Queen of Fire (A Light-Bringer Prequel)

Thirteen

The sun beat down on Emberly as she took her seat with her fried rice in the middle of the bazaar that was a mere fifteen minute walk away from the palace.

There was a certain chaos in the bazaar, but it had a certain charm to it, too.

Emberly sat there in front of the restaurant in the middle of the bazaar, admiring the controlled chaos as she ate her food.

"May I?"

Emberly looked up and saw Captain Gomez standing behind a vacant chair across from her.

"Of course," she said. "Of course you can, Captain."

He sat down and waved his hand in dismissal. "I'm off duty. I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot." He held out his hand. "My name is Miles."

She took his calloused hand in hers. "Emberly." She looked at his black uniform. "How are you not boiling? It's thirty degrees out."

"Friedens is much cooler than the Verzengend Desert," said Miles. "That was a nightmare."

"I can see why," she said, pushing her food around the bowl with her spoon.

"I apologize for holding a sword to your throat earlier. I thought that you were someone else."

"Marilyn Pyro?"

"Yes. Her," said Miles, malice glinting in his gray eyes.

"I'm not her, though," said Emberly.

"I know," he said. "Aside from the eyes, you two don't really look alike."

Emberly chuckled. "What's your agenda while you're here?" she asked before taking another bite of food.

She savored the taste. The bell pepper, the corn, the onions and the crunchy celery...

"If you're smiling at me, I'm afraid that you've been out of luck for three years," said Miles, holding up his left hand. "I'm married."

For once there was nothing cold in his face; the lazy grin, his wind-blown black hair, and the ice in his eyes had melted.

"What's her name?"

He smiled down at his ring. "Her name is Elain, and she's originally from Niityt. We also have a five-month-old son, Matias."

"Congratulations, Miles, on both your marriage and your son. Back to my question: What's your agenda?"

Miles sighed and leaned back. "We're not really doing much today, but tonight is when the real fun begins."

"Fun?" Emberly asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Tonight, we will test all of the palace staff to see if they're a witch," said Miles, a cold, smug smile on his face.

"How are you going to test us?"

"You'll have to find out tonight."

Emberly's stomach plummeted. She would get to see the madman that she heard about for the past five years.

"Emberly, are you feeling alright?" Miles asked in concern. "You're looking a little pale."

"Yeah—yeah, I'm fine," she stammered. "I should probably get back, though. See if His Greatness needs anything."

Emberly pulled out a silver coin and put it on the table.

"I guess I'll see you tonight, Miles Gomez," she said before she got up and walked into the hustle and bustle of the bazaar—leaving Miles far behind her.