“Can we talk?”
Chapter Seventeen
Ayden
IwatchedasSashadisappeared into the trees. It was hard not to run after her, but I held myself back, despite my wolf’s demanding objections.
Aurora and Baer had reappeared just as Sasha had rushed off. The look on Aurora’s face told me that she had seen her cousin’s rapid departure and knew it was because of me. I watched as she turned to tell her mate something before dashing back into the trees in search of Sasha.
Baer watched as his mate disappeared into the forest before turning to me. His eyes narrowed at me. I became rigid at his expression and turned to leave the camp. I wanted to gather my own thoughts alone.
Apparently, Baer had other plans for me. I could hear his quick steps coming from behind me before his strides matched mine at my side.
“What did you say to Sasha?” He asked, not dancing around the subject. I always liked that about him. He never played with words, always straight to the point. Well, as much as any seer could be, that is.
“You wouldn’t understand,” I said with a shake of my head.
I had been the only one who had noticed her blackened veins. Aurora had been distraught at her cousin’s near-death experience, and Baer was too busy comforting his mate. Neither of them would understand my words to her. Neither of them would see any reason for what I had said to her.
“Either you tell me in your own words, or I’ll hear Sasha’s version from Rory. The choice is yours, Ayden.”
I growled, but didn’t argue anymore. He was right. Aurora had gone after Sasha, and I had no doubts that Sasha would tell her cousin what I had said to her. Why wouldn’t she?
“Does this have something to do with the dark magic she used the other night?” Baer suddenly asked. My eyes widened as I looked back at him.
“You saw?”
Baer nodded. “I saw her veins before she came to. Rory did as well. Then we saw them turn back to normal as she woke up. It was like a miracle.”
“Or an omen,” I muttered.
Baer balled up his fist and punched my arm lightly, though the expression on his face was stern.
“No,” he said. “It wasn’t an omen. It was just a miracle. Something we should all be thankful for.”
I sighed; it was as good a time as any to tell him what I had said to Sasha. What had gotten her so upset and running off into the trees away from camp?
“You were there the day she had that vision and spoke the prophecy that she and I would be enemies. The general consensus was that I was the evil one they needed to get rid of. But what if the prophecy is all based on the point of view of the receiver and not the listeners?”
Baer frowned. “What are you saying?”
With a deep breath, I told him. “What if Sasha was the one the prophecy was warning us all about this whole time? What if she’s the one we are going to have to face off with. The darkness that you all are rushing after. But because it was being said through her, her view was that I was the enemy to her.”
Baer chuckled and shook his head. “No, that’s not how visions and prophecies work. There is no point of view but it begins with the person to whom they shared their knowledge with. Besides, it’s also rare for a seer to have one vision only, much less for their first to come four years after their powers awakening.”
It was my turn to frown now. My gaze moved from the path ahead of us to Baer. “Well now what are you saying?”
Baer smirked and gave a shrug. “I’m just saying, if you recall, Sasha couldn’t even use tarot cards to predict the weather. They phased her out of the seer classes less than six months after her thirteenth birthday. There was no potential there.”
My brows knitted as I listened to him, noting how he seemed to just dance around, no longer straightforward and to the point. This had something to do with a vision of his own.
“Are you saying that her vision wasn’t a real vision?” I asked.
Again, Baer shrugged. “All I’m saying is that if Sasha had been a seer all along, the school did a great disservice to her education. Given that she has two uncles who were both well-known seers of great power, I doubt that the school would have overlooked such talents in their own flesh and blood.”
I stopped walking. Baer took another step before he stopped and turned to look at me.
“Are you saying that she faked the prophecy?”