Sephira Chapter 12

Sephira

Chapter 12

After leaving Sephira left the atmosphere and stationed the ship above the earth, for a few weeks she watched the Earth turn in it's silent march through the starry heavens. She was touched by such awesome beauty. But she had a nagging feeling she should go to the surface and see her new friends. She broke the atmosphere again and found a large mansion not too far off from a small town but beyond that there was a nice clearing she could lay the ship down on to rest. She cloaked the ship and watched the sunrise. She left the ship to make her way to the small village to get some real home grown food, the P.R.U. still needed tuning, while in the small town she got a lot of attention for her appearance, she really liked the clothes from the far east so it must have looked odd to see a girl, looking like she was in her early 20's, wearing an asian robe dress, with white hair and big blue eyes, must have been very odd compared to everyone else. But with a warm smile and a soft soothing voice she could have bought the town. Ataro's servants also took notice of the strange looking girl. Ataro heard them talking about her in the kitchen and was intrigued at the conversation.
"So what's new?" He openly asked.
"There is a very odd looking girl in town today, she said she is a traveler just passing through but she spoke the language as if she was born here."
"What makes her odd?"
"Her appearance my lord, she has white hair, these big blue eyes and she wore the most unusual clothing." Ataro looked at them in disbelief.
"Did she say what her name was?"
"Yes she was introducing herself to everyone, she was very generous with the merchants and has gained favor with everyone. She called herself Sephira."
Ataro went white and his gray eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Do you know her my lord?" One of his servants asked.
"Did you tell them who you were?"
"She only asked our names, not who we worked for if that is your concern."
Ataro nodded and walked away, he goes to his room and his heart is beating out of his chest. His head was spinning and feelings he had tried to bury came up with a vengeance. He went back to his servants and told them that if she was there tomorrow, invite her over to dinner. The servants agreed and looked at each other like he had gone a bit mad. But the next day they did as they were told and invited her to dinner. Sephira was flattered by the offer and came. She sat in the sitting room waiting for her mystery host. When Ataro came through the doors, Sephira's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.
"Ataro?" She asked, not believing her eyes.
"Hello Sephira." His voice was low but still smooth. Sephira shook her head out of the daze she was in.
"So this is where you have been..."
"Yes, cozy isn't it?" Ataro asked, looking about the room. Sephira looked around as well but was not surprised to see a very ornate and richly decorated room but it lacked soul and purpose, it definitely lacked a woman's touch.
"No actually it isn't cozy at all..." Sephira trailed off while looking at Ataro- inside her emotions were fighting it out. She still wanted to hit him- for abandoning her. She also wanted to kiss him because she felt she didn't finish what was started that night so long ago.
Ataro smirked at her reply and gestured for her to come to dinner. She kept looking at him in confusion, wondering how he could keep his cool after all that happened. They sat down to a lovely dinner, she thought they would sit at the very long, large table but he knew her better than that, they sat down to a small round table, perfectly adequate for the two of them. However their conversation did not come easily. After dinner they went to a small library looking room with a fireplace. They sat down, each in a high armchair. Sephira looked at her host and her brain was ablaze with questions. Once he had settled down in his chair she took the opportunity.
"So...where is she?" Sephira asked- baiting the hook.
"Where is who?"
"Your wife, girlfriend or whatever."
"I have neither." Ataro said, smiling at the question and the look of confusion on her face.
"If we are going to play 20 questions than it is my turn. How did you get here?"
"My ship." Was her short reply.
"But there are no sizable bodies of water for miles."
"My ship does not need water."
"How is that even possible?"
"That's two questions, my turn again, why did you leave me in Arabia?"
"You already asked that question."
"You didn't answer it, all you said was you were sorry."
"Well, to be honest..."
"Please do.."
"I feared for my life, that guy had the better hand in the fight. And the last time I was there it was a sticky situation."
"Sticky situation? You are going to have to do better than that Ataro."
"How does your ship work without water?"
"It floats on air the way other ships float on water, now explain the sticky situation."
"I got caught up in a power struggle and I may have evened the odds."
"By poisoning the other opponents?" Sephira asked, Ataro looked at her in fear, she had somehow found out.
"How could you say such a thing?"
In Arabic she said-
"The man who attacked you- his name was Kadar, he claims you killed his brother in that power struggle you mentioned. The woman yelling at you in the market place that day identified you as the one who killed her grandson."
"When did you learn Arabic?" Ataro asked.
"The day I was thrown into prison because you left me there when the guards came, I thought I was being a friend and helping you overtake the attacker but when you heard the guards you ran away, I had to pay the price of disturbing the peace. Why would you do that? Why would you act so cowardly, something I didn't peg you for, a liar- yes, a thief- perhaps. But not a coward."
"Well I believe you have that one figured out." Was all Ataro would say.
"No- I don't- that's why I'm asking, pleading even, why did you leave me?"
Ataro took a deep breath and went on to explain.
"At the time, I was hired to do such a thing, I'm not proud of it by any means, but that was my job at the time."
"So you are a murderer."
"I believe the term is assassin." Sephira's breath stilled, his candor at saying it was cold and calculating, she didn't like this side of him.
"Assassin?..." Sephira paused at looked at him, realizing he was being really honest and serious with her and it scared her. All Ataro did was nod yes with the look on his face of 'yeah- thought you would have caught on by now'.
"So...how many...have you killed?"
"More than you need or want to know."
"Were you supposed to kill me?" Sephira asked, her anger starting to well up in her.
"No" Ataro said, shaking his head no as he said it.
"Well what were you supposed to do to me then?" Sephira's anger turned to feelings of pain and betrayal which brought tears to her eyes, but she stayed firm.
"What?" Ataro asked, trying to act confused.
"You heard me, I know my brother hired you to get close to me, my guess is that you were hired to get information by what ever means necessary. So my question is what exactly were you hired to do to me?" Her question was pointed as she wanted it to be, he shifted in his seat- something he had not done when being questioned before. So that should tell you something- this man had gone on trial in more courtrooms and countries than he cared to count. He had killed more people than he wanted to admit, he had done more unspeakable things than anyone should know. Yet until now he had kept his nerve through all of it. He had lied...blatantly...to many, many people. But yet, something about her...something about her raw emotional state that she was in right now, pulled at his heart strings. His cold, calculating, callused heart had warmed up just enough to get snagged by something he could not define, something he couldn't cut out or ignore, something he had a feeling would probably haunt him for the rest of his life if he didn't handle this the way he should.
"How did you find out?" Ataro asked- wanting to know what she knew so that he didn't tell her much more than she should know.
"I have always known- you have always had danger written all over you. Call it intuition if you want, but I knew you were after something. I just want you..." Sephira paused trying to make sure she used the right words but where she paused caused a small smirk in the corner of Ataro's mouth. Sephira saw this and blushed slightly but stayed on target- she was getting answers from him once and for all.
"I just want real, honest answers from you, that's all."
"Are you sure?" Ataro asked, not jokingly but very warningly. Sephira nodded and steeled herself for the truth- the real truth this time- to come out.
"Please." Was her short and simple yet hauntingly elegant answer.
"Well, yet again you are right- I was hired by your brother to get information from you. You have always been threatened by each other. He was concerned by the fact that you seem to be sneaking off all the time, he actually thought you were plotting to kill him."
"If I wanted to kill him, I wouldn't need to plot. I would have done it already. But please go on."
"Well once I found your plans of leaving I told your brother my findings but he insisted you were still hiding things but I insisted that I had gotten all there was out of you."
Sephira clenched her jaw slightly at the sting of the truth but desperately wanted more, she needed to hear it, as heart wrenching and beautifully simple as it might be. Ataro continued on...
"For someone of your stature, capabilities and history I thought you would have many more deeper darker secrets. But I was disappointed...." Sephira's face started to scowl slightly, her jaw still clenched in silent anger, her vision narrowed as Ataro continued further...
"You are as innocent as the day is long. If I had the power others say you do I would rule the world. This has frustrated me from the beginning- you can hold the world in your palm yet you choose not to. Why hold yourself back?" This statement didn't surprise her. Someone like him would crave that kind of power despite his current lifestyle. She took a deep breath and calmly answered him.
"Because it is not meant to be. If I was meant to rule the world, I would not have been defeated by my brothers, I would have succeeded in the first place, built up my own empire and expanded it accordingly. But I was rejected- so my place is to watch and step in when necessary- I really don't care if this disappoints you or not. But I have absolutely no desire to rule the world, the world does not need me to. However...there are times when the weak need help to become strong- there are those that need saving from situations that they themselves can not get out of. That is where I want to be. That is my purpose. But I have one more question..."
"Go ahead."
"So nothing that happened between you and me was real was it?" Ataro tried to answer and then stopped himself. His mouth opened but nothing came out.
"Well?" Sephira asked, becoming slightly impatient.
"No- they were all tricks of the trade." Ataro answered, he was trying to steal his resolve but Sephira could see he was lying.
"Really? Even the time you watched me mourn my dear Valiant? Even the time we spent the night together in my sanctuary? What about what happened at the waterfall?" At that last question her own voice started to quiver. But she  suffered through it and continued.
"Even the walks in the woods and the night on the beach at the Sea? All of it was nothing, all of it was fake, all of it was a lie?" Her eyes started to water as her voice quivered further- betraying her own feelings. She put a hand over her mouth to keep from making any further noise, since she was about to burst out crying. She could see he was moved but would it be enough?