Queen of Fire (A Light-Bringer Prequel)

Twelve

She almost dropped the pitcher at the captain's words.

They were hunting the Lost Princess of Lucis, Marilyn Pyro.

"So you still haven't found her?" asked the Everlight.

"No." Captain Gomez fidgeted with the silver wedding band on his left ring finger. He looked at the man across from him. "But when we do find her, I will be the one to kill her."

Emberly felt sick to her stomach. She turned to another servant and whispered, "Serve the rest of them water. I'm going to go on a quick break."

She handed off the pitcher to the servant and walked out in time to hear Commander Bjorndottir say, "If Marilyn Pyro wants to stay hidden as well as she is, then she must have a good reason to be in hiding."

Emberly walked through the high-arched halls of the Emperor's palace, the sun streaming down through the arched windows. Emberly heard footsteps behind her and assumed that it was another servant.

A hand closed itself on Emberly's mouth and another pinned her arms down to her sides. The person dragged her into a servants' stairwell as she struggled to break free, before letting her go. Emberly spun around to face her assailant only to find none other than the Everlight.

"You," she snarled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Getting my questions answered," he said.

She scoffed. "And abducting one of the Emperor's servants will definitely help you in that department."

"Can you show me your face, please?"

"No."

"It's important."

"I don't care. My answer isn't changing."

"You're not leaving here until you do."

Her eyes widened. If she didn't show up again soon, her superiors would have her head on a bayonet. Emberly sighed and took off her scarves, revealing the rest of her face and her blonde hair.

"Happy?" she asked angrily.

He held up a piece of paper and looked at it, then her, and back again. His eyebrows rose every time he looked at her.

"I believe I found you, Your Highness," said the Everlight.

Emberly looked at him in bewilderment. "I beg your pardon."

"You heard me. I found you, Princess Marilyn," he said in Lucinean.

"I'm not her," she said in Eirineften.

"You're not an Eirineften."

"What makes you say that?"

"For one, you understand Lucinean. Second, you have a slight Lucinean accent. Where are you from?"

"Urbs Flumen."

"Why did you leave?"

"A witch killed my parents."

"Any siblings?"

"One older sister, but she was killed, too." She had never told anyone about her family's massacre. Why was she telling a complete stranger?

"Do you wield any magic?"

Emberly took a deep breath. "No," she lied.

Commander Bjorndottir sighed. "There's no one else here, Emberly. If you're afraid that the With-Hunters are going to overhear, I can guarantee you that they won't. But I need to know this so then I can give you protection in Krigere."

"I don't wield magic, but I can offer you this: there are rumors, Commander Bjorndottir —rumors that the Queen of Lucis, Ashlynn Pyro, is a witch; the same witch that she accused Marilyn of being. That Marilyn is the true heir, no Ashlynn."

"Do you know where she is?"

Emberly shrugged. "My best guess is somewhere in Eirineftes, but with the Witch-Hunters arriving, I'd say that she'd run to Apparatori."

"Why do you think Apparatori?"

"Because Ashlynn was betrothed to Lord Phillippe Dragos before he was killed in a bar fight nine years ago. Marilyn is good friends with his cousin, Crown Prince Andrei Dragos."

"How do you know this?"

She shrugged. "I have my ways." She pointed at the doorway behind him. "Am I allowed to go now?"

The Everlight backed up a step to allow Emberly through. When she approached him, he thrust his arm out to stop her from going any farther.

"If you need anything—a friend, salvation, you name it—just find one of my companions and ask for me," he said.

He lowered his arm and Emberly made it a few steps before pausing to turn and look at him.

"If I were to send for you, what do you want me to call you?" she asked.

The Everlight paused. "Akaljot," he said. "Call me Akaljot."

"Thank you, Akaljot," said Emberly before she turned and walked away from him.