Wolf & Witch III: Oracle's Path

Ch. 22

Rex shifted and held out his hands. "H-hey!" the teen stammered, "It's just me!"

"Damnit, Rex! Don't jump scare people like that!" Trevor said as he leaned forward on his knees and tried to slow his heart rate.

"I'm sorry!" Rex whined.

Sean had crumpled to his knees; wheeze-laughing so hard that there were a few tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to speak. "We- I- That was my bad! I did the dumb horror movie thing," Sean gasped. "Hoooo... Whew... What are you doing out here?"

"Were you following us?" Trevor added.

"Sort of. I was on my way home," Rex shrugged. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Let's sit outside, actually," Sean suggested, getting to his feet, and tugging Trev. "Before we inhale any more dust."

Once the three of them had sat down against the side of the barn, Sean piped up again. "So...You know what this place is, right?" When Rex nodded, he continued, "So, I had this vision the other day. And I'm one hundred percent positive that it took place in there," he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. It was when Travis was alive. And he was talking to a witch, and they were holding this newborn, and talking about it, and I'm pretty sure the baby's mother had just passed." Sean had goosebumps just thinking about it.

"Yeah, sounds like Travis. At least my dad always suspected that Travis was using some sort of witch magic to stay in power," Rex explained, though it was clear he didn't look completely comfortable talking about Riley. "That's why he went to Colorado. He was convinced if he killed Travis's witch, then he could get to Travis. As for the baby's mother, that was probably Nate's mom."

"What?" Sean asked, scooting closer. Then the infant was...Nate? His face had gone completely pale, and he startled when Trevor suddenly batted him on the arm.

"Brooo, Bethany Hill!" Trevor said, "At the fall festival! Maybe that's why she was murdered!"

"But she wasn't who I saw in the barn with Travis. And if what I saw in my vision had happened that far in the past, and the infant was Nate, then I'd have only been, like, a year old at that time. So how did this mystery witch-"

"Know your name?"

Sean nodded. "I'm so confused. I mean, I understand more now, but I'm still confused. Rex, do you know much about Nate's mom?"

"No. Only that Travis was the reason she died. Dad really didn't like talking about it."

"See, Sean? Travis was a bad guy! He's clearly been kidnapping people and witches for a long time," Trevor reasoned.

The whole revelation made Sean feel kinda nauseous... Did Dakota know about any of this? Did Rose? Or anyone else in the pack? He still wanted answers... Wanted to know who this other witch was, and what she'd had to do with it all.

Rex and Trevor were troopers, and agreed to stick around while Sean poked through the barn again. Trevor didn't want to go in, but Sean could hear him and Rex talking just outside, and that was good enough encouragement.

But despite how much he tried, asking, conjuring, chanting... Nothing. He couldn't get anything. The energy was there. It was thick in the air. Heavy. Like wading through water, or perhaps in this places' case, a swamp, but nothing was speaking to Sean. So, about an hour and a half later, the three of them wedged the side door closed, and started to walk back.

They were almost to the end of the gravel drive in front of Slade's trailer when a car pulled up, and Gabriel climbed out. "Hey, have you seen Kaiden?" he asked, looking pointedly at Sean.