3.12. The night in the forgotten town

- How long are you going to carry me? - Maat laughed.
- Don't forget that you are my swag, - Kotori winked. - If a hawk will release a little mouse it will escape!
- Very smart hawk! - Maat giggled. - But what if a little mouse will promise a hawk that it will stay near? - she smiled looking at Kotori.
- Hmm... - Kotori pretended thinking. - I think a hawk will trust a little mouse, - he smiled at Maat and put her on the ground.
Maat smiled and kissed his cheek.
- Thank you for trusting me, - she whispered looking at his eyes.
- But it changes nothing... - Kotori grinned. - Hawk will eat a little mouse earlier or later.
- But maybe a little mouse wants to be eaten, - Maat laughed playfully.
- Oh... Can it be? - Kotori poked gently Maat's arm.
- And what do you think? Can it be or not? - Maat poked Kotori's arm back.
They walked teasing each other and laughing till Maat stopped looking somewhere in the distance.
- What? - Kotori looked at her surprised.
- Do you see what I see? - she pointed at tall pines.
Kotori looked in the direction what Maat showed.
- I see a tower... It's tumbledown and very old, - he said. - But how's it possible? We hunted many times here and we've never noticed any ruins!
- Wanna check it? - Maat looked at Kotori with sparkling eyes.
- Yes, let's check it! - Kotori nodded and they rushed towards the ruins.

***

When they reached the ruins sun already went down. Somewhere high up an eagle screamed, the pines soughed. Kotori stood as if frozen and listened to the majestic silence. His ears were used to different sounds of the forest, his eyes saw as well in the dark as in the daylight, so it was more than strange that he had never noticed before neither the tower nor the ruins of magnificent palace.

- What do you think it could be? - he asked quietly Maat.
- I think that here once lived the King or Queen, - Maat smiled.
- I had never met either the king or the queen...
- I had to meet not one king and queen, but... Not all of them were worthy of this title.
Kotori raised his brow looking at Maat.
- I think you should tell me many interesting things.
- If only you are ready to listen to me and will not get bored of my stories, - Maat chuckled taking Kotori by his hand. - Let's look around, my dear friend...

- Wait... - Kotori stopped Maat pulling her to himself. - Did I tell you how amazing you are, my red flower? - he whispered leaning against his lips.
- No... - Maat said silently and smiled looking at his eyes.
- You took my heart, Maat... The same day when you came to our tribal camp...
- Is that bad? - Maat chuckled playfully.
- No... Until my red flower is with me, my heart feels good resting in its blossom and drinking its nectar.
Maat smiled and stroked his cheek.
- And what... If a wind will pick off a red flower and will take to Great Waters?
- Then my heart will drown together with a red flower... - Kotori's eyes shone in the evening twilight like two dancing flames.
- It will never happen... - Maat whispered feeling totally charmed by Kotori's look.
- Is it a promise?
- Yes...
Kotori and Maat lips merged into a kiss full of passion.

Maat stepped back a bit pushing Kotori gently away.
- What's wrong? - he smiled.
- I remembered a bad hawk... - Maat wiggled her eyebrows. - Where is it?
Kotori grinned.
- Right in front of a little scared mouse!
- Then a hawk has to catch a little mouse if it wants not stay hungry! - Maat giggled and ran away on the path lit of the moonlight.
Kotori chased Maat till she decided to give up. Kotori grabbed her by the hand and pulled her in passionate kiss.
- Come to me, my little mouse... - he whispered pushing her gently into the bushes.
- What a sweet death awaits for me... - Maat chuckled clinging against Kotori.
- The best death ever, - Kotori smiled laying her down on the grass and planting many soft kisses on her face and neck.

***

- Can you imagine once people lived here, Kotori? - quietly asked Maat, when they sat down on the bench. - And suddenly one day all was over...

- I remember that day when all was over...
- Me too...
They were silent for some time holding by each other's hand.
- Soon midnight, - told Kotori looking at the moon.
- So what? - laughed Maat. - Do we need a time?
- Probably not, - Kotori looked at Maat's eyes. - And where... Where you were born and raised in... Have you had the slaves?
- Yes, I remember a few... - Maat nodded. - But then I was very young and didn't have a clue about men mission in my tribe. They carried me and played with me and I called them my uncles. Last slave was sacrificed when I was fifteen summers. It's not the best memory of my past, - Maat smiled sadly. - But then we no longer had the slaves. We were warriors tribe, so our creator said that we have to be strong and brave, that real Amazons don't need the slaves, because they can take care of everything themselves, but if any of us wants to mate, we are free to find a suitable man from neighboring tribes. Your sister and our creator were similar in many ways... - Maat looked at Kotori's eyes and he smiled at her. - Our creator has found a man and lived in his tribe for some time, till she became pregnant. It seems it was so long ago... - Maat sighed. - They all stayed in the past, in that world what died...
- Yes... Sometimes I think that my previous life is just a dream, it's not real... - Kotori squeezed Maat's hand gently. - I also remember how my uncle Mato was sacrificed...He was a tribal son like me... - He said after a short pause.
- You don't have to worry about it, - Maat smiled gently. - Wenona will never sacrifice no one of you.
- Once she promised me... We were kids, - Kotori smiled remembering himself and Wenona running together on the path to their tribal village.
- And she kept her promise, right?
- Yes... She did.
- You have a great sister, Kotori.
- But I'm not the best brother.
- Come on! - Maat chuckled. - You are great man, Kotori.
- You think about me too good as I've never showed you my dark side.
- Do you think I should be scared now? - Maat chuckled.
- Are you?
- Of course, I am not! - Maat laughed. - I saw many people, I knew many different tribes and their customs and if some of these people would be so evil as you are, this world would be a real paradise!
- Don't flatter me, Maat! - Kotori pushed her gently.
- I don't! - Maat pushed him back.
Kotori pulled her in his embrace and kissed Maat's lips.
- What would you say if I'd ask you to be my mate, my beautiful red flower? - he whispered to her ear.
- I think you don't have to ask me, Kotori... - Maat chuckled blushing. - I think we are already mated, aren't we?
- I just wanted to be sure...

- Oh... It gets cold... - Maat embraced herself rubbing her arms.
- Cold? - Kotori looked at her surprised and started pull off his shirt.
- Wait... - Maat grabbed his hand. - Look here...
- Where?
- A ghost.. Woman.. - she pointed at transparent pink siluet floating in the distance.
Kotori looked at ghost astonished in a surprise. Ghost floated to pair and and sat on the bench next to Kotori.
- It's so good to see two souls in love... - a ghost smiled. - I didn't see live people for ages.
- And I can't remember when I saw the ghost... - Maat chuckled.
- Aren't you afraid of me?  Usually the living are afraid the dead.
- You aren't scary ghost, - Kotori laughed.
- Don't be so assured, young man, - a ghost smiled. - I can scare you enough, but I am too good and too romantic for being evil like you.
Maat looked at ghost surprised.
- You won't know that, beautiful lady, - a woman shook her head. - You are so in love with him just like me many years ago...
- No... Let's be frank, - Maat decided to hear the truth. - I want to know...
- Ok... - a woman looked at Maat with serious glance. - He will betray you and he will betray you many times.
- Who? Me? - Kotori bursted in laughter. - What nonsenses are you talking, woman-ghost?!
Maat felt confused, but she still smiled and looked at ghost.

- No matter what you are saying I still trust Kotori, - finally she said.
- I see... - a ghost smiled. - Love can be blind... It's your choice and your choice will decide your fate, - woman stood up and floated away.
- Don't dare to listen to her! - Kotori grabbed Maat in his arms and started to tickle her.
- I don't listen to her! I listen to my heart! - Maat answered laughing and trying to escape from his embrace.
- I am serious!
- Me too, - she chuckled.

- Really? - Kotori pushed her gently staring at her eyes.
- Really, - Maat said staring at his dark eyes back and laughed softly.
They sat  long time not taking their eyes off each other.

- I love my little red flower... I won't betray her, - finally Kotori broke the silence. - If I will do that I will kill myself as red flower has my heart.
Maat smiled and their lips merged in a gentle kiss.

- I think we should go... Wenona and others will miss us, maybe they already missed us, - Maat said silently caressing Kotori's face.
- We will... - Kotori nodded and kissed her again. - I would like to stay with you forever here... Just you and me...
- And ghost, - Maat winked at him and giggled kissing his lips.
- No... Ghosts should leave us, - Kotori laughed. - They annoy me!
- I have nothing against ghosts! - Maat took Kotori's hand. - If even she said a truth... - she looked at his eyes. - I would forgive you...
Kotori didn't say anything. He stood up and pulled Maat by her hand to himself, hugged her tightly.
- Kotori... - Maat whispered.
- Don't say anything... Listen to the silence. Then you can hear a voice of my heart, - he said kissing Maat's hair.