Chapter 15 - Truth

He managed to get all three of the glasses to the table, and laid them out before them without much casualty. At least if one didn't add the water he spilled from time to time, you could say he did a grand job. He could have just carried them in a tray, he realised, albeit all too late.

"You must return to the castle with me." He heard Hannah say firmly, when he tuned in his focus to their conversation.

"I will, soon enough. But not with the both of you. Not just yet." she smiled, urging the girl to understand.

"But soon. I’m taking my stand on that." Hannah said, leaving no room for argument. He smiled, she could befierce when it came to what she wanted. He knew that first hand.

"Soon." The elderly woman said, and he heard the smile in her voice. She went back to the chair she had vacated and for a moment looked at Hannah with an expression he couldn't quite put a name on, but he thought he understood, it was the same way his mother looked at his sisters when they weren’t watching.

She picked up the book and looked down at it, a frown frown forming on her ever serene face.

"I'm afraid I do not understand the other language, but if you'll leave this book with me, I'll do my best to find out for sure."

"Wouldn't that take some time?" Jasper asked.

She nodded, "It is bound to. but I'm sure my resources will do their best as well to find out as speedily and discretely as possible, and can be trusted. Given the rarity of this book, much trust will be needed."

Hannah sighed heavily.

"So what now?" She asked.

"Well, you wanted to know why the Athànatoi are after you in particular?"

"Yes, indeed, I interrupted you. I'm sorry, please go on."

Martha, cleared her throat and began.

"Seven hundred years ago, the Athànatoi lived peaceably among men, they were, in every way, human looking. with the only distinction their eye colour, theirs were red. They mated with their kind alone, however there was a male Athànatoi who fell out of the norm, and mated with a human female, who happened to be an enchantress. It was what you call a forbidden love, for in their own way, they loved each other, and it so happens that that union bore a child.

"A child." Hannah whispered in awe.

Martha nodded,

"A baby girl. When the Athànatoi male learned of the child's conception, he was confused, for I don't think that conception was even meant to be possible. There had been none like it before, none of the such ever heard of. Legend has it that he wanted the baby dead. You would think that since he 'loved' her, he would want the fruit of that love, but I suppose perhaps he confused love with lust. However, Learning of his purpose, the woman hid herself and her baby, being a witch, she was quite creative--"

"Pardon me, I'm interrupting again, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Let the story unfold, princess." Marha chided,

"Sorry. Go on." She said, letting out an exasperated sigh. Martha smiled at her. she was, to her thinking, like a child, impatient to hear the end of an interesting story. Just like she was, seventeen years ago, but Martha tucked those thoughts away, at least for that moment.

"Truth is, no one knows really what became of that child and her mother, some say they died in a desert, the bizarre ones say they became mountains in their attempt to hide from the Athànatoi and stayed that way. But that's just superstition." She added the last part quickly, when both Jasper and Hannah's eyes grew wide.

"Although their whereabouts remained unknown, we do know that the child indeed grew into woman hood, and had a child of her own. And as for how you are connected to this? In an attempt to find the woman and her child, it is said that he sought her desperately because he felt remorseful, but there others who say it was simply for the thrill, and that he was bored. however he sought them and soon concluded that the only means to find them was an oracle, so he went to one, and that was when he learned of the prophecy. That was when he learned that a descendant from that child would be the very end of the Athànatoi race." Understanding dawned on Hannah and she let Jasper pull her close, wrap his arms around her, giving her comfort.

"I'm that child, aren't I?" She said, the calmness in her voice bellying the turmoil she felt rising within her.

"Yes, you are that child."

"Are you also a descendant, Martha?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, I am."

"And so if you're also a descendant, how are they so sure it's Hannah? For all we know, it could be you, or the Queen."

"I have wondered the same thing. But the prophecy speaks of one, born of the sixth month, with hair as black as the night and her smile as radiant as all the innumerable stars. Even from the time when she was a babe, her smile could stop your heart."

It could, he thought. Her smile stopped his heart, always. But still...

"You are born in the sixth month?" He asked her. He realised then, that there was so much about her, he had no knowledge of. That would have to change, he concluded.

"at the very first hour, of the very first day." She answered, bewildered, looking at Martha, who looked at her with compassion.

"But that could be anyone." Jasper said indignantly.

"There is no one born in the sixth month in our lineage, I have checked. When I started seeing the visions, I wanted them so much to be wrong." The elderly woman's voice broke, and it was Hannah's turn to look at her with compassion.

"You don't choose what you see."

"No, I don't. And I can't change them either, I can only warn of it and pray it does much good."

"What good will warning us of the Athànatoi do?" Hannah asked, her voice a whisper.

"It will help us survive for what is coming."

"Do you see how it ends?" Jasper wanted to know.

Martha looked helpless at his question, and he regretted that he asked. She looked so vulnerable, and he couldn't help but think of the woman beside him. He knew they were both strong women. But the strong weren't always strong, and the strong could be vulnerable as well.

"All I see is war. Men, women, human against the Athànatoi, the Athànatoi in a human form of their choosing, their eyes red. Blood, so much blood, the air is filled with the foul stench of death and fear. But oh, the fear helps to survive. And you princess, you fight, you fight to keep the ones you love alive." Martha had grown pale, and beads of sweat lined her forehead, it took Hannah a moment to realise that the woman had entered into a trance.

"Martha?" Jasper said, but when she didn't answer, and her eyes clouded, Hannah pulled away from him and took one of the glasses and was at the woman's side so quick, Jasper was caught off guard by her speed.

"Drink." She said lifting the glass to her mouth, when she made no move to drink, Hannah tipped the glass of water forward, and felt relief wash over her when she began to drink.

"That's enough, I'm okay." She said when she pulled away from the glass. She coughed a bit and gave Hannah a weary smile, but she didn't return it, concern filled Hannah's entire face.

"You look worn out, is this what it's always like?"

"Not always. But I must confess, lately the visions grip me so quickly it leaves me a bit disoriented at times." She had looked more than a 'bit disoriented' a minute ago, but she chose to say nothing.

"Rest Martha, we'll continue this later." Jasper said, and all heads turned to him.

"Jasper's right, you should rest." Hannah conceded and turned to the elderly woman, she looked so worn.

"Very well, the both of you should do so, as well." She said looking from Hannah, to Jasper and back to Hannah again.

"We will. I'll be upstairs if you both need me."Hannah said and they both nodded and watched as she placed the halved glass of water in her hand on the table, and made for the stairs, nor before she place a kiss on martha’s cheek.