Page 217 of Axis of Fire

“You were standing on the Sacred Steps, where the rulers of Istarus sit during the Selection Trials,” she continued softly.

“In front of you stood the Creator of Plaraarus in his true dragon form.”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“And behind you...” She hesitated.

“There was the shadow of a serpent.”

Silence settled between us.

But it wasn’t empty.

“I immediately assumed it was a sign of a connection to Mataarus,” Stasia admitted.

“The energy that created that world chose the image of a serpent as its symbol.”

I had no idea how I was supposed to react.

Honestly, it felt as though all my emotions had frozen along with me.

How was any of this even possible?

“Do you know why you received that vision in particular?” I finally asked.

“It actually makes perfect sense.” Stasia gave a small shrug.

“Just like Tarven, I suspected you were connected to Harold.”

“Suspected?” I repeated, immediately catching the past tense.

“I don’t think you’re working with him anymore,” she replied casually before finally turning her attention to the dessert she’d apparently been ignoring this whole time.

My own slice of blue cake still sat untouched in front of me.

“Why not?” I asked immediately.

“Because of the vision,” Stasia answered around a mouthful of cake.

Then she grinned.

“It showed me we’d become friends.”

“What?”

I frowned.

“And you actually believed that?”

“Of course not.”

She snorted.

“You seemed way too suspicious.”

Somehow, she still managed to smile while chewing.

“But after what happened at Madame Croix’s shop...” she continued, “that’s when I realized visions never lie.”