dawn was silent. ‘Dawn wants to tell Kit something, but Dawn doesn’t.’
My brow furrowed and I cocked my head to the side. ‘I’m confused.’
Dawn shifted on her feet nervously. ‘Dawn has information that can help Kit end Dream Wars but has been keeping it from Kit because… Dawn sees Kit die if she does.’
A stone sank in my stomach. Part of me didn’t want to press her for information, the selfish part of me that didn’t want to die. But then I thought of Tatum, Maxine, everyone else who would live on in peace if I could just end this thing.
‘Dawn, you have to tell me. No matter what.’ I held her gaze and reached out to stroke her neck.
She was quiet for a while.
Finally she spoke: ‘Not all breeders are the same. There is a special one, like humans would call a queen. Kill queen breeder and then Kit can destroy Dream War.’
Holy fuck. Did she just say they had a queen? The world tilted on its axis. ‘Dawn, why didn’t you tell me this before?’
Anger laced my tone and she avoided my gaze.
‘Dawn see’s Kit’s future.’ She nuzzled my belly. ‘Every time Dawn tells Kit about Queen Breeder, someone dies. Usually Kit.’
I frowned. ‘What do you mean every time? You’ve never told me this before.’
Dawn swallowed hard. ‘Hard to explain. Multiple realities, future changes constantly.’
Jesus.
‘Dawn, if there is a queen breeder, and taking her out will help me end the Dream Wars, then I have to do it. You understand that, right? Even my death will not keep me from saving millions, billions of humans.’
Dawn nodded. ‘But what if all your friends died and you lived? Would it still be worth it?’
Fuck. Her words made bile rise up my throat. ‘Is…is that what happens?’ My voice shook, even mentally.
Dawn looked at the thick forest. ‘It’s one of the futures I see. Kit, all alone, Dream Wars has ended but Kit have no one, not even Dawn.’
Panic ripped through me at her words. Damien, Ronnie, everyone would die?
‘No. No that’s not worth it.’ I felt so selfish for saying it; the whole of humanity should be worth a handful of lives surely… but I couldn’t bring myself to sacrifice my friends.
Maybe if I went alone… then I would only be risking myself. Could I take on a queen breeder alone?
‘Do you know where the queen Breeder lives?’
The moment I asked, Dawn looked at the ground and I knew that was a yes.
I was about to ask her where, when rocks crunched behind me and I spun to see Master Aki. He was wearing full battle armor. Both of his Katanas were slipped into his back harness and he had a gun on each hip.
“I will accompany you to kill the queen breeder,” he said.
My eyes bugged out of my head. “You knew?”
Something dark crossed his face and nodded. “Only recently. I dreamt of her last night.”
He dreamed? Right, while we were gone, the Dream War had been closed down.
“I want to go alone.” I held my chin high. It was hard to stand against this man who I loved and admired, but for his safety I would.
“Then you die. I saw that too.” His expression was grim.
Shit. The truth bombs were getting thrown left and right.
“And if you go with me, I don’t die?” I needed some good news because shit was looking bleak.
He stepped forward and pulled my face into his hands like you would coddle a child. “If I go, you live.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “But what if you get hurt?”
One of the tears spilled over and he caught it with his thumb. “You are like a daughter to me. If I get hurt protecting you, then an old man dies happy.”
A sob escaped me and he pulled me into a hug. I was never this emotional around him— hell, around anyone—but shit felt dire. I felt like the world was closing in on me. No matter what I did, someone got hurt. Letting someone just hold me while I lost my shit and cried felt so damn good, but I would never admit that out loud.
When he finally pulled away and brushed the last tear from my cheek, we were ready. It was unspoken that I had to do this and I wouldn’t be able to tell him not to come. Like Dawn, he was with me until the end.
“I can’t tell anyone else that we’re leaving.” Ronnie, Damien, they would all try to stop me.
Master Aki nodded. “You cannot. But you could leave a note.”
Yes. A note would assuage my guilt, and in the event I died trying to kill this bitch, it would be my
