Chapter 209: Amara is not to be trusted

"You think I killed Soren?"

Ayla stared at Ares in disbelief. She could not believe what she was hearing... what he was saying to her.

Granted she had heard them talk about it but to have Ares standing in front of her and asking her such a question was something else entirely.

"No," Ares said quickly, his palms outstretched in front of him. "No, Ayla...I don’t think you killed him at all"

"Then what is the meaning of this?" Ayla’s voice rose.

She looked from Ares to Cassian who was finding it difficult to meet her eyes.

Of course he wouldn’t meet her eyes, he had all but admitted that he thought she was dangerous.

Ayla’s eyes moved around the room.

Where was Damon?

Damon would believe her.

He would not be standing there questioning her about a death she knew absolutely nothing about.

He would take her word for it without a second thought.

She needed Damon here.

"Listen to me, Ayla," Ares began. "I know you did not mean to..."

"Mean to?" Ayla cut him off. "Ares, what are you talking about? I did not kill him!" Her voice echoed through the room.

"Why in the name of the goddess would I want Soren dead?"

"Ayla." Amara who had been standing quietly in the room, stepped forward. "Your magic signature is all over him," Amara said. "Soren, I mean."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ayla eyed her.

"It is possible," Amara continued softly, "that you may have done it without being aware of it."

"Excuse me?" Ayla scoffed.

"Have you lost moments in time that you cannot remember?" Amara asked. "Bits and pieces of memory that you cannot piece together?"

Ayla froze in surprise.

How did she know that?

She wanted to argue, tell Amara that she was wrong and that had never happened to her. Or that even if it had, she had nothing to do with Soren’s death.

But she could not.

Because she had been worried about this.

The strange moments when she felt as though she had closed her eyes and opened them somewhere else or the times when she was so sure time had simply disappeared on her.

Ayla looked away, her throat constricting.

She did not have an answer.

"Ayla, you can talk to us. We only want the best for you." Amara muttered.

Ares stepped forward into Ayla’s line of sight.

"Have you ever lost moments?" he asked, watching her carefully. "That morning when you came to my door and told me you were going to the gardens...that was true?"

Ayla looked at him and nodded.

"How many times has this happened?" he asked.

"That does not mean I would kill someone without realizing it."

"No one said that."

"You are implying it!"

"Ayla..."

"It makes no sense." Her voice cracked. "I cannot just lose my mind and suddenly murder someone."

"You should have told us about this." Cassian muttered. "About the memory glitches."

"I did not want to bother anyone." Ayla turned to him. "I did not want you all to begin worrying, to start thinking about how to take care of poor, weak Ayla. I was handling it."

Cassian’s expression softened.

"That isn’t what we would have done."

"Yes, it is." Ayla laughed bitterly. "You would have started asking me if I was all right every five minutes. Ares would have started assigning guards to follow me around."

"A man is dead, Ayla." Ares’ voice was gentle. "And no one is blaming you for his death. But if this is something that has to do with your powers, then we need to figure it out before it gets much worse."

Ayla looked down at her hands.

Her fingers trembled slightly and she curled them into fists.

He was right... he was so right and so was Cassian.

She should have told them.

Ayla closed her eyes.

What if she had done it?

No...She could not have.She would have remembered.

But wouldshe?

She was a danger.

What person with powers lost whole moments of herself?

She could have been doing goddess knew what without realizing it. She could have stood over Soren in that courtyard and never known a thing.

"How many times has it happened, Ayla?" Amara asked.

"Twice. Three times." She pressed a hand to her forehead. "I am not sure."

"And do you know how long it has lasted?"

"The first time, a couple of seconds, I believe. I am not sure." Saying it out loud made it worse. "The second... some minutes."

"But both with you not being in the same position?"

Ayla nodded.

Amara sighed.

"I think your powers have begun manifesting themselves more than you can control."

Ayla’s brows furrowed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means your body is struggling to contain what you have. The headaches. The dizziness. The fevers... they are all signs that you have more powers than you have learned to control."

"What can we do about this?"

"She would need to release the excesses through training. It is something we have not been able to do since we arrived but I think if she is able to channel her powers into other things, release them, so to speak, it would bring everything to order."

Ayla narrowed her eyes at Amara.

Of course...training.

Somehow, this had all come back around to that.

Soren’s words came back to her then.

Never trust the witch, Ayla.

And now Soren was dead.

Ayla’s stomach churned.

What if he had been right?

What if she had found out that Soren did not trust her and she had killed him, put the blame on her?

Lucius had warned them too not to trust Amara.

His very words had been she would betray you too just as she had betrayed me.

"I would help her," Amara was saying, nodding at Ares and Cassian. "Do not worry about it. I would help her every step of the way."

The hairs on the back of Ayla’s neck stood on end as she stared at her.