Chapter 34: The Queen and the Flame

The throne room pulsed with restrained magic.

Serena sat tall in her seat beside Elias, her golden eyes fixed on the trio of cloaked figures being led in by guards. Their faces were obscured by deep hoods, but the air around them shimmered faintly — a telltale sign of latent power. Power that matched Serena’s in an almost unnerving way.

The Moon Flame hadn’t just returned. They’d evolved.

Elias remained composed beside her, his jaw taut as he studied the strangers. Though his warriors lined the walls of the hall, their presence was for show. Elias knew what Serena had sensed the moment they entered — if these people wanted war, they could summon it with a whisper.

The tallest figure stepped forward and pulled back their hood.

A woman — her features sharp like carved stone, her skin dusted in gold freckles, eyes glowing a stormy silver. Her black hair was twisted into intricate coils, adorned with silver rings shaped like crescent moons.

“Your Majesty,” she said with a voice like rolling thunder. “Queen Serena.”

Serena’s heart stuttered. The woman hadn’t addressed Elias. She’d come for her.

Elias leaned forward. “You’re in the presence of the Crown. Speak your purpose.”

But the woman didn’t look at him. Her gaze remained locked on Serena.

“We’ve come to awaken what was buried,” she said. “To reclaim the daughter of the Moon Flame. The girl hidden in shadows. The queen born of fire and prophecy.”

Serena rose slowly, ignoring the whispers rippling through the chamber. “Who are you?”

The woman smiled faintly. “My name is Nael. I was your mother’s second-in-command.”

Serena’s breath caught.

Lyra.

The name was both familiar and foreign — like a story once read, pages missing. Her mother had vanished when Serena was just a child. She’d been told Lyra died protecting their village during a rogue attack. That her magic had burned too brightly, too fast.

Now this stranger was suggesting her mother hadn’t just been a casualty… but a leader of a hidden order?

Serena’s voice wavered. “My mother is dead.”

Nael’s smile faded. “Yes. But her legacy isn’t. And neither is the power she sealed within you. We’ve come to unlock it.”

Elias stood now, his presence commanding. “You speak of treason. Awakening forbidden magic, gathering power beyond the sanctioned bloodlines—this is the very reason the Moon Flame was destroyed.”

Nael turned to him for the first time. “It wasn’t destroyed. It was buried by cowards too frightened to face change. The Council didn’t purge us because we were dangerous. They purged us because we were free.”

She returned her gaze to Serena. “Your mother tried to shield you from all this. But the Council has found you anyway. They will never stop. They fear what you could become.”

“I don’t even know what I am,” Serena whispered.

Nael stepped forward, ignoring the raised spears of the guards. “Then let us show you.”

The moment she reached into her cloak, half the warriors surged forward, but Elias lifted a hand, freezing them.

Nael pulled out a thin, leather-bound book — old, cracked, humming with enchantment. She held it out to Serena.

“Your mother’s grimoire.”

Serena’s hands trembled as she accepted it. The moment her fingers touched the cover, warmth shot up her arm — not painful, but familiar. The binding pulsed beneath her fingertips like a heartbeat. Her mother’s heartbeat.

Nael stepped back. “Everything you need to know is inside. Spells. Memories. Secrets the Council would kill to silence.”

Elias moved beside her, his voice low. “Serena… this is dangerous. If you open this door, there may be no closing it again.”

She looked at him. Truly looked. For the first time, she saw the worry behind his strength — not just for the kingdom, but for her. For what this could turn her into.

But Serena was done hiding.

“They already made me a target,” she said. “I might as well learn why.”

Nael inclined her head. “We’re camped outside the eastern border. When you’re ready, come. Your people await their Queen.”

With that, the Moon Flame emissaries turned and walked out of the chamber, their cloaks trailing sparks behind them like comet tails.

Silence stretched long after the doors shut.

Serena stared down at the book. “She never told me anything. Not a word.”

“Maybe she was protecting you,” Elias murmured.

“Or maybe she was afraid of me.”

She turned away from the throne, the weight of the grimoire grounding her in a terrifying new reality.

Behind her, Elias said, “Whatever you find in there… whatever you become, you won’t face it alone.”

She didn’t answer right away.

Because deep down, she knew there were some paths that could only be walked alone.

And this — the fire, the truth, the legacy she’d inherited — this was one of them.