Bad Dreams

By angelwings1

Chapter 6

"If you don't know how to answer squeeze my hand."

Hitomi nodded, rubbing her arm for the millionth time. The sleeves were a silky material, but they were unfamiliar and suffocating her.

"I'll do my best to answer for you without appearing too active in the conversation."

She stared hard at her toes, trying to keep her breathing even. The last hours had been torture. All that had happen had been a simple tea break before the meeting, but it had thoroughly searched her nerves. Hitomi had watched silently from her seat between Van and Merle as the two nobles had reminisced about old times when they were children. There had been few questions directed towards her, but the looks she had gotten from the princess and knight proved to the seer that they were curious about her.

"So how long have you've been in Fanelia, Hitomi?"

"About a month."

Millerina had grinned and leaned her unblemished cheek into her satin white glove, "Are you enjoying it here?"

Hitomi had nodded softly, "Yes. It's a little different from my home in Thorb."

"I've never been to Thorb," the princess perked up, "Is it beautiful there?"

Her stomach had dropped at the question, but she smiled innocently, "There are lot of open fields where I live. A couple of them are completely swamped with flowers. My little brother and I play tag when we can escape our governess. I think that's what I miss most."

"So you don't leave home a lot?"

"No, I guess you could say I'm very ignorant of the world."

"But I thought your father was the second son of a Duke? I would have thought your grandfather would have brought you out."

She knew it was getting dangerous as out of the corner of her eye she saw Merle glance to Van. Hitomi shrugged to the princess as she carefully placed her teacup on its saucer. "I am one of several grandchildren. My Uncle has three sons and two daughters who are closer to my grandfather's seat than I. He always offered to take me on trips, but I don't care for much of politics."

Millernia's blue eyes narrowed carefully and Hitomi knew she had screwed up, "Then why did you come here to this meeting?"

Hitomi hesitated for only a hair, "I don't care for politics, but my father does."

Van had let out an uneven breath of air, but the others didn't seem to notice. Hitomi smiled brightly, "He always told me it was important to understand politics if I ever wanted to help others. It's why I agreed to come."

The princess lifted in her seat, "You wish to help others? How's that?"

In that moment, Hitomi had felt the bruise in her heart wince and she realized her thoughts had floated far from the white marble room and towering windows to a small temple in the dusty valley towards the north. Hitomi face lit up with a distant sadness as she replied lightly, "When you see others need you, it's natural to want to lend out a hand. I don't want to let people suffer because I didn't."

The words danced through the air and a heavy understanding fell on the room. Millernia mirrored the seer's expression, "I know exactly what you mean. That's the reason I study medicine on my free time."

Hitomi knew their questions had been moderate compared to what they could have asked. There had been no room to interrogate her when she sat next to her host. If the opportunity ever presented itself, however, she knew they would hungrily corner her like wolves and find the snare in her carefully woven facade.

Luckily, the chance had yet to pass and several more nobles had arrived. The last convoys and shipped had docked so it had become a matter of waiting for everyone to settle into their rooms before the meeting could begin. This would be the true test.

"Don't worry if you forget a name. Just use a title. You haven't been in courts a lot, by our story, so it won't appear suspicious if you slip up."

"Alright," she mumbled staring straight into his wine colored eyes. There were standing directly outside a pair of huge mahogany doors taking a once last overview. It had been difficult to escape the representatives, but with Merle and Balgus's help they had escape into the back hall. Van, failing miserably trying to hide his tension, kept pacing up and down the way as Hitomi stood frozen in a beam of sunlight pouring from one of the high windows.

Van sighed heavily. He was already tired of this farce and it had barely started. He had been nervous all week about putting her under this pressure and with minutes left till they entered the chamber, he felt an urge to keep her from going into the lion's den. She nearly died a few weeks ago and still had the bare hints of battery in her walk. He would never forgive himself if somehow this meeting caused more suffering to her future.

"Are you ready?" he asked seriously, looking her dead in the eye. Hitomi stared at him for several minutes. She didn't look as if she was rethinking the idea. She seemed ever bit determine as she had the first night he had suggested this game. Van hastily decided to add, "You don't have to do this, Hitomi. This is only a request."

Her eyes dilated and she whispered, "No, Van. I have to do this."

His heart tightened at her admission, feeling some darkness lacing her tone. He didn't want to take her through the doors they stood next to, but he couldn't stop her either. He knew her well enough to be sure. With a heavy heart, he offered his elbow to her. Hitomi refused to hesitate and took it smoothly, but when he went to enter the room, she pulled him to a stop. He swung slowly around and stared into her jade eyes that glinted with the afternoon sunlight.

"How are you feeling so far?" she asked softly. He stared at her for several minutes before realizing what she was getting at.

"Fine," he replied, "Usually before I saw anything my head would hurt, but it was always seconds before it happened."

Hitomi nodded, fully knowing the symptoms, "If you feel one coming, squeeze my hand. I'll do my best."

The young king nodded, studying how the sweep of her short hair curled just perfectly along the angle of her porcelain neck. Hitomi squeezed his arm marginally as she finished, "I don't doubt you will feel at least one or two while we're in there. Stress is a good catalyst for these episodes. Don't be afraid to take my help."

He nodded and gently led her towards the doors. Right as they swung open he muttered under his breath, "I trust you, Hitomi."

All the seer could do was sadly muse, 'I'll protect you.'

The doors opened revealing the long, dark wood table in the center. Several faces turned at the noise of the doors and Hitomi recognized a few scattered individuals. Some of the representatives were already seated anxiously. She could feel the tension in the air and knew the meeting would probably be filled with heated debates.

Van instantly took on his role as host with ease, "Ladies and gentlemen, I formally welcome everyone to my home and hope you have all found your rooms to be satisfactory."

There was a round of approval and a few silent nods. With so many guests attending, it was a wonder everyone fit in the castle. Van grinned warmly to the crowd as he ushered her and the others towards their seats. Hitomi graciously gave her thanks to the king as he pulled out her chair.

Almost immediately after they all were seated, Van's hand grabbed for hers under the table. Hitomi felt her face grow hot and she quickly stomp down her need to blush. She needed to keep focus. She had to remember this was strictly business.

Her eyes quickly rove over the table, marking each face and crest for memory. It appeared easy enough to keep countries straight, but it was harder to match names with each individual. As Van began to talk about old history with the countries, Hitomi began rattling her mind for information Merle had given her.

A man dressed in green robes and spectacles came from the merchants of Austuria. Hitomi couldn't remember his last name, but she remembered him to be called Dryden. If she remembered correctly, his family dealt with heavy trade throughout this section of the world. Scowling, she wondered how he had pushed his way into the privacy of the proceedings. She thought only the highest representatives were allowed here. Maybe the kingdoms wanted to secure trading routes along with the treaty. It was highly possible.

Next to him sat Millerina, who looked as beautiful as ever, with Allen at his post against the wall behind her. On her other side sat an obese, balding man from Bosrom named Jorgus. He was one of the emperor's highest commanders and was known to be a very blunt and sometimes overly colorful individual.

Following the commander sat a bulky man with a heavy white beard and mustache. His body was covered in white scars and he was dressed in orange and purple robes. Her eyes narrowed at the mark on his foreign, remembering she had seen that innocent dot before and not from pictures Merle had shown her. Hitomi started as she came to the obvious realization.

'Freid. That has to be Voris, the head advisor of the duke.'

She barely remembered it, but, when she was a child, monks from Freid had visited the valley. They had been kind and always muttering blessing over their villages, but like any outsider the valley had been wary of them. Even with her fuzzy memories, Hitomi was certain she had seen the man before. It could be possible he had been there at the valley on one of the monks' trips.

She prayed silently he wasn't one of the men who had blessed her. The monks had scattered through her village one time and had graciously performed blessing on the children. Naturally, it didn't take long for a hand to find the crown of brown locks and she remembered the foreign words passing from chapped lips like an old lullaby. If Voris had been in her village years ago, she doubted he would remember a single child out of hundreds. Even so, Hitomi made a mental note to avoid the man after the meeting.

Sitting next to monk was none other than Prince Chid Freid, son of the Duke. He was the youngest seated at the table having recently celebrated his eleventh year. He was a hansom boy with short blonde hair and the bluest eyes she had ever dreamed of. He appeared to be very calm and not the least bit nervous unlike her. Hitomi had to admire the boy just for his contented expression on his face. She was willing to puke out her nerves when a child was perfectly relaxed.

How could a world place so much responsibility on such a small set of shoulders? She couldn't imagine the type of stress the child dealt with on a daily basis. Hitomi huffed angrily as she thought of the Duke. Why hadn't he come and endure this?

Hitomi was so irritated by the thought of a man leaving his son to do the work that she didn't realize she was being stared at until her eyes accidentally connected with him. The seer flinched when she caught sight of red eyes narrowed on her. She wetted her lips nervously as stared back at the youth.

He was an oddity amongst the delegates. He was possibly only a year or two older than her and his eyes held a depth that made a deep recess in her soul tremble. With hair the silver color of a blade and knee length vest as white as snow he appeared angelic. His red armor, however, spoke with kinks and dents of a dark story of many battles. Her eyes fell on the black painted emblem covering his chest plate and realized with sickening awe the soldier was the representative from Zaibach.

Dilandau Albauto was Emperor Dornkirk's favored captain. Though rather unpredictable and wild, the youth was known to be an effective warrior, leading one of the strongest regimes in Zaibach forces, the Dragon Slayers. There were many rumors surrounding the regime and their captain. Some of them referred to spy networking and mysterious attacks, but there was no concrete evidence to connect the slayers or Zaibach to anything dishonorable. One of the only reasons Zaibach had been allowed to join in the treaty was because there was no way to pronounce the country an enemy.

Hitomi carefully leaned back in her chair, hoping the support to calm her. She didn't dare duck her eyes from him. She could tell he was testing her with the glare he was sending. A noble would never wilt under such challenge.

Reality, however, found the instant to be unfit for the staring war and suddenly Hitomi was overcome by a dark image. The vision was fuzzy and she could barely see in the darkness, but she knew what she saw was a very pregnant woman laying in the black world of her mind. She was crying out, her mouth wide and tears streaming endlessly down her upturned face. Yet even with the intensity of her howls, Hitomi could only hear a faint echo of her voice.

The seer stretched out to see better and soon a cry broke loud and high through the foggy air. A faceless being became solid in the image and soon a wailing baby girl was being lifted into the light. Her voice was perfectly clear, seeping with an indescribable sadness. To Hitomi complete shock, the baby's pudgy limbs began to sage in the person's grip. Slowly the fat began to melt and became transparent like water. No, the baby became water and poured down from the pair of hands like rain. The short downpour sounded like piano keys as they hit the unseen ground.

Seconds after the last raindrop faded from her ears, Hitomi saw the mother scream again, faint as before. Abruptly, a red glow began to swarm between the woman's legs. Hitomi blinked several times, hoping to dispel the color, but it grew brighter with each second. Her mouth dropped open as a beautiful baby boy was lifted into the air. What shocked Hitomi most was the fact the baby was consumed by orange flames. It looked almost as if the child had been accidentally lit and was crying in pain, but unconsciously, the seer knew the child was born of flame.

Slowly, the child was cradled against the faceless being and the mother began to fade away. Hitomi eagerly leaned forward, trying to see the mother's face. The limp woman was beautiful with blonde hair matted to her oddly familiar face. The seer had never seen the woman before, but there was no mistaking having seen her high cheekbones and strong chin before. Just as her fingers began to grasp the woman's likeness, the woman disappeared and only the child and the man remained.

Hitomi studied the shadowy man's, but couldn't make heads or tails of his identity. Her entire equilibrium was shot as the child opened his eyes and revealed the color of blood.

Hitomi gasped mutely as the vision was sucked out of her head and left her breathing hard. Her grip on Van's hand had involuntarily tightened and he glanced to her expectantly. That's all it took for every eye to turn on the seer to see what had falter the king's attention. She inhaled deeply and forced the perfect smile.

'What was that?'

Van quickly removed his eyes from her, but she had caught the gleam of concern in his eyes. Hitomi stared pointedly at the king, refusing to acknowledge the looks she knew she was getting. A part of her was eager to look back at the Zaibach soldier and see his reaction to her momentary lapse, but feared what she might find. He had to have seen her freeze and her eyes dilate. Most people didn't recognize the signs of her trances so it was easy to brush off the moments as her inability to be attentive, but what if he knew?

'Stop trying to panic. He couldn't have known. Keep focused.'

Hitomi bit her lower lip as she carefully ran over the pages in her precious book. She needed to be ready. Who knew when he would need her?

"Let's begin this meeting with Austuria since she was first to arrive. Millernia, you have the floor."

Van slowly leaned back and Hitomi felt the weight of the table's numerous eyes lift from the youth to the equally young princess. Millernia smiled pleasantly and elegantly jutted out her chin like a true queen. With ease she spoke to the table, "Austuria agrees to offer her support in any war against this alliance or the countries who will sign this treaty. There is a small problem, however, with refusing trade with the Harbu Clan. They are our only source to Lutherian metal we use in special gears found in a regime of our guymelefs."

"No trade will be allowed with Harbu Clan," Jorgus exclaimed hotly next to her, "The Harbu Clan has been an enemy of Bosrom for the last decade and to have trade with them is to side with them."

The princess didn't even ruffle at this.

"Even so," she replied calmly, "Without Lutherian metal we cannot keep our guymelefs from being ignored. We request new trade."

Several agreed even as Jorgus said beneath his breath, "You have plenty of other melefs."

Dryden leaned forward on his elbows, ignoring how he might appear a little unsophisticated with his bulky robes and scraggly ponytail held up with a mismatching scarf. He smirked devilishly to the princess and said, "My father's trade route come into high stocks of Blackstone Metal. It's a slight higher penny than Lutherian, but it is excellent quality."

Hitomi's eyes widened slightly as she noticed a pink tinge paint the princess's cheeks. Millerina had appeared so controlled. Why was she getting worked up over this man? Pushing back a strand of hair from her eyes, the princess had replied a little sharply, "Doesn't Blackstone bind under stress if the plates are two inches thick?"

"Only if the metal is cooled improperly during the process," Dryden replied with a wink, "I could offer you the secret to its metal work if you pay the proper price."

Somehow the blush deepened on the princess's cheeks and hastily snubbed her nose at him as she replied stonily, "Austuria accepts the offer."

Hitomi blinked in astonishment. That was it? She thought this was going to be a lot more cut throat and already the first argument had been settled. Maybe the meeting wouldn't be as bad as everyone thought it would be. Hitomi grinned as she pressed her back into the comfy cushion of her chair. Even a seer can be wrong, and how wrong she was.

"There is no way Freid will offer the service of the sacred clan of Ishdorm in time of war," Voris exclaimed loudly, "The people of Ishdorm was started as a final defense for Freid if ever attacked. If we allow them into battle we are crippling our own nation."

"You just don't want anyone to meet these supreme fighters because you fear we will discover the secret," Jorgus cried louder.

A man dressed in black and silver stood from his seat, "The kingdom of Korris sides with the country of Bosrom. We believe Freid should be willing to offer all forms of defense."

"At our expense?" Voris yelled, thrusting to his own feet, "This is just a ploy to reveal Freid's military secrets!"

"I demand everyone be seated," Van suddenly thundered. His voice carried powerfully through the full room and no one dared to speak after such an outburst. Hitomi bit her lip as she eyed the men. It had already been two hours of back and forth arguing and it seemed the representatives were slowly growing more aggressive. The seer shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she realized it was probably normal for men to grow irritated after sitting around in debate for several hrs.

Van glared at each individual man and stiffly resumed his seat. The delegates hesitated for a short heartbeat before scowling at one another and taking their own seats. The Fanelian King's face was tight as he calmly stated, "We will proceed with the talks once more as the civilized men we are. Bosrom, Freid, and Korris have spoken their opinions on the issue at hand. Can a new thought be spoken?"

Hitomi glanced nervously to the king feeling how his stress level was reaching a dangerous point. They had been luckily so far to not live any episode, but she knew it wouldn't be much longer. She discreetly squeezed his hand under the table and watched his chin shake left and right. There was nothing yet, but it felt like the breath before the plunge.

Somehow Hitomi could feel it bulging in him like a swollen mother about to go into labor as he confirmed a sudden squeeze of her hand. His eyes widened slightly and she easily noticed the tension in his shoulders. There was a vein at his left temple that became automatically distinct and she knew the first wave had come.

The seer automatically closed her eyes and returned the squeeze the king had given. She silently swallowed a mouthful of air and used her free hand to clutch her tarot card. Van shuddered as he felt invisible fingers plunge into the back of his scalp. He did his best to appear blank to the table, but his mind was whirling with astonishment at the cold intrusion. He wondered numbly if this is what it felt when she had taken his nightmares in his sleep.

Hitomi bit down on her tongue and she snatched the images out of his head. She could see them as plain as day and she knew if she opened her eyes she would think the vision was real. There were soldiers bursting through doors in the dream and she could see huge shadows outside the windows. If she focused on the air she could smell the hint of something smoldering. The seer quickly pushed the images away into the back of her mind and felt the vision fade from existence.

She let out a small breath of relief as Van relaxed beside her. The first one had passed easily. Hitomi frowned inwardly at the thought. It had been too easy. She hadn't even broken a sweat. She had thought stealing waking dreams would have jeopardize her life, but it didn't even make her nauseated.

Something wasn't right.

Hitomi quickly opened her eyes to Van. He appeared well and unaffected by the vision. Maybe the first vision had been weak. It could explain how easy she had dealt with it.

Finally looking back at the table, she saw the conversation was still circulating over Freid's special forces. The duke's son, Chid, was presently speaking and Hitomi was astonished to hear such articulate speech fall from his lips.

"I understand why you all feel threatened by the Ishdorm Clan," he stated softly, "They have spent the entire existence in training, waiting for the day to protect our nation's capital. If I was a neighboring country I would want to understand the purpose of such a threatening army."

Chid glanced momentarily to his caretaker before continuing, "I will let you know that the Ishdorm Clan is a religious practice passed down for eight generations. They have a sole purpose of protection to our country. To ask them to do more is to break from their commitments and that is something my father would never ask. That is why I say this: the Ishdorm Clan will never act upon this treaty and if that is considered unsuitable by this table than the country of Freid is prepared to leave this meeting without signing any document."

A resounding gasp burst from the table and as quickly as the shock had filtered through the seats a new wave rolled through as Millerina added, "If Freid does not sign this treaty than Austuria will also refuse."

Hitomi's mouth dropped open in surprise. From what Merle had told her Austuria and Freid were two powerful countries. One of the reasons several other countries had joined the treaty was because they knew they would have two of the greatest armies to back them up. If Austuria and Freid stepped out of this it was possible the entire treaty could collapse.

"This is bullying," Jorgus exclaimed, slapping his palm on the table. It looked like another round of yelling was about to ensue and Hitomi sighed wearily.

"Lady Hitomi do you have an opinion?"

Her eyes widened at the voice and she slowly turned to see the Zaibach's soldier staring at her, "What?"

Every occupant of the room became stiff as all attention came to the red solider. Dilandau's face twisted into a smile and she felt a chill race down her spine at his devilish appearance. She suddenly realized this was the first time the man had spoken. His voice had sounded unusually high and Hitomi believe her suspicions of his age were confirmed. The captain's pale finger cupped his cheek as he repeated, "Do you happen to have an opinion on the matter, Lady Hitomi?"

The seer's insides seemed to disappear completely. She didn't care what he had just asked; she didn't believe he was interested in the controversy over Freid. Carefully, she replied with feigned innocence, "I very much doubt my opinion is worthy of this discussion."

"An outsider's opinion would be most refreshing," Dilandau said lazily, his eyes locked on her. Hitomi didn't look to Van, but knew he was fidgeting. The captain hadn't spoken throughout the entire meeting, but now he had chosen to speak up and directly to her, a spectator. The very sight of the soldier made his blood hot and with his smirk directed at the seer, Van knew his blood was threatening to explode.

"I suppose I would side with Freid on the matter," she said quietly, eyes darting nervously. She saw a few lean forward and she knew they wanted to hear an explanation to her decision. Hitomi studied Dilandau and noticed he was feverishly watching her.

What was with this man from a dark country?

Looking away from the captain, she continued loudly, "I don't believe any country would be willing to send their entire army away from their base of operation. It would be suicide to leave their base unprotected. So, I think that if Freid must offer their last line of defense to this treaty, than every country should be willing to do the same."

There was absolute silence. The death grip she had on her tarot card tightened as they all stared at her. Maybe it would have been better to have faked indecision. She had never dared to speak in the town back home and now she realized why.

"Austuria sides with the Lady Hitomi," Millerina suddenly spoke up with a smile, "She raises a very good point. No country should be forced to sacrifice all of their people."

There was a nod, then two.

"Korris agrees with Austuria."

"Yukon agrees with Austuria."

Jorgus grumbled a curse beneath his breath, "Bosrom agrees with Austuria. Bosrom retracts their previous terms in exchange for new ones. We ask that all countries are required to keep their reserves at their main base."

Hitomi turned back to the captain and saw his smile lift delicately into a smirk. Chuckling, Dilandau narrowed his eyes and said, "See it appears your presence is needed here."

Heart stopped beating all together and her eyes widened. He knew. He knew she didn't belong here, or at least knew she was lying about who she was.

Confirming her thoughts, the Zaibach captain gave the smallest of nods in her directions. Hitomi felt her mouth go dry. 'How could he possibly know? They had done so well at hiding her!'

"Are you alright, Lady Hitomi?" Millerina asked gently, "You look very pale."

The seer shakily smiled, never taking her eyes off the man's red eyes, "Just nerves."

Hitomi began to rhythmically squeezing Van's hand. The king glanced at her and knew instantly something was very wrong. Slipping his hand out of hers, Van stood and stole the attention of the table, "I believe we have been in here for quite enough time for today. Let us adjourn for dinner and we will continue tomorrow."

Chairs screeched backwards and the weary representatives began to depart the room. Hitomi was quite happy to stay in her seat, where she could feel the faithful support of her chair. Her heart was going to fly out of her ribcage if she stood.

"Lady Hitomi I wanted to thank you for your help today."

The seer jerked straight in her seat as she found the quiet voice beside her armrest, "I only spoke honestly, Prince Chid. I'm sure another would have said the same thing if given the time. You need not thank me."

He smiled softly, "Your humbleness is admirable, but I will still offer you my thanks. After all, who knows how long we would have been here if you had not said it."

She nodded and slid her hands in her lap to hide the tremors. Chid was such an agreeable boy. She could sense a deep kindness in his heart and she wondered what type of ruler he would turn out to be. Her eyes suddenly stopped on the boy's smile. His lips pulled into the most familiar—

Hitomi blinked rapidly as the image a beautiful blonde woman flowed over her sight. She was smiling the same sad smile and for a moment, Hitomi thought it was Millerina she was seeing. Except when she blinked, the image blurred and settled into an older woman, whose eyes were smaller and curves were fuller.

Hitomi leaned against the armrest of her chair as the image disappeared as quickly as it had come. Prince Chid was frowning at her with concern, "Are you alright, Lady Hitomi?"

"It's nothing," she replied energetically, "Just a bit of a headache. I'm not use to these long debates."

"Well you have proven to be a most effective speaker," the prince's advisor replied in a strong voice. Hitomi smiled up at him and realized her vision was swimming. She blinked and settled her eyesight in time to see the advisor looking down at her in concentration. "Have we met before, Lady Hitomi?"

She winced inwardly, "I don't believe that is possible. I've never been as far as Freid in all my life."

"Well, I have not been part of the royal family's council all of my life," he replied, "At a time, I was a missionary and traveled to many places. We might have met on one of those moments."

Hitomi glanced to Van and realized he was watching her carefully. He had to have seen her momentarily lapse. She shook her head to Voris, "If we had I am not certain where. I've stayed closed to home most of my life."

"And where would that be?"

Hitomi nervously looked up at the red captain, "I am from Thorb."

Warmth swept forward to her left, opposite to the captain, and Hitomi knew Van had taken a protective stance at her side. Dilandau ignored the young king's silent challenge and kept his calculating gaze on her, "Thorb was it? A fairly isolated place isn't it?"

Her heart pounded hard against her chest, "I suppose you could say that, but I never found it to be so."

Dilandau's grin didn't waver and she wondered what he was thinking. She realized his eyes were a close color to Van's, except they lacked the earthy brown hue the king possessed. His eyes were a vivid red like roses, or perhaps a more sickening tint like blood. Whichever, his eyes had dangerous, thirsty shine to them that was to be avoided especially by her.

She needed to escape him before his suspicions led him to her secret.

Glancing around the room, she noticed Millerina was busy speaking with Dryden quietly, Allen waiting patiently behind her. Voris and Chid were standing just to the side of Van and were listening intently to her conversation with the Zaibach soldier.

"You appear a bit pale," Dilandau said abruptly, "Perhaps you should rest."

Hitomi shrugged, "I think dinner would do me well, but perhaps I will take a nap before hand. I don't believe dinner will be ready for another hour or two."

"Until that time," he lunged for her hand and lazily brought the curve of her fingers to his velvet lips. Hitomi felt a violent bile rake her throat and she swallowed to keep her countenance. His eyes stayed on her face the entire time as his thumb stroked her knuckles. "I hope for future stimulating conversation with you."

She bit her lip as she nodded. The firm press of his thumb, however, diverted her gaze to her wrist. The air instantly disappeared from her lungs as saw he had discreetly pushed her bracelet up her arm with the tip of his thumb just high enough to expose an angel within a star. Her wide eyes lifted in barely enough time to see the smirk as Dilandau released her hand and strode out of the room.

She wanted to reach out for him and stop him. She didn't know what she could do if she did, but she was desperate.

Almost instantaneously she witnessed the sight of fire swallowing the room in mighty vision. Everything was smoldering and shriveling under the fires' power. The Treaty had not been saved from the carnage and she shuddered in fear as she noticed the dozen names signed at the bottom of the lengthy page. Looking up she saw Dilandau standing at the head of the table, dressed no longer in his white vest, but had instead exchanged it for a black one. His red eyes were wild and hungrily set upon her. She wanted to scream, but the smoke choked her and she bent over in a fit of coughs.

"Hitomi! Hitomi are you alright?"

Her vision swam dangerously, but she glanced around the room, looking past the handful of concern faces. She couldn't see the flames anymore, but she could still feel their heat and taste the smoke. She carefully looked up, trying to hold back a wave of nausea, and found his eyes full of concern staring down at her in his arms.

She scowled lightly. How had she gotten into his arms? Had she fallen?

"I'm alright. I guess I wasn't quite over that cold," she easily threw out the excuse, pulling out from his arms.

Van frowned, but said nothing as the others surrounded the seer. Millerina quickly pushed forward through the tight circle surrounding her and pressed her hand to the seer's forehead. "You appear to have a small fever. It would be wise for you to retire early. I'm sure Van will have some food sent up to you."

Hitomi nodded and took Van's offered arm graciously. She felt very weak and didn't believe she could make it to the door without him.

"Lady Hitomi, I believe this slipped from your pocket."

Looking down at the young prince, she followed his outstretched arm to see her precious good luck charm in his small fingers. Her mouth dropped open in mute disbelief at the sight of it. The tarot card had miraculously been burnt black along the edges.