Chapter 15:

He stared at her as she stirred the thick brew in the kettle. The steam surrounded the kitchen, the light was dim, her hair up, with strands falling and curling with the humididty. She was strangely quiet, normally he'd hear her hum to herself, or perhaps sing to herself. She had a beautiful voice. She stirred faster and faster until a thick cloud of smoke grew and exploded out of the pot. She stood away from the kettle and slammed down the large wooden spoon.

"No... no! NO NO NO!" She moved further and further away until she fell into his arms.

"Shh... Maya..."

"AH! Oh... Rath, you frightened me." She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide with terror.

"What's the matter?"

"You startled me. I wasn't expecting you, that's all." She lowered her eyes for a second, looked around and then wiped away the sweat from her forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. What are you doing here?"

"I came to say thank you. For coming the other night, of the ball. For spending the night with me." She smiled and sighed loudly. Rath met her eyes trying to decode what the emotion was hiding behind her eyes.

"It was a pleasure. Thank you." She got on her toes and kissed his lips softly as he felt his heart break. He had come to find out once and for all what he had with her. He just couldn't get her out of his mind. During the day he saw her and they met constantly in the late afternoons. He dreamt with her at night and now that he felt her near him, he could feel himself losing his common sense. He was doing exactly what he promised himself not to. He was falling for her.

"Mayala... I... I have to tell you something. I've been thinking."

"Oh great." He gave her a look and she laughed, a laugh that made him want to listen to her forever. "I am just kidding. Go ahead."

"I love you Mayala. I know that I can't and that makes me love you even more. But this whole thing... this whole screwed up situation, it could never work. You and I are just too... different. I'm afraid for us... for me. For what I might feel. Because I know whenever I'm around you... I lose myself. I become this man that I've always wanted to be and it's really scary." She pulled away and looked into his eyes, the laughter suddenly gone from her own.

"Please... Rath, whatever you are going to say, whether it be good or it be bad, don't say it."

"Just hear me out Maya..."

"No! Just don't say it. It will make it less painful if you don't say it. It's happening. I knew it would and it is."

"What are you talking about?"

"The dream."

"Mayala?" Rath's eyes mirrored the confusion she held in her own. She went into a drawer and pulled out a glimmering blue and purple bottle that was cold despite the steam.

"This is a mixture Alakiah brought for me from one of his trips. It was intented to be used for fun, to experiment with. I was mixing them last night after we'd met in the garden. Once I had gotten it to what I thought was perfect, I tasted it." Her eyes watered and he suddenly felt a knot tie in his stomach. This could not be good.

"Maya, what happened?"

"I'm clairvoyant Rath. And I saw things... things that really scared me."

"Maybe it was just a nightmare."

"No. No, Rath it felt real."

"What did you see?" She looked away and her tears began to fall. His adrenaline was pumping too fast now, his mind racing madly with thoughts of what could have gone wrong. She could have poisoned herself, or worse. "Mayala... what did you see?" He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. Her eyes were red with tears and pained with agony.

"I saw the end."

"What?"

"I don't want to say it."

"Just say it."

"No... no please." He had her by both elbows now, shaking her back to sanity.

"Mayala! Speak to me!"

"In approximately twelve days, after the celebration of the Moon Festival and the crowning of the royal court for the Golden moon, you will all die." She erupted into tears as his face fell in shock. "An all out war will break on Antar beginning with the betrayal of one of the royal family. Then we will all be killed. ALL of us. Including Alakiah, Elena, and myself."

"No." He stepped back, not wanting to believe what she was saying.

"I want to forget! To pretend that I don't know! I keep trying to undo the spell... but I can't! It won't go away! It's haunting me Rath! I close my eyes to sleep and I see it!" Her eyes were wild as her hair flew all over her face. It was driving her crazy. He slowly stepped up to her and she collapsed into his arms. Her small body was trembling in his arms and he held her tightly trying to assure her of something he himself did not know.

"It won't... it won't happen. We won't let it happen. Look at me." He raised her head so that their eyes could meet. "I promise you that nothing bad will happen to us. I won't let it. Now come on, I know someone who could help you release those bad thoughts." He wiped away her tears as she nodded in agreement and he raised his hand over the kettle to wipe out the flames.