Page 288 of Scarlet Wars
The High Chief’s fingers curled slowly against the armrest while a flicker of tension settled into the lines of his face. “You jumped to the future again.”
Stephen gave a small nod, almost reluctantly. “Yes. Several times. And since Emma Thompson severed all romantic ties with James Walker, new variables have entered the equation.”
“Such as the Krait’s father?” the Chief asked.
Stephen hesitated, only for a second, but it was enough. “Yes. Emma and Caden…” His jaw tightened, teeth grinding before he spoke again. “They are becoming increasingly inevitable.”
The High Chief raised a single brow, looking both unbothered and unimpressed. “You don’t approve of their relationship.”
The man I had once looked up to—my mentor, and one of the most talented Specialists—closed his eyes.
Not in dismissal, but like the truth physically hurt to say.
“Caden is like a son to me,” he said, his tone stripped of its usual certainty. “I watched him grow up. I taught him how to survive. And if those two keep walking the road they’re on…”
When Stephen’s eyes opened again, they were heavy with resignation, steeped in a dread so deep it looked practiced.
“Every jump,” he said quietly. “Every thread I follow ends the same way. In every future where Emma lets herself fall for Caden…”
His voice faltered.
“He dies.”
What?
The High Chief furrowed his brow. “Caden Colt dies?”
Stephen nodded slowly. “The future isn’t a single line. It’s a web: branches splitting from every choice, each one spawning consequences that echo forward.” He drew a steadying breath. “Emma’s choice of whom to love is not a small decision. It’s a linchpin. One choice locks an entire path into place.”
He lifted his gaze again, eyes dark with it. “Before Emma and James broke apart, that path was indistinct. But now… If she decided to build a future with Caden, then yes, the Krait will come into existence. And Caden will be the father.”
His jaw tightened. “But that same sequence of events leads to Caden’s death.”
The High Chief tipped his head in quiet consideration. “You’re saying the child exists because Colt dies?”
“I’m saying the choice that brings the Krait into the world also seals his father’s fate,” Stephen replied. “You cannotuntangle one without unraveling the other. In every future where Emma loves Caden, I lose my son.”
The High Chief let out a short, humorless sigh. “That’s tragic, truly. But I fail to see what this has to do with us.”
Stephen set his shoulders, his posture firming with quiet intent. “You are the United Chiefs. You are the only governing body we have left. You could save Crown’s First Offensive in a time of war. That is hardly trivial.”
He let the words settle, then continued, voice gaining weight. “If you were to intervene—ensure James Walker ends up with Emma Thompson instead of Caden—then the future could still be altered.”
The High Chief gave a slight shake of his head, already looking tired of the argument. “Which would also ensure therewould beno Krait, since you’ve just told me Caden Colt is his father. And I cannot force magi to bond, if that is in fact what you are suggesting. I’m sorry for your future loss, Stephen, but if Ms. Thompson has chosen Colt, I see neither a way—nor reason—to interfere.”
Stephen didn’t look defeated upon hearing this… No, he looked prepared.
“You couldlie,” he said evenly. “Tell people James Walker is the Krait’s father. Demand Emma and James bond for the survival of our kind. That would derail the sequence, fracture the path enough to change everything.”
The High Chief barked a short laugh. “Setting aside the fact we have no interest in playing such games, that lie would unravel within hours.”
Stephen shook his head once. “They have no Specialist among them. No one capable of verifying it.”
The High Chief’s expression hardened. “And what proof would we present? Every future you’ve told us about points to Caden Colt as the father.”
Stephen met his gaze and lowered his tone.
“What if I told you,” he said quietly, “the Krait’s first name is Alek, and that James Walker’s real first name isAleksander?”
