Maya exhaled audibly as she stared at the body of the man she had just finished killing. Before her, bodies lay on the floor and she could see Shelbrooke and Reyns looking at her in admiration. 

"I have a request to make, however," Shelbrooke said and she glanced at him.

"What request?" She asked still shaken from the fight. This was weird. She never gets weak, no matter how many people she kills, but then it dawned on her. Her time is up. 

"Remove your cover," Shelbrooke said.

"What?" Maya exclaimed.

"We need to see your face." Reyns chipped in and she felt all their gazes on her at once.

What was the point? She had been hiding her face for a long while and her time is almost up. She touched the edge of the fabric, looking up at Shelbrooke. Images of what had happened the other day came rushing back. 

The grounds shook and it was daytime already. No one could go to the surface to survive the blast as the sun was up. Going to the surface at that time would only cause their death, faster than anything. However, many people took the risk and went up. As she held up her baby, wearing a green and yellow gown, she held the two tiny gemstones given to her by mother earth. She was supposed to give her baby one and hold one to herself. Most of the people who went to the surface but weren't fast enough to find shade got burnt by the warmth of the sun and died. She shivered underneath the ground, almost her turn to run. 

Maya had held her baby tighter to herself, then pushed the stone in between his finger before leaving for the surface. The sun rose faster than anything and it chased after her. A huge tree lay before her eyes and she ran towards it, praying in her mind to reach there before the sun catches up with her. Unfortunately, her legs caught a twig and she fell, her baby falling from her hand. He still wrapped his hand around his gemstone but hers had rolled forward.

She made to stand up and move towards it but she realized her ankles were broken. She began to cry as she crawled to get the stone. It lay before her eyes but she was too weak to get it. The sun crossed her baby and she thought he would burn but he was unharmed. The stone was still with him. By the time she heaved a sigh of relief and go back to grab her stone, the sun crosses over her and hit her face, burning it badly. 

It etched deeply through her skin and muscle, tearing her skin off and she screamed out of pain. However, with her other face, she could locate the stone which she grabbed but instead of being unharmed like her baby, something enclosed her. She could hear mother earth's voice inside the box.

"I have held on to my part of the agreement, Maya. Stay in the coffin and your son lives. The day you get out," Maya's breathing was getting shallow and her eyes were closed. "Is the day your son dies and vice versa." 

And darkness.

Maya regained consciousness again from her memories and she cried. The day her son died was the day she came out of the coffin. It broke her heart. 

"Are you okay?" Luana asked and she looked up sharply.

"I can't. I can't remove my cover, I'm sorry."

"But..."

"You're in trouble Luana. I didn't come on my own." Maya began to say. Why would she forgive Lyne when her mother was the reason for her heartbreak? Talk of working for her.

"She sent me to spy on you. But I want you to know, we had a contract and I'm not ready to breach it. Besides, we have a common goal. To get the Onyx back from them because it never belonged to them. It belonged to us."

Shelbrooke nodded.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I'll work as an intermediary but I'll be on your side. How's that?"

"That's a very good idea."

"That bitch!" Luana spat. "Always trying to go ahead of me."

"She is dangerous now, Luana. You can't just go and face her." Maya warned.

"Oh, yes I can."

"I'll advise you don't."

Luana glared at her for a while before sighing defeatedly. 

"Fine."

"We strike some days from now. But it's definitely this week."

They all nodded.

★★★★★★★★★★

Lyne was restless as well as worried about both Aurora and Maya. She glanced at Zeidan who sat on his throne, jaw in hand and she knew he must be deep in thought. He truly loves Aurora and it hurts him to see her in pain. 

"Amber told me Aurora is getting better. I think we should head to her room and check on her." Lyne told Zeidan, walking up to where he sat.

"Don't you think we should wait for Maya first? She promised to meet us here in the evening. We'll go see Aurora at night." Zeidan replied and she sat on his lap, placing her arm around his neck.

"Our daughter should be our priority."

"I know. And she is my priority. But I don't want anything coming in the way of spending time with her. Let's settle Maya's case once and for all and we can spend the night with her if that's okay." Zeidan said looking up at her.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, his Majesty and her Highness." Maya's voice rang in the hall and she came in, her cloak sweeping the floor.

"Have you no regard for the King?" Lyne asked, rising and coming down the steps that led to the throne.

"Coming in with no bows or curtesy. That's rude."

"I wasn't taught to do that. We reverence our chiefs by killing them." 

Lyne choked on her spit which she swallowed.

"What the..."

"Don't die. Was just kidding."

"How was your meeting with Luana?" Zeidan asked and Maya sighed before proceeding to give a report.

"According to their discussions, they will be attacking this city in two weeks. Their plans can last a month which is enough for you to get prepared." Maya explained looking from Zeidan to Lyne.

Lyne looked up at her husband who glared at Maya as if realizing something dangerous about her.

"Zeidan?" She called but he stood up to move closer to Maya.

"What are you doing?"

"She blocked her mind." 

He muttered.

"You were trying to go inside my head?" Maya asked, looking up at Zeidan who quickly drew out his sword and pulled it at her.

"Oh....easy, easy, easy." Lyne tried to calm him.

"She probably has the ability to block anyone from searching her head."

"But why would she?" Zeidan asked looking back at Maya. "If she doesn't have anything to hide."

"Nice try, Zeidan." She said before drawing out her sword and swinging it toward him. He dodged them and they went past his head getting stuck on the wall behind him. 

He threw his but she kicked it off with her legs and they were left with their hands. They started fighting and Lyne was shocked. Maya had betrayed her. Before anything, she crept towards the two swords that were in the wall, pulled one out, and ran towards Maya stabbing her in the chest.

"No!!!!" Maya screamed and slowly her clothes began to burn. It looked like they were fading away along with her body.

That was when she knew. Her sword was the answer to totally killing her.