“Right,” Ramsay said. “The lands themselves aren’t any less fertile. Tons of animals and plants.”
“Then it must refer to omegas--or I guess, the lack of them,” I added.
“What about the rest?” Linda chimed in. “I’m afraid it flies over my head. Why do prophecies have to be so cryptic?”
“Pretty sure that’s the point,” Ramsay said. “Anyway, it said something like…opposites loving together.”
“Only when opposites love together, like bidding farewell to spring, can we end the suffering,” I told him.
“Right. Whatever the hell that means.”
“Opposites,” I murmured. “Noro said it probably has something to do with the other packs. That’s why we all agreed on this arrangement.”
“Since we’re on opposite ends of the lake,” Linda mused. “But East and South aren’t opposites in terms of direction.”
Dan seemed unsure. “That’s true.”
“But Noro said it could also refer to the border between us,” I pointed out. “That still makes us opposites. Same thing between East Pack and North Pack.”
“That’s right,” Ramsay said. “You still gotta spend time there, too, don’t you?”
I nodded. I privately hoped I wasn’t letting him down, since we were having such a good time together, but we still didn’t understand the prophecy. I didn’t feel any different in terms of magic or anything like that.
“What’s that line about bidding farewell to spring?” Linda asked. “I don’t understand that one.”
“Maybe it has to do with the season,” Ramsay said, snapping his fingers. “After spring is summer, which it is now. So the time’s right.”
“That makes sense,” I agreed. “And Noro gave us a rough time limit, too. It would still be after spring in a month.”
“Smart cookie,” Ramsay teased, winking at me.
Dan groaned and leaned back in his chair. “Still confuses the hell out of me, but whatever. I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Matheson. For all our sakes.” He downed the rest of his wine in one gulp. “Because if you don’t, well. Y’know. The gryphons attacking us and whatnot.”
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. “Right. That.”
Dan stretched and got up. “Well, no use thinking about it all tonight. Why don't we get going, hon?”
Linda joined him. “It was very nice meeting you, Matheson. Enjoy the rest of your evening, boys.”
“Later,” Ramsay called.
“Bye,” I said weakly.
When the doors closed behind them, I slumped in my seat. That conversation hit me harder than I expected it to. Ramsay seemed to notice because he put his arm around me.
“Hey,” he said gently. “Don’t worry about it so much. We’re gonna figure it out.”
I tried to smile. “Yeah. Probably.”
“Definitely,” Ramsay insisted. “Now, you’ve had a long ass day. Enough thinking. It’s time to eat!”
I realized I was probably feeling a bit down because of my hunger, too. As soon as Ramsay mentioned food, my stomach gurgled loudly. “Oops.”
When the roast appeared on the table, I almost moaned. I didn’t realize just howhungryI was. As soon as Ramsay slipped me a hearty portion on my porcelain plate, I wolfed it down like--well, like a wolf. The meat was succulent, fresh and juicy. The gamey scent was balanced by the honey Ramsay had glazed it with, and the mushrooms he collected added an earthy texture as a side.
After eating all I could, I felt stuffed. I leaned back as exhaustion came over me. I groaned. “Were you trying to kill me?”
“No, but I’ll make a mental note that roast deer is one of your weaknesses if I ever want you dead,” he teased.
