Ch. 2 Meeting with the Queen Mage

"Lyra!" someone yelled, shaking me awake, my hand shot to my neck as my eyes flung open to find myself looking into Lilly's. Her gaze reflected the exact same shade of golden brown as her father, Nael's. 

"You were sweating and tossing around. I thought you were seizing," Lilly explained, unaware of the inner turmoil I was fighting. There was no way she could know what I had just dreamed about or what she had saved me from reliving again. She didn't know about that night when everything went wrong. She didn't know that the fire magic I wielded had once belonged to her brother, or that I treasured it as much as I treasured Ignatius' memory.

"Sorry," I gasped, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I was soaked through with it.

"Bad dream again?" Lilly asked, stepping back to resume the respectful distance that all mages kept from their leaders. 

"Yeah," I mumbled, swinging my feet out of bed.

"Same one as usual?" Lilly pressed, and I looked at her again. A pained expression crossed her face, and I nodded.

"Yes, and I still don't want to bore you with the details, so don't ask," I murmured, pulling my fire forward like a cloak against the chill my own magic always left behind.

"You fire mages and your emotions," she sighed with a sly grin, and I forced a smile back at her. "By the way, your mother, the Queen Mage, wants to speak with you. She said she's received word on something," Lilly bowed and turned to the door. "I had a bath filled for you a while ago. I figured you could just heat the water back up when you used it. I have to get back to work. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes, thank you, Lilly." I assured her. She nodded once more then left.

Alone again, I collapsed back onto the bed and rubbed my face with my hands—hard—as if trying to wipe away the emotions from that nightmare-memory that had continued plaguing me all these years.

Six full seasons. It had been six whole years since that night. I wasn't thirteen anymore. I had a little more control over my powers now, but the thought of my magic and what it was capable of always left me feeling unsettled.

The blood and death from that night constantly haunted me, but the worst part was knowing that Ignatius was gone because I had been too weak to control my magic. I took a deep breath, steeling myself as I suppressed his fire and pulled my own magic forward, feeling the familiar coldness seep into me. Just as soon as it came forward, I slammed it back down, as if needing to prove to myself that I still held control.

I hated it. I filled the void that locking my magic away created within me with Ignatius' heat once more and took a deep breath as I stood up and headed into the bath.

I pushed the memory away and focused instead on what Lilly had said about Mother. I wonder if there was more news about last night? But if it were that, I feel like Mother would have divulged that with Lilly. No, Mother was vague for a reason... Maybe she got word back on a possible alliance?

My parents had been reaching out to the nearest lord-doms about potential alliances, but it hadn't been going well. With the bias humans had against us mages, it was hard to find anyone who would trust us—or, harder yet, humans we could trust not to shove a dagger in our backs once they were turned.

All of this was compounded by the wars that had been raging for the better part of a decade. I sighed as I tried to push those thoughts away, letting my night robe slip from my shoulders and pool around my feet as I bent to sweep my fingers over the surface of the cool water.

I pulled on my fire magic, as it came alive, warmth spread across my skin. I knew I'd have a pink flush to my complexion if I looked in a mirror. I pushed the fire magic away from myself and into the water, which immediately began warming up. The surface rippled slightly as if there were a current underneath, spreading the warmth outward.

Steam soon began rising from the surface, and I stepped into the tub, sinking into water hot enough that most people would find it uncomfortable. Dipping my head underwater, I began washing away the pain and heartache from the past, along with the sweat from my night terror, preparing for my meeting with the Queen Mage.